The Light in the Woods

by Jean Marie Pierson

  Ray listened to the wind whirl around the house as he looked at the Christmas tree light up the dark family room. His mother walked into the room and looked at the glow from all the colored lights that sparkled off the tinsel. In her hand was the book, The Night Before Christmas.

  “You promised me we would read this,” she said as she held up the large pop-up book. “I know I won’t read it as good as your father, but I’d love to give it a try.”

  Ray sat and looked at his mother. “Mom? Could you tell me another story?”

  “Sure,” she said as she hugged the book. “Which one?”

  “Dad’s Most Magical Day,” he said as his eyes popped around the tree.

  “You mean the day your father got a piece of candy from Mr. Shiller?”

  Ray’s sat up on the couch, his expression screwed up to horror. “What? No. He said candy magically appeared from the bag.”

  “Oh, no. Mr. Shiller put it there. He used to have a set of bags by the register that had an extra piece of candy in them. For kids that he liked, he would grab a bag from the left. For older folks, he’d grab a bag from the right. He didn’t want anyone to think he was a softy.” His mother tapped the book on her chin in thought. “I haven’t thought about him in years. My stars he was mean.”

  “But I thought…” Ray’s face melted. “But if he put it there, it wasn’t magical.”

  Ray’s mother smiled as she sat next to him on the couch. “It was still a magical day.”

  “But how? How can it be magical if someone put it there?”

  “Well, for starters, it was the day I fell in love with your father.”

  “What?” Ray said. His nose swished up as he rested back on the couch.

  “Yes, well, I wouldn’t say I loved him the way I loved him later. But I sure did like him,” she said as her gaze went up to the star on top of the tree. “He was so poor. And his brothers were so…loud. Your father looked and smelled like a kid who was being cared for by two rowdy teenagers. But when I saw him give that dime back to that man I thought, that boy has character. Even Mr. Shiller thought so.”

  “But you said Mr. Shiller was mean?”

  “Mean as they get. You know, your father wound up working for him. Since he told your father that he could come by, he would go there and hang around the front of the store. I think it was the only store a Kozak boy was welcome in back in those days. Anyways, Mr. Shiller got tired of looking at him so he would ask him to clean the gutters or fill the candy jars. Whatever odd chores he needed to be done. I think he’d pay him in licorice. He even used to give him the old comics for his brothers but I think that was more to keep them out of the store.”

  “But Mom, how is that magic?”

  “Because the only person he trusted to work for him was a Kozak and he hated the Kozaks with every fiber in his big old body. Mr. Shiller and your father were good friends to the day Mr. Shiller passed. Mr. Shiller even came to like your Uncle Tim and Uncle Christopher, once they were old enough to stop being hooligans. But by working there, your dad was safe. He wasn’t spending hours in dirty pool halls with his brothers or at home with his mean father. He was busy eating candy and getting my sisters and brothers gumdrops with his extra pennies. That’s how he won my heart. And if that’s not magic. I don’t know what is.”

  Ray gave it some thought as he looked up at the tree. Maybe it was magical. Maybe a candy store was a good way to spend the afternoons. Mr. Shiller was like his Oscar. And Oscar was magical. As magical as could be to Ray. Ray kept staring at the tree until his mother poked his shoulder.

  “Hey, there. I still would love to read this book,” she said. “Although with this storm, I think every creature will be stirring. Even a mouse.”

  CHAPTER 30

  Ships Drive – Southold, New York, 1944

  I think every creature will be stirring.

  His mother’s words looped in his head. Ray stared out of his dark room into the storm outside and waited to see if the light would appear in the woods. His mother was right. This storm would have all the animals running for cover. The Christmas lights on the trees outside from the houses flashed and disappeared as their branches bent and twisted in the howling winds. Through the woods, he could still make out the lights from the lampposts from the houses on Ships Drive. All the houses were dark except for the Goldsmith’s, as they were deep in the throes of their Christmas Eve party. Mrs. Goldsmith started preparing for the party after Labor Day. Nothing short of a direct hit from a tornado would stop Mrs. Goldsmith from throwing a party and unleashing a tidal wave of her spiced eggnog on friends and family.

  Ray’s eyes combed the dark as he waited for something to appear. A light, a silhouette of an antler, the shadow of a deer on his lawn. He stared so hard into the woods he thought his eyes were making things up for him to look at. People walking, men shooting pool, kids playing jump rope. His eyelids began to sink into sleep until something did show up. A figure of a man in the Mott’s backyard. The person kept looking at the house, then back into the woods. The light from the upstairs bedroom window did not cast enough light to give his identity. Once the figure began to rock slightly back and forth, Ray knew it had to be Paley.

  Ray grabbed his coat and snow boots and tiptoed downstairs. The grandfather clock chimed the half hour bell as Ray dashed through the kitchen and into the breezeway. Ray put on his coat and boots while looking out at Paley, whispering a prayer to himself that Paley wouldn’t move or go wandering off into the dark. After readying himself for the storm, Ray gently turned the handle. He tried desperately not to make a sound but the wind yanked the door open like an angry parent, causing it to swing with such force that it threw Ray outside. The air burned as he felt the snow burrow into the corners of his eyes and under his collar, as if it too were trying to hide from the storm. After a tug of war with Mother Nature to close the door, Ray turned back and noticed the square patch of light from the Mott’s second floor was out. Paley’s silhouette, thankfully, remained.

  Ray ran over to Paley in the dark and placed his hand on his arm. Ray could barely make out his expression but his chin faced the woods.

  “What are doing out here?” Ray asked, trying not the shout.

  Paley remained silent and focused, like a cat spying a field mouse through the crack of a wall. Ray looked at Paley as he stared off into the woods. The wind swirled around them but not between. Even the storm couldn’t seem to shake Paley’s resolve. Finally, Paley spoke.

  “They are in the woods.”

  “Who?”

  Paley nodded to the trees. “The soldiers.”

  Ray looked into the woods but saw nothing but the dark outlines of branches and trunks. He craned his neck from side to side but all he got was pelted by snow.

  “There’s no one out there, Paley,” Ray said. “You better go inside.”

  The sound of the Mott’s backdoor slamming shut made Ray whip his head around. From the distance, he saw the small silhouette topped with a pompom run towards them. Paley still would not move.

  “What are you guys doing?” Olive said, her teeth chattering through the cold. Ray looked down and noticed the hem of a nightgown peeking below her coat and over the tops of her rubber snow boots. “Paley, Mommy is going to be upset that you’re outside.”

  “He says he saw soldiers,” Ray said, throwing his hands up in the air. “I didn’t see anything but…”

  But Olive did. She thrust her arm out past the two boys and yelled, “Ray! Over there!”

  It caught Ray’s eyes before he even had a chance to turn around. The light. Shining bright and clear from Ships Drive through the center of the woods. This time, though, the light had facets, as if it were twinkling like a diamond. The three stood motionless and fascinated by the glow filtering through the trees and illuminating the storm. Ray felt himself drift from Paley’s side toward the edge of the Mott’
s backyard, as if the light was egging him closer. Then he saw it. A buck stepped into the beam and began to walk towards the three, its body turned towards the road but its face pointing back towards the direction of the three. Ray walked closer to the animal and could barely make out the white mark on its face. This was his buck. And he wanted Ray to follow.

  Ray lifted his feet higher with each step. As soon as his foot hit the leaves under the white powder he caught himself. Ray turned around and called out to the two.

  “I’m going,” he said to them.

  Olive stood glued to Paley’s side, clutching his arm. The two looked at each other and without saying a word, grabbed each other’s hand.

  “Us too,” she said as they walked over to Ray. Paley’s eyes never left the animal as it started to head deeper into the trees.

  Ray was happy that the wind hid the sound of his chattering teeth. Where his buck would take them, he did not know. But no great voyager knew what they would discover before they left the safety of their home. He looked at the moving light and then back at his fellow explorers.

  “Adventure awaits,” Ray said as the three stepped hand in hand into the storm.

  The three brave friends said nothing as they followed the deer. The trees buffered the snow from hitting their faces but still none of the three could see far in front of them. With no moon and blinding snow, the light was the only way to navigate the paths. Everything in front to the light looked like ribbons tied to a fan. It was as if they were all in a scene in a massive shaken snow globe.

  The deer did not hesitate as it made its way out off the dirt path and onto the pavement of Ships Drive. The three stood at the end of the path and watched the buck head down the center of the street away from them and towards the Van Dusen’s house. The white light of their lamppost seemed to be shining ten times brighter than normal as the group stepped onto the road.

  “What do we do now?” asked Olive over the wind.

  Ray looked at the buck for clues. Suddenly it stopped, turned around and looked back at Ray. It seemed to be waiting. For what, they did not know. Ray wanted to call out to the deer and ask what he would like them to do. As his mind began to form questions the answer came riding in on the wind in the form of Christmas carols sung off-key. The buck was waiting for one more person to show up. Ray knew who. He leaned towards Olive.

  “Stay with Paley,” Ray said as he took off running down Ships Drive away from Olive and Paley and towards the bright lights and bad singing of the Goldsmith’s house. Once he reached their yard he pulled some snow off the ground, packed it into a ball and threw it at the end window of the second floor. After the third hit he heard the slide of the window and Tommy’s voice.

  “You’re not Santa,” Tommy said as he chewed on the end of an enormous candy cane.

  “Would you like to see him?” Ray called out as he hid behind a tree. “I can take to you him if you’d like. Olive and Paley are with me. Want to go?”

  “You said you couldn’t show me Santa,” Tommy said. “Remember?”

  “I can and I will show him to you,” Ray answered. “Grab your coat and boots and meet me by the backdoor.”

  “What about his reindeer? Will I see them too?”

  “Yes. Promise.”

  “Cross your heart?”

  Ray made an “x” on his chest and kissed his two gloved fingers. Tommy answered by shutting the window and turning on his light. Ray watched Tommy’s tiny shadow walk across the room before the light went out again. After a minute the backdoor opened and Tommy emerged, followed by a blast of drunken “Angels We Have Heard On High.” The party was so loud in the front of the house Tommy could yell out he was leaving and taking the Pierce Arrow and no one would be the wiser.

  “Are you sure it’s Santa and not Mr. Terry?” Tommy yelled as Ray took his hand and dragged him as fast as his little six-year-old legs could take him.

  “I’m positive,” Ray called back. “But first you’ll see his reindeer.”

  “Really? All of them?”

  “First you’ll see just one,” Ray said as he stopped in the middle of the street and pointed to the lamppost light at the end of the road. Ray couldn’t see Tommy’s expression but his voice raised about two octaves.

  “God…bless…America,” Tommy said dumbstruck. Ray grabbed Tommy’s tiny mittened hand and led him over to Olive and Paley, who remained huddled together in the cold. “Which one is that?”

  “That’s Comet,” Ray answered. “He has a star on his face.”

  “Really? Can I see? Can we pet him?” Tommy asked as he started to walk closer to the deer. “I want to pet him.”

  “Nope,” said Ray over the wind. “We don’t want to scare him off.”

  “Well, where are the others? Where’s Donner and Prancer and Blitzen? And Santa? Where’s Santa?”

  That was a good question. Ray looked up the street but didn’t see any of the other bucks, a sleigh, or Oscar. With the snow falling heavier and faster, even if they were around, Ray figured they might not see them. Ray tore his eyes away from the buck and crouched towards Tommy.

  “Look, you might not see Santa but you’ll definitely hear him. When he wants the reindeer to run he’ll say, ‘Hup Hup.’ And when he wants them to fly he yells, ‘Huzzah!’ ”

  “Really?” asked Olive.

  “Positive. I’ve seen him do it.” Ray could feel Olive look at him through the blowing snow. Then Tommy let go of Ray’s hand, took a step forward and yelled as loud as he could.

  “Hup! Hup!”

  Immediately the three felt the road rumble beneath their feet. Each grabbed each other’s arm as they turned around, ready to yank each other out of the way of an oncoming car. The light suddenly grew brighter, casting a wider net. As they tried to focus through the snow he heard Tommy cry out.

  “It’s them! There they are!”

  Like a stampede, seven enormous bucks came barreling down the road. Their antlers perched solid, fierce and regal on their heads as they leapt and raced towards the four. The kids pulled into each other as the deer ran around them like the tide pulling a wave around rocks. Ray held his breath and Olive covered her glasses as they anticipated getting trampled. Only Tommy and Paley did not appear to be afraid for their lives.

  “One, two, five, eight,” Tommy yelled. “Look, Ray, that’s all of them!”

  Ray lifted his face that he had buried in the top of Tommy’s cap. He was right. They were all there, prancing proudly in front of the lamppost light and shaking their racks from side to side. Ray knew these were the same as the ones that were in Oscar’s backyard. They had to be. Ray noticed one with a square patch on the side of its neck. He tapped Olive on the shoulder.

  “Look, Olive, there’s your deer. That’s the one Oscar saved,” Ray said as he pointed to the large buck standing next to the light. Olive wiped the snow off her glasses with her scarf and leaned forward.

  “Wow,” Olive said, in a voice almost in a squeal. “That’s the one.”

  Then Tommy broke from the pack and began yelling again. “Hup! Hup! Hup! Hup-hup-huppity-hup!” The sound of his voice made the bucks rear up on their hind legs and pace frantically around each other.

  Ray pulled Tommy back. “Stop it, Tommy. You’ll spook them.”

  “No, I won’t. Look!”

  Tommy was right. They weren’t spooked. They appeared to be forming a line. Two lines actually. Each buck walked to its own place in the queue, like thoroughbreds taking their respective gate before a race. After they all found their place, the lamppost light grew brighter as if it were turning up the volume on a radio, causing the bucks to fall into the darkness behind it. The only ones lit on the street now were four terrified and thrilled children.

  Then a familiar voice in the distance called out deep and loud.

  “Huuuup!” the voice bellowed. The bold command c
ut through all the sounds the world could make in a storm. “Huuuup!”

  “Oscar?” Ray yelled as he stepped away from the group and towards the voice. His own could not compete with the wind. “Oscar, is that you?”

  The voice did not reply to Ray but kept its marching orders like a drill sergeant. “Huuuup!”

  “Is that you, Oscar?” Ray repeated as he kept walking. The only voice Ray could hear reply was Tommy’s.

  “That’s not Mr. Taglieber, Ray. It’s Santa!”

  The voice in the distance kept its instructions. The silhouettes of the bucks got larger and the voice, louder. Ray stopped. His eyes widened as he realized he wasn’t moving closer to them but they were coming closer to him.

  “Huuuup!” The command was getting louder, too.

  Fear hit Ray’s chest as the black shadows grew taller. The wind whipped around his legs, pulling them down and cementing them into the snowy street. The only thing Ray’s body could do was turn away from the locomotive speeding in his direction. He could hear hooves smack the pavement like applause in the movie theater as he hunched towards the ground. Then another voice cried out loud and clear. Ray looked up and saw Paley standing with his hands high in the air as a twister swirled around him. His voice was so clear that nothing could miss him or ignore his command.

  “Huzzah!” Paley cried.

  Ray saw the faces of the three turn sharply upward. Then a loud pop and burst of light. The Van Dusen’s lamppost exploded. But instead of burning out, it shot up like a flare, leaving a white trail in its wake. All their mouths dropped open in shock. Ray began to stand up straight until something hit him on his back, knocking him into the ground. His mouth that only a moment ago was filled with awe was now filled with snow. He rolled over and saw the white ball of light slingshot across the sky. No storm could stop it. Against the backdrop of the clouds a long streak remained. Just like that night over the field, an arrow of light pointed them in the direction they needed to go. It was their Comet. Their North Star. Their Star of Bethlehem. He crawled up to his feet and ran over to the three who were cheering with joy.