Six years later.

Billy’s blue eyes widened, watered, and then blinked.

“That’s what I’m getting for Christmas tomorrow!” He muttered quietly as he jabbed his black mittens against the storefront window.

The video game system he lusted for was prominently displayed amid a tasteful display of color. There was a red and brown wreath leaning against the box. The green of the carpet beneath it. Yet, the most colorful of all were the twinkling red and blue of the lights running around the Christmas tree above it.

It was the prize every boy longed for this Christmas.

Billy’s freckled face crinkled with a boyish grin of longing. His reflection revealed his blue knit cap, black sweatpants, and thick red parka.

He felt a bit like Gollum in Lord of the Rings at that moment.

Billy chuckled to himself as his breath formed a vapor spot on the window. Gollum was silly and so was he for thinking like him.

Billy’s face left the glass and swiveled upward to face his Mother.

“Can’t you get it for me?”

“You’ll have to ask your Father about that. Come on now…let’s go…”

Billy turned back to the video game system. Inside the store, a yellow light flickered and then winked out. Billy’s eyes struggled to adjust to the gloom.

“Come on Billy, it’s time to go.” There was a brief pause. “You haven’t been standing here all evening, have you?”

“None of your business!”

“Now don’t give me that attitude. It’s Christmas Eve! Smile!”

“No!”

Jolene giggled at Billy’s sour expression. “You know what? You remind me of your father when you look like that.”

“Rob Schmob!”

Jolene held out her hand. Her voice turned soft. “Billy, that’s quite enough. We need to go to Grandma and Grandpas. Everybody is there waiting for us. Don’t you want to see your cousins?”

“Do you think Grandma and Grandpa might have bought that for me?”

A smile entered Jolene’s voice. “Who knows? They might have…you’ll find out tomorrow morning.” She adjusted her knitted hat with her free hand. “Now, let’s get going. Hey! I know what we can do. If you can tell me…hmm… something special that happened to you today…I’ll…“Jolene’s voice turned to the tone of conspiracy.“Just maybe, I’ll tell you a secret about me and my father. Something that Grandma and Grandpa don’t even know yet!”

Billy turned and held out his hand. Warmth slid over it as it melded with his Mother’s grasp. Billy grinned, revealing a gap in the middle of his line of teeth. “Okay! Guess what.”

“What?”

Billy grinned with mischief. “You hafta guess!”

“Oh let me see, I don’t know…”

Billy giggled as only a six-year-old can. “Nope! Try again!”

“I know…I know…It’s your tooth…you lost your tooth!”

Billy stared at the snow-covered street before him. Red and green lights flickered along the row of average-sized houses.

Snowflakes danced gently across the bed of the night.

Somewhere in the city, a choir was singing, “Joy to the World.”

“Was that right? You lost your tooth, didn’t you?”

“Yes…I did.” He turned his eyes to face his Mother. “Now what’s your secret?”

He felt moisture slide across his upturned face as cold snow collided with warm flesh.

“Well, what is it?” Billy repeated as his mother began to chuckle.

***

Sand swirled in violent gusts. It stung as it wriggled like tiny worms into Meshach Kyanamina’s tender skin. He drifted like a small black silhouette across a barren patch of brown.

In the east, behind a haze of sand, the setting sun was a brilliant blaze of crimson and yellow. Before him, a village of round grass huts huddled for comfort against the building sand storm.

His belly was numb. It always was. There had been no rain for many days. No rain meant no food. Even if the rain did come, food would remain scarce for poor people like him.

Mother was sick. Far too sick to work and earn any money.

Water gurgled as it sloshed inside the dirty brown pot that Meshach carried. He slowed. It wouldn’t do to spill the water after a twenty-mile walk.

Mother needed moisture to slake her constant thirst.

Meshach licked his chapped lips. Skin peeled off and fell to the ground unnoticed. If only he had enough strength to carry water for himself as well as his mother. As it was, he was too small. Too small and weak.

He was only six years old after all.

Meshach’s eyes turned to the group of children playing happily in the sand. One child was dressed only in plain brown pants and a bare chest, just like Meshach.

The children stopped playing as Meshach approached.

They stared at Meshach.

“What’s wrong?” He mumbled as fear lanced at his heart.

He knew what had happened to other mothers when they coughed. It was the reason why his village was now mostly populated by children.

What if his mother had fallen into the forever sleep?

Most of the adults, like his father Samuel, were already sleeping underground. Never again would they be hungry. Sometimes Meshach envied them.

“Surprise!” Shouted his friend, Reuben Mbasela.

“What is it?”

“Surprise tomorrow! Wait and see! You’ll like it!” Reuben waved his colorful hoop for emphasis.

The children gathered around Meshach. White grins flickered from their dark complexions as they chattered.

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

“Because it’s a surprise!” The children laughed, releasing the joy they held inside.

Reuben continued speaking after the laughter subsided. “Tomorrow, after we carry the water from the river, you must come with us. Wear your best clothing.”

Meschach was thoroughly confused now. “Where are we going?”

Reuben pointed a skeletal finger toward the north. “There!”

Meshach wrinkled his brow. “There? Where is there?” He asked, afraid of looking foolish. Reuben could be so confusing. Why couldn’t he just say what he meant?

Surely Reuben didn’t want to go to the farm of crazy Moses Banda!

***

“Surprise!”

Billy stared at the box resting in the middle of a mountain of torn wrapping paper. His heart began to pound like the little drummer boy. “It’s just what I wanted!” He gasped.

Billy still wore the black sweatpants and red Spiderman shirt that he had worn the day before. It was comfortable! It helped free his movement as he ran to the couch.

He hugged his Grandparents with barely restrained enthusiasm.

“Thank you, thank you!” He repeated as excitement possessed his tongue.

“Well, we thought we could fit one more thing onto the credit card,” Grandfather said, laughing in his deep voice. “I hope you enjoy yourself.”

Rob peered through his square-framed glasses at Billy’s treasure.

Jolene smiled, the picture of a mother satisfied that her family was happy and at peace.

Billy returned his attention to the pile of presents beneath the tree. The big secret was that his mother and father were going to have another baby. Who cared about that? He had a great mountain of toys to play with!

He knelt beside the box that held his most precious possession. It was exactly what he had wanted. Beside it was a stack of other toys, but his eyes were fixed. The video games must be unleashed from their cage!

As Billy tackled the video game box, adult conversation swirled over his head.

The Christmas tree glittered with metallic tinsel. Blue lights flickered through and around the natural pine needles. The crown of the tree was a star that glowed red and white in an alternating sequence.

In the southwest corner of the room, a fifty-two-inch screen silently played a heartwarming scene of lovers scampering about in the falling snow.

The new grey carpet was covered with wrapping paper and colorful arrays of gifts. The convention of relatives was scattered around the room. Everyone ate oranges, brown peanuts, or sucked red and white candy canes as they conversed.

The screen flashed to the news as the hour changed. The starvation ruined face of a small child filled the screen.

“I don’t understand why these people don’t just get jobs and help themselves for a change,” Rob proclaimed as he reached for another handful of peanuts. “Why bother us?”

“Rob would you turn that tv off,” Jolene’s voice rose above the clamor of voices. “It’s Christmas, we don’t need any political discussions today. ”

“Alright, alright,” Rob muttered as he reached for the remote that rested on the arm of the couch where he sat with his father.

The full-bodied scent of baking turkey wafted through the room.

The screen went dead.

Grandfather William stood from his seat on the couch and turned to face his family. “Well. Well. It sure smells like lunch, doesn’t it?” He paused for a moment to allow the room full of conversations to settle. “That means it’s time for the most important part of our tradition. Everybody gather around and I’ll…”

Billy opened the box, revealing the treasure of his dreams.

“Can someone hook this up please?” He said loudly, interrupting his Grandfather.

Grandfather wagged his finger. “Now Billy, pay attention. Grandfather is talking. You mustn’t interrupt.” Billy nodded, but his Grandfather had already turned his thoughts elsewhere. “Anyway, as I was saying, why doesn’t everybody gather around and I’ll read that old story about a child in a manger.”

Billy’s Grandmother cleared her throat with the womanly authority feared by husbands all over the world.

Grandfather grinned with natural handsomeness. “Oh, I’m sorry my dear. I forgot one important detail. First, we’ll sing a little song for Jesus and then we’ll read the manger story! After that, we’ll tackle the turkey! How does that sound?”

The children in the room shouted their approval and began moving into position around Grandfather’s feet.

***

Meshach felt happier than he had in a long time. His belly was full. The sandstorm had stopped, and his head…

Meshach ran his fingers over his forehead. Yes, the sticker was still there. A red and white sticker that the nurse said was a Canadian flag. What a gift! Meshach vowed to himself that he would wear it until it fell off.

The other children around him had agreed when he told them of his plan. They would all cherish the stickers they had received.

They would wear them forever if they could!

What a day. The people from Canada had set up a nurse’s station only half a day’s walk away. It was close enough for everyone in the village to visit whenever they needed help.

How fortunate that Reuben had heard of the station opening. Reuben always knew things, perhaps it had to do with the fact that his father was still alive.

Perhaps if Samuel were still alive he would tell Meshach things as well.

Things like, why was there a farm along this barren trail? There was obviously nothing to farm, yet crazy Moses kept working his soil. Mesach had often giggled to himself as he surveyed the dried-out farmyard. There was nothing here! Perhaps that is why crazy Moses saw the cattle herd dwindle every year…now he only had one left.

Why didn’t Moses join his rich son in the city? That would be wiser than spending his days farming where there was no rain.

Everybody said it but crazy Moses refused to listen to anybody.

Meshach snuggled deeper into the hay where he lay and turned his thoughts to the nurse who had given him the sticker.

Darlene she had said her name was. What a strange name. But then, white people usually had strange names. It was their way. Darlene wasn’t strange, she was pretty. She had taken a special moment from her work in the clinic to come out to him.

To Meshach!

She had even visited with him for a few minutes before handing each of the children a bowl of rice and a sticker.

It was fortunate that Meshach had listened to Reuben’s advice to dress well for this occasion. He had worn his red and black checkered shorts with a grey shirt. A missionary had given them to his mother, now at last Meshach had put that fine gift to good use.

Moses’s last remaining cow mooed with vague determination as she ambled into the darkened hut.

Meshach reached up to feel the prize sticker once again. Yes, it was still there.

Flies buzzed around him in an unpleasant swarm. Some tried to climb into Meshach’s nose. He ignored them the best he could. What else could be done with flies?

The cow mooed again.

Meshach stared up at the large wet nose approaching him. The cow began tugging at the few strands of hay that formed the bed where he lay.

Crazy Moses had put his cow in a hut! Everybody had laughed about that too but Moses didn’t listen to them. Yes, laughter only made Moses more determined.

Meshach shifted as the cow pulled his bedding out from under him. His rest was over. He needed to join Reuben and the other children and then return home.

The round hut smelled like manure and sweat. The walls were solidly reinforced with wood Moses had hauled in from the city. Tiny glints of light flickered like stars in the wooden door.

The manger bed where he had rested was soft…so soft. Much better than the hard floor at home. Meshach reveled in the comfort for a moment. Then, as the weight of responsibility descended on his thin body, he sat up.

The cow needed to eat and he needed to get going. Crazy Moses would not be pleased if he found a little boy resting inside his hut.

Reuben had dared him to rest here for a few minutes but it was time to escape before he got caught.

Meshach ran toward the door.

Mother would be waiting for him to prepare the evening meal. He must not be so lazy. He must go home.

A blast furnace of sweltering heat exploded against his skin as he scampered out into the semi-darkness of the descending darkness.

Black silhouettes of dead trees loomed before him. Reuben’s colorful hoop lay beneath his feet. How wonderful! They could play some games on the way home.

Meshach felt his knees buckling toward the withered yellow grass. His face twisted into a grin as he fell. What a happy day it had been!