The Rescue Mission
Chapter 17
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

We arrive at the bungalows at the Rescue Mission. My fairies flutter out quickly to check the area out. They see a lot of brown vegetation everywhere. There are no flowers blooming in the gardens. The plants in the gardens are shrunken and wilting from the cold air.

We haul our luggage and bags into the bungalows. Since there are five bungalows, the split up is rather interesting. Larry and Helen definitely get one to themselves. Allen and his wife get one for themselves. Brian and Charles get their own bungalow and I get into the fourth one. The fifth bungalow is left empty.

I take off my winter jacket and drape it over a dining chair. My fairies take out their beds and clothes boxes from their suitcase and place them around the bedroom. Esmeralda and Emeril have theirs the closest to me. I pour out the bags of nuts and fruits into several bowls and place them on the table in kitchen area.

I check the cupboards and fridge quickly. I don’t see any food in them at all. I get a knock on my door. “Knock! Knock!” I walk to the front door and open it. I see it is Larry.

“Richard, did you check out the pantry and the fridge? Ours is very empty.”

“It is the same here, Larry. They must have emptied them since I was here the last time.”

“That’s a good possibility. They don’t want anything spoiling here. We have some time to get back to the mainland to buy some food. We are still planning to go back tomorrow.”

“I’ll go with you, Larry.”

“Okay, meet me out here in five minutes.”

“I’ll be ready.” I close the door.

I walk into the bedroom. “All right, listen up my fairies. There is no food in the pantries or the fridge for me to eat. I’m going with Larry in five minutes. I should be back in about three hours.”

“We’ll stay here, mother. We’ll stay warm here.”

“That’s fine, Tigress.” I smile at them. “Now remember, no food fights. But you can play hide and seek.”

They all giggle and laugh and answer back at the same time. “Yes, mother, father, Omega!” They all giggle and laugh again.

I smile at them, “Silly fairies.”

They all giggle and laugh again as I put on my jacket again. I lock the door as I leave the bungalow. I get in Larry’s SUV with Allen. Larry drives down to the dock to get on the ferry. He takes us back to the mainland in about forty-five minutes. Once we get there, Larry drives off from the ferry.

“You have one hour to get back here for the last trip to the Rescue Mission.”

“We’ll be here, ferry pilot.”

Larry drives to the nearest supermarket. “Remember, we don’t have to buy everything. Concentrate on breakfast and lunch. We’ll be back here for the rest of the week, tomorrow.”

“Yes, Larry.”

“Okay, dad.”

We each take a cart and go our separate ways. I go looking for eggs, cereal, and several different types of juices. I pick up a couple of cut chicken breasts, canned vegetables, yogurt and dried milk. For the fresh produce, I pick several different kinds of fruits, lettuce, tomatoes, baby carrots and fresh herbs. I walk down to the dry herb and spice isle and pick out what I like. Once I see everything is in the cart, I walk to the front. I see Allen walking toward me with his cart. He has a lot more in his cart than mine. About thirty minutes later we see Larry with a full cart.

“Let me guess, Larry. That’s for Brian and Charles as well.”

“Yeah. I couldn’t trust them coming with us today. I decided to let them complain about what I bought here. Then we’ll decide tomorrow.”

We pay up at the registers. For myself, I use my debit card. I see Larry and Allen doing the same thing as well.

We get the SUV loaded back up and head back to the docks. We get back there just in time. It takes another forty-five minutes to get back to the Rescue Mission. Larry drives back to the bungalows so we can unload our groceries. It doesn’t take me too long to get my purchases into my bungalow. Once my stuff is put away, I walk back out to help Larry out. I see Brian and Charles looking at what dad bought.

“Gee dad. You bought healthy food.”

“That’s right, Brian and Charles. Get used to it, especially if you get married some day.”

Then Allen speaks up, “Listen to him, bro’s. I learned my lesson really fast when I got married. That meant there are no more cold pizzas and orange juice for breakfast.”

Charles moans out loud, “Oh man . . . that’s a pain, Allen. All right, we’ll make the best of it, dad.”

Allen and I look at each other as we smile and shake our heads from side to side.

“We’ll be leaving at 8 AM tomorrow morning, my sons and Richard. This is for shopping and gift wrapping. We’ll be opening the presents in our bungalow, Tuesday morning at 8 AM.”

“What about the Rescue Mission? Brianna will want to be there with them.”

“The Mission Director told me the adults will be opening their presents after lunch. However, the children will open theirs in the morning. Then we’ll be over there to join them for the evening dinner.”

“Okay, dad.” The three boys answer back.

“Yes, Larry.”

The rest of the night went very quiet. However, I did get a knock on my door just before sunset. I open the door to see Brianna standing there with a winter jacket on. I put my jacket on, then she takes my hand and leads me down to the beach for another sunset stroll. We see the sky and the clouds change color from yellow, to orange and finally to red. We don’t say anything to each other while we walk together. She puts her arms around me as I put my arm around hers.

Then Brianna gives a sigh, “Sigh . . .”

“What’s on your mind, Brianna?”

“Tell me again. Which way is it to Twainor?”

“Do you see the constellation Orion up there?”

“Yes.”

“In the left end of the belt is the Horse Head Nebulae.”

“Okay. I remember seeing pictures of that in books.”

“Above Orion is the Crab Nebulae.”

“Okay. I’ve seen those pictures as well.”

“Good, now somewhere in between them and much closer to those two nebulas is Twainor. The nebulas are much larger in the sky there. There is a reason it is called Twainor. They have two identical moons in size circling the planet.”

Brianna finally smiles. “That’s good to know. So, that is a magical world.”

“Yes it is, Brianna. I was also told by the Emissaries, there are about a dozen worlds in the Milky Way Galaxy that are magical.”

“Do you know which ones they are?”

“I think there is one that I know of that is magical. Do you remember Peter Pan?”

“How can I forget that story? That is one of my favorites. Are you saying it is for real?”

“I am, Brianna. Whether they come looking for lost boys or girls here or on a parallel Earth in another dimension, they are in our galaxy.”

“Hmm . . . that’s interesting. I wonder what other stories are true.”

“I know of another world that is true.”

“Which one is it?”

“Middle-Earth from JR Tolkien.”

“What? You mean the elves and all of those stories are for real?”

“They are Brianna. Somehow, their stories got transmitted to Tolkien to write them down. The other thing I know is this. Somehow, some of those Elves are here, and some of our dragons are on Middle-Earth. But there is another bad character that is here as well.”

“Whom is it, Richard?”

“Sauron. However, he is here as a ghostly spirit. I have faced him a few times already.”

“Brrr. . . . That mean I will probably face him someday as well.”

“Yes you will, Brianna. However, when we come back from Twainor, you will be able to stand up to him and be a thorn in his side like I am to him.”

Brianna smiles, “That’s good.”

She turns to me and looks up at me. “I love you very much, Richard.”

“I love you very much as well, Brianna. You are the delight of my soul.”

“You are my hero and knight in shining armor with a heart of gold.”

We then hug each other and give each other a very long kiss as the sun finally sets in the West. We then walk back to the Rescue Mission. I drop her off. She turns around to face me one more time before going inside.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“See you then, Brianna.”

She then blows me a kiss. I put my hand to cheek, “Oooh, you have a good aim!”

She giggles, “You silly boy.”

“Yeah, I’m crazy about you!”

“That goes double for me too, Richard!” She giggles as she walks inside and closes the door.

I walk back to the bungalows in silence. I hear and feel the cold ocean breeze blow across the island. When I get back to my bungalow, I open the door and walk inside, then I close it and lock the door. I take off my jacket and drape it over a chair. I walk to the kitchen to prepare my dinner. I decided to make a light salad with some fruit and a cup of yogurt. My fairies fly into the kitchen to see what I’m doing.

“How was your walk with Brianna, mother?”

“It was very quiet at first, Bianca. Then she asked me where Twainor is in the night sky.”

“So, she wants to make sure it is still there.”

“That’s right, Amber. She is taking it day by day, my fairies. I did tell her of the other worlds that are out there like Middle-Earth and Never Never Land.”

“I never heard of that story, father.”

“I haven’t told it to you yet, Esmeralda and Emeril. We’ll watch it on TV tonight, after dinner.”

“Okay.”

I continue making a cold dinner for tonight. Once I get done, I set it on the dining table with a tall glass of cold water. I place paper plates around the table before me. They pick what they want from the bowls and bring it to a paper plate. They pair up on the plates by brother and sister. I give the evening thanks to the Creator. Then we all respond together, “Thank you, Creator.”

We eat and talk about many things that are on our minds.

“I can’t wait to see Brianna’s face when she sees the ring, mother.”

“Yes, it will be a surprise to her. It is the perfect time to propose to her for her Christmas present from me.”

“What does the ring look like, father?”

“It looks like a pink rose, Emeril. It is similar to the miniature rose bush she gave us earlier.”

“That’s sweet, mother.”

‘Yes, it is, Esmeralda.”

“What will you get for the other family members, Omega?”

“I don’t know, Brushwind. I’ll be doing some more shopping tomorrow. I think it will be best if everyone stays here tomorrow.”

“We understand, father. We might not be able to follow you inside the stores. Leave the sliding glass door unlocked, father. We can fly about and check the rest of the island out.”

“It should be quiet out there, my fairies. Most of the animals and birds have sought the warmer climate by now to the south. The alligators will probably be in their gator holes to keep warm. You can tell me what you find when I get back in the afternoon.”

“We will Omega, father and mother.” They all respond together.

We continue eating our evening meal. Once we get done, everyone helps to clean up the dining room and the kitchen. I walk to the TV and check what is on. I look through the program until I find the movie for Peter Pan. I take the controller and sit down in the sofa chair. The fairies gather around me to watch the movie.

“If you see something, I can stop the movie so we can comment about it.”

“Thank you, mother.”

As soon as Tinker Bell appears in the movie. I get a ‘Stop’ from all of them.

I push the pause button to make a comment, “Yes there are fairies there. However, there is no unicorn on Never Never Land. They are born a different way there.”

“How are they born there?”

“When a baby laughs for the first time, a fairy is born in a special flower there.”

“There must be thousands of fairies there.”

“I don’t know how many are there, Tigress. Let’s watch the rest of the movie. You’ll get more of your questions answered.”

“Yes, father, mother, Omega!”

I push the button for the movie to continue. They giggle and laugh as Peter Pan tries to tackle his shadow. They giggle again when they see the kids try to fly for the first time. When they arrive on Never Never Land, my fairies are amazed at the beauty of the place.

Then they become startled when they see Capt. Hook for the first time. But they see how the Lost Boys are confident in fighting their way through problems on their own.

They laugh when they see Capt. Hook is afraid of the crocodile. Then I get a ‘stop’ from my fairies again.

I hit the pause button.

“Why is he ticking, father?”

“The crocodile swallowed a clock. Therefore, his name is ‘Tock’.”

All of the fairies giggle and laugh. I even laugh with them.

“That is funny, father!”

“This a great movie, mother. I can’t wait to see them when the time is right.”

When we calm down, I push the button to continue the movie. Then we get to the sad part in the movie where Tinker Bell is weakened by Wendy’s unbelief. My fairies are hoping for a miracle turn around. They begin to clap their hands to help Tinker Bell come back to life. Even I clap my hands as well. Eventually Wendy believes and Tinker Bell comes back to life. Everyone cheers that Tinker Bell is alive and well.

Then it is a race to save Peter Pan from Capt. Hooks’ treachery. Peter Pan is rescued just in time. Then there is a fight between Peter Pan and Capt. Hook again. Capt. Hook ends up in the water. Then he screams when he sees Tock approaching him. He jumps out of the water and tries to run away from Tock.

Everyone cheers there is a happy ending to the movie. Tinker Bell uses her pixie dust to make the ship float in the air and send everyone home back to Earth. Once Wendy and her siblings are back home, the ship sails back to Never Never Land.

Everyone cheers for the movie.

“I love it, mother! We need to see it again!”

“Yes, play it again, father!”

“But look at the time, my fairies. It is about 9 PM right now. If I play it again, we’ll be getting to bed at 11 PM or so.”

“Ugh, you’re right father. That would give us six to seven hours of sleep.”

“But we can sleep in some more while you’re on the mainland. Then we can play it some more until you come back.”

“Okay, we’ll play it one more time. Before I leave tomorrow, I’ll be sure your shower is set up in the sink.”

“Thank you, father, mother, Omega!”

We settle back in and watch the movie again. We finish the movie at about 11 PM. We all have droopy eyelids for staying up so late. I carry them back to their beds. They thanked me for doing that for them. Once everyone is back and changed into their night clothes, they get into their own beds. I get ready for bed as well. I set the clock for 7 AM.

I turn off the lights in the bungalow except for the stove light in the kitchen. I walk into the bedroom and get under the covers carefully and rest my head on the pillow. Soon I’m fast asleep with everyone else.

During the middle of the night, I feel a presence in my dreams. However, they feel very real. I open my eyes and see no one. Who is here, Creator?

Go outside quietly, Richard. You’ll meet someone very important.

Okay, Creator. I get out from under the covers quietly. I walk out of the bedroom and into the living room. I put on the winter jacket and a pair of shoes. I am already wearing a pair of socks from when I went to bed. I unlock the front door as quietly as I can. I open it and step outside and close the door quietly. I walk down the side walk a few feet. I hear a movement nearby. I whisper quietly.

“Who’s here?”

“Take a walk to the woods. I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay.”

I walk quietly to the woods, once I’m inside the outer edge of the woods I hear him again.

“That’s far enough.”

Then I see a young man dressed in green stepping out from behind a tree. Then I see a fairy glowing and flying around him. The fairy lands on his shoulder.

“Well, that answers my question. You are for real, Peter Pan.”

“Yes, I am. The Creator told me I would find you here. From what he told me about you, you are very important to this Earth here.”

“Yes, I am Peter. My name is Richard Moore. I have a new title now.”

“Yes, you’re the Omega Unicorn.”

“What can I do for you?”

“Nothing yet, Richard. My problem is Capt. Hook. Even though we have fought each other for a long time, he is growing tired of our battles. I fear he is looking for something new to do.”

“Well, I can give you this message from the Emissaries. There is an evil out there beyond our galaxy who wants to destroy the two galaxies who are at the heart of the Creator’s Creation.”

“Whom is it?”

“It is King Azazel. His other common name is Lucifer.”

“That’s not good, Richard. What is he up to?”

“I don’t know yet. Right now I think he is still imprisoned somewhere. But when he does break out, he will not hesitate to gather all of the space ships he can find that belong to the worst and most evil empires. I was told a billion star ships will come here to destroy Earth first. I think it will be the year 3000 for us here.”

“Why here?”

“This is where he was thrown down to by the Creator when he rebelled against him the first time. He was here for a while, then he was taken and chained in a prison somewhere in the Universe.”

“I see. His eyes will be set on the magical worlds in our galaxy as well. Our stories are told here to keep us alive.”

“That’s right, Peter. They’re about a dozen worlds in our galaxy that have magic capabilities. I’ve been to one already. It is called Twainor.”

“I might need your help to convince Capt. Hook to help defend Never Never Land. He has the only ship on our world.”

“It will take more than one ship to defend your world. I know of at least a dozen worlds in the area. It is called the Local Group. Right now, my task is to prepare our world in fifty years so that we are not alone.”

“Good luck with that, Richard. Okay, we’ll keep in contact from time to time.”

“That’s fine, Peter. I have a question for you now.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“Do you find only lost boys on our world?”

“Well, actually there are about a dozen Earths I visit throughout the year. Never Never Land is one of those magical intersecting worlds. It allows me to visit those different universes easily.”

“So, if your world gets destroyed for example. There would be major repercussions in the multi-verses.”

“That’s right, Richard. On those worlds, your counterparts have an ordinary life.”

“Well, thank the Creator for that. At least one of me is enough.”

“Yes, it is, Richard.”

We smile at each other while we shake hands. Then our bodies begin to glow with a slight golden color at the same time. When we let go of our hands, the glow disappears.

“That confirms it. You are special, Richard.”

“You too, Peter. Until we meet again.”

Then Tinker Bell flies up to me. “I can’t wait until I see your fairies at the proper time on Never Never Land.”

“My fairies really enjoyed watching the movie. They can’t wait to see everyone there either.”

Then Tinker Bell flies back to Peter and sits on his shoulder.

“We’ll try our best in convincing Capt. Hook of the danger that is coming. If that doesn’t work, I’ll be calling you.”

“Take care, Richard, the Omega Unicorn.”

“You too as well, Tinker Bell.”

Then they turn around and disappear into the woods. I turn around and walk back to my bungalow. As soon as I open it very quietly, I hear some voices from the bedroom.

“Who was out there, father?”

“Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.”

“What?!” They all screamed out loud.

They fly past me very quickly through the opened door and hover in front of the bungalow. They look around and quickly and see no one. Then they look upward. They see Peter Pan have a golden glow around him as he flies back into the sky looking for lost boys and girls.

“Take us with you!”

“I would be very sad if you do, my fairies.”

Then they just realized what would have happened. “We’re sorry, father. That was very selfish of us.”

“Yes, it is. Now come, let’s get back to bed. I’ll tell you what we talked about inside.”

“Yes, father, mother, Omega.”

They fly back in quickly and I close the door and lock it. I sit on the sofa chair, they sit around me as I tell them what we talked about.

“So, Capt. Hook needs some convincing to help save his world. That will be a tall order for him to understand.”

“Yes, it will be, Tiger.”

“But at least we are welcome there if and when we do arrive there.”

Tiger responds next, “Yes, we’ll have to keep that hope until then, Rubio.”

“Okay, now let’s get to bed. I’m going to be very tired in the morning. That is five hours from now.”

“Yes, father.”

They all fly back to their beds. They have trouble falling asleep like I do. But soon, we are fast asleep within the hour. We dream that we are on Never Never Land having plenty of adventures there to last a life time.

The alarm sounds out loud at 7 AM. I hear everyone groaning as I turn it off. I get out of the bed quietly. I walk into the bathroom to have my morning shower. Fortunately, I put the clothes I will be wearing in the bathroom before I went to bed. Also, the wallet and keys are there as well. Then I walk out to the kitchen area to get my breakfast made. I decide on a bowl of cereal, milk, a glass of apple juice and a banana for the meal. Once that is done, I clean it up quietly. Then I set up the shower and curtain for the fairies in the kitchen sink. Once it is all set, I see the time is about a quarter till 8 AM. Croin flies into me and gets comfortable and warm there. I make sure the lock to the sliding glass door pin is removed, but I do leave it locked on the latch handle.

I write a love note for my fairies and leave it in the middle of the table. I place the paper plates around the table for them to use.

~0~
Good morning, my fairies. Everything is set up in the kitchen sink for your morning shower. I also removed the pin from the sliding glass door, but the latch handle is still locked. Only Esmeralda and Emeril haven’t been here on the island. So, have a great day in exploring the island and showing them around. I’ll see you all this afternoon.

With love as always, Richard. The Omega Unicorn, your father and mother rolled into one.

~0~

Once I see everything is in order, I put on the winter jacket and exit out of the bungalow as quietly as possible and relock it with the mag-card.

I walk out to where everyone else is gathered in the parking lot. The entire Wilson family is there.

“So, is everyone ready?”

Everyone responds to Larry’s question, “Yes.”

“Are we going to take separate cars?”

“There are four malls in the area. So which ones do we go to?”

“I don’t know about you. But I have an appointment downtown at 10 AM. When that is over, I will do some mall shopping with you.”

“What’s downtown, Richard?”

I smile at them, “I’d rather not say or loose lips might sink some ships.”

“Oooh . . . Richard is getting something special for Brianna.”

“Shut up, Brian. I want to be surprised when I get his present. So, no more comments from the peanut gallery! Besides, I just might a leave a bunch of coal briquets in your stocking.”

“If you leave enough in the stockings, Brianna. We can use it for the grill. Heh, heh, heh . . .”

By this time, Brianna has a mad face staring at Brian. Helen comes over to calm her down. She puts her arm around her daughter. “All right, we won’t have any sibling fights. This is Christmas we are talking about here.”

“Okay, I’ll call it a truce.”

“Okay, this is my decision for all of us. We’ll visit two malls today. Tangers Outlet and Citadel. When Richard gets done with his errand, he’ll meet us at the Citadel Food Court at 11 AM. Is that enough time, Richard?”

“I hope so, Larry.”

“What is the spending limit this time, dad?”

“If you buy clothes, the limit is $40. If it is anything else, it is $25. We know we are a large family. I’m trying to keep everyone less than $100 for all of us. So, keep that in mind.”

“Yes, dad.”

“Okay, let’s get on the ferry. It will be our SUV, Allen’s car and Richard’s that we’ll be taking.”

We get in the cars and drive to the docks. We get on the ferry and arrive on the mainland at about 8:50 AM. Everyone goes their way. I park in the parking lot near the docks. I get out and lock the door. I walk down several blocks until I come to the jewelry store. I open the door and walk inside just after 9 AM. I see the same sales lady there as yesterday. I also see another customer there as well. I nod my head at the guard standing watch over the place. He nods his head in response while we smile at each other.

She looks up at me and smiles. She presses a button near the cabinet. A few moments later, the owner comes out.

“Greetings, Richard. I see that you are early.”

“Greetings, sir. How is it coming along?”

“Sam got it done late yesterday. He is polishing it up this morning.”

“That’s good.”

“How are you going to present it to her?”

“I was thinking of setting it in a real pink rose and then open the box in front of her.”

“Do you want something inscribed underneath the gold band as a constant reminder?”

“An inscription? I know it can’t be long. Try this phrase out. From your hero and knight in shining armor with the golden heart.”

“Yes, that is long. I think we can shorten it down and add your first name.”

“How about this one? From your hero & knight with the golden heart. Richard Moore.”

“Can you fit it in on there?”

“It will have to be a wrap style, Sam.”

“Yes it will, sir.”

“I like that idea very much.”

“Okay, Richard. We can do that for you. We’ll be right back.”

The owner and the jeweler return to the back room.

“Thank you, sir.”

I look around the sales room. Then I see a car pull up and park in front of the shop. The passenger gets out, while the driver stays inside the car and keeps the car running. The man looks around really carefully. He puts his hands into his coat pockets.

Oh, oh. Croin. It looks like we are having a heist.

What do you want me to do?

Cause the engine battery to short out and lock the doors.

I can do that real easy.

I’ll inform the guard. Once the car is taken care of, fly back in and inhabit his body. Get him to face the car out there.

I’ll try, Richard.

Croin leaves me invisibly and flies to the car. I turn around and look at the guard quickly. I nod my head up and down. He nods his head up and down. I point to the ladies and walk toward them. The man pulls down his ski mask before he walks inside. He pulls out a small semiautomatic weapon. He yells out loud.

“Nobody move and nobody will get hurt! Everyone get on the floor! Now!”

I get the ladies down on the floor quickly. I lie down looking at the robber. The guard tries to bring out his gun.

He aims his semiautomatic at the cop, “Not so fast, rent-a-cop! You get on the floor as well!”

The cop removes his hand from the gun. He slowly gets down onto his knees while looking at the robber.

“That’s it. All the way down.”

By this time, Croin flies into the car and locks the door. Then he shorts out the engine battery. He flies back inside the jewelry store. The driver is yelling out loud, but he can’t be heard. “Get out of there! It’s a bust!”

Soon, Croin inhabits the robber’s body. “Arrrrghh! What’s going on? No!” His body turns and twists.

The guard and I slowly get up and inch our way to the robber. I get into a crouching position and get ready to pounce at the right moment.

The robber turns around and sees his driver waving his arms frantically. Both of us pounce on the robber at the same time. The cop goes for the gun in his hand. I immediately do a constrictor coil around the robber to pin his arms to his body and wrap my legs around his legs.

He struggles to get himself free. “Arrggh! Unnnn . . . Let me go, or I’ll shoot everyone here!”

Croin leaves him and reenters my body. Croin gives me some new strength to hold him tightly. The cop wrestles the gun away from the robber.

“Keep him bound up, Richard. I’ll cuff his legs and wrists.”

“Yes, sir.”

The cop cuffs his wrists behind his back and legs. Then I let go of the robber. The robber struggles to get up, but he can’t. Then a squad car shows up behind the getaway car. The cop gets out and points his gun at the driver.

“I can’t open the doors. The battery is dead!”

“Okay, stay put until we get it open.”

“That’s fine. Sigh. . . . I’m not going anywhere but to jail . . . again.” He rests his head on the steering wheel in weariness.

The cop gets on the radio to request a lock smith to open the car door. Meanwhile, back inside the store.

“Thank you for the assist, Richard.”

“You’re welcome, corporal. It’s been awhile since I saw you on the island.”

“Yes, it has. I’ve made it a point to learn some more martial art moves. What you did against that Captain, proved to our department we need to keep our readiness and skills up to date.”

“I’m glad you took notice.”

Then another police vehicle and a lock smith van show up. He opens the door with no problems. The driver hands over his only weapon to the cop. He then is taken out and hand cuffed.

“I’ll be here through December and in January with my company. Let me know when you need my statement.” I take my card out of my wallet. I write down my cell phone number on it and hand it to the corporal.

“We’ll let you know when we need it.” The corporal bends down and picks up the robber. “Come on now.”

“I tell you, something got inside me and forced me to turn around.”

“That don’t matter now. You were wrestled down by none other, Richard Moore.”

“The Richard Moore? Oh crap . . . then I never had a chance to pull this caper off.”

“You sure didn’t. Now move along.”

He walks out slowly and puts him into one of the police cars. Then a tow truck shows up to haul the getaway car to the impoundment lot.

After another fifteen minutes, all is quiet in the jewelry store. Then another patrol car shows up. The officer comes out and takes his station inside the jewelry store. We nod our heads at each other while we smile.

Then Sam and the owner come out with an ornate box. I look at it as Sam opens it up. I see the wedding and engagement ring nestled in a real pink rose. “That looks great. Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome, Richard. Thank you for helping the officers. The last time we had a robbery attempt was last month. They never learn. Our officers have greatly improved their martial art skills since you were at the Rescue Mission.”

“That’s good. So, what is the amount I owe you for this fine work?”

“The total is $2,000.00. $500.00 of it will go to Sam. Of course we need to add the state sales tax to it of 7 percent.”

“What happened to the $300, Sam?”

“It took a little longer to meld the new cradle onto the old one. I had to make sure it bonded and not come apart. Then there is the price for the inscription.”

“I thought as much. I remember doing something like that in the materials lab class I had. Not only the temperature had to be right, the materials had to be the same composition.”

“That’s right, Richard.”

I take out my check book and write out a check for $2,140.00 I hand it to them and my driver’s ID. They write down the information. We shake hands with each other. “I guess that I’ll see you at the police station and the courthouse sometime next month.”

“Have a great Christmas and New Year. Tell us all about it, if she likes it.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you again.” I close the box and put it into my inside pocket of my winter jacket. I walk back to my car and get inside. I put the box underneath my seat. As the saying goes, ‘Out of sight, out of mind’.

I turn on the engine and drive to the Citadel Mall. I get there at about 11:15 in the food court there. I wave to them as I approach the group.”

“What happened, Richard? Did you get lost?”

“Not exactly, Larry. There was an armed heist at the time I was there.”

Everyone looks at me quickly. “What?!”

“Don’t worry. No one got hurt. I’ll tell the details later.”

‘Okay, we’ll trust you on this.”

“All right, let’s split up. We’ve done half of our shopping already, Richard. We are going to have lunch now. We’ll shop some more for another hour so Richard can catch up with us. Then we’ll head to the Tangers Outlet Mall.”

We walk down through the food court area. We get in line at the counter of which foods we want. I get in line where the subs are made. Brianna follows in behind me. I order the roasted chicken sub. Brianna orders the same thing, but she only buys the sandwich style. Once we pay for our subs and drinks, we sit down together. I give a quick thanks to the Creator while we look at the meal in front of us.

“Thank you for this food, Creator. May it give us strength throughout the day and tomorrow.”

“Are you going to eat all of it, Richard?”

“No, Brianna. I’m going to eat half of it. I’m taking the other half back to the bungalow.”

“I see, that makes sense to save some money.”

“I haven’t been around your family long enough to guess what they need for Christmas.”

“That’s why I’m sitting with you. I have some ideas you can buy for them.”

“Okay. Thank you very much, Brianna.”

I look around to see what the others have ordered. I see some oriental dishes, pizza and hamburgers.

We get done eating in about thirty minutes. We clean up and wash our hands in the restroom. We then split apart and go our separate ways for an hour. Brianna guides me through the mall. We stop at various clothing stores, hardware, perfumes and bath stores.

“So, what is the plan of attack here?”

“We’ll save Tangers for mom and my sister-in-law. You can buy what you need for the rest of them here.”

“Do you want them to gift wrap it?”

“Yes, it will hide the box in the bag.”

“Okay.”

We walk into the various stores. I purchase a 10-drill bit box set for Charles. For Allen it is a set of whistles. However, each one gives a different sound combination when blew. For Brian it is an abacus and a financial calculator.

“I shudder to think how many ties your dad has gotten from his sons, Brianna.”

“Too many, Richard, too many. I have something better for him. Follow me.”

“Okay.”

I follow her to a computer software shop. She stops in front of the security software area and points to the box. “That one.” She points at the 3D Server software box from Secure-Sys.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. He has yet to buy it?”

“Nope. He has been too busy closing deals, buying and selling properties. He has been fortunate so far.”

“Well, then. Let me buy it.”

When I step up to the counter, I get greeted by the sales person there. “Hello, Richard. I thought it was you.”

“Hello ma’am. I’m doing a purchase for Brianna’s father.”

“That’s nice. That comes out to, $54.38.”

I use my debit card to make the purchase. The sales lady wraps it up in some Christmas wrapping and hands it to me. I put it in the shopping bag with the other gifts.

We exit out of the software shop and walk back to the Food Court. We see everyone is back. We then walk out to our cars and get in them. We then drive to the Tangers Outlet Mall. After parking our cars and locking them up, we start walking down the store fronts. I follow Brianna into a perfume shop.

“I know a perfume here that mom likes.” We walk around until she finds it.

I pick it up and purchase it with my debit card. It gets gift wrapped by the store. They place it in a bag for me to carry. We then exit the perfume store. We walk down the store fronts until we come to a jewelry shop. We walk inside to see what they have.

“I know of a necklace that Anne needs for her new dress.”

“You realize I will need to learn this from you as the years go on.”

Brianna smiles back at me, “That’s fine with me. I’ll be the teacher and you’ll be the student. I’ll just build on what we started with during that summer when we were kids.”

“Then lead on your sexy and beautiful teacher.”

“Forget bringing an apple for the teacher. Your words are just fine.”

We giggle and laugh as we get into our banter again.

Brianna eventually finds the necklace she is looking for. It is the perfect combination of baubles, color and glitter for her new red dress. It too gets gift wrapped by the store. I then follow Brianna around while she purchases some gifts for her mom and sister-in-law.

We get done by 3 PM. We then drive back to the docks and get there by 3:30 PM. Brianna is in my car on the way back. The back seat is full of presents that we bought today. We wait for the ferry. It arrives by 4 PM. We drive our cars onto the ferry after we had paid for our portage fee. We get back on the island by 5 P.M..

When we get back to the parking lot near the bungalows, we unload our presents and bring them into Larry and Helen’s bungalow. I see a Christmas tree set up there. I see some familiar ornaments on the tree. I walk up to it carefully. Helen stands behind me as I look at them. I see pictures of my family on the ornaments.

“You’ve kept their memories alive, Helen.”

“We did, Richard. We will always remember them when we gather together.”

“That’s great.”

“We are getting the dinner put together, Richard.”

“Can my fairies come?”

“Where will they stay? What will they eat?”

“We can put out paper plates around the room. I have bowls filled with nuts and fruit. They will take what they want and eat from the plates.”

“That’s good.”

“Okay, I’ll let them know.”

I walk back out to the car for the last time. I get the box out from under the car seat and place it inside my jacket pocket. I walk to my bungalow and walk inside and close the door.

“Hello, my fairies. Are you here?”

I don’t hear anyone at all. “Hmm . . . all right Croin. Go and find them. They have to be here on this island somewhere.”

Croin comes out of me. “I’ll find them, Richard.”

Croin disappears and flies through the bungalow. He searches the island until he finds them. He sees that they have found a gator hole nearby. The fairies are relaxing near the warm waters. Croin appears before them.

“Ah, there you are.”

“Hello Croin. We found this gator hole. It is the only warm spot on the island.”

“Yes, the other animals who want to stay here are nearby. The alligators know they are here to stay warm. They won’t attack them.”

“Well, everyone is back now. Richard and all of you are invited to have dinner with the Wilsons this evening.”

All of the fairies cheer to the good news.

“Well, let’s get back and get cleaned up again.”

All of the fairies leave the gator hole and change into butterflies as they fly back with Croin. Croin then disappears before leaving the woods. He quickly flies back into the bungalow and appears before me.

“I found them. They are staying warm at a nearby gator hole. They will need another shower before the dinner.”

“Okay. Thank you for finding them, Croin.” I walk over to the sliding glass doors. I open it wide enough for them to fly through. In another five minutes, they fly through and enter the living room area. Croin flies into the cave carving to get his rest and recharge. When I get cleaned up and changed, he flies back into me.

“Whew!! You have been around a gator hole. You definitely need another shower before dinner tonight. While you do that, I’ll have another shower myself.”

“Thank you father, mother, Omega!”

The fairies change into their normal selves. They giggle and laugh while they take another shower. They use the flower scented soaps to get rid of the alligator smell on them. I take another hot shower to get cleaned up. Once we all get dried off and dressed in fresh clothes. I pick up several bags of nuts and fruits and carry them with me. The fairies change into butterflies as we leave the bungalow together. I walk over to Larry and Helen’s bungalow.

I knock on the door. “Knock! Knock!”

The door opens. I hear Christmas music playing in the background. “Welcome , Richard.”

“Hello, Allen.”

“What did you bring? Are those snacks for us?”

“Actually it is dinner for my fairies.”

“Then you better keep them apart from the snacks we already have out. Come on in. Merry Christmas.”

I walk inside and my fairies flutter in quickly. They change into fairies to be their normal selves. Esmeralda and Emeril sit on my shoulders.

“They know about us, father?”

“They do my fairies. Just be careful if they try to reach out to you.”

“We understand, mother.”

The fly off my shoulders and see how the rest of the fairies behave around the Wilsons. I see Bianca and Lavan hovering around Brianna a lot. Overall, the atmosphere is very calm with the fairies present among us. They get introduced to Allen’s wife, Anne. Anne has a tear come down her face while she is smiling. Ruby flies up to wipe the tear away and tastes it.

“It is sweet, Anne.”

“Why do you say that, Ruby?”

“Normally, tears from humans are salty. But when they have been around us for a long time, the tears become sweeter. It’s a sign your soul is mending and you will be able to hear the Creator’s voice more clearly.”

“Oh my . . . that explains the loss in my heart. I lost my favorite grandmother several years ago. She died with a smile on her face. Thank you, Ruby.”

“You’re welcome, Anne.”

This continues on for the next fifteen minutes. I see Esmeralda and Emeril hovering around Helen as she tends to the kitchen.

“The meal smells wonderful, Helen.”

“Thank you, Esmeralda. Yes, it is a tradition in our family to use the spices from the British Isles. It is a reminder of where we came from.”

Helen makes the announcement that the dinner is ready to serve. I take several paper plates and set them on the center piece coffee table in front of the sofas. I then place three bowls in the center of the setting. I pour the nuts and fruits into the bowls. I also set a short stack of napkins in the center.

Charles sees what I’m doing. “Aren’t those unsalted nuts, Richard?”

“They are Charles. Fairies can’t take the salt like we do. But even for us, too much salt is bad for our health.”

“I see.”

We then sit down in the seats around the large dinning table. My fairies fly down to the coffee table and stand there. Croin flies out of me. I see him resting on a book shelf while he sees us gathering together to eat. Then Larry speaks up.

“This is a very special Christmas for all of us. We have Richard Moore with us for the first time in over a decade. We also have Anne, Allen’s wife here with us as well. We welcome these two people to our household. We also welcome Richard’s unique family as well. For the first time in our lives, we get to see real live fairies. Let us give thanks to the Creator.”

“Helen, then speaks up next. “Creator, we just want to thank for all of your wonderful blessings on the Wilson family. Bless this food and let it give us the strength we need to do your work. Thank you for bringing life to our lives and making it more meaningful each day. Keep us safe while we are apart and until we meet again. Thank you, Creator.”

Everyone responds together, “Thank you, Creator.”

We all pass around the plates of food as we take what we want from it. It is a turkey dinner with the usual side dishes. However, the spices are from the British Isles. That lends its own flair and flavor that are different from the American version.

My fairies take what they want from the bowls and begin to eat their meal.

We all talk and eat while we are having our dinner. Some of the conversations center around me and Brianna. But it soon switches to other members in the family.

Charles speaks up, “The four who tried to take over our company, eventually left it. They are working for another company in the Knoxville area.”

“I bet you are relieved they left, Charles.”

“I am, dad. They left because we are too nice for them. But we developed that attitude for the customer from our CEO. Bill Bainbridge is a good influence on all of us. By having the right attitude, we have never lacked any work coming our way.”

“That’s good news, Charles.”

It goes back and forth for the next half hour. Eventually the eating winds down. Then the plates are removed and stacked in the kitchen. The desert is brought out from the oven. We see several warm apple pies. The freezer is opened to take out the vanilla ice cream. I get up and take several apples from the bowl. I slice them up for the fairies and place them on a plate. After it is set on the coffee table, the fairies each take a slice of apple to finish their meal.

Everyone enjoys eating the desert to finish of the meal.

“I’m surprised by how much food your fairies eat, Richard.”

“Yes, they are high burners of energy and yet they never get fat.”

Everyone giggles and laughs on the remark I made.

“Then it’s not fair for us. We have to work very hard to keep our weight down.”

“The worst ones are the skinny people. I envy those types of people.”

Everyone giggles and laughs again.

When we get done, we give our compliments to the cooks, Helen, Anne and Brianna.

“That was a great meal mom and Brianna.”

“But what about you guys? Can you cook yet?”

“I hear Richard is very good with the grill.”

“We are making a date to be in Mt. Blanc during the first week in May, Brian.”

“Yeah, that should be a great time, dad.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Brian. Can you cook?”

“Well, I try as best I can. I do have some cookbooks that mom gave me. But it takes a lot of hard work to prepare it all. That’s why I go for the easy meals.”

“Yes, it takes a lot of hard work, Brian.”

We clean up the place and get the dishes done in the kitchen. We get ready to return back to the bungalows. I get another long kiss and hug from Brianna in front of everyone. We get a few whooping and hollering from Brian and Charles.

I break apart to speak up. “You’re just jealous.”

Everyone laughs and giggles at my joke.

“See you here at 8 AM, Richard.”

Croin flies into me as my fairies fly around me. Then they change into butterflies as I walk out the door. “See you tomorrow morning, Larry.”

I walk back to the bungalow. I unlock the door and open it. They flutter in quickly and change back into butterflies. Croin flies out of me and flies to the cave carving to get his evening rest.

The fairies and I change into our night clothes. I brush my teeth before I go to bed. I turn off the lights before we get under the covers at 10 PM. We all have a great night of sleep. For tomorrow morning is Christmas Morning and it will be the biggest morning in my life.