Arabella 8 Nelson 800 words. 10/15/23
Twenty minutes later, all five came out of the barn and started prancing across the yard. They stopped by the deck. The farmer nodded at me and then talked to Nadine.
“If the little lamb shows up, keep it for Joseph and Mary. They began walking out the lane singing ‘Joy to the World’ off key and sounding terrible.”
“What are we going to do?” Doris cocked an ear at the ebbing music. “We should be out telling the world.”
Nadine was shaking her head. “Both Mary and Joseph said not to. We can’t do anything they don’t approve of.”
You won’t believe the rest of that morning. Three men came saying we had won gifts from some clearing house. Doris nearly had a conniption thinking they were the Three Kings bearing gifts. They followed the same routine. Take them to the barn and send them home singing carols.
Then three women arrived with pamphlets describing the birth of the cosmos. Of course, Doris knew right away that they were the Three Wise Men. When they left, they were singing ‘Silent Night.’
Doris and Nadine fell into their chairs and started on another slice of melon. I was tired of this nonsense. I talked mainly to Doris.
“They were women, you idiot. How can they be Wise Men? This whole thing is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of.”
Doris ignored me. She started talking to Nadine saying she would be here early tomorrow. She gulped down the rest of her melons and waltzed down the lane.
The next day was even worse. I had just finished enjoying my first cup of coffee on the deck. It was still dawn; everything was quiet except for two hoot owls calling each other. I leaned back at peace with the world. Then I sensed someone else was in the yard. Doris walked up on the deck with her tablet. Before I could say anything, Nadine appeared at the table with two cups of coffee. She was fully dressed at six o’clock. I cringed. Something cataclysmic was about to happen because Nadine usually doesn’t even think of getting up before nine.
Before I could say a word, they were sitting on opposite sides of the table and talking.
The whole day was a total disaster. Nadine and Doris were constantly running from the deck to the barn. I’d try asking a question and they would be running and singing to the barn. They did tell me Joseph and Mary were still there and the baby was imminent.
I asked how eminent. I could see it now. The whole farm would be an encampment like Woodstock. People everywhere.
I asked them if they were going to get a doctor? All they would do is shrug their shoulders, give me a dumb grin and say, maybe today, tomorrow, the next day, this week or maybe next month. They didn’t have a clue. Then the dumb farmers from Ironshire returned.
Guess what? They were bearing a gift. A little lamb.”
You would have thought Nadine and Doris had won the super jackpot worth $100,000,000. They nearly had a fit right on the deck. Finally, they pulled the three farmers out to the barn and presented the little lamb. After the farmers left, here came the three people from the contest.”
You would think since they were supposed to be three kings bearing gifts, they would have something valuable. They had stopped at Pizza Hut and had a huge pizza with everything. They gave me a slice and ran to the barn. Twenty minutes later, they were gone and in no time the three dumb women came.
They had a bottle of wine and a twelve-pack of beer. I took a beer and on they went to the barn. After a while they left empty handed. It was fairly calm the rest of the day. Looking back, I can see it was the lull before the storm.
After the three women left I took my time and walked to the barn. Joseph, Doris and Nadine were sitting at an old card table and Mary was lying on a big pile of hay with my prize quilt as a shawl. I was hoping for another slice of pizza but they had eaten the whole thing.
I stood in the entryway for ten seconds. The girls ignored me. Finally, Joseph said, “Come join us and have a seat. What will you have? A bottle of beer or a glass of wine?”
I asked a lot of questions: Where were they from? Where were they going? When was the baby due? I never got a straight answer. It was like Clinton and Trump. So, we ended up talking about the weather and the farm while Mary laid on the quilt with her eyes closed.
Then Doris stood. “Time to go. Mary needs peace and quiet.”
Nelson10464 Azalea Rd
Berlin, Md
October 2023
Taylorville Express 