Chapter Nine: Glory!

A few hours later, at five-forty-five, just fifteen minutes before the Christmas Eve service was to start, Jacob dropped Cloudy, Eloise, Nika, Valerie, Lea, Star, and Miriam off at Christ Church and drove back to Vastre Hall to get the others. Cloudy glanced listlessly at the huge white building as she stood in the three-inch-deep snow, not feeling at all happy about the play as she had a few days earlier. Star noticed her sister’s depressed behavior and asked, “Are you all right, Cloudy?”

“Wonderful,” Cloudy muttered.

The girls entered the church and looked about the lobby, then went into the sanctuary. Many men, women, and children were standing, sitting, or milling about the room, chatting and laughing happily. But Cloudy wasn’t feeling the festive mood. Only deep sadness.

Eloise, Nika, Lea, and Valerie moved off to talk with others in the room while Star went back to the lobby to get a drink. Miriam stayed behind with Cloudy, though.

“Cloudy,” Miriam began, “are you feeling okay?”

Cloudy shrugged. “I guess.”

Miriam put a hand on Cloudy’s back. “Are you still feeling bad about Nathaniel?”

Cloudy let out her breath in a sigh. “I wish Jacob hadn’t shot him. Then he could have had a chance to repent and be saved.”

“Cloudy, we’re not in control of what happens in our lives,” Miriam said. “Only God is. And only He knows what will happen in the future and what the outcomes will be. We have to trust Him.” She smiled ever so slightly. “I knows deaths are hard for us all, but we can’t stay in the past. We have to move on.”

Cloudy sighed again and looked at the decorated stage, which was all prepared for the play. She knew Miriam was right, but couldn’t bring herself to accept it. How could she have fun tonight when Nathaniel’s tragic death was hanging over her like a dark cloud?

“We must choose joy even in hard times, Cloudy,” Miriam reminded her friend. “If we are children of the Lord, we can praise and rejoice even amidst the tragedies. But if we are not saved, we have no hope. We are bound by despair.”

Before Cloudy could answer, she heard a whispered “Psst!” Miriam and she looked over at a dark-haired man who was gesturing to them. “Come on, kids. Y’all need to get into your costumes. The play’s starting right after the interpretive dance and the worship. And where the heck is Dana? She needs to direct the play.”

Cloudy gasped. She had forgotten that a director was needed for the play! “I don’t think she’s gonna be able to direct it,” she said.

“Why not?” the man asked.

“She’s in the hospital,” Miriam explaoined.

The man slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Well, that’s just great! Without a director, the play can’t go on!”

At the moment, Jacob drove up in front of the church with the rest of the kids, Meta Knight, Springtime, and Showerstorm. Frank was not there; he had decided to stay with Dana at the hospital.

Everyone piled out of the van and entered the church. Sniper, his brothers, Arrow, and Zach all ran into the sanctuary long with Meta Knight while the other adults lingered in the lobby to chat.

As the boys entered the sanctuary, they immediately began to look around for the girls. They didn’t find tem all, but they did see Miriam and Cloudy by the stage, talking with some man. They darted over to them and Sniper asked, “Where’s the fire?”

“There’s no fire, but we can’t do the play,” Miriam said.

Meta Knight gasped. “You can’t! Why not?”

“Miss Dana is supposed to direct the play, but she can’t. She’s not here. Remember?” Cloudy said.

Sniper sat down and scratched his ear. “Well, why can'[t we get another director? That would be the most simple solution.”

“Yes, it would, but who could do it?” the man sighed.

Suddenly, in the midst of the chatter and laughter from the crowd mingling in the sanctuary, Meta Knight heard a strangely familiar voice behind him. “Well, good evening, children and Magnus! It’s wonderful to see you all again after a while.”

Meta Knight tensed slightly. That voice—why did it sound so familiar? It couldn’t be, though. He turned slowly and looked up. . .and found himself looking straight into the eyes of his own mother.

“Mother?” Meta Knight breathed.

“Miss Scazzarda?” Cloudy asked, deeply surprised.

Scazzarda grinned, her eyes twinkling. She wore a pretty green dress with sequins that sparkled in the red and green spotlights. “Hello, Magnus and Cloudy.”

Meta Knight was so astonished he didn’t know what to say. “How. . .?”

“I flew by jet,” Scazzarda said. “I wanted to surprise you all, So, surprise!”

“You sure did surprise us!” said Miriam.

“But why are you down here?” Sniper wanted to know.

Scazzarda chuckled. “Well, you kids need a director for the Nativity play and Dana’s out, so I’m taking over.”

“What?!” exclaimed Zach.

“Hey, wait a minute! How did you even know there was a Nativity play going on?” Cloudy asked, getting very suspicious. “Meta Knight, did you tell her when you two were talking last night?”

Meta Knight shook his head. “I swear I didn’t.”

“Then how did you know?” Miriam asked Scazzarda.

A mysterious smile formed on Scazzarda’s lips, but she said nothing.

Meta Knight frowned at Scazzarda. “All right, Mother, what’s going on? How do you know about all this?”

“This might strike you as rather surprising, but Dana and I have been talking together via laptop every night,” Scazzarda said. “She told me all about the play and went over every detail and line with me, even showing me videos she took of you kids rehearsing. She also said that of she happened to get hurt or sick and was unable tot direct, I was to step in and take over. I’m an expert at directing plays, since I’ve been doing it at churches for over twenty-five years. So I agreed. And that’s why I’m here now.”

“But how did you hear about Dana being in the hospital?” Cloudy queried.

Scazzarda sighed and folder her hands. “Frank told me a few hours ago, and I took a plane down here to save the day, as you already know. Earlier this month, he also told me about your plane crash, your run-ins with Nathaniel Osen and all—and today said Nathaniel was dead.” She glanced around, as if missing somebody. “Um where is Frank anyway?”

“He’s not here. He’s at the hospital with Dana,” Meta Knight replied.

Scazzarda nodded, her gaze falling to her son’s bandaged arm as she did so. She immediately looked alarmed. “Magnus, what’s the matter with your arm?”

Meta Knight couldn’t look at her or even answer. Luckily, Miriam came to his rescue and explained what had happened. When she finished, Scazzarda looked stunned. “That’s the craziest adventure I’ve ever heard. Seems like wherever you children go, trouble and adventure follow.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Then the dark-haired man gestured wildly for the children to get their costumes on, so off the kids scampered.

Then the man, a grateful smile on his face, turned to Scazzarda. “Thanks so much for filling in for Dana, Scazzarda. I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure,” Scazzarda replied. The man nodded and walked off.

After he had diappeared backstage, Scazzarda said, “Come on, Magnus. You can stand near the stage with me while I direct the play.”

Meta Knight said nothing. His eyes were riveted on the floor.

Scazzarda frowned a little, worry clouding her eyes. “Magnus, are you okay?”

Meta Knight still didn’t speak. He felt distant, emotionally lonely. He couldn’t explain why he felt the way he did or how he was going to resolve his feelings. He raised his eyes and met Cloudy’s gaze. Cloudy was standing on the stage, wearing her angel costume, a sparkly piece of twine wrapped around the top of her head. Her eyes reflected the same hurt he felt, but in a less painful way. 

She has hope. The word was foreign to him. I have only despair.

“Magnus?” Scazzarda’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Hey, are you all right?”

Meta Knight looked back at his mother and found her staring at him, her face full of concern. He began to cry, burying his face in his hands. Scazzarda stepped forward, took her son in her arms, and held him close as he cried into her chest. 

“Are you feeling upset about Nathaniel?” she asked softly.

Meta Knight nodded. Scazzarda caught her son’s hand and grasped it, her strong fingers gripping his. “Magnus, I know deaths are hard for you. They are hard for me too. But we have to move on. We cannot linger in the past.” She took a  deep breath. “Nathaniel brought on his own death by his own wickedness, Magnus. He ultimately fell into his own trap of death.” She let out a heavy sigh. “The Bible says that the wicked shall not prevail, nor will their deeds. In the end, the enemies of God, if they do not repent, shall fall.” She squeezed his hand gently. “Do you understand, Magnus?”

Meta Knight carefully pulled away from his mother’s embrace, but kept his hand in hers. “Yes, Mother.”

“Good.” Scazzarda smiled encouragingly at her son. “Hold your head high, Magnus. You’re very brave.”

Meta Knight had to smile. She sounded so much like Cloudy! “Thank you.”

Scazzarda chuckled and gave her son another hug. “Now in a few minutes, let’s go watch our young friends star in their acting debuts.”

                                             * * * * *

“Are you nervous?” Miriam whispered to Cloudy.

“No. Are you?” Cloudy asked absently. She was watching the interpretive dance from behind the curtain.

“I know I am,” Lea said. She tugged at her plain white robe and adjusted her satin angel wings. “But I’m also excited. This is my first play outside of school.”

“Do you like acting?” Star asked Lea.

“More than anything,” Lea confessed, “but I mostly get minor parts in school plays.”

“Well, I’m sure everyone acting in this play will be a big hit, especially Sniper.” Star gave her oldest brother a  meaningful glance. “Isn’t that right, Sniper?”

Sniper, dressed as Gabriel, wasn’t paying any attention to the girls’ conversation at all. Rather, he was whispering to Zach. “. . .so I’m going to improvise my lines a little.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Zach said doubtfully.

“Hey!” Sniper threw up his head and smirked. “Part of acting is that you get to change your lines a little. That’s the great part!”

“And just what are you planning to change about your script?” Zach demanded.

Sniper grinned mischievously. “I’m going to say ferkensnopper-doodlehopper whenever Gabriel comes around. It’ll be so funny and everyone will laugh.”

“Oh, no, you don’t, Sniper,” Star said. She had overheard the entire plan. “You’re going to stick to the script just like we rehearsed.”

“Shut up!” Sniper snapped. “I can do what I want.”

“No, you can’t,” Star objected. “And if you dare try to say furkinmopper-hoppledopper, I’m going to tell Mommy on you!”

“It’s ferkensnopper-doodlehopper,” Sniper sighed.

Before Star could make a snappy retort, Cloudy suddenly gasped soundly. Star rushed over to her sister. “What is it, Cloudy?”

“I can’t believe it!” Cloudy exclaimed. “I just noticed. . .” She pointed to a girl onstage dancing with several other people. “Do you recognize that girl?”

“No,” Star said, puzzled.

“Oh, right. Well, of course you don’t.” Cloudy gazed at the girl in astonishment. “The day Meta Knight first taught me how to swordfight, he and I went to a concert. That girl dancing was the same one who was singing at the concert!”

“No way!” Star exclaimed. “What’s her name?”

“Um, I think her name is Juliana or something like that,” Cloudy answered.

Before the two sisters could say anything more, the dance ended and the audience applauded the performance. Cloudy and Star clapped along with the crowd. “She is so talented,” Star said, referring to Juliana.

“That she is,” Cloudy agreed.

The worship songs were the best. They played a lot of Christmas songs, such as “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Mary, Did You Know?” “Joy to the World,” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” Cloudy loved singing, and her voice was beautiful. Everyone around her seemed impressed by her singing.

When the worship was over, the pastor stepped up to the pulpit and smiled widely at the excited crowd. “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Christmas Eve service here at Christ Church! Our young actresses and actors will perform a special rendition of the Nativity play! Please enjoy!” He backed off the stage as the spotlight shone on Arrow, who was dressed in a priest’s outfit and carrying incense inside the Temple. He went up to the altar and held the sweet-smelling incense above the altar. For a few seconds, the crowd’s gaze was riveted on the dangling incense, but then was drawn to Sniper, dressed in bright angel’s clothing, appearing on the other side of the altar. Arrow pretended to be frightened and dropped the incense.

“Here we go,” Cloudy muttered to herself from behind the curtain. “I hope Sniper’s not really going to say ferkensnopper-doodlehopper.”

“Don’t be scared, Zechariah!” Sniper intoned. “God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will have a baby boy, whom you shall name John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in God’s eyes. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks, and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God, and he will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.”

“How can that happen?” Arrow asked. “I’m old and my wife is way past the age of having kids.”

Sniper frowned slightly at Arrow. “I’m Gabriel, sent by the Lord to tell you this wonderful news. But because you have not believed me, you won’t be able to talk until your son is born.” Then Sniper vanished from view.

Cloudy sighed in relief. Thank goodness Sniper didn’t mess up the entire play!

Arrow went outside and saw Sniper’s brothers, all dressed as priests, They looked curiously at him as he emerged, but he couldn’t speak, so he made signs to them instead.

“Zechariah’s seen a vision in the Temple!” Waffle exclaimed.

So Elizabeth became pregnant and she hid herself in her house for five months. “The Lord has done this in order to keep me from being mocked and scorned by others,” Star said out loud to herself.

Scazzarda gave them all a thumbs-up sign and Meta Knight smiled. “So far, so good,” Star muttered to Arrow. “I’m just glad Sniper didn’t goof off.”

“Not yet anyway,” Arrow reminded her, “But he’s still got a few more lines.”

“Yeah, he’s still got a chance to improvise,” Pancake added. They all went back behind the curtain except for Sniper as Miriam and Zach went onstage to act in the next scene.

Miriam, clad in a simple brown dress and white veil, carried a water jar o her head back to her humble little house. A she entered inside and set the clay jar on the table, Sniper appeared. Miriam gasped and accidentally bumped into the jar, knocking it onto the floor and breaking it, causing water to gush out all over the floor.

“Who are you?!” Miriam gasped.

Sniper, who was thinking so much of the word ferkensnopper-doodlehopper, automatically said without thinking, “I am Ferkensnopper-doodlehopper, the angel of the Lord.” Then his eyes widened as he suddenly realized what he had just said. Miriam gave him a strange look, lost control of herself, and began laughing uncontrollably. Pretty soon, everyone in the congregation, including Scazzarda and Meta Knight, were laughing.

“Oops,” Sniper said under his breath, feeling embarrassed. Why had he said that? He looked toward the curtain and saw Cloudy staring at him with disapproval, and he mouthed, “It was an accident!”

“Uh-huh,” Cloudy said skeptically. “Right. I bet it was.”

Scazzarda finally managed to get control of herself and called, “Okay, Sniper! Take it from the top!”

Sniper inhaled deeply, then exhaled and said, “I am Gabriel, the angel of the Lord.” Much better!

Miriam didn’t know what to say. Her expression was one of anxiety. What sort of greeting was this?

“Don’t be frightened, Mary,” Sniper assured her. “You have found favor in the eyes of God. You shall become pregnant and give birth to a baby boy, and you are to name Him Jesus. He will be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and God will give to Him the throne of David, and He will reign over Jacob’s house forever, and His kingdom won’t ever end.”

Miriam was puzzled. “How can this be? I have never known a man; I’m a virgin.”

Sniper smiled. “The Holy Ghost will descend in you, and the power of God shall come over you; therefore the Baby to be born will be called holy—God’s Son. And your cousin Elizabeth is six months pregnant with a son. For God’s word shall never fail.”

Miriam clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head. “I am the Lord’s servant. Let all be done to me just as you have said.”

Sniper smiled again and then disappeared.

Then the scene switched to Mary hurrying to Elizabeth’s house. She knocked on the door and was welcomed in by Elizabeth. 

“Good day to you, cousin!” Miriam said happily.

Star smiled broadly and then gasped. “Oh!”

Miriam drew back a little and asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Mary!” Star exclaimed. “Blessed are you above all women, and blessed is the Child inside of you! And why should I be so honored, that my Lord’s mother should come to me? When you greeted me, the baby inside me leaped in joy! You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do as He said.”

Miriam was amazed and was filled with joy, and she sang out:

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord! How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me!”

About three months later, Elizabeth had a son, and relatives came to her house and celebrated the child’s birth. Lots of people wanted to call the baby Zechariah after his father, but Star shook her head and said, “No, his name shall be John.”

“But no one in your family has that name,” Sharkell objected.

Lea made signs to Arrow and asked what he wanted the baby to be called. Arrow took up a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John,” and held it out for all to see. Everyone in the house was astonished. And suddenly, Arrow began to talk, blessing God! He who could not speak for over nine months was now rejoicing and praising the Lord! And everyone in the hill country of Judea talked about these things and reflected on these events, asking, “Who will this child become?”

After Elizabeth’s baby had been born, Mary went back to her house and spoke with her husband-to-be, Joseph, a carpenter, played by Zach. They walked together and chatted about Elizabeth’s new baby and all the news that was being spread about by all the gossipy well women. After a time, Mary began to feel it was best that she tell Joseph she was pregnant.

“What is it, Mary?” Zach asked as the two sat down together. “Do you want to tell me something?”

Miriam sighed. “Actually, yes, I do.”

“Then go ahead. I’m listening.”

Miriam clasped her hands in front of her and looked at the ground, then up at Zach. “I’m having  a baby.”

Zach blinked in disbelief and stood up. “What?”

“I’m having a baby,” Miriam repeated.

Zach was speechless. How could this be? Had Mary been with another man? But he and Mary were supposed to be engaged! This couldn’t be happening!

Without another word to Mary, Zach turned and stormed off back to his house, determining to divorce Mary, but not publicly. He would do it privately, for he loved her too much to bring shame to her and her family.

That night, as Joseph was sleeping, he had a dream. Sniper appeared to Zach in a dream and Zach was terribly frightened.

“Don’t be frightened, Joseph, David’s relative,” Sniper said. “And don’t fear to take Mary as your spouse, for the Baby inside her is the work of the Holy Spirit. She’ll have a Son and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save the whole world from their sins.”

So Joseph awoke and pondered these things in his heart, and he obeyed. He took Mary as his wife and both eagerly awaited the coming of Baby Jesus, the Savior of the world.

When Mary was about nine months along in her pregnancy, a decree wen tout from Caesar Augustus that all had to go each to his own hometown to be taxed. Joseph was from the city of Bethlehem, so he took Mary and both went up to Bethlehem. The journey was hard and took several days, but at last, they reached the little city. The problem? There was nowhere to lodge. The entire town was practically filled up with all sorts of people coming to Bethlehem for the census.

Joseph walked to the lone inn not too far away and knocked on the door, and the door was opened by Pancake, who played the innkeeper in this scene.

“What do you need?” Pancake asked.

“We need a place to stay for the night,” Zach explained. “You see, my wife is about to have a Baby.”

Pancake shook his head a little sadly. “I wish I could help you really I do,” he sighed, “But this place is full. There’s not a single room left in the entire inn.” He managed a half-smile. “But there is a stable out back you could try.”

“Thank you,” Zach said. He took Mary and went around back to the giant stable, which was hewn out of a rough cave. He escorted Mary inside and lit a light for her to see better. There were real animals, such as a few horses, two cows, a donkey, and lots of pigeons in the dusty hayloft, who cooed and preened themselves.  Mary took off her veil and spread it o the floor, and Joseph helped her lie down on it. Then he went out. 

As he was looking up at the sky, he saw a strange sight. An enormous star, five times bigger than the other stars, suddenly appeared in the sky and threw beams of white light over everything. And then Zach heard something else—a baby’s cry. Excited, he darted back into the cave and saw Miriam wrapping a life-size baby doll in her veil. When she was done, she put it in the manger and smiled down at it.

Zach sat down on the other side of the manger. “At long last, the promised Messiah!” he breathed.

“Thank You, Lord,” Mary said softly.

                                               * * * * *

Now it was Cloudy’s turn. 

“Go on, Cloudy!” Lea whispered. “You can do it!”

Cloudy took a long, deep breath and looked out at the audience as she marched onstage and onto the wooden platform with fake rubber clouds nailed on the front. All eyes were locked on her. It was her time to shine. But could she do this? It was time to find out.

Here we go, Cloudy thought.

                                              * * * * *

Sharkell, Pancake, and Waffle, all dressed as shepherds, sat in a large field filled with ten to fifteen live sheep. The sheep were grazing contentedly as the shepherds lounged peacefully in the grass, looking at the stars or playing their flutes.

At length, Sharkell turned to Pancake and said, “Hey, Abel?”

“Mm?” Pancake glanced inquiringly at his brother.

“I have a funny feeling that something amazing is going to happen tonight.”

“Is that so?” Waffle asked, lowering his flute.

“Yes, Shem,” Sharkell replied. “I feel the same way.”

“You know what, I do too, Abner,” Waffle admitted. “But why do we all feel this way?”

The three shepherds were quiet for a moment, each thinking their own thoughts. Then Sharkell gasped and exclaimed, “Look up there!”

“Where?” Waffle asked, completely forgetting to say his lines.

“The sky, you idiot!” Sharkell snapped.

Pancake gave them both a dirty look and hissed, “Those are not our lines, you twits!”

The crowd burst into hysterical laughter at the boys’ funny banter. Scazzarda laughed too, but her laugh seemed forced. It was obvious she didn’t approve of this wonderful story of Christ’s birth being turned into a laughingstock by a couple of immature boys.

“Hey!” Star whispered loudly from backstage. “All three of you quit acting like a couple of circus clowns and be serious! This is a Nativity play we’re doing, not a comedy TV show!”

“Sorry,” Pancake whispered sheepishly.

“Take it from the top!” Scazzarda called.

Sharkell cleared his throat, then gasped and exclaimed, “Look up there!”

Pancake looked up to the sky and saw a huge star. “What’s that?!” he exclaimed in amazement.

“It looks like a star,” Waffle concluded.

“I’ve never seen a star like that,” Pancake mused.

Sharkell’s eyes grew wide. “Maybe it’s a sign from the Lord?”

That was Cloudy’s cue. Appearing from behind the fake clouds and in full view of the shepherds, she smiled and spread her wings. The shepherds let out cries of alarm and the sheep scattered wildly in fright.

“Don’t be afraid!” Cloudy said, her voice ringing out strong. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Cloudy waited until the other angels appeared, and then all began to sing “Angels We Have Heard on High.”

“Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains!

Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!”

Cloudy smiled invitingly at everybody in the audience to sing with her, and all willingly obliged except for Meta Knight.

“Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavn’ly song?

Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!”

Cloudy was exhilarated. She felt as though she were no longer starring in a play, but had actually gone back in time two thousand years ago and was firsthand witnessing the angels singing in front of the shepherds. It was a glorious image: the shepherds in a spacious field, awestruck at the sight of the sky full of worshipping angels, singing out their praise and elation, the echoes of their song reverberating throughout the field to add to the cacophony of frightened sheep bleating and of the crickets’ buzzsaw chirps.

Cloudy let out a cheer and everyone cheered with her. They raised their voices louder, sounding like a choir with their voices perfectly melding together in unison.

Scazzarda put her hand over her mouth, her face appalled. “Her baby, Magnus. Is her baby okay?”

Meta Knight shook his head in a way which Scazzarda took to mean he didn’t know. “But if she dies. . .her baby dies too,” he whispered.

“Magnus. . .” Scazzarda couldn’t speak. She hadn’t known this. But she knew it was affecting him badly. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“I knew she would likely be in danger,” Meta Knight sobbed. “I worried about her the whole time on this trip, dreading what would occur.” Cloudy’s mind went back to his strange behavior on the plane and how he wouldn’t speak his thoughts to her. Now she knew why. It was Liloy he had been worrying about, but he didn’t want to worry Cloudy.

“I’m sorry,” was all Cloudy could say. She had no other words to describe how sorry she was.

Meta Knight laid his head on Scazzarda’s shoulder and cried harder, sobs wracking his body. “Why-Why does this hurt so much?” he cried.

Tears filled Scazzarda’s eyes as she placed her hand over her son’s. Cloudy, somewhat uneasy, looked down at the ice in the fountain, her reflection very faint and misty. Her reflection didn’t seem to match her real countenance. Was her heart the same? She had been told repeatedly she had a loving and caring heart. She longed to help others, especially Meta Knight, who was in a lot of mental and emotional pain. But how could she? She was only a child, not truly intended to understand a lot of burdens at her young age. But she did understand—somewhat—intended or not.

Cloudy glanced up at the sky and scanned the stars. Listlessly, she tried to count them all, but was unable to. It was next to impossible—except for God. Then her gaze traveled to another star—but this one seemed particularly brighter than the others. The Christmas star?

No, it couldn’t be the Star of Bethlehem. That was a one-time occurrence. But perhaps tbhis was a seeming equivalent, like the planet Jupiter.

Scazzarda followed Cloudy’s eyes to the star. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked. “The Christmas star.”

“But not the reals tar,” Cloudy objected. “That was once and it will never happen again.”

“Very true.” Scazzarda chuckled a little. “But I like to think of it as the Christmas star.”

Cloudy said nothing, but continued to look at the star. Almost instantly, a saying she heard often from her mother when Cloudy or her siblings were having a bad day popped into her mind, and Cloudy said it aloud: “Don’t rehearse the hurt. Rehearse the truth.” It was true too, and Cloudy knew it.

Scazzarda smiled at the young puppy. “So true, Cloudy.”

Cloudy looked at the star a bit longer, then got up. “Miss Scazzarda, I’m going back inside. I don’t want to miss the candlelight ceremony.”

“All right, Cloudy.”

Cloudy gently licked Meta Knight’s hand. “The Savior of the world bless you, Sir Meta Knight,” she said. Then she was gone.

Scazzarda gently stroked her son’s hand. “She’s a really nice girl, isn’t she?”

“Very much so.”

“I’m glad you two are such good friends. Where would you be without her?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Meta Knight raised his head off his mother’s shoulder and looked up to the dark sky speckled with stars. “She’s helped me through so much. For a little girl, she’s very mature and seems to understand a lot, though she might not convey that idea very well to others.”

“Yes, she is.”

Meta Knight lowered his eyes. “But how can she help me through this latest incident?”

Scazzarda let out her breath. “She cannot help you with everything, son. But she can pray for you and lead you in the direction of restoration. She knows the need for healing.”

Meta Knight said nothing, but his eyes suddenly flashed red. Scazzarda was a bit surprised by his sudden change of mood, and she knew that when his eyes turned red, that was never a good sign.

“Magnus, is something wrong?”

“Yes.” His voice was tight. “A lot is wrong.”

Scazzarda read his thoughts through his voice tone. “Your son?”

Meta Knight nodded.

Scazzarda took both of Meta Knight’s hands in her own. “Magnus, he chose his own destiny.”

Tears filled Meta Knight’s eyes. “I did not raise him to behave that way.” He turned his face away. “Mother. . .where did I go wrong?”

“Magnus, you tried to show him the right way, but he didn’t take it.” Scazzarda placed her hand on his pauldron. “He wanted to go down that path of destruction. He wanted to drink. He wanted to do drugs. He wanted to hang out with the wrong crowd. That wasn’t your fault.”

Meta Knight closed his eyes and a tear rolled his cheek. “If he dies, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“Oh, Magnus.” Scazzarda’s eyes were sad. “You must not say such a thing. It’s not your fault he chose that destructive path. He chose it.” She put her hand to his cheek and brushed away his tears with her fingertips. “You’re a great father, Magnus, and a great son. No one could ever ask more of you.”

Meta Knight opened his eyes and looked up at this mother, the compassion in her eyes arresting. He grasped her hand and gently pressed it to his forehead. Scazzarda couldn’t help but cry at the agonized look in his eyes. She hated witnessing him so upset.

“Mother, don’t.” Meta Knight put his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Don’t cry.”

Scazzarda blinked hard. “Magnus,” she cried, “you’re the one who’s in a lot of emotional pain and yet you’re comforting me.“

“I don’t like seeing you cry. It breaks my heart,” Meta Knight replied.

Scazzarda sniffled and wiped her eyes, laughing a little. “Magnus, you’re one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met.” Then her expression grew sober. “I’m really glad you’re my son.”

Meta Knight smiled through his tears. “And I am very glad you’re my mother.”

Scazzarda grinned, wiped her face once more, and took her son’s hand. “Come on, Magnus,” she said. “We don’t want to miss the candlelight ceremony.”

Meta Knight nodded and jumped off the wall, and the mother and son disappeared back inside the church.

__  __  __

Note: The Chris Tomlin version of “Angels We Have Heard On High” was written by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, and Charles Wesley (traditional), with lyrics also attributed to James Chadwick in some arrangements. All credit goes to them for this song.