{"id":12341,"date":"2015-12-16T10:03:46","date_gmt":"2015-12-16T15:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12341"},"modified":"2025-08-01T13:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T17:29:13","slug":"the-christmas-visitor-by-bluewindfarm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12341","title":{"rendered":"The Christmas Visitor (by BluewindFarm)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>: Home alone on Christmas Eve; a special visitor keeps watch over a young man.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 (920 words)<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you to freyakendra for the picture and the challenge to write a companion story.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Christmas Visitor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGentle slumber, my little one.\u201d Reaching out, her voice lilting with music. \u201cI know your heart aches that your father and brothers are not here, on this of all nights. They tried so hard to return home in time for Christmas. Take comfort that they are safe and together; and that their thoughts are of you, as yours are of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She reveled in the fleeting visit He allowed her this evening; her presence aglow. Memories swirled around the great room of a curly-haired, green-eyed, innocent child laughing with an exuberance only the young could possess. Eyes misted over the boy left behind,\u00a0raised by his father and brothers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI mustn\u2019t forget Hop Sing, I know he\u2019s watched over you since before I had to leave. He cares about you as if you were his own; and between you and me,\u201d she quietly giggled as might a little girl revealing a secret, \u201che enjoys sharing you with your father even though that should be the other way around.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She had silently observed him decorating the house earlier in the day. In the corner by the staircase stood an evergreen tree decorated with colored ornaments and a garland strung with cranberries and popcorn. Unlit candles affixed to the limbs waited,\u00a0while a golden star rested at the top. He\u2019d sipped hot chocolate provided by his surrogate father while humming various carols as inspired by his holiday mood. Now, the cup sat empty on the low table. Underneath the tree were packages lovingly wrapped bearing the names of his family members. Boughs and pine cones decorated the staircase railing and the mantle above the fireplace, the flames within casting a gentle radiance around the room and over her son.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve grown into such a handsome young man. I\u2019ve treasured each and every day that I\u2019ve watched you come of age.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Sprawled out along the settee, his body had succumbed to sleep while patiently awaiting the return of his family from San Francisco.\u00a0 The string tie ends hung down the front of his white dress shirt, which lay unbuttoned\u00a0at the top.<\/span><\/p>\n

“When you were much younger, Ben and I would argue over who you took after the most, but now\u2026 I see a lot of myself in you through your passionate and fiery temper, but also I see the gentle strength of the man I married and loved, and we can\u2019t forget his stubbornness either. There too is your brother Adam; though you never chose to excel in your schooling, you are smart beyond the instructions of education. I see Hoss in you, the way the two of you love the land and care for the animals.\u00a0 You are all of us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSleep well. Know that you are loved;\u00a0always and forever, and most especially on this holiest of nights. Merry Christmas, my Joseph.\u201d Gentle lips kissed his brow lightly.<\/span><\/p>\n

The young man moved, seeking to snuggle his cheek into the warmth of her touch.<\/span><\/p>\n

*****<\/span><\/p>\n

Wearily three riders rode into the snow-covered yard.\u00a0 Father and sons dismounted before leading their horses to the barn; nickers of greeting broke the quiet as they entered. The men took care to groom their horses and\u00a0bedded them down; uncleaned tack was placed on the saddle racks before the men ventured to their home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYa reckon Joe gave up on us gettin\u2019 home tonight?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As the men walked across the yard, the window above the porch deck grew dim, indicating the last of the lanterns had just been extinguished. Brushing snow from their shoulders they stepped to the porch, and removed their hats.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe must have,\u201d Ben reached for the door latch.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Surprised our little brother didn’t hear us ride in,” Adam offered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Expecting to see the youngest member of their family banking the fire or half-way up the stairs, they were surprised to find the room empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam closed the door behind them.\u00a0 \u201cHe couldn\u2019t have made it all the way upstairs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d Concern tainted Ben’s voice as he stepped farther into the room, looking to the second floor landing.<\/span><\/p>\n

A hand and arm reached over the back of the settee, while a sleepy head with tousled hair rose with a yawn. \u201cPa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey Shortshanks, ya musta worked yerself hard to be asleep so quick.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat time is it?\u201d Sitting up,\u00a0Joe stretched his arms wide, bending his neck left and right before standing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam mirrored the others by removing his coat as the long clock finished striking midnight.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Christmas, Little Buddy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning around, eyes widened, \u201cYou\u2019re home!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMerry Christmas son,\u201d Ben enveloped his son into a hug. \u201cSorry we couldn\u2019t get home any sooner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYa weren\u2019t worried about us, were ya?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026\u201d Joe paused, stepped back, and looked to his family. \u201cI was earlier, but that was before\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBefore what?\u201d Ben asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eyes shimmered, \u201cBefore Momma told me you were safe and together, and that you were trying to come home. She was here….wasn\u2019t she Pa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With an arm across his son’s shoulders, \u201cSon, if ever there was a night where your mother could visit, tonight would be the one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hey, if Joe were already asleep,” Hoss paused, thumbing over his shoulder to where Joe had slept, “then who turned down the lanterns before we got to the door?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Each looked from one to another.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTonight is the night of angels, little brother. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them\u2026\u201d (Luke 2:8)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~The End<\/span><\/p>\n

Peace on Earth, Merry Christmas Everyone!<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags: Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright, Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright, Marie Cartwright<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: Home alone on Christmas Eve; a special visitor keeps watch over a young man.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 (920 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[23,1007,8,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-joe-cartwright","category-short-stories","category-challenges","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-8-id","wpcat-40-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Christmas-Visitor.jpg?fit=286%2C260&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}