Disclaimer: I really am infringing on someone else copyright, but I mean it in the best possible way.

Title: Christmas Stories
By: Lichtblick

I was late with doing my round that night, but I was sure no one was going to care about it and no one knew about it anyway.

The abbey's corridors were always cold, even during summer. Now as it were already the last days of November it was literally frozen. The little traces of water, which always marked the walls, were glittering in the light of my flashlight. I let the spot glide from the left to the right along the wall and enjoyed the sparkling.

I always liked the night shifts more. The boys were sleeping, all was quiet, and now the winter let it seem almost peaceful, or as peaceful as it can get in the abbey.

I was finished with the first corridor and started with the next; this one was even longer than the first and housed the younger boys. I thought I heard voices coming from one of the rooms, so I softened my steps, by it the boys wouldn't hear me before I found them.

I stopped in front of every room and listened. Out of the first few rooms no noise came; from the fourth room I heard soft snoring and moved on. I nearly started to think that I'd been mistaken, when I heard the voices again from behind the door I was facing.

I could make out five different voices, so at least three boys were in the wrong room. The rules would have forced me to break up the party immediately and report about the occurrence, but there was also another rule and that got me to listen more carefully. We guards were handed extra payment for every conspiracy we revealed; it was almost our usual wages doubled. A day before there had been food stolen from the kitchen in such an amount, that Boris feared some of the boys were collecting provisions for an escape plan. Perhaps now I was about to learn more.

It was the seventh room on the right, which meant that it belonged to Bryan and Spencer. With that knowledge it wasn't difficult to guess who the other three could be, since especially Bryan didn't used to hang around with a lot of the guys. It could only be Tala, Ian, and Kai with them.

The boys were clever, had I not been listening so carefully, I might not have caught them. Normally the boys always betrayed themselves through the light. It shines through under the door and illuminates the corridor.

They must have stuffed something in the groove under the door and put something in front of the keyhole also, because no light showed outside.

The last words had all been muffled and I couldn't make out anything coherent, so I pressed my right ear harder against the door and after my hearing had gotten used to the sound I could make out their conversation.

And well, it surprised me a bit.

"Please tell me we are not all here only because you wanted to read Tala!"

"Read what?" Spencer sounded like he had just woken up.

"A Christmas story," Ian answered cheerfully.

"Show me," Bryan commanded, I don't know whom, but I guess it was Ian, because there was no further argument.

"This one is told from a donkey's perspective." I heard the shocked exclamation moments afterwards and involuntary had to smile.

"Yeah well, after all it was the donkey's manger Jesus used as his bed after he was born. If you ask me it's about time, that the poor animal finally can speak his mind."

After that I couldn't make out anything other than a few 'stupid' s and other similar words for some time, because all of them were speaking at the same time.

"And why are we doing this in our room?"

"We wanted to spare you the way," Tala answered flippantly.

"There would have been no way, because I wouldn't have come."

"But you're in definite need for some Christmas spirit," someone grumbled.

I nearly flinched when I heard something smashing against the wall.

"It's a Christmas story from the perspective of a donkey for heaven's sake. Who wants to hear it anyway?" Bryan gave it one last try.

"I want," Kai answered. And I had to admit the kid had some courage.

"Yeah sure." Bryan grunted. "You only want to hear it to get on my nerves."

"Right, you're always the center of my decisions Bryan," Kai replied sarcastically. The boy had really gotten used to the tone around there fast.

"Where do you have that book from anyway?" Spencer injected quickly.

"Out of a bookstore of course."

"When have you been allowed to go to a bookstore?" Kai asked disbelievingly.

"This morning."

"No, I heard what Boris said and that was just that you were supposed to collect the reports from the city."

"He gave me two hours. I took Ian with me, we parted the work and had still time to go to the bookstore."

"Yep, I chose the book and we were back on time," confirmed Ian.

"I should have known, that only you could choose a story like this."

I heard feet hitting the ground. Ian must have jumped up with indignation.

"You would have found no better. Do you think they have Christmas stories about superheroes or sport teams? Because they don't"

"He's right. If there had been a better one, I would have taken it, but they were all about little boys or girls waiting for Santa Claus." Tala calmed everyone down.

It got quiet after that.

"Why are we doing this at all?" Finally someone asked the question I wanted to have the answer to the whole time.

"The Christmas rules, remember? Every Advent you can either read a Christmas story or sing Christmas carols. If anyone wants to sing, then go ahead."

I grimaced and could imagine that the boys inside imitated my mimic, since no one replied to the dare.

"So, who's going to read it out?" I heard Kai ask after a while.

Little later Spencer started to recite the children Christmas story.

I stayed the whole time. It was a weird situation, standing there in the abbey, leaning against a door and listening to boys telling Christmas stories, who I actually should be handing over to Boris, because they acted against curfew rules.

But through all its weirdness it was still one of the most peaceful and most memorable nights at that place.

I came every Advent after that one and listened together with Ian, Tala, Kai, Bryan and Spencer to the stories, no matter if I was on duty or not.

After Christmas I quit my job at the abbey and left the town, the country and everything else behind. The only thing I kept from that time is the tradition the boys taught me back then. Even today I still read a Christmas story every Advent and I guess one or two of them even had a donkey in them.

The End!