Christmas Bliss
Days passed since Molly McGee's ordeal first began and in time, her Winter Break had vastly improved. First, she and Libby paid a visit to Rabbi Katz and offered him some homemade cookies. He didn't go for any of them, at first but Molly assured him there were zero blueberries in the mixture.
"We've got snickerdoodles, peanut butter blossoms and of course, the classic chocolate chip" she said with glee, "take your pick." As one more incentive, Libby assured her rabbi that all three types of cookies were 100% kosher. "In that case, I think I'll go with...a blossom" Rabbi Katz stated, "just as long as these aren't prank cookies."
With a bit of a playfully overly dramatic gasp, Molly proclaimed that pranks were utterly beneath the likes of her. But she warned him that if it were Darryl who made the cookies, he'd make certain they were prank worthy; especially after he learned what the rabbi put her through. With a nervous gulp, Rabbi Katz plucked up a small peanut butter blossom and bit off a corner.
When he tasted the richness of the chocolate teardrop and the savory flavor of the peanut butter cookie, the man simply moaned with delight. The girls couldn't help but giggle at this, feeling pleased that their good deed turned out for the better. "Who's house should we stop at next, Molly" asked Libby, "here's hoping everyone else will like our cookies."
(Line Break)
The day after Molly's successful cookie delivery, she joined her family on a trip to the Brighton Hills Retirement Home. There, they wanted to give some gifts unto the seniors before they headed home for Christmas with their families. "I still can't believe they're actually going home" Scratch whispered while invisible, "your mom must've really given those suits quite the talking to."
Molly chuckled softly at her ghostly bestie, reminding him that if anybody wished to give a McGee a hard time; they had to deal with Mama. But she paid that thought no mind; instead, she concentrated on handing off some gifts to her elderly friends. "Thank you so much, dear for doin' all this" Patty said gratefully while hugging Molly, "you really didn't have to...especially after what happened."
Molly smiled softly at the old woman, returned her hug with equal force and handed her a small square box. With a giddy smile, Patty tore off the wrapping paper as quickly yet tenderly as she could. What she saw was a small, framed photograph featuring herself at a younger age and an equally young Bobby Daniels by her side.
She stared at the picture in pure astonishment, unable to speak or think. When Patty finally did chose to speak up, she murmured "I...remember this." "Bobby told me about it, last month" Molly stated, "said it was the picture you took on your first date together." If Patty wasn't in tears earlier on, she certainly was now...and this time, no one cried out in alarm.
(Line Break)
On the day after she visited the retirement home, a brisk snowstorm had fallen over Brighton; creating the perfect atmosphere for some outdoor fun. On that day, Molly invited Andrea to join them...but she hesitated. "I don't know, Molly" Andrea murmured, "what if someone hits me too hard with a snowball, what if we're skating and I fall through the ice...ore what if I catch a cold?"
Somehow, Molly and Libby had expected her to say such words. In response, they decided to try and...ease her into the fun nice and slowly. The first they did was take her to the park, where some reasonably sized hills were seen all over. Molly picked the perfect one to help give Andrea her first snow sled ride.
It wasn't too high off the ground, too steep or too bumpy...but it also wasn't so small that the girls wouldn't be able to get a decent rush. "I don't know...are you sure this is safe, Molly" questioned Andrea, "we aren't going to get hurt going down here, are we?" Molly smiled bright at her bestie and assured her that it would be over before she knew it.
With that, they tilted the tube-shaped sled forward and they whizzed their way down the hill. In a matter of seconds; Andrea felt the cold wind brushing her face, heard the crunch of the snow underneath the sled and especially the giggles of her two fellow riders. Yet in spite of this sensory overload, she suddenly found herself laughing along with them.
Then, all of a sudden, they hit a bump and the sled was sent flying three feet up into the air. Seconds later, they came flying down until they crashed head-first into a small snow mound. For a moment or two, not one of the girls had moved from their spot or even twitched a leg.
Then, like a Jack-in-the-Box buried underground, Andrea's head came popping out of the snow; smiling like a madwoman. "OH, MY GOSH...that was the biggest rush I've ever felt in my life" she shrieked gleefully, "the next hill we go down, I say we record ourselves!" After Molly and Libby finally pushed their heads up from out of the snow, they shook off their daze and gave Andrea a warbly yet affirmative smile.
(Line Break)
Soon, the big day had finally arrived; the happiest day of the year among children and families...Christmas Day. As the McGee Family ran single file down the stairway (while Scratch simply floated down through the roof,) they were met with the impressive sight of their present bounty under the tree. Then, after some quick exchanges, everybody opened the gifts up with gusto.
Needless to say, everyone was rather pleased with their gifts. Among their gifts, Pete was given a new grilling apron that read "Hail to the Beef" (a possible pun on Hail to the Chief.) Sharon received a coupon book from Darryl, each slip promising one free favor from him. "Thank you so much for this, honey" she said sweetly, "reminds me of the sort of gift I got you."
His curiosity piqued, Darry snatched his gift from his mom's hands and tore off the paper to find...a single gold card. "HEY! What gives, Mom" he cried indignantly, "I give you a whole coupon book and all I get is a card?!" Surprisingly, Sharon wasn't put off by her son's reaction to the gift and neither was Pete.
It was here that they urged him to read what was written on the gold card, proclaiming that it would be "worth his while." With a light grumble, Darryl glanced at the front of the card and discovered a simple phrase written on it; "Get Out of Grounding Free Card." "Molly came up with it, admittedly" Sharon confessed, "but...this card allows you to perform any scheme you so desire one time; so, make it count!"
Upon hearing that the card was a one-time use item, Darryl pocketed it in his pants; making a mental note to save it for the perfect prank occasion. The whole time they watched him do this, Pete and Sharon suddenly wondered if it was wise to give their son such a present. Meanwhile, Scratch had handed off his gift to Molly; proclaiming that he put actual effort into it. "OOOH-HOO-HOO! I like the sound of that, Scratch" she giggled madly, "what could it be, huh?
Scratch said nothing, choosing to instead zipper his lips shut to hide his secret. With a light eye roll, Molly took the present in hand, tore off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a small handmade diorama of what looked like two farmer characters and the strangest crops you'd ever see. "It's my own replica of us as characters on Smile Valley Farm" Scratch explain, "had to put in some extra, extra elbow grease to ensure the likenesses of both were accurate.
For a moment, Molly said nothing; she only stared down at her gift in wide-eyed silence. This led Scratch to believe that she didn't like the model, which made him feel quite ashamed. But before he could take it back from her, Molly clutched it lightly to her chest and tearfully proclaimed "I LOVE IT, SCRA-A-ATCH!"
After that, she squeezed the ghost so tightly that his eyes would've nearly popped from his head. But Scratch made sure to slip out before that could happen. "Okay, you two; enough playing around" Sharon urged playfully, "we gotta make room under the tree for when Grandma Nin comes over." This announcement simply left the kids and Scratch quivering with glee.
On Christmas or any other occasion, Nin always brought the best presents over; either in the form of food or fortune (Darryl was quite fond of the latter.) With this in mind, Molly went about clearing up space under the tree. It was at that moment when she spotted one final present lying tucked away in the far back side under the tree.
"Hey, guys...I think we missed a present here" Molly announced, "who do you think is for?" Surprisingly, nobody seemed to have a clue about the lone present; not even Scratch. Curious, Molly squatted down and plucked up the gift from under the tree before looking over every inch of it.
The parcel was wrapped in golden paper but there was no gift tag to be found anywhere. Thus, Molly was unsure who it was made out to. "It's too good to tear apart and what if it's not even mine" she pondered, "what if the others get upset with me about opening it?" For a few moments, Molly continued to contemplate opening the gift; which made her family feel quite impatient.
"Okay, this is takin' too long" Darryl grumbled, "I'll tear it open for ya!" With that, he snatched the gift from right out of Molly's hands and proceeded to tear apart the gold wrapping with extreme prejudice; much to the shock of the family and Scratch. When he finally got to the present, he was surprised to discover that it was...a book.
"That's it...just a book?! LAME" Darryl cried out in disappointment, "here, Molly; you can have it back." After giving the item a light toss over his shoulder, Molly quickly caught it and glared at her brother for his bratty reaction. Then, she took a look at the cover and saw that it was something called "Purely Positive: Daily Affirmations to Help En-Happify Your Life."
"'En-Happify,' isn't that supposed to be your word, Mol" questioned Scratch, "should I contact a lawyer or something?" Molly said nothing in reply; instead, she opened up the cover and discovered a message written inside that was addressed to her. It read...
Molly, dear child
I hope you made it home safe and that you're feeling well after your little...experience not so long ago. A writer friend of mine upstairs wrote this book especially for you...thought it could be useful to you, one day.
Molly had barely finished reading the rest of the message before the tears started welling up in her eyes. After taking a moment to swipe them away, she continued where she left off.
"As you enter into the new year, I want you to remember something important. Everyone wants a chance to 'en-happify' the lives of those around them but you mustn't force it. All you need to do is wait and look for the right opportunity. Do not forget that because if you do, I'll come right back and help ya back on the correct path again."
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Miss McGee
Clarence Sales
Molly couldn't help but snicker under her breath, after reading the part where Clarence vowed to return; if she ever felt down again. In spite of everything, she actually didn't mind the idea of seeing her guardian angel again. Just as she was about to put the book down, she noticed one final part to his message at the bottom.
P.S.
"By the way, thanks for the new wings; they look especially dazzling on my car."
As Molly sat there staring at the book, mentally questioning why an angel needed wings on his flying car, Scratch suddenly appeared at her side. "HEY! Ol' Clarance finally got those wings he wouldn't shut up about" he chuckled, "good for him!" After that, he took Molly by the hand and lifted her off to the kitchen; where Nin and Darryl were already at work making goodies for the company they would be expecting.
But as Molly tied on her apron, she cast her eyes upwards and smiled warmly with the smallest twinkle of a joyful tear in her eye. "Way to go, Clarence...way to go" she thought happily, "thank you so much for everything."
(Line Break)
As the scene quickly changes from the snowy town of Brighton to somewhere high above; we find Clarence, hooting loudly with joy while driving his Ferrari through the clouds. Behind him, glimmering in the glow of the sun, are a pair of large angel wings fluttering in the breeze. At the same time, a similar pair of wings unfold on the sides of the car before taking off.
"C'mon, ol' girl" chuckled Clarence while he patted his car door affectionately, "let's go out and give these babies a test flight." With that statement, the Ferrari's engines roared and it zoomed off at a lightning speed into the distance; leaving behind a glimmering trail of angel dust behind. As the iris out soon comes into view, the last thing shown on screen is a small glittering star left there by Clarence.
Then, at that moment, Scratch suddenly pops out of the iris to deliver the "viewer" one final message. "On behalf of myself, the McGees, all our Brightonian friends and our ghostly ones; I wanna wish you all a Merry Christmas" he said sweetly, "now...you mind sharing some of those cookies with me?"
As Scratch reaches forward, attempting to steal some sweets from the audience, the iris quickly shuts itself tight; ensnaring Scratch's hand in the process (which is still holding a Gingerbread cookie.) Afterwards, the words "Happy Holidays" soon appear on the black screen in the most beautiful holiday lettering; thus freezing the scene in a truly festive manner.
(First AN: WHEW! Sweet baby corn...I can't believe I managed to finish this story in time for Christmas Day and it all happened in the span of a week! On that note, I apologize if this wasn't long enough of a story for me to flush out any of the characters enough. In a way, I wanted to try to make this the same length as a half-hour or full hour Christmas special.
Still, I hope you enjoyed it; don't forget to leave a review and Merry Christmas!)
(Second AN: As you may well imagine; in the original Wonderful Life movie, Clarence gave George Bailey a book as well on Christmas Day. But for this version of the story, not only is my Clarence different from the movie's but I wanted the book to be something that best fit Molly's character and what could be better than self-affirmations?)
(Third AN: I hope I provided enough moments of holiday fun with Molly and her friends before she woke up on Christmas Day. I especially loved the sledding scene with Andrea...she strikes me as the sort of person who wouldn't be open to the idea, at first.)
(Final AN: For those curious, Darryl's gift is a loose parody of the famous Get Out of Jail Free card from Monopoly. As usual, I claim no ownership to the idea; that honor belongs to Parker Brothers and Hasbro. So, please...don't sue me. More to the point; just like in the game, Darryl's card is a one-time use only item.
I leave it up to you, dear readers to think of what he might use it for)