“Please, I beg you not to turn us away,” Joseph says
to the innkeeper once more. He has been pleading with the innkeeper for some
kind of a place where his wife Mary could give birth.
Joseph, Mary, innkeeper - they were
all kids from the primary school of the parish. Jenny was sitting in the
audience watching the Christmas skit presented by the little children. She knew
what would come: the innkeeper would shut the door saying rudely that he didn’t
have any more rooms left. Especially for a couple that didn’t have anything
much to give in return for all the troubles they were going to create with a
delivery and what not. Then Joseph and Mary would go to a cowshed and the cows
will be far more benign than humans.
Cows are great creatures, Jenny learnt recently from her country’s dominant political party. If they give birth
to a female calf, they are greater still.
That bastard in your belly! Her mother shouts at her
a million times a day referring to the baby she is carrying. It’s not a
bastard, mom, Jenny explained initially. She had a live-in relationship
with a man whom she loved. But the man turned out to be an opportunist. Typical
man. But my love was genuine.
She doesn’t need a man in her life
anymore. Men are vile, she has learnt. But she needs this child of hers that is
yet to be born. It’s not a bastard.
Did Jesus have a father?
Jenny crosses herself instantly. Forgive
me, God, for my blasphemy. Thoughts are so hard to control.
Jenny returns to the skit. Because
something unexpected happens on the stage. The little boy who is playing the
role of the innkeeper looks at the little Mary carrying a big pregnancy in her
inflated belly. The boy’s look turns into pity. Then sorrow. He sobs.
O my god! What’s happening? Jenny
forgets her own grief.
“Okay, come, I’ll find some place
somewhere for you.” The kid welcomes Mary and Joseph and everyone is stunned.
Including Mary and Joseph on the stage. That’s not how the script is.
You have to play by the script. Jenny
knows. Little kids don’t know that. Jenny pats her swollen belly. And smiles.
This little one of mine is going to be my redeemer from my mom, she tells
herself.
The curtain falls on the stage. The
parish priest appears in front of the curtain and delivers his impromptu
message. Priests are blessed with the gift of the gab, Jenny knows. Or, is it
the gift of the tongue? Or, gift of the moment? Whatever. Some gift. It’s
called vocation or something.
Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus,
the parish priest is saying, what you witnessed just now is the real message of
Christmas. Love and compassion. That is just what the little kid showed us….
Love and compassion. Mom, are you
listening? Jenny wants to ask. She knows that her mom is sitting somewhere in
the same parish hall watching all this. She must be gossiping with Lily Auntie
and Alice Auntie about today’s youth who don’t possess morality.
Somewhere in the backyard of the
parish hall, sitting in the darkness provided by the rubber trees will be the
son of Alice Auntie and daughter of Lily Auntie celebrating Christmas in their
own way.
PS. This post is a part of Jingle Bell Blog
Hop hosted by Sukaina
Majeed and Manali Desai
PPS. Very little of this story is original. The
parish skit came from a friend of mine, Fr Jose Maliekal, who narrated the
episode many Christmases ago. I don’t remember whether he was telling a real
incident or giving me a personal homily. The characters Jenny and her mom come from
Sukaina
Majeed’s short story in this Blog Hop series that I’m participating.
"The real message of Christmas. Love and compassion." Wish more people would understand and imbibe that. Nice story, Tom sir :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Manali. The stars are already shining in Kerala.
DeleteThat's sweet. Little kid going off script. It's funny how they don't quite get the point of performing. I hope that that actually happened somewhere, sometime.
ReplyDeleteThe priest who told me this anecdote read this post but refused to tell me whether it actually happened. Maybe it's only an anecdote. But it has a power!
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteWe need so many people on so many fronts to look through their doors and say "Welcome!"... YAM xx
Exactly, Yam. I too long for that sort of a world. We're but shutting doors!
DeleteSad, this story of Mary and Joseph is only told this time of year. Stories and words of the down and out need to be kept going though out the year.
ReplyDeleteTrue, Dora. As Yam says: Let there be more welcomes.
DeleteBeautiful
ReplyDeleteWhat a great contribution to the blog hop series! I must start constructing one of of my own soon!!
ReplyDeleteDo. I'm waiting to read your story. I know there'll be something in it to chew on.
DeleteI liked the complexity of relationships within a community during a Christmas gathering. The parish priest highlighted the the message of Christmas to be full of love and compassion. Apart from Jenny and her mom, son of of Alice Auntie and the daughter of Lily Auntie celebrating Christmas in their own way in the backyard, introduced element of contrast. It suggests that there are different ways to experience and express the spirit of Christmas, and not everyone adheres to the same expectations or traditions.
ReplyDeleteChristmas brings a different mood to Christian communities. There's not only merriness but also generosity and compassion.
DeleteThat's a beautiful story, representative of how welcoming Christmas and Christians should actually be. Dogmatism is never good in any religion.
ReplyDeleteIt's rather sad that religions are becoming more dogmatic these days.
DeleteYou wrote it very well and delivered the true message of Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tanvi.
DeleteThat was a beautiful twist.My school does the nativity skit every year and I often wonder why they do it repeatedly without any change. I had got bored of the original. Only if school did something different and show different skits which preaches Christianity 's fundamental concepts of love
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd prefer that change too.
DeleteTrust the children to be kind-hearted angels, even if it means straying from their script :)
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you chose the same characters from Sukaina's story - Mary and Jenny, and took it forward, it gave a feeling of continuity to the blog hop!
Little children are generally good at heart. I meet hundreds of them at school and they are a delight. When they grow up, it's a different story.
DeleteYour story reminds me of a similar story I wrote once on a group of children who performed the Ramayana. Christmas, the spirit of good cheer and giving, raises spirits and hopes. I do hope more people have the courage to change scripts, or at least, depart from them for the good of humanity! This made for interesting reading! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteGreetings to you too. Yes, more people should deviate from certain scripts.
DeleteThe real message of Christmas being portrayed in the harsh reality non-inclusive and patriarchal society! Loved the whole idea, plot and the presentation too!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear this, Nilshree. I wrote a story after a gap of nearly a year.
Delete
ReplyDeleteThis story skillfully captures the unexpected twists of a Christmas skit, revealing the innocence and compassion of a young actor deviating from the script. Jenny's internal struggle and reflection on her own pregnancy add depth to the narrative. The parish priest's impromptu message on love and compassion serves as a poignant reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. The story beautifully intertwines personal struggles, societal expectations, and the universal themes of love and understanding. Merry Christmas!
So nice to get this comment, Neerja!
DeleteLove and compassion is the most needed to the society. Hope people will understand and practice this. I hope this is a real story. Though the little kid goes out of the script but they managed to perform skit. Beautifully crafted Tom Sir.
ReplyDeleteSometimes kids become our teachers.
DeleteWhat the priest did, in marketing terms, is moment marketing. He took the moment and ran with it. Love the tongue-in-cheek message of this story. If only children could retain their wisdom as they grow older...
ReplyDeleteChildren inherit the world we adults bequeath!
DeleteWhat an amazing story of love and compassion. A great story with conviction and resilience.
ReplyDeleteGlad you visited.
DeleteWhat a beautiful and amazing story filled with a message. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteLike always, your stories are mirrors of reality of current times. The innocence of the children, the perfect message for the festive season and my favourite part, the witty ending... a fabulous write -up Sir ! Kudos .
ReplyDeleteLoved this sweet little story!
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading, I remembered Sukaina's story and felt the connect. Your tale carries such a beautiful and positive message of love and kindness just as the Lords would've wanted us to learn.
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