Silent Night

A 500 word short story

The man and woman, dressed in rags, exhausted and starving from their long desperate journey, stumbled through the grim and unwelcoming town, all doors barred to them.

Joseph put his arms around Mary and held his wife tenderly as she cried out, her hands grasping at her swollen belly.

The baby was close.

This miracle would not be born on a dirty street.

They had to find somewhere safe.

At the edge of town, a sagging old building loomed out of the dark, a partially built annex by its side.

The surrounding fields glowered menacingly, small shadowy shapes skulking through the murk.

Joseph approached with caution, but all seemed quiet.

A hiss of pain from Mary told him he needed to be quick.

Pushing through the tarpaulin shrouded doorway, his feet kicked through straw and dust that was scattered over bare boards. He laid down his coat and gently lowered his wife onto it with as much care as he could manage. They were both so tired.

“He’s coming, Joseph,” Mary said. Her face was streaked with sweat, but joy shone from her eyes.

“I know my love,” he said, holding her hand. Words were not enough to convey the depth of feeling he had for his wife. All he knew was he would do anything to keep her and their son safe.

A strange huffing noise caused Joseph to turn and, for the first time in what seemed like forever, he began to laugh.

Two cows from the nearby farm had wandered over, attracted by the late night shenanigans, and were watching them placidly through the doorway with kind brown eyes.

Joseph reached out to pat their heads, when suddenly the animals jerked in fright and scrambled backwards.

At that moment, a bright beam of light shone down through the open rafters. The crashing sound of thunder and rushing wind was all around. A booming voice carried through the tumult.

Stumbling outside, Joseph stared up in hopeful wonder which very quickly turned to abject horror.

This was no heavenly choir but a large, black helicopter whose spotlight was trained on the young man’s face.

Joseph went to run back to his wife when he saw another figure standing to his left. Recognising the cassock and trappings of a priest, he held out his arms in supplication, but the man turned away from him and spoke into his phone, gesticulating wildly in their direction.

The power of the sleek mechanical monster lowering itself from the sky drove Joseph to the ground where he lay weeping in the dirt, Mary’s screams echoing in his ears.

Father Jamieson watched on without pity.

There was a substantial reward for turning these people in, and the church needed the funds to finish the new community hall. With the current rate of unemployment in the area, it wasn’t like he could ask the parishioners to pay for it. That would be cruel.

He was a man of faith.

He had to care for his flock.

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Thanks for reading. Until next time.

Photo by Andrey Soldatov on Unsplash