Dressed like that, T-shirt and jeans shorts hidden under her winter garb, Jenna strolled into the town center to look at the Christmas decorations. Dad would give her a stern "talkin' to" about her rude, northern, behavior, but it was worth it. The hicks of this small town would feel that she was making fun of them, they all seemed so suspicious of her. The kids in school, although pleasant to her face, always whispered behind her back and the adults , why, the way they gushed over the funny way she had of talking and her gawky fourteen-year-old figure. They just smiled at her all the time and said things like, "Honey. Wait and you"ll grow. All you need is some good southern cookin'. "
She knew they were just humoring her because she was Sam"s long, lost daughter. Why'd Mom have to die, she wondered for the millionth time, blinking back tears of anger. She wondered why"d she had to leave all her friends and her whole life behind to have to live with this man she didn"t even know. He and Mom never even really married, they"d only been together at college for a few months fifteen years ago. Why didn"t they just let her live with Cindy and her family back north. They"d had an extra bedroom. Having to start over at fourteen in a new town, a new school, a new world, was just too much to ask of anyone!
The perspiration trickling down her back made her stop thinking about the whys of life and snapped her back to the wheres. She was walking through town in a ski jacket, and working up an uncomfortable sweat. All the people who were holiday shopping seemed to be doing their best to ignore her Most looked the other way and a few just nodded good day, Jenna began singing "I"m Dreaming of a White Christmas."
Well, she shrugged, If dad"s going to lecture me, he ought to have a full plate to beef about. Singing in a loud and flat voice Jenna turned the corner and came across a small alleyway she"d never noticed before. She peered down it and saw a sign outside a dingy, old store. "WE BUY DEAD PEOPLE'S STUFF."
"Neat," Jenna murmured and headed down the narrow street. She got to the store and tried to look through the dusty windows. There seemed to be tables and shelves everywhere, haphazardly placed in every corner and aisle, but it was hard to see clearly through the layers of grime covering the glass.
Jenna looked at the sign again and couldn"t resist. She went inside. The place smelled awful, like old clothes, sour milk and barnyard animals. She wrinkled her nose and fought the instinct to run. This place was too creepy, even creepier than everyone that inhabited this twilight zoney/Mayberryish town.
"Kin I hep ya?"
Jenna jumped, her heart beating a thousand miles a minute. She and saw an old man smiling toothlessly at her. "Got lots of great bargins, you"all lookin' fer a Christmas present?"
Jenna struggled to understand the strange backwoods accent. She shook her head no and said, "Uh"yeah, I need a gift for my best friend back home."
The man smiled again. He stared at her, sweeping her from sweaty head, to down jacket, to sneakered feet. "You must be that po" lil' girl from up North, Sam"s child."
Jenna blushed and struggled out of her coat. This place was hot and close, but she wanted to stay.
"Here girl, why don" you hand me that jacket and look round some."
Jenna nodded and handed him her coat. "Did all this stuff belong to dead people?" she asked sweeping her arm in an arc.
"Lot of it did, lot of it don"t, but everythin' belonged to someone. We sell used goods at a good price." He turned to look at the crowded tables and shelves covered in a fine layer of dust. "I"h keep it a little shabby so the weekend antique shoppers think they discovered a hidden jewel. Everyone loves to think they can pull one over on a po", dumb, Southern hick. Right child?"
Jenna blushed deeper. He obviously saw the disdain she"d held for everyone here. "I ..I.. don"t know."
"Well, girl, you"all take your time and look around some. I"m sure you"ll find something interesting."
Jenna nodded dumbly and wandered deeper into the store. She wondered why the old man's hillbilly accent came and went when he spoke, almost like he'd forget to use it. She noticed a table covered with old, tarnished jewelry and went over to examine it. Not having anybody here to buy gifts for made her feel sad and lonely again. God, how she missed Cindy and Jillian. Maybe she ought to send them each a little present. She wondered if they were having a holiday sleepover this year, she wondered if they missed her. She wondered what the kids here did. Did they have parties and dances? "Guess I'll never know," she muttered with a shrug.
"Know what?" A masculine voice asked.
She looked up from the jewelry, her hand on an old pocket watch. She was surprised to see a kindly looking gentleman standing in front of her. Although he wore a captain"s hat and a sailor's jacket, he could have been Santa Claus, with his white beard and jolly, full face. "Huh?" she said.
"You were talking to yourself," he said. "Usually means you are lonely."
Jenna stood there wondering what to say. Part of her warned don't talk to strangers, the other part yelled, hey this is Santa's double, he's all right.
"I know you shouldn't talk to me, I am a stranger, but believe me, I can cause you no harm. None whatsoever. I just noticed you looking so sad and recognized your loneliness."
Despite herself, Jenna asked, "You"re lonely too?"
He nodded.
"Why?" she asked. "Don't you have any family or friends?"
"I have a son in town and a granddaughter about your age, she's fifteen. As for friends, all my friends are all dead and gone. "
The way he said that aroused her curiosity. His tone was so wistful when he said dead and gone. "You must really miss your friends," she said feeling a little compassion pushing at the bitterness that seemed to be her only real emotion anymore.
He chuckled. "Not miss them, I'd just like to join them."
She was shocked and an involuntary shiver ran down her spine. "You...you want to be dead?" she gasped. "Nobody in their right mind wants to die!"
He laughed. Long and hard and just like she was sure Santa would have laughed. His whole body shook with mirth and she was forced to smile at this contagious outburst.
"Hey, now, isn't nice to smile?" he said to her.
She wanted to say she wasn't the one who wanted to be dead but she just nodded. "It feels nice," she finally agreed. "Who's your granddaughter anyway?"
"Amanda Plum, know her?" he said and his deep blue eyes seemed to sparkle.
"Yeah," she said tentatively. Amanda Plum was the class president, a cheerleader type all blond and cute. She and Jenna had exchanged a few words, but Jenna never knew what to say to her and her crowd. They were the in-crowd and Jenna just wasn't the in crowd type. She'd always cut all their conversations short and moved on. She didn't need their friendship and she certainly didn't want it, not from anyone around here.
"Don't much like her, huh?" he said in a soft tone.
Jenna shook her head.
"Why?"
She didn't know how to answer. "She's...nice....nice enough.... but you know...she's...popular."
"And that's a reason not to try to get to know her?"
Jenna stammered, "She..she..won't like me anyway. I don't belong here. In fact, four more years and I'm going back home."
"Isn't this your home now?"
"NO," she shouted, then looked around to see if she had disturbed the shopkeeper. "I'm just stuck here for a while."
He shook his head and the twinkle in his eyes seemed to fade. "That's too bad. You are doing yourself and everyone who wants to be your friend a disservice. And what about your father. Don't you think he loves you, all he needs is a chance, after all this is new for him as well."
She gave him a hard stare. "How come you know so much about me, are you some kind of pervert."
She started to back away looking over her shoulder for the shopkeeper.
He continued to shake his head in a sad manner. "No, Jenna Dear, I'm not a pervert, just an old sea captain long past his prime. By the way, don't look for the shopkeeper, he's upstairs watching the news, won't be down for another fifteen minutes."
She stopped, her legs suddenly too weak to move. She knew if she took another step, she'd collapse. "I want to go home," she whimpered, tears in her eyes. "Please, I don't know how you know my name, but please, please let me go home."
He smiled. "That's a good start, at least you are calling here home. Come Jenna, take my hand, I promise I won't hurt you."
He held his hand out toward her. She didn't move.
"Come dear, I want to show you something, just touch my hand."
She slowly reached out, fear clenching at her stomach like a rhythmic machine. She wanted to run, to scream, to do anything, but despite her efforts otherwise, her hand inched toward this mysterious stranger. As their fingers met, hers passed right through his. She watched as their fingers seemed to merge together and then hers slipped out underneath.
Jenna tried to scream, but her vocal cords were frozen. She started to shake, first her hands, then her teeth and finally her legs.
"Who...what are you?" she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.
"Why, I'm just an old, lonely, sea captain, who wants to move on and can't until you help me."
"I...I don't understand,"
"Why, my dear girl, I"m a ghost, a ghost with a few things to do before I can join my friends. Won"t you help me?"
"Are you really a ghost?"
He laughed that Santa Claus laugh again. "Sure am, dead two years now."
Jenna looked him over and reached out a finger to poke him. It went right on through. She made a grab for his beard and got the same effect. "I guess that means you couldn"t possibly be, um, you, know, um .." She furtively looked around the deserted store and lowered her voice to a whisper, ".. you know"Santa Claus?"
He bellowed out laughter. "That"s a good one child. No, I"m just plain old Captain Plum. Late merchant seaman. Mr. Chaney will be back downstairs any minute, and we have a chess game to complete, especially if I"m going to be moving on soon. If you could find some compassion in your heart, return in the morning."
"Jenna tried to touch him one last time, found him to be the air and nodded. "I"ll be back tomorrow morning."
She tried to imagine what on earth a ghost would want with her. What could she possible do to help an insubstantial creature? Just as she got home, she realized she"d forgotten jacket. She wondered if the shopkeeper, Mr. Chaney, and the captain had that planned out. She wondered if she was the one needed to help the captain or would anyone have done. Did anything she do, count at all down here?
Entering the house she was pleased to discover she was alone. She"d beat her father home. Quickly she started dinner, a frozen lasagna from the freezer, and waited to hear how she"d humiliated him today with her behavior. To her utter surprise he was smiling when he came in. "Hi Jen," he called. "I"m home..do your homework yet?"
""Not yet, but dinner's ready. Shall we eat now, Sir." She asked
"Jen, you don"t have to call me Sir, I"m your father, can"t you call me dad?"
"Yes, Sir," she replied looking down. They ate in silence for a few minutes when he said, "I heard about wearing your coat in town and singing at the top of your lungs."
"Yes Sir," she said softly, thinking, all right here it comes the stupid lecture of how a lady behaves.
"I know that the kids from the glee club go caroling on the weekends," he continued. "I"m sure they"d let you join them. Why don"t we find out more about it, tomorrow." He smiled tentatively at her, "I"m glad you enjoy singing so much, I always liked to carol when I was younger. Perhaps we"re more alike than you think."
Jenna hid her surprise. Why was he being so nice, and understanding?
"You know Jen," he said. "I"m excited about sharing Christmas with you this year. I always wanted you to come visit me especially during the holidays. I was always sorry we were never a family. I know I"ll never be like your Mom, but we could try to celebrate Christmas and make new traditions, you know tradition that would be ours. What do you think?"
Jenna couldn"t help it, she burst into tears at the mention of her mother and ran from the room. "I don"t want Christmas!" she screamed and fled to her room. She felt a little guilty once the tears subsided. She knew Dad was trying, but she didn"t want to be here. She wanted to go home.
The next morning Jenna took her wallet with her savings, $35.00, and went back to the alley store. She was almost surprised to find it still there. She"d been afraid that she had imagined the whole eerie affair. She tried the door, found it locked and knocked. A few minutes later the owner came, unlocked it and let her in. "My, you"re bright and early today," he said. "Guess you"all found somethin' you liked yesterday. As she walked past him, he added, "I"ve got a great winter parka here in just about your size, I could sell it to you for $15.00.
She turned and looked at him, "You want to sell me my own coat?"
He cackled, "Sure, young lady. Things left in the store become property, after all everythin' here is used."
"That"s not fair!" she cried, hating the fact that this man was cheating her. Now she"d only have $20 left to buy her friends' gifts.
Mr. Chaney just kept on laughing and headed back up the stairs. "Going to feed the cat, now," he wheezed. "Just call up when you are ready to buy something."
Jenna was amazed. The old man had just left her again, alone in the store to steal anything she wanted. She could even get her coat back if she wanted to. How"d he know she"d be honest. Did he use the captain as a watchdog?
"Ah" Jenna." She heard Captain Plum call. "You came back to help me."
Jenna eyed her coat hanging on a beautiful coat tree and briefly thought, Dad would love that tree, it matches the den furniture perfectly. She quickly shook the thought away and said, "Yes captain. I"m here."
"Well my dear," he said pointing to the jewelry table she"d looked at yesterday. "That watch you picked up yesterday belonged to me. It ended up here by mistake in an old trunk. I wanted Amanda to have it, A gift from her old Grandfather."
Jenna looked at the watch. "Why don"t you give it to her."
"I"d love to child, but I can"t. I"m a spirit and can touch nothing, except perhaps a few hearts."
Jenna shrugged wondering why she really came back here, for her coat, for a gift, or for the captain. "Why don"t you get her to come in here and get it?"
"Alas child I can"t. She doesn"t see or hear me, the living ones closest to you never do."
Jenna felt a chill run her spine again. "Could that mean my mother is nearby me?" She asked blinking back tears.
"That is not for me to answer, if she is, she will find a way to help you though your time of sorrow. But I do know she will always love you."
Jenna strained to see her mother. "Did she tell you that?"
"I cannot say."
"Is she here now?"
The captain did not answer.
Jenna finally asked, "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to buy that watch and give it to Amanda for me."
Jenna laughed. "You want me to do what? Spend my own money to give your granddaughter a watch that belonged to you! That"s crazy! She doesn"t even know who I am or like me and I"m going to say I met your dead grandfather and he wants you to have this? By the way that"ll be $20."
He shook his head sadly. "Ah child, you are too bitter."
She didn"t know what to do. This whole thing was nuts but somehow she knew that she was going to end up doing it and make a total fool of herself. "Oh, all right I don"t want the ghostly community to be mad at me."
To her surprise, Mr. Chaney was right beside her saying, " $20 please."
She counted out the money then turned to the captain and said, "You happy now?"
He nodded. "Give it to her and say I wanted her to have it and then I can finally move on."
She gave the old man all her money for her jacket and the watch and left the store. She put the watch in her pocket and wandered the streets for an hour then finally decide to get it over with. She walked over to the Plum house, a huge old Victorian mansion and knocked on the door. To her surprise Amanda opened it and said. "Hello Jenna."
Jenna was shocked that anyone in school knew her on sight, let alone the most popular girl in school. "I "I was shopping in this old, used-stuff store and I came across this watch"and I" I can"t tell you how, but it was your grandfather"s and he wanted you to have it."
Amanda"s face lit up. "Yes he did! But it got lost after he died. How did you ever find it and know it was mine?"
Jenna reddened, "I just did."
Amanda smiled at her, "Well, come in and join me for breakfast. I"m printing out the caroling booklets for tonight. Would you like to join us? Everyone"s meeting here at seven and then we"ll all come back afterward for a party. I"d really like you to join us, Jenna. Everyone really wants to get to know you."
Jenna tried not to show her surprise. "They want to get to know me? Why?"
Amanda laughed. "Because you live here. Say you"ll come."
Jenna nodded yes and excused herself. She was suddenly excited and she wanted to get home and get ready for tonight. Running through town she saw Mr. Chaney waving wildly at her. She turned and went back down the alley. "Did the Captain leave?" she asked.
"Yes," Mr. Chaney said. "He moved on. Said that now his watch had found it"s home and a certain little girl had found her home, he was content. Said he had to deliver a message to a worried mother and ease her mind."
Jenna felt like crying. "Mom?" she whispered.
Mr. Chaney didn't answer. Jenna picked up the jacket she had dropped and turned to leave.
"You forgot this, it came with the coat." Mr. Chaney said and handed her the coat tree. I think you"ll find a use for it."
Jenna nodded and awkwardly carried the coat tree home. She looked at it and knew she was going to give it to her Father Christmas morning. Then she looked around the house and whispered. "All right Mom, I"m ready to try and be a family with Dad. I love you".oh yeah, please tell the Captain thanks"for all three of us."
This story is a part of the Spec The Halls contest for speculative winter holiday-themed fiction, artwork, and poetry. You may find descriptions of and links to other entries at http://www.aswiebe.com/specthehalls.html