“Wow! Oh wow oh wow oh wow!”

“I know. It’s magnificent, isn’t it?”

“Not in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined . . .”

“No, nor in your waking hours either. Christmas celebrations on this side of the veil are amazing!”

They momentarily glanced below, then she knelt and peered into a particular room with great interest.

“During the tribulation, after the rapture, that is; my auntie has been doing the best she can. Look at her,” Cecile pointed.            

The woman below rocked herself back and forth as she sat on the floor. She had found a place to live – she wasn’t allowed to own anything now – but she was glad for shelter and a little food.

“She used to love the Christmas movies on TV – you know the love stories,” Cecile commented affectionately.

Her companion nodded.

“She loved the sparkle and glam of Christmas. But,” Cecile continued thoughtfully, “she didn’t have much time for the main thing. The real thing. I once asked her why. Oh, I know. It was rather smart-mouthed of me. She was offended, of course. She scolded me and told me I should go to the concert at her church. Maybe I’d learn a thing or two. The music was . . . I think she described it as ‘heavenly’.”

The companions smiled in amusement.

“Funny. She scoffed at the simple account when we were together, but now . . . now it looks like there might be a chance. I saw her get this on the black market.”

An open Bible rested before the woman as she read and re-read some passages. She closed her eyes, but a pained expression remained.

“It’s so hard to let go of old paths. Come on, Auntie. You can do it.”

“You can do it,” the two companions shouted together.

The woman frowned and looked over her shoulder as though she’d heard something. A thoughtful expression flitted across her face and she turned back to the book in front of her.

Her niece returned alone later to see her aunt asleep on the floor. Her austere surroundings were so different than years past. Maybe, thought Cecile, they were closer to the first Christmas. Just maybe her dear auntie would see a little more clearly the baby in the manger.

An instantaneous flash of light shone from the old book’s pages, but only for a moment. The woman’s sleeping expression grew softer, and Cecile repeated an oft’ prayed request. Perhaps tonight.

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