Tuesday December 24, 2013
County Road 73B
Near Gatlinburg, Tennessee
10:03 PM Local Time
“Come on! COME ON!” Terrence Thompson growled, glaring at the needle on the speedometer as it dipped below 15. Even in normal, dry conditions, the incline would have been a formidable one. In snowy conditions, at night, in a forty foot RV, it was proving to be a nightmare.
“Are we going to make it?” Wendy asked from behind him. She was kneeling on the main cabin’s floor, hands out to steady herself as she wrapped a green and black scarf- her favorite- around Felicity’s head. Even wrapped in the blanket, with the heater on full blast, the little girl was still shivering, and Wendy was growing more and more fearful that her initial concerns about hypothermia could prove correct. Twice now, she had thought Felicity was nodding off, but had forced the girl to stay awake.
“For a four hundred thousand dollar bucket of bolts, we damn well BETTER make it.” Terrence growled, grimacing as the speedometer needle inched closer and closer to ten. “So long as we don’t actually end up stalling, we’re fine. Does she know how much further? We’ve gone at least three miles already.”
“She said it was at the top of the hill,” Wendy said, although a sinking feeling was settling in the pit of her stomach. How long had it taken Felicity to walk three-plus miles in driving snow? How long had she been standing there at the intersection? How long had all three of them been sitting up on this mountain in a broken-down car? And most of all- this was the one she dreaded- what were they going to find at the top.
“I should have put chains on,” Terrence snarled as the RV lurched for what must have been the fiftieth time, the tires spinning before again finding purchase in the snow. Wendy couldn’t tell for certain, but the snow had to have been at least six inches deep here.
Wendy turned, and cast a forlorn look at the Keurig machine that had been bungee-tied to the fridge in the RV’s galley. It was inaccessible while the RV was running, but once they had stopped, she was going to make hot chocolate- tea- anything to get hot liquids in these people. But they needed to get there first.
“I think we’re levelling out!” Terrence yelled from the cockpit, as the RV lurched again, but picked up speed. He grinned as the speedometer slipped above ten, slowly lurching back to fifteen. “Come on, baby! Ah! There it is!”
Wendy crawled to the front of the RV, looking between the cockpit seats out the windshield, at a small car that was at least twenty years old, snow covering it’s dark windows. Her heart raced, as she quickly put on her coat.
“A Chevy Corsica? God, I haven’t seen one of these in ages… they stopped making ‘em in 1997” Terrence muttered as he feathered the RV to a stop.
Wendy turned to the two girls sitting on the RV’s couch. “Both of you stay in here, okay? Theresa, turn the Keurig on, and fill it with water. Don’t use the tap water, we have some bottles in the fridge. Just get it heated up. Can you do this for me?”
Theresa nodded. “Can I put the cup in and close the lid, too?”
“Just wait on that. Maybe Felicity would like to try it too,” Wendy said, offering a concilatory smile. “Just please make sure the water’s hot, okay?” When her daughter nodded, Wendy turned and ran out the door.
Terrence had already leapt from the RV, and was trudging through the snow, his arms flailing to keep his balance. Wendy followed him, grimacing as the snow fell through the top of her shoes, soaking her socks. After nearly falling once, she began trying to land her feet in Terrence’s own footprints, although she had some difficulty matching her husband’s longer stride.
Terrence had reached the Corsica, and brushed the snow off the windows, peering inside. He then rapped on the window. “Hey! Anyone in there? Hello?” To her immense relief, the door cracked open. Terrence swung the door wider, and reached in to help a woman, perhaps a year or two younger than Wendy and holding a baby in her arms, out of the car.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you!!” The woman was crying, in her soft Tennessee accent. “I don’t know how much longer…” her voice broke off with a sob. “Did Felicity bring you here? Is she okay?”
“Yes.” Wendy said, running forward to help her husband guide the woman out of the car. “She’s in the RV with our daughter. She was very brave to be out there all alone, Mrs…”
“Holcombe,” the woman said. “But call me Mary. And this is Holly,” she said, presenting the baby.
Wendy looked down and smiled at the infant, wrapped in what must have been fifteen different clothes or blankets, a stark contrast to her mother, who was only wearing a sweater. Big blue eyes stared back at her, the baby cooing slightly. Even with the layer of warmth, the baby’s skin was as pale as her mother and sister’s, and Wendy nearly sobbed with the thought of what would have happened in perhaps minutes. “Come on, let’s get you inside. Have some hot chocolate. Or would you prefer coffee?”
“Cocoa’s fine, and thank you kindly,” the woman said, as they neared the RV. “We were on our way to Asheville and my Pa’s for Christmas, and I think I took a wrong turn. I pulled over to look at my map, but when I tried to go again and turned around, it died. And I couldn’t get it started- I don’t know anything about cars. So I sent Felicity back to see if she could get help… and did everything I could to keep Holly warm. And prayed for an angel… and you came.”
Wendy could feel herself blushing. “I’m no angel, Mary. Just… we were lucky to see your little girl. Now come on in where it’s nice and warm.”
Mary Holcombe climbed the stairs, and let out a cry of joy at seeing her elder daughter, and the two embraced, crying. “You’re okay! You’re okay! Thank Jesus!” Mary sobbed as she tried to juggle both the infant an the eight year old in a hug.
Wendy was blinking back tears of her own as she opened a cabinet, pulling down two K-cups of hot chocolate, and inserting one in the holder and closing the lid. She slid a styrofoam cup underneath, and turned the machine on, smiling at the gurgling sound it made as it began to cycle water. “Just a minute on that hot chocolate, then” she announced.
Mary looked amazed at it, her jaw open. “I’ve neve seen something like this before.”
“Oh, it’s great. My manager brought me one for Christmas a couple years ago, and it’s a godsend if you just want to have a cup of coffee without making a whole pot. Or warm up quickly,” she added as she watched the stream of cocoa trickle out of the machine into the cup.
“Amazing what they come up with,” Mary exclaimed.
“Well, while you all get warmed up, I’m going to take a look and see if I can figure out what’s wrong,” Terrence announced, clearing his throat. “At least then we’ll know what to tell a mechanic when we get into Gatlinburg.” And with that, he hopped back out of the RV.
“Ah, bless your hearts,” Mary sighed again, as Wendy handed Felicity the first of the hot chocolates, and started the second one. “But Lord-a-mercy… will there be a mechanic open this late on Christmas Eve?”
“You’ll never know,” Wendy said, shrugging. “At the very least, you can stay in Gatlinburg for Christmas, then get the mechanic on Thursday.”
“But today is Thursday,” Mary protested, drawing an odd look from Wendy. “Either way, we… ah, can’t really afford a hotel. I only have enough money for gas and some diapers for Holly here.”
“Well, we could help you out with the hotel if you need it,” Wendy said, handing Mary another cup of cocoa. “With the car too, I’m sure.”
Mary looked away, clearly embarassed. “I don’t want to impose. And… I’m sure you have your own Christmas plans to get to. Maybe we can call Pa on a payphone in Gatlinburg, and he can come get us. I know it’s late, but it’s only a couple hours.”
“What’s his number? We can call him right now,” Wendy said as she pulled out her phone. She glanced at it, the frowned. “Or not. No signal here, either.” She glanced up, and saw that Mary was staring openly at her phone in amazement. Wendy could feel more color creeping into her cheeks. It was obvious that the woman was barely making ends meet as it was, and Wendy felt uneasy showing off such fancy, expensive gadgets in front of her. She stuffed the Android back in her pocket, and tried to change the subject. “So… is there a Mr. HOlcombe?”
Mary shook her head sadly. “Died in a construction accident last year, when I was seven months with Holly here,” she said.
“Oh. I’m so sorry,” Wendy said, her throat constricting.
“It’s alright,” Mary said. “It’s been hard, and I miss him, but the Lord works in mysterious ways. I’m sure I’ll see Jake up there one day. But I know he’s looking down on us tonight. He must have been the one who guided you to Felicity. I know it.”
Wendy smiled, goosebumps prickling on her skin as she looked at the small, pale eight year old. “Perhaps,” she said, at a loss for words. “Like you said, God works in mysterious ways.”
“Car’s fixed,” a male voice announced, and both Wendy and Mary looked up to see Terrence stomping off the stairs, his hair dripping and covered with melting snow.
“That was quick…” Wendy said, amazed. Her husband was good with cars, but she had figured he’d have been lucky if he was even able to properly diagnose the problem up here.
“Yeah, well, a couple of your spark plugs were fried. I had a couple extra in one of my compartments, so I switched em out, and she started up just fine. I got her running right now to get some heat on, and then we can take her into Gatlinburg where you can get her looked at more after Christmas”
“Thank you.” Mary said, her face beaming. “But we really need to head on to Asheville. Pa’s expecting us.”
Wendy opened her mouth to protest, but Terrence cut her off with a look. He apparently figured arguing would do no good. “Well, at least let us follow you to 441, just in case. It’s the least we could do.”
“That really won’t be necessary, but thank you kindly.” Mary said. “You both truly are angels. Come on, Felicity, let’s go see your grandparents.”
Felicity, who had been enjoying one of Theresa’s books, got up, and bounded out of the RV, her mother following more slowly, still carrying the baby. Wendy and Terrence followed suit, helping them through the snow to the car.
“It’s letting up, I think.” WEndy observed, looking up at the falling flakes, which were coming down much less densely.
“That’s good. Still, go slow down the hill back to Old Highway 73,” Terrence cautioned. “You could easily lose control. We’ll be right behind you.”
“Thank you so much,” Mary said, setting Holly down on the driver’s seat, and turning to hug Wendy, then Terrence. “You truly are a Christmas miracle.”
“It’s really nothing,” Wendy said, adamantly. “Anyone would have done it. The true hero here is Felicity.” She turned towards the eight year old, giving her a hug as well. “What you did tonight was beyond what many adults could do. You’re going to be a fine young lady with your commitment and bravery.”
“Thank you,” the little girl said. “Merry Christmas. Oh, your scarf.”
“Keep it. You more than earned it tonight. And Merry Christmas,” Wendy said back, letting go and standing up. “And a Merry Christmas to you, Mary.”
“God bless you,” Mary said again, then, with a sniffle, turned back to her car, and began to buckle in the baby into the car seat, while Felicity climbed into the back seat, holding her new scarf tightly around her. Terrence grabbed Wendy’s arm and guided her back to the RV.
“I can’t believe you fixed it.” Wendy said.
“Yeah, I got lucky,” Terrence replied. “Anything more serious and that Corsica would be sitting up here til March. Now let’s hurry back and get ready to go.”
“That anxious to get to Ski Chalet?” Wendy said, squeezing his arm.
“You could say that,” Terrence said, but then sighed. “Let’s just say I’ll feel a lot easier about us and her when we get to 441. This is going to be a nasty descent.”
“It’ll be just like a sled ride,” Wendy joked, although she felt the tightness in her chest she always did when nerves took hold. “You’ll get us down safely, Terry. I know it.” She climbed up the stairs to the RV. “Alright Theresa we’re going. Buckle up, okay?”
She heard Terrence’s husband’s footsteps heading up the stairs as well, then his voice. “What the hell?!”
“Terry what?” Wendy said, looking out of the windshield. She gasped. “They’re gone! Did they drive off?”
“They couldn’t have!” Terrence exclaimed. “She was still fastening her car seat when I got back to the RV!” With a huff, he threw open the door again, and climbed outside. Wendy followed, looking around for the Corsica. But there was no sign of it, or tire tracks. Just a field of snow, and Terrence and Wendy’s footprints going back and forth from the RV. She heard another set of footsteps- Theresa ahd left the RV as well.
“What the hell?” Terrence said again, exhaling. “It’s like they were never even here.”
“Terry, what’s that?” Wendy pointed, off the road next to where the Corsica was. Three crosses, one large, one medium, one small, sat on the roadside in a neat little row. Around the middle one was a very familiar looking green and black scarf. Brushing past Theresa, she trudged through the snow, kneeling down in front of the crosses, and brushing the snow off of a gold plate that had been fastened to the crossbar of one. She brushed the snow off.
FELICITY HOLCOMBE
DECEMBER 24, 1998
She didn’t even need to brush off the other plates, but stood back, glancing over at Terrence, tears burning in her eyes. “They were...”
“Hunh,” Terrence said, scratching his head, at a loss for words. “I don’t believe it.” He sighed and shrugged, the only reaction he could have. “Well… you gonna get your scarf?”
“No.” Wendy said, sniffling as she shook her head. “I gave it to her. It belongs here.” She turned around, took her both her husband’s and daugher’s arms, and led them back to the RV. She was last to climb the steps, and turned back towards the crosses.
“Merry Christmas, Felicity” she whispered. “Wherever you are, I hope it’s nice and warm.”
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