Amie Bernstein; Chapter 12

 

Amie Bernstein; Chapter 12

© 2022 by Amber Wright

HOLIDAY SPIRIT

Date: Winter 1901

Place: London, England

Amie clacked her teeth against the top of her pen in concentration. It was night and the house was silent and still. Now that her painting days were over, she could begin her journal Mamma had given her the day she had fallen down the stairs.

She opened the smooth pages of the red leather journal and began. 21 December, 1901. Went shopping with Kitt and Mr. and Mrs. Bernstein, ha-ha! Was really fun. This man called Mr. Poole took our photo, or—shall I say?—dozens of photos. I didn’t know if my grin would etch into my face forever... She scribbled away, content, smelling her new leaves of paper and ink pen.

Then she dressed, read a chapter in her Bible, blew out the oil lamp and dove under her thick warm covers. Sleep settled into her eyes before she had even closed them.

Sunday School came early the next morning as she hurried into the classroom with Kitt trailing closely behind. Mr. Russet began, precisely as usual. Just before they were dismissed, Mr. Russet started passing out the small Christmas gifts he handed out each year. Amie mentally bounced in her seat, waiting for hers, with a large grin on her face and bouncing her eyes from one person to the next.

“Don’t stare like that.” Kitt whispered to her, suddenly grinning. “It makes you look silly.”

Amie gave her cousin a pretend frown and whispered back. “I’m not! I’m only looking.”

“Class,” Mr. Russet stood erect with a flat smile plastered over his orangey-pale face. He nervously patted at his burnt-orange-colored hair and cleared his throat. “I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Dismissed.”

A rustle of dresses and trousers followed the scraping of chairs. “Merry Christmas!” they answered together in one echoing voice, each a half note off from the other.

Amie found herself giggling. She had to pinch onto her nose firmly and pretend a cough to disguise her laugh as she shook Mr. Russet’s hand when she passed him. He gave her a little nod, eyes flatly twitching with tiny black pupils inside his green irises. Amie and Kitt entered the sanctuary and spotted Annie Montgomery sitting a space away from Gad on the Bernstein family pew. They shared a mischievous grin, and then they walked briskly up to the front.

Gad, on the end of the row, smilingly patted Kitt as he passed him and then put his arm on the back of the bench when Amie sat down next to him. They fit nicely into their seats. Just like the Bernstein family, Amie grinned over at Gad before turning her attention to the service. The young Bernstein family. The thought sent giggles up her spine which she had a hard time controlling. She took a deep breath, slowly exhaled and glanced around at all the beautiful holly and ivy decorating the windowsills. Each light flickered gently from its candle amidst the smelly pine needles poking into it.

Amie blinked fiercely and tried to forget about her surroundings as she concentrated on the service.



Monday morning was alive with voices, cooking, rushing feet, giggles and fun. Kitt was licking the hundredth spoon from Cook’s scraps of desserts. Amie watched him, stuffed herself from the multiple tastes of the assorted desserts: fudge, Christmas cookies, ginger-men, custard pies, Christmas candies, bread pudding, blueberry tarts and the fantastic Christmas cake. Christmastime. What a celebration! Amie thought happily.

The sparkling white outdoors shone through the kitchen windows as they sat there on the table bench. The bigger kids were busy elsewhere so the two “little kids” were stuck by themselves as usual.

Thinking about this, Amie suddenly declared. “I don’t think it’s fair!”

Kitt looked up from his spoon. “What’s not fair? I don’t get you. Sometimes you say the craziest things, Amie. What?”

“Well…” Amie dragged out, crossing her arms with a pouty face. “We’re always stuck by ourselves because we’re too little. Ha! Like we really are.”

A grin broke across Kitt’s face. “I think we’re funner than the whole lot of them together! Don’t cry. Everything’s going to be alright.”

“Like I really need your consolation, Kitt.” Amie stood up to pace the now-almost-empty kitchen floor. All the desserts were near complete. “I’m just upset.”

“Why?”

“Just because.”

“Hmm…I know! Because Mr. Bernstein took Mrs. Bernstein to the shops, eh?”

“Yes! And they didn’t take us with them either. Silly grown-ups.”

Kitt started laughing and his dark eyes sparkled mischievously. “Then I have a plan. A real plan. What say you, hmm?”

“Well, tell me first.” Amie tried not to sound too excited. She gulped, uncrossing her arms to swing them impatiently.

“Let’s go…” Kitt motioned her over so he could finish the sentence off in a whisper, “and spy on them like Sherlock Holmes would. Yes?”

“Yes!” Amie immediately started tugging on his arm. “Hurry, hurry! Let’s go.”

Kitt dumped his licked-clean spoon into the sink and they hurried into their wraps. They stepped out into the clean, cold air and began their investigation.



“We’ve been through 200 shops and my feet are getting tired.” Amie complained, shuffling her boots out of the doorway once again. Not a sign of Gad Bernstein and Annie Montgomery anywhere. “Maybe they secretly got married and left on their honeymoon.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! They’re here somewhere.” Kitt said confidently. “We just have to find them. Keep your eyes peeled.”

“Sir!” Amie mocked a salute and grinned. “Ooh, there they are—” she began.

Kitt’s eyes jerked in direction. He gave Amie a frown. “No, it isn’t them.”

Amie shrugged unconcernedly. “I didn’t say for sure, did I? Just that…”

“Fancy seeing you Bernstein youngsters again! Hello.” Mr. Poole broke into their spat with a large smile. He did a ceremonious bow and replaced his black top-hat.

“Hello,” both Amie and Kitt mumbled out.

Kitt gulped, “We’re awfully sorry but we have to go. You see—”

“Yes, yes.” Mr. Poole smiled with a wink. “Your parents are waiting for you.”

They nodded sheepishly and hurried along. Amie broke into a giggle once they had lost sight of Mr. Poole.

Kitt stared at her. “What’s so funny?”

“Our parents, Oncle Gad and Annie Montgomery!”

Kitt pulled his gray wool slogger down over his eyebrows and grinned. “C’mon, and let’s go find our parents then!”

Kitt grabbed Amie’s hand and took off running on the icy streets. They broke into a slide and slid merrily along, ducking in between people and hoping nobody’s hats were knocked off in the process. Faster they slid…until their feet became unstoppable. Amie panicked and unconsciously squeezed Kitt’s hand harder and harder. Their icy slide ended when they found themselves gripping iron bars. Kitt blinked and his eyelids peeled back completely as his mouth dropped open. Amie felt a scream rise in her throat—but stopped it just in time. She took a deep breath.

“A graveyard,” Amie's voice shook as she tried to smile. Her lips froze. “How…how exciting…” Her frozen smile turned into a twisted expression.

A human-sounding howl came from somewhere in the graveyard. Kitt jerked on Amie’s hand and stammered with huge eyes. “L-l-let’s get o-out of h-here!”

Amie caught a glimpse of a tattered gray coat and bushy eyebrows and immediately their feet were sliding again over the sleek, icy streets.



“Was that a ghost?” Kitt asked Amie after they were finally able to stop again.

“I—I, uh…I don’t know.” Amie shrugged; then, she brightened with a thinking look. “I know what…”

“What?” Kitt swallowed. What was his English cousin up to now?

“Whatever it was we’ll never know. So, we can just call it our Holiday Spirit! Like in the Christmas Carol.”

“You mean, a spooky spirit?” Kitt cringed, snatching glances behind him to look where they had come from. He could see nothing but the snow-covered graveyard.

“No, not a spooky one.” Amie shook her head confidently and ushered him along. “This is our good Holiday Spirit.”

French/English translation:

Oncle…………………… Uncle