A Flaming Christmas

I've taken a brief break from writing Action, Reaction and Consequences to put this short story together that's kicked around my mind for a while. It was fairly "there" in my mind drawing on many stories and films such as "A Christmas Carol" or "Scrooged" until I read

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

recently by other2other1. I've taken some inspiration from his story to enrichen the main character further than originally intended in this short tale.

Unlike my other stories there is little in the way of sex, it doesn't need the graphic descriptions I usually chose to embed within my works.

If you are offended by fiction that portrays Religion as something it's possible not please skip this story as I would not want to knowingly upset anyone. There are two references to religion if you do read on, I sincerely mean no offense it is, simply, a work of fiction.

It's also a struggle on how this should be categorised. I could have gone down the path of Loving Wives, Incest/Taboo, Sci-fi & Fantasy or Non Consent/Reluctance but opted for Non Human. If you don't think that's where it should be just imagine it's under the genre where you think it belongs 

I hope you enjoy!

<<<<A Flaming Christmas>>>>

Terry Hand stood soaked to the skin, body swaying precariously as he stood on the parapet of the disused viaduct. Far below in the darkness the odd wisp of white foam was barely visible as the rapidly moving River Don snaked towards Doncaster.

In the darkness the snow fell, it had been falling for over an hour now and deadened the sound of the river flowing two hundred feet below. The only sound was of the cheap whisky sloshing as Terry took large gulps straight for the bottle. Terry laughed to himself. He didn't even like whisky but it was stacked near the door of the supermarket as a Christmas special offer when Terry ran in and out swiping it before the security guard had noticed him.

And nobody noticed Terry, he was lower than a piece of shit on the shoppers shoes as he sat all day on the cold ground against the wall of the supermarket repeating 'Merry Christmas' over and over again to everyone that passed him by in the hope that they would do the Christian thing of throw him some change so he could buy something to eat and drink.

After eight hours he had two cigarette butts, some discarded chewing gum, a half empty cola tin that had been thrown at him along with two pound eighty pence. Being Christmas eve, the shops would be closed for two days so the opportunity to beg would be out of the window.

After the store closed Terry shuffled through the streets to a small convenience store that was open until late. Using the two pounds eighty he'd managed to beg for earlier he brought a sausage roll plus a bottle of water before sitting outside with his small begging tin. With hope all but gone for salvation he couldn't even be bothered to look up at the people that ebbed and flowed in and out of the shop. As he finished the sausage roll he dropped the wrapper on the pavement and the slight breeze started to roll it away.

A middle-aged couple stopped as they were passing him. The man barked at Terry.

"Oi, go pick up your trash!"

"Don't think so, you seem to discard things all to easy and leave them to their own devices, left uncared for. Don't see why I shouldn't just do the same as the rest of you."

"You cheeky fuckwit!" The man promptly lifted his leg and stamped it against Terry's chest driving the wind from his lungs.

"Terry laughed to himself - the idiot didn't realise that he was referring to human kind that had discarded people like him not caring if he lived or died. How hypercritical to think more of a food wrapper than a human life.

When the shop closed, he staggered the three miles to the viaduct at Conisborugh in his leaky well-worn trainers, jeans and hoodie. He was brought up around here and had lived in the area until eight years ago so knew the area well. As far as he was aware he still had family locally although, as far as they were concerned, he no longer existed. He laughed, and shouted out at the night sky:

"In a few minutes you're all gonna get your Christmas present just like you wanted.........sorry...what's that?...me...me....what would I like?....I want your whole fucking world to burn for what you've done to me!"

Taking another large couple of gulps from the nearly empty whisky bottle tears streamed down his face as his imaginary conversation with his entire family played out. Unsure if it was the cold or the fact he had simple given up the whisky bottle span downwards out of his hand, a faint sound echoing back up as it shattered where it bounced off part of the viaduct towards to the bottom. What did he care? He stood alone, a threadbare sweatshirt, worn jeans and trainers with holes in the soles. A grey unkept beard matched the matted greasy hair uncut for so many months, partially hiding a dirty face that had long passed the look of despair.

Looking at his hands he noticed they were blue from the cold as the remainder of him shivered uncontrollably. Perhaps death would bring him some form of warmth. He hoped so.

He closed his eyes, put his arms out horizontal like an Olympic diver would then started to fall forward in a final act that would signify his inevitable end.

A few seconds later he started to feel warmth radiating into his body, was he dead, did his mind blank out during the fall? Did at his bitter end his brain go blank to spare him the milli-seconds of pain he'd felt as he crashed into the icy cold water? Opening his eyes slowly he prayed that if there was a heaven and hell he had gone up and not down. He didn't trust God, if there really was one, not to pull one last stunt with his soul.

To his amazement he was still on the parapet over the river but something was wrong. His body was far enough into the fall that gravity should have taken him but for some bizarre reason he was stuck at this angle. Looking down it was literally the tips of his toes that were still touching the parapet top. But if that was strange something else was stranger. The snow had literally stopped. Not as in falling but stuck in the air as if the thousands of snowflakes were frozen in time. He chuckled at the thought frozen... snow was tiny drops of frozen water... but they normally didn't stay suspended motionless.

The warmth he felt had quickly seeped through his body and oddly where he had been drunk his mind, was suddenly clear and full of clarity. There was something esle that he was becoming aware of, a feeling he was no longer alone. Glancing at the area of his body that had been the initial source of the warmth radiating in from his left side there was a hand touching him. A dainty, beautiful hand. His eyes followed the hand which was attached to an arm, which was attached to a body. A very naked female body. He laughed to himself then spoke to the imaginary being next to him.

"If I would have known death would have a woman as beautiful as you touch me, I would have done this sooner! "

The woman smiled at him. He guessed this illusion had been manufactured by his dying consciousness as she was to all intents and purpose what he would consider the woman of his dreams. Looking to be in her mid-twenties at somewhere around five foot and a bit she stood with long wavy black hair cascaded below her neckline with an almost pixie like face. Taunt thin lips coloured a blood red smiled at him as large almond eyes looked back at him. Her body shape was perfect; not thin but not fat with sensuous curves that only a woman's body is able to portray.

The only thing that seemed wrong was a feint bluish aura around her. Of course, that's outside the fact that other than being beautiful and naked she was suspended at the gravity defying angle next to him.

"Who are you?"

Ah yes, I forgot you use....names...names for each being? If that's the case name me."

"Are you an Angel?"

"Angel?.....yes if you like.....that's my name, Angel."

Continuing to appraise her he could see her skin was unblemished - creamy white skin with nice pert breast topped off by pebble like nipples that seemed proud to be poking out in the cold air. Between her legs she was shaven and longish shapely legs ran down to her feet.

"Angel why are you here, how have you done this?"

To illustrate his point, he scooped several suspended snowflakes from the air and held out his hand for her to see as they melted away from his body heat.

"Every year one of our race is selected to travel here to your home to repay our debt to you. On this day centuries long ago, a great war raged throughout the galaxy. Our leader fled with his life soul but were chased and ended up crashing on your planet. As he and his life soul faded, they were able to move their coupling into a female passing by. On this day the coupling was born but the form was of your world although he held powers from our world. They raised him as their own until some of your fellow beings became frightened of the power they found he could wield. So they took him and nailed him to a cross before putting his body in a cave. He ar.."

Terrys mind was reeling as he cut across her.

"Stop Angel! Please stop! You are kidding me...that can't be real...no you're talking about Jes..."

This time Angel cut across Terry.

"Yes Terry, he was....I think your word is offspring? He was the offspring of our leader and...yes wife...you call a life soul wife here. They needed a way to ensure their ofsping could survive so they did what they felt was right by putting their offspring into the woman of one of your kind.

But if what you are saying is true, we killed him, why do you come back to... to repay us...for killing him?

She smiled at him like a parent smiles at an infant learning a new word.

"No Terry that act caused the offspring to transcend, and with it our place in the universe was secured for all eternity."

"Terry, please don't worry it will all make sense to you soon, please trust me."

"So why have you come here, come to a man about to go and meet his maker if this isn't a trick of my own mind and I'm already dead."

"No Terry you are quite alive. Humankind allowed us to survive, our debt is to come back each year on this day and select a soul that is about to die and save them, just as your race saved the offspring centuries ago. I have chosen to save you, Terry Hand.

"Angel, I don't want to be saved. I have nothing left in life. Letting me live is far worse than letting me die. Go and save someone that wants saving Angel, you've picked the wrong person."

Angel pondered; in all of the past memories shared by her race nobody had ever asked not to be saved. She was unsure as what she should do next. She saw a solution.

"Terry can I look into your soul? I want to see why I shouldn't save you. If I can't I'll let you fall, but if I find an alternative solution, I can fulfil the eternal commitment our race has made."

"Not sure how you can peek at my soul but be my guest."

With that a vista of vison opened in front of them, it felt like a holographic projection except there were no projectors. Then all of a sudden there was colour, it looked like some form of medical documentary with an internal camera writhing inside a body. But there was something else.

"Terrys eyes went side as he drew in a large gulp of air and held is breath. The vison paused and rewound slightly.

"What did you do? What can I feel...it feels like....."

Angel cut across Terry yet again.

"It's the moment you became a conscious being Terry, deep inside your mother at the point you became aware of your existence. I can feel your, what do you call them...emotions before your brain tries to process them. I promise that those that may be too painful will be suppressed but I cannot completely mask them from you. If you say faster I can speed up this view from your soul. I can replay them too if you desire but I cannot skip things."

"That was an amazing experience then Angel. Please, please can I experience that again?"

He did and tears fell from his eyes as he felt the full emotions of becoming cognitive as to his own existence came to be. Like a speeded-up film it rolled through his life. Able to detect his emotions Angel varied the speed of his life being replayed and there were several instances where he asked her to stop and replay scenes - sometimes more than once.

They had moved into his early adult life having gone through school, birth of siblings, death of a grandparent and then it slowed down as Terry kissed a girl for the first time. The image spoke of innocence but the emotions were, for the first time, in direct conflict with those within the replayed segment of his life.

"Terry why do you have conflicting emotions between then and now. Then are so similar to being aware of your existence but what you feel now is a deep sadness that I have not seen before."

Terrys voice was barely a croak as tears flowed from his eyes.

"that's my ex-wife, the first kiss when I knew I'd love her for all eternity. But she is the reason I'm here now becau.."

"Stop Terry, It'll all play out soon."

And so it continued. He watched as his daughter Annabel was born, then his son Gavin but Angel noted that the same alternative emotions tore at each other within him. She watched as his own life progressed, setting up his own business with his long term school friend Mark Williams,the long hours, expanding the business, travelling, more long hours, the business flourishing into a small empire but still he, and he alone, maintained working those long hours.

As Terry watched it he could now understand what had gone wrong. He had taken his eye off his family for too long over the years until it became the norm and in this sped up world unleashed before him, he understood how what was coming happened.

When he was first married, he saw a young couple in love, incredible sex, full of passion and love but over time it faded until it looked as if it was decaying like wilting flowers in a vase. His daughter reached eighteen and his son was fifteen but by then he was merely a shadow that sometimes cast itself over their lives. He noted there were no sports days, award ceremonies, school plays and few birthdays that he had actually got to witness first hand. He started to cry, not just tears but solid crying that made his whole-body shudder at what he had let slip through his fingers unnoticed. But he stopped abruptly as the next scene presented itself in the three-dimensional vista. It was his ex-wife and him in bed.

"I've missed you big boy whilst you've been away this last month."

I've missed you too, if Mark wasn't so damned afraid of flying we could share these trips way instead of it always being me away form home. He never used to have a problem flying. Says it's always been there but got worse as he has gotten older".

"Don't worry Terry Mark's kept everything in safe hands whilst you've been gone."

Angel felt his emotions peak with extreme anger in the present.

"What has she done to cause the pain in the present. I know I do not fully understand the manner of what's being said why is it a problem now?"

Terry didn't say anything for several seconds.

"Because I can now see clearly what was really being said. She isn't referring to our business being in safe hands she is referring to my family. I can see it now, the facial expression, the sly smirk. They were already planning to replace me with Mark within my family. I just never realised at that point.

The scene played onward.

"Tel, can we make love it's been so long and we both need to try and reconnect."

"Sure,..yes..I...I can't remember the last time we..."

"It's been so long I don't want it to be a few seconds of wham-bam-thank-you-mam. Let's do something kinky we've never done first. Come up here and jack all over my tits, please. You've always wanted to do that."

Angel and Terry watched as he ejaculated streams of cum all over his then wife. Without a word she jumps up out of bed and goes into the bathroom locking the door behind her. A few minutes later she returns but wearing a heavy nightgown before climbing into bed.

"Rewind it Angel!"

As it plays again Terry yells out; "Pause it there! Can you make it bigger, I want to see what she's holding."

It zooms in so they can see her hand.

"Fucking bitch! That's how they done it!"

Angel didn't speak but Terry knew what the test tube she had craftily crept back into the room with contained. His sperm.

As the scene continued his wife rolls over no longer interested in continuing the liaison she had promised her husband.

The scenes fast forward again and slows to Terry returning home from work one evening. He reads a note that his and his daughter's dinner requires warming though as his wife has gone out with friends for the evening and the son is with his grandparents. When his daughter arrives home, he dishes up the meal noting there is a freshly opened bottle of wine on the table with two glasses. Both he and his daughter drink some wine with their dinner before Terry's vison becomes blurred, the emotions at the time become random as if he's drunk. His eyes close and the last thing he sees is the prone form of his daughter head on her arms asleep sitting at the table.

The next scenes are new to Terry, his mind had never been able to consciously recall them after the event that he and Angel were about to witness. His emotions now were filled with terror and fear at what is supposedly going to occur.

In the projection there are figures, two of them, out of focus but the voices are clear. His wife and his so-called friend, Mark Williams. There is a body laying next to him, he already knows it's his daughter. The two blurry figures move her body before Mark Williams climbs between her legs and starts to fuck her, his own daughter with his wife urging him on. His daughter makes some sounds but he already knows she is drugged unable to prevent this happening. Terry weeps as he watches his own daughter's virginity be stolen from her.

The focus comes and goes but the sound is always apparent. As Mark finishes his wife tells him to make sure he is careful with pulling out, mind the condom as they can't leave a trace. His wife then comes clearly into focus inches from Terry's face holding a plastic syringe full of a white fluid.

"Do you know what cuckky boy, I don't know why we didn't think of this years ago."

He watches as she pushes the syringe inside his daughter ravaged body depositing his own semen deep inside her. They then wiped his own daughter's blood and secretions around his cock with a cloth.

His vison goes hazy before he is aware that he's hard and someone is masturbating him. He wife is egging him on; "Cum, cum you know you want it"...blurry again as they talk about wiping the rubber glove around his daughter's face, scooping his cum from his body rubbing it into his daughter's hair and skin. Then a rustling sound, talk of getting the condom, glove and a wine glass to put them in a bag to hide evidence.

Now the sound of his wife crying, a blurry image with someone talking.

"Hello quick get me the Police, I beg you hurry!...Yes Police I've come home to find my daughter raped...the man that did it is still here...please hurry. Yes, please we do need an ambulance too!"

She hung up the call and his wife and Mark both started laughing. As Terry starts to rouse, he looks up just as Marks fist slammed squarely into his face rendering him unconscious.

The next scenes are quickly replayed, Police, interviews, lawyers and a beating in a holding cell from Police and even some other criminals being held in the cells. There is a court room, Terry pleading over and over he didn't do it, it wasn't him, sobbing almost non-stop throughout.