The rays of the moon fell softly down though the smog of London. It was reflected by the freshly fallen white snow on roofs and chimneys, but was merely absorbed by the brownish water of the Thames. On Trafalgar square, it gave a cosy yet cold appearance to the tall Christmas tree. A few jolly fellows were stumbling their way past it, singing Christmas carols as they passed. Down a nearby ally, the light of the moon barely reached two ragged old figures huddling together and sharing half a bottle of gin.
A bit further north, the moonlight passed over the cast iron fences of small well-tended gardens, with brick houses standing shoulder by shoulder behind them. One of the houses happened to have a crack in the curtains in a small window at the upper floor, and a ray of moonlight gleefully passed thought it. It fell across the worn floorboards, and hit a small stove, a few embers still smouldering inside it.
Alice turned her head, looking at the moonlight across the floor. She had always had trouble sleeping on Christmas night, and this year was no different. Rolling over in bed, she listened to the slow steady breath of her brother from across the room.
Stepbrother
, a small voice inside her head reminded her. He had moved in a short while before she left for university, and they had not lived together for very long. She pushed the thought away. He was going to be her full brother, no matter what anyone else might say.
After half-dozing for a while, Alice opened her eyes again. There was a sound, like something dragging across the floor, coming from downstairs. She listened intently for a few moments, unsure if the sound had been real or just in her imagination. Then she heard it again, lasting longer this time. Placing her feet on the floor, she felt a cold draft from the window. Knowing exactly which boards creaked, she sneaked across the floor, and gently shook her brother awake. He looked up at her in surprise, so she put a finger over his mouth to keep him quiet.
"Edwyn, do you hear that?" Alice whispered so low it was barely audible. He listened for a moment, before the sound was back. This time Alice could also hear a footstep. Edwyn nodded in response to her question, his expression changing from surprise to fear.
"Is there a burglar?" Edwyn's question hung in the air while Alice grabbed his hand to pull him up into a sitting position. She grabbed the fire poker next to the stove, but he pulled away from it when she tried handing it to him. Thinking better of it, she tightened her grip and turned towards the door.
"Ok, sissy. Just stay behind me," Alice whispered with a sharp undertone in her voice. She could not help feeling a little disappointed in her brother, as she heard him getting to his feet behind her. He was no masculine powerhouse to be sure, but part of her still felt like he should be man enough to face whatever was going on in the living room.
They sneaked out into the hallway and down the stairs as quietly as they could, Alice first with the fire poker held high in front of her and Edwyn behind. As she rounded the corner, Alice froze for a moment. In the dim light of dying embers, she saw the outline of a large man standing next to the fireplace. He looked somewhat overweight, hunching over as he was putting down something big and lumpy on the floor. She noticed her brother peeking out behind her, as she watched the man light a kerosene lamp. Soon, its warm yellow light filled the room, revealing a dishevelled white beard, and red soot-stained clothes.
"Santa!" Alice heard the surprise in Edwyn's voice as she felt him rush past her, into the living room.
"Jesus Edwyn! You are nineteen, you can not to believe in Santa Claus!" Alice sternly reminded him, while trying to grab his shoulder.
"But he's standing in front of us!" Edwyn exclaimed back at her, before immediately giving the man a hug. Alice cautiously followed her brother into the room, seeing him pressing his cheek against the man's chest. As she stepped closer to the man, the smell of cheap liquor and something slightly spicy. After standing perplexed for a moment, the man carefully gently pushing him away. Edwyn took a step back, and looked eagerly up at the man.
"Santa! Santa! Are you Santa? And did you come all the way from the North Pole tonight?" Edwyn looked up at the man with eyes filled with eagerness ad expectation.
"Yes, sure, let's go with that," the man answered after thinking for a moment. He spoke in a scrapy baryton voice, with an accent Alice was unable to place. The smell of liquor became even stronger when he opened his mouth. A second later, she also recognised what the spicy smell had to be; gingerbread.
Alice put her hand on her brother's shoulder and pulled him back to her. Then, maintaining a firm grip on the fire poker, she nodded towards the lumpy sack on the floor. "So,
Santa
, are those all the presents then?"
Alice took a moment to look around the room to see what was missing, while the man cleared his throat. The drawer with silverware did not look like it had been touched, so it seemed they had interrupted him in time.
"Eh, yes, yes they are," The man spoke in a low voice. His expression seemed rather stiff, and Alice was about to ask him a follow-up question when Edwyn pushed her fire poker aside.
"Relax Alice, It's just Santa," Edwyn said, giving her a disappointed look. He picked up a plate with a few biscuits.
"I apologise for my sister's behaviour. Here, have a few biscuits, if you feel so inclined," Edwyn addressed the man while presenting the plate up towards him.
"Well, at least there is one nice boy in this house," the man answered in a grumpy tired voice. He grabbed the plate, and bit into one of the biscuits. Moments later the plate was empty, and Alice watched as he washed them down with a few swigs from a bottle he produced from one of his pockets.
"He needs Christmas treats to stay jolly. I can't believe you don't know this, going to that big university, and everything," Edwyn whispered in Alice' ear, with a smile flickering on his lips.
Alice was not sure if it was really the biscuits that did the trick, but the man did seem considerably jollier when he put the bottle back in his pocket. After lifting his sack up from the floor, he loosened the band around the edge. Sticking his arm inside, he looked at Edwyn.
"I'd normally leave them under the tree, but seen as you are already here ..." He did not finish the sentence, instead handing Edwyn a square box wrapped in brown paper.
"Oh thanks! Can I open it now?" Edwin asked, grabbing the present with glee.
"Sure, it's not my job telling you what to do," the man answered, and Alice thought she could see a hint of mischief in the corner of his eye.
Edwyn looked excitedly at Alice, and after receiving a nod of approval, he started tearing off the paper. Soon after, he was lifting a small pocket watch.
"Wow, that's so nice!" Something about Edwyn's voice did not seem quite genuine, and Alice got a feeling that the watch had not been quite at the top of Edwyn's wish list. The man seemed to notice to. He picked up the paper, and read the label carefully.
"Sorry, that must have been for an Edward," the man mumbled apologetically. He grabbed the watch from Edwyn's hands, and hid it inside his coat. "Hm, I'll fix that later. Here is your actual present."
This time, Edwyn received a soft package. He quickly removed the paper, and let out a little yelp of excitement. To her surprise Alice saw him holding a set of white lingerie, the delicate lace folding gently between his fingers.