Looking for a Story

The kids were in bed, the stockings were filled, all the gifts were wrapped, and all the food was prepped. She was as ready for Christmas as she was ever going to be. And a good thing too - Christmas was tomorrow. She was about to join her husband in getting ready for bed. She turned off the lights and soon the only light left was the tree. And woah, it was beautiful… Her family had done a good job decorating. She paused and looked at her tree, all the presents, and all the other decor; it sure was a lot. And tomorrow would be all kinds of chaos. All this for a day to celebrate my Saviour's arrival. She couldn't help but laugh. Her Papa’s Bible sat in its spot on the mantel, and she picked it up. She curled up on the couch and opened the book of Luke. She wasn't sure if it was bad to have a favourite gospel or not, but hers was definitely Luke. She read over the story. She had just reached the part where the shepherd took off for Bethlehem when her husband popped his head into the living room. “Darling? You coming to bed? I thought we'd finished everything.” "We did, Love, I was just taking a moment.” She lifted up the Bible. "Ah! May I join you?” She nodded and he sat next to her, wrapping his arm around her. “Where were you?" He nodded toward the page. "The shepherds are racing off to Bethlehem.” She pointed to the verse she was at and her husband started to read out loud. When he stopped she continued. Together they read through the story. Once they were done, she closed the Bible. “Thank you for letting me join you, that was a good reminder." “Thank you for joining me." She let out a happy sigh. “We should read it with the kiddos tomorrow. They need the reminder too." “Most definitely. I think that would be wise. Maybe we can read it before they start fighting over who gets to open presents first," he teased. She giggled. “I'm not sure that will change anything. But we can surely try. Maybe we should pick a picture book version instead, which might hold their attention longer.” They lingered another minute, enjoying the moment of quiet and calm before tomorrow morning. "Love?" She spoke softly. “Hmm?” He looked at her. “I'm glad we took this time tonight. It can be hard to remember what is important this time of year. Especially with the kids, wanting them to have all the Christmas fun.” He chuckled. “And I think they have.” She thought of all the photos on her phone, waiting to be printed. She closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. “Alright.” He sighed and stood up with her in his arms. “If we don’t head to bed soon, the kids will be waking us up before we have any sleep.” She nodded and giggled at being carried to bed by her husband. Even if they only got a couple of hours of sleep before the kids came running into their room begging to start Christmas, this moment was well worth it.

Avery looked at her calendar. How did both her daughter's school Christmas concert and her Sunday School pageant end up in the same week? The girl had both a reindeer costume and a Mary costume. Talk about two very different shows. And Avery had to find all the stuff for both costumes. Thankfully, for the school play all the parents of kids playing reindeer had agreed that brown shirts, jeans, and dollar store antlers were enough. One of the moms had offered to do face painting if time allowed. So other than her daughter Harper's attitude about the school play, everything was ready. Harper was upset that she had to wear jeans. The rest of the girls in her class were either playing elves, wearing skirts, or playing a mother/daughter pair, wearing party dresses. And if Avery was honest, she couldn't blame her daughter - being Dancer the reindeer wasn't as exciting as playing an elf. But as Avery had tried to remind Harper, she did get to go first in the reindeer song and she was playing Mary in the Sunday School pageant. So it was okay to let the kids at school have some of the more fun roles in the school play. After trying to find everything they needed for the Christmas pageant in that church costume room, Avery had personally volunteered to sort through the room after Christmas. It was some kind of nightmare there. But at least all the kids had a suitable costume for this Sunday. She stared at the calendar. Harper had rehearsal on the stage as a class on Tuesday, dress rehearsal with the whole school on Wednesday afternoon, church rehearsal on Wednesday night, school concert on Thursday, dress rehearsal for church on Saturday afternoon, and then the Sunday morning show. Avery was already tired. And the week was just getting started… Avery stopped by the school during her lunch break to bring Harper her costume. “Do you want me to stay, Honey? My boss said I could come back late." "No! I want you and Daddy to be surprised together!” Harper gave her a quick hug, and a "Bye, Mommy!” Avery was a little disappointed that Harper didn't want her to stay, but hey, kids will be kids. That evening as Avery drove Harper to the church, she asked, "Can I stay this time?” “Mom! What part of being surprised do you not get!" Harper rolled her eyes. “I want you and Daddy to see both plays for the first time together!" Avery smiled. “That's very sweet. Okay, I'll wait. I'll bring you a donut after practice." “Awesome!" Harper jumped out of the car, trying not to trip over her costume. Avery took advantage of the time not spent sitting at the church to go pick up the last few things on her Christmas list. Thursday night Avery and her husband sat as close to the front as they could for the school play. Despite Harper's attitude earlier that month, she did a great job as Dancer the lead reindeer. She was clear and seemed to remember all her lines, even if she did seem a bit distracted during the songs. They stood and applauded when the show was done and cheered when the reindeer came on for their final bow. When they got home, flowers were waiting for Harper in her room. “MOMMY! DADDY BOUGHT ME FLOWERS!!!" Harper came barreling out of her room and tackled her dad in a hug. "You did amazing tonight, Sweetheart, and superstars get flowers!” He beamed. "Though I only could get you flowers for one of the shows, so they'll have to count for Sunday too.” He poked her nose. "Okay, Daddy.” She giggled. “Thank you.” Avery had her husband do the rest of the running around that week; she took the time to enjoy some moments of much-needed peace. Sunday morning came much faster than Avery was ready for. So much rushing around for a play that was supposed to remind everyone about the true meaning of Christmas. But eventually, she and her husband were sitting in their pew, ready to watch their daughter. The Sunday School pageant was full of all the usual shenanigans - kids who forgot their lines, sheep who hated their costumes, and wise men who forgot their gifts. But the kids seemed to be having fun. Poor Harper and the boy who was playing Joseph - they ended up with a case of giggles and couldn't stop laughing while trying to say their lines. But you could hear them at the very least. However, by the time they got to the last song, everyone in the whole church was singing, and all the distractions of the play seemed to be forgotten. Harper came running once church was dismissed. “Mom, did you see? I said all my lines and even when I was laughing!" “I did, Honey, I'm very proud of you!" Avery picked up her daughter and gave her a huge hug. “Ready to end this part of Christmas with some lunch with your grandparents?” “Yes! YES!" Avery watched as Harper ran. One Christmas event down, and a few more to go.

Beth had looked everywhere, and she couldn't find it. It was her copy of her grandmother's shortbread recipe. Her mom didn't have a copy, her sisters didn't have a copy, only Beth did. She knew she could ask Grandma for a new copy but she had given Beth such a pretty copy last year. And she had wanted to show Grandma she could make them without help. It had to be somewhere… She looked at the books and cards strewn across the table; maybe tearing apart her recipe box wasn't the best way to start. She took her time putting everything back, checking each book and carefully reading each card. It definitely wasn't there. Taking a breath, she thought back to last Christmas. Would it be tucked in a box somewhere that she'd forgotten? Her house was already decorated, the tree was up, and everything she hadn't used was nicely packed up in a box, so she was sure the recipe card wasn't there. Then where was it? She sat on the edge of the sofa and scanned the room as if the recipe card would jump out at her like this was a find-and-seek game. She had been so happy to have her grandma give her a copy. How could she have lost it since last Christmas? Maybe it wasn't with the Christmas stuff, maybe it wasn't with her cookbooks and recipe cards. Was it with her books? She had a bad habit of using anything as a bookmark. Beth headed to her room and stared at her bookshelf. … She was going to have to go through all of these, wasn't she? She couldn't remember what she had read last year. She sat on the floor - might as well start from the bottom and work her way to the top. Two hours and several distractions later, she had nothing. Well, she'd found several other things, but not what she was looking for. Beth blinked back tears. It was just a piece of paper. How could it make her this upset…? She sat against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe she could look another day; for today she could surprise her grandma with different cookies. Sighing, Beth stood up, went to the kitchen, and picked up a recipe box, she could make chocolate chip cookies. Mom's were better, but Grandma didn't mind Beth’s. An hour later, she had cookies cooling on the counter. Beth finally let herself relax on the couch. In the back of her mind, she was still figuring out where that recipe had gone. At least she had something to take when she visited her grandma tomorrow. The next day she climbed the stairs to Grandma's apartment, cookies in hand. Several of the other elderly folk who passed her teased her about having a cookie. She laughed and enjoyed the jokes. She finally made it to the apartment. "Hey Grandma, I'm here for tea!" Beth called as she walked in. "Hi Sweetie, oh! You made cookies! You didn't need to do that." Her grandma hugged her. "I know I didn't, but your space is smaller this year so you won't have all the room for baking like you used to." Beth shrugged. "Well, I appreciate it.” Grandma set down two cups of hot chocolate. “No tea?” Beth raised an eyebrow. “It’s Christmas - might as well be festive.” Her grandma took a cookie. “And we both know you hate tea. You drink it because I like it,” Grandma teased. “Something like that.” Beth laughed. “Oh - by the way, Dear, I found my original copy of the shortbread recipe, so you can have your copy back.” Beth blinked. The paper she’d spent half the day searching for was being slid across the table to her. “Oh! Thanks! I was looking for it yesterday. I forgot I gave it to you.” Her grandma giggled. “I think your mom picked it up for me a few weeks ago, you might have been at work.” “Ah, that would do it.” Beth laughed harder than she needed to; next time she lost something important, she should just text her mom.

Christmas comes but once a year, People greet it with cheer. Knowing the joy it brings to all the boys and girls. As they watch the snowflakes twirl. They wait all year round For the gifts to be found. It always arrives with such force Unless of course… You're Hailey… Hailey was not in the mood for Christmas. She almost had no use for it. There was already snow on the ground and had been for almost a month. But she couldn't be bothered. Her Instagram feed was littered with photos of fully decorated trees and people taking their kids to sit on some mall Santa's lap. Who has mall Santas out before December anyway? She had already been to two Christmas craft shows with her mom and sister. She'd been sent reminders for two of her friends' kids' Christmas concerts. She had two Christmas parties coming up, and her mom was on her case about a Christmas list for the family Christmas. The list of gifts she needed to buy felt expensive. Her inbox was full of Christmas deals “for the ones you love.” Was it too late to book a trip to the beach for Christmas? Probably. But it was a nice idea. Maybe next year she would just leave. At this rate, she was just lucky she had put up the outside Christmas lights before the mood set in. She wasn't sure she could have convinced herself otherwise… She was already feeling Christmas fatigue and December had just started. She didn't want to listen to the songs or put up her tree…and absolutely no Christmas movies! Even the lights weren't making her feel all magical like they had other years… Was this what growing up felt like? Hailey hoped not. Maybe if she just waited, eventually she would find the joy of Christmas. She decided she'd best pull out her Christmas decorations, just in case she found the desire to decorate. It took her an hour to get everything out of the attic… Why did she have so much stuff? She put the last box down with a huff, then sat down on the couch and stared at it. The box she'd just set down seemed to call to her. This is so dumb. She rolled her eyes but grabbed the box anyway. She set it on the couch…but before she opened the box she decided hot chocolate sounded like a good idea. The only thing her Christmas funk hadn't taken from her. She delayed opening the box, regardless of how strong this "call" felt. She made hot chocolate and scrolled through her phone. But eventually, she ran out of distractions and sat down with the box. "What makes you so special, huh?" She popped the lid off the box, and there sat books. "Oh… " A small smile formed. They weren't just any books; they were Christmas books from her childhood. She carefully pulled them out one at a time, flipping through the artwork, reading a few that she remembered so well... She laughed at the silly storylines, at all the happy endings. Suddenly she couldn't help but feel a little better about the whole Christmas thing. Christmas wasn't just about the tree, gifts, and music; there was more. There were friends and family, and there was the very reason for the whole season. She picked up a book she could still hear her father read - "The Crippled Lamb" - and put it on display. Maybe she was in a funk about Christmas, but she wouldn't forget the reason for the season. If that's all she got this year, that would be enough.

Ellie woke up after her husband left for work. She looked out the window and saw that it was snowing! The neighbours across the street still had their Christmas lights on; she had to admit it just felt like Christmas. So Ellie played Christmas music while she cleaned the house. She giggled, knowing how John would roll his eyes at her antics. It wasn’t that John disliked Christmas; he just simply believed that Christmas should be celebrated in December. On the other hand, Ellie believed it should start on November 1st. Cleaning didn't take as long as she planned, and she and John had brought all the decorations inside earlier in the week… So she was just gonna sort through the decorations so that when they were ready to decorate everything was organised. She stared at the tree box… She could just put it up now… Would John complain? It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas started to play, and she gave in to the urge. It took her longer than it would have taken John, but Ellie got the tree up and had it all fluffed. It looked so nice. It just made her smile. She knew John would probably be slightly annoyed. But surely when he saw how pretty the lights were, he wouldn't be too mad. She packed away the rest of the Christmas stuff. She could wait until she and John both had a day off to decorate the house. She made a list of all the Christmas things she needed or wanted to accomplish - oh, there was so much to do and she couldn't wait! Maybe she and John could check out the craft show next week - that was always so inspiring. Ellie shook herself back to reality. She daydreamed long enough; it was her turn to make supper, so she had better get started. *** John walked into the house and heard the music… "Ellie…" "Yes, My Love?" She met him in the entryway. "You're playing Christmas music already…it's not even December first yet… " He kissed her and then turned to walk into the kitchen. "I waited till after Remembrance Day this year…" she teased as she went back to working on supper. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to how early you celebrate Christmas," he teased. "You know you love it." She giggled. John simply smiled and said nothing. He started doing the dishes to help with supper prep. "How was work today?" He sighed. "Well, you know - the usual. Oh, but there was a debate over when we should decorate the office for the holidays." Ellie paused. "Oh…how did that go?" "The Christmas crazies won, so we are having a decorating party on Monday." He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Maybe you should go to work for me on Monday, you'd have more fun than I would." "Yeah…I probably would," she said nervously. "And what did you do with your day off?" He held her a moment longer. "Oh, you know…" She stopped stirring. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she sighed. "Don't go into the living room." "Well, now I have to." He quickly dashed away before Ellie could stop him. "Ellie… You put up the tree?" She sheepishly walked into the living room. "The music was playing, it was snowing, and I didn't decorate the tree yet. I just wanted the twinkling lights. And we had the outdoors lights up already…" He pinched the bridge of his nose, then busted out laughing. "I was going to surprise you by putting up the tree tomorrow while you were out with your friends…" She turned bright red. "Oh." Then she laughed. "I didn't mean to spoil your surprise." "Beating you at your own game is harder than it should be." He wrapped her in a hug. "I feel bad now…" she whispered into his chest. "Don't. I'll find a new way to surprise you!" Just then their supper timer dinged. They sat down to enjoy their supper and talk about other decoration plans. Once they had cleaned everything up, John made hot chocolate, put it in their Christmas mugs and joined his wife on the couch. She giggled and grasped at her mug. "I don't think you are as much of a scrooge as you act.” "I'll never admit it out loud." He put his arm around her and together they enjoyed the twinkling lights of their tree.

Bethany and Sadie crept through the woods, using the moon as their only light source. “You’re positive you know the way?” Bethany whispered as they pushed through the brush. “Yes, I snuck out this afternoon to make sure it was out here. I just hope it looks more impressive at night than it does during the day.” Sadie pushed some trees away to help Bethany through. “Girl, you’re going to get yourself caught! You know all this is illegal,” Bethany warned. “It’s only illegal if we get caught.” Sadie smirked. “Come on, it’s just around the corner.” The two girls broke through the trees and came face to face with a large tree. “This is the hideout?” Bethany reached out and touched the bark of the tree. “Apparently.” Sadie shrugged. “Did you bring the note?” Bethany pulled the forbidden paper out of her pocket. “We’re lucky, I almost got stopped after work. But someone else was found with contraband so I was allowed to go, but I will be checked tomorrow, I’m sure of it.” Sadie's eyes widened. “Oh, good thing it’s written in code then. But we definitely should be extra cautious if we are going to stay.” Sadie read over the note and found a knob on the tree. She pressed it and a slit opened near the knob. “Password.” “The Power of Creation.” Bethany and Sadie spoke in unison. “Granted.” They heard a click, and then the tree itself opened. The girls quickly slipped in. A man stood by the opening. “Welcome to the Home of Creation!” He gestured to the staircase that led toward the hub of creation. “Woah!” Bethany spun around. “This is amazing!” Sadie grabbed Bethany’s hand and together they raced down the stairs. Within the tree there was a world of creation - there was music, dancing, paintings…and people were writing! It was as if the light itself was moving. This would be worth the many sleepless nights they were about to have. And it was better than cautiously writing in their homes where they could be found and reported. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, their friend Roy was waiting for them. “Girls! You made it!” “I’m so grateful you trusted us enough to let us in! This is amazing, how have you kept the government from finding it?” Bethany looked around again, just so shocked by it all. “It hasn’t been easy. We have to take turns coming here so they don’t follow us. You will be given a schedule and if one week you can’t come the day you’re scheduled, you will have to miss a week. It’s too risky.” Roy looked at them both sharply. They nodded quickly. “Good. Now, go find a place to write!” He headed over to a canvas. “I can’t believe we get to create with others!” Sadie gripped Bethany's arm. “I know.” Bethany smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Beth? What’s up? This is supposed to be the best night of our lives! We can create freely!” Sadie found a couch for them to sit on. “This isn’t free, Sadie…” She gestured to the wonderment around them. “We are in hiding, creating under the cover of darkness, a magical tree… The government doesn't want us to create, they want us to stay in the lines.” “But it’s a start! We are a part of a revolution!” Sadie smiled brightly. Around them a chorus of “Revolution!” echoed around them. “See - we are going to help bring creativity back, they can’t stop us forever.” Sadie placed her hand on Bethany’s shoulder. “We are going to do this together. No matter what.” Bethany patted her hand, and the two quickly got to work on writing their stories. The creativity in the room was palpable; the girls wrote more than they ever had before. But all too soon it was time to go. The people left in stages; Bethany and Sadie were in the last group to leave. As they crept back through the woods, they felt the most alive they had in years. The woods faded into city streets where everything was perfectly coordinated, nothing was different or unique. The government used it to keep control - not originality, no uniqueness. There were five standard looks for women and three looks for men. There was a list of five hundred names given out every five years of what children could be named. Those who got paid to “create” were creating government-mandated stories or portraits. Bethany and Sadie both wrote for government-mandated papers - it’s where they had met. They’d both been questioned one day after work, and this led them to cautiously open up to one another about their secret projects. Their friendship came fast and it was deeply rooted. They trusted each other, even keeping each other’s projects when one was suspected of breaking the no-creation law. After months of visiting the Creation Tree, the artist and other creatives decided it was time to take a stand against the government. Original artwork was showing up on the streets, and new stories were hidden in government-approved books. They reached a point where they needed faces of the revolution. When the request was made in a meeting, Sadie quickly volunteered to be one of them. Bethany stood beside her. “Beth…” Sadie objected. “Like I’m gonna let you walk through fire alone!” Bethany took Sadie’s hand and they raised their hands above their heads. The other people who had also volunteered joined in and everyone cheered. All the volunteers got tattoos to make it clear that they were a part of the wave of creativity that was flooding through the streets. Bethany and Sadie decided to get matching ones. “If we are going down…” Bethany looked over their design. “We are going down together.” Sadie handed the design over to the tattoo artist. Once they got their ink done they stood side by side, tattoos on their upper right arm depicting quill pens on fire. They would help change the world, together. And they would prove that creativity couldn’t be stopped.

Lilly was always more than ready for a challenge during her work day. An impossible deadline? She's got you. Need help with a computer problem even the tech team can’t solve? Let her take a crack at it. Once 5 o'clock hit, she was done. She was off the clock. She was going home and checking out until the next day. One night, everything changed. When she went to sleep, she didn't just wake up to her alarm - she woke up in a dream. She never dreamed, yet here she was, in a dream world. "Welcome, Chosen One." A man in a shining robe smiled at her. "Yeah, no." Lilly turned around and tried to find her way out of the place. If the books she read taught her anything, the chosen ones were teenagers with attitudes and energy. Not office ladies in their thirties. "Wait, please. I need your help." The man didn't sound nearly as powerful as he did a minute earlier. She kept her distance but turned around to face him. "My help?" "Yes! Your help. You are a determined problem solver, and I can't fix this problem." He looked at her, pleading. "Where even am I?" She looked around; this didn't seem like what she remembered dreams being like. "This is the host of all dreams. I keep dreams from going haywire. Keep nightmares from getting too strong, things like that. But I don't do it alone." He gestured toward the sky beside him and scenes flying past of different people entering dreams and helping others free themselves from nightmares. "They are the Dream Guardians." "And you want me to join this dream force?" She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you are so good at what you do, you would be a great member of the team!" The man got excited. "Yeah, but I get paid to do that during the day. What would I get out of doing it at night? And will I be exhausted in the morning?" She walked closer. "No! It's all in your dreams, you are still sleeping soundly. And you get the satisfaction of helping someone else." He held out the sword for her to take. "One dream. I will look at this one dream. That's it." She took the sword and it glowed in her hand. "I knew you were the Chosen One!" He smiled and opened a portal to a dream. She shook her head and walked in. She found nothing but darkness, her sword glow showing her nothing more than darkness. This is the dream - or rather, nightmare - I need to deal with? She looked around and continued to walk, trying to find someone or something. Then she heard someone crying and walked toward the sound. Then she found a little kid curled up; when he saw her glowing sword he seemed to panic more. “Oh, I guess you're right - that would be scary.” She sheathed the sword. “Is that better?” He nodded. “Oh good. What’s happening here?” He pointed to the distance; she looked to where he was pointing but she couldn’t see anything. She walked in that direction. He ran and grabbed her hand. “No!” Just as she stopped, red eyes came charging at them. She quickly threw up her sword and the monster shrieked and cowered back away from the light. “What was that thing?” She turned to the little boy. “I don’t know. It’s been coming after me for weeks!” He gripped her arm. “Weeks? You poor kid.” They moved farther away from the monster, and Lilly set her sword between them to give them some light. “What have the other Guardians tried?” “I’ve told my parents, I’ve gotten a nightlight, we even tried a monster spray and nothing changed - it’s still here!” The panic could be heard in his voice. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. We will figure something out. I always solve problems. It’s what I do.” She looked around. “You understand that this is a dream, right?” He nodded. “What if you imagine you’re somewhere else?” He looked around. “But it’s so scary.” Okay, imagining his way out isn’t an option. He has to beat this monster to move on. She was pulled from the dream before she could come up with anything else. She woke up thinking about this boy's dream - how could he fight off the dragon? It took up all of her spare time. But she thought she had come up with a plan. She went to bed early that night, thinking the kid might have an earlier bedtime than she; she could easily find things to do in the morning if she woke up too early. Once she was asleep, she was back in the host of all dreams. She didn’t give the man time to speak. “Give me another sword.” He didn’t argue and handed her another sword. And she entered the portal and quickly found the kid. “Here.” She held it out to him. “What’s this for?” He took it uneasily. “I’m going to teach you how to beat this monster because this is your dream and you get to be your own hero.” She stood beside him. “What if I can’t win?” The boy looked at the sword. “I’ll help you win.” She smiled and they started just by getting used to moving the sword around and feeling the weight of the sword as they moved. They spent the week training and practising their fighting stances. Lilly even looked up videos online to learn some techniques. Soon the kid was ready - he was more confident and his dark dream wasn’t as dark. And if Lilly and the boy had stopped to look, the monster wasn’t all that big anymore. Lilly entered his dream once more. “Ya ready to reclaim your dream, kid? Woah! What happened?” Lilly looked around - the world was no longer dark but was bright and full of life. “When I came in, the monster was blocking my way to my hiding spot so I reminded it who was in charge and made it leave.” He stood tall and looked like a hero. “I’m so proud of you, kid!” She high-fived him. “What ya gonna do now?” “I’m gonna go be a hero! Thanks for all your help!” He ran off, sword in hand. Lilly stood and watched for a moment, then stepped back to the host of dreams. “Well?” The man looked at her. “Well, what?” She smirked. “That kid’s dream isn’t the only tough case we have.” He opened another portal. She rolled her eyes. “I want one night off a week, ya hear?” She stepped toward the portal. “You got it!” He called as she stepped into another ‘unbeatable’ dream.

Lightning Man stood watching the young heroes fight. They didn't need him anymore. He was in his 50s, after all. He couldn't jump from building to building anymore. He just slowed the teens down. He was hardly even a mentor to them. He had no desire to join the Legion's leadership team. He simply would retire from crime fighting and maybe even from his day job. Maybe he and his wife could finally take that vacation they'd been dreaming of. He would simply announce to the press today that he was done. Turn in his costume and disappear into civilian life. Elizabeth would be happy about that. Though she will have wished he told her about it first. He'd simply explain it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Soon the fight ended and the press swarmed like always. The talents fielded quite a few questions with ease. Just as the press turned to leave, Lightning Man reached out his hand. "I have something I would like to say." All eyes focused on him; he was usually silent during these interviews. "I think it's clear to everyone here that I am no longer a necessity to this team. These young heroes have got it figured out and I will only slow them down as I get older. So today I am hanging up the costume and will no longer be fighting crime in this way." Questions swirled. "Who will take your place?" "Will you reveal your identity to us?" "What will you do now?" And so many more. He lifted his hands and quieted the frenzy of press. "The Legion will decide if anyone needs to take my place. You know retired heroes never share their identities. I am going to enjoy my retirement with my wife. No further questions, thank you." He and the young heroes returned to headquarters. "You should have given us a warning! " said the head counsellor of the Legion as soon as they were inside the tower. "You had as much warning as I did." Lightning Man shrugged. "I knew there was no point in my continuing to fight." "What about our training?" Electra, another electric-based hero, asked. Lighting Man looked at the Legion members and raised an eyebrow. The leader sighed. "All retired heroes are allowed to return to train, but they, like you, must keep their civilian identities a secret." "I don't think you need more training Electra, but I'll take a trainer identity and if you need me again, the Legion will call me." He gave her a small smile. She gave him a quick hug. "I'll miss you." He wasn't sure what Electra's life was like outside of costume, whether she had a good life or not, but he knew that their bond, being the only two members who used electric-based powers, had always made them a bit of a duo. He might even be a father figure for her. He was never sure, but he placed a hand on her shoulder. "And I you." He left the tower, new ID card in hand, and headed home. Elizabeth was waiting at the door when he got home. "Thanks for the warning, Richard." She smiled softly and pulled him into a hug. "You had about as much as I did." He teased. "I wondered if it was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision." She touched his face. "So what now?" "I think I'll retire from work and we can travel like we always wanted." He kissed her hand. "That would be lovely, my dear." She led him to their couch. He placed a hand on her knee. "You gave up so much for me so that I could live my dream. It's time you get yours. Name the place you want to travel to and we will go there first." "I get time to think about it, right?" She giggled. "As much time as you need." They sat together, talking about all the things they would do or could do with their newfound freedom. A few days later, while they were walking home from the local farmers market, an explosion erupted and they quickly took cover under some debris. "I've never been on this side of it," Richard whispered to Elizabeth. "And I've never had you by my side during one of these battles." She held onto him tightly like he was going to run into battle like a fool. He placed a hand atop hers. "I'm not going anywhere." He watched from beneath their spot under the rubble and saw the heroes fight; they were doing so well. However, this foe was strong. He sent shock waves at the heroes, sending them back into buildings. Richard was sure the young heroes would have bruises when this fight was over. It didn't take Richard long to figure out how to take the villain down; he was using the electrical current that ran through the city to power his shock waves. A little extra power might just stun the villain. He placed a hand on Elizabeth's back. "I have to help them." "No! You're not in costume!" Her grip tightened. He placed a hand on the ground. "I told you I'm not going anywhere." He closed his eyes and channelled his energy from his hand into the pavement, creating a blue line through the pavement. "Oh!" He heard Electra call out. She dove to the ground and sent her own current through the ground. Once both currents reached the villain, he fell backwards with a loud thump. The other heroes quickly captured him. Electra looked over in his direction as if trying to see where the power came from. Richard quickly curled around Elizabeth, trying to look like a worried civilian. Once the fight was over, Electra came and lifted the rubble off of them. "Are you two alright?" she asked, helping Elizabeth up. "Yes, I believe we are. Thank you." She then offered a hand to Richard. "Yes, thank you, Miss." There was a slight static shock between them as their hands met. "Shocking," he joked. Electra raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, quite." She glanced at him one more time, then left for Headquarters. Elizabeth looked at him. "You can't do that every time, you know. It will defeat the point of retirement." "I know, but if I can help without exposing myself, I will. Besides, we both know heroes never really retire." He gave her a dazzling smile. "I will always fight for the greater good - you knew that when I married you." She rolled her eyes. "I just didn't think it would last this long. You're still taking me on a long vacation." "Anywhere you want, dear. You deserve it." They watched as the clean-up crew from the Legion arrived and then headed on their way.

Hey, Ruby still game for date? Hi Kyle! Absolutely! Dinner on Tenth, Right? Yep! Reservations at 6:30! Perfect! See you then! Kyle sent a smiley face - a sign that their conversion was over. Ruby set her phone down; her lunch break was almost over. She made it back to her desk with a few minutes to spare. She hoped the afternoon would go quickly. She had just put the finishing touches on a project that they had due on Monday when her boss appeared beside her. “Ruby.” “This can’t be good. You never make midday visits.” She tried to be cheerful. “The client made a ‘vibe’ change.” Ruby suppressed a laugh; her boss could not deal with the constant change of slang. He handed her a stack of papers. Ruby’s eyes widened. “This will require a whole new presentation.” She paused. “By Monday?” He nodded. “Can you stay late? You’ll get overtime, and maybe I can talk to the higher-ups about an extra day off.” Ruby looked over at her phone and sighed. “Yeah, I’ll make it work.” “You’re amazing, Ruby!” He dashed off to see who else on the team could stay late. She picked up her phone. Kyle, I have bad news. Oh no! What’s up? Boss needs me to stay late. The client made a complete design overhaul. I’m so sorry! Hey no stress. Life happens. I’ll rebook, next week? That would be great! Maybe we can grab brunch tomorrow? Ah no can do, hiking with the boys. Oh right, I forgot! Well, have fun! Take pictures! You sound like my mom 😉 Well, she’s right! Okay got to get back to work. Bye! Ruby worked until dinner and just realized then that she didn’t have food. It would take another hour for food to get here, with evening traffic. She sighed and pulled out her phone. She was trying to decide what sounded good when her boss appeared. “Hey Ruby, you have a delivery?” He handed her a takeout bag and a small bouquet of flowers. “Oh!” She was surprised; had Kyle….? “Did I make you miss a date?” her boss teased, and Ruby made eye contact with him. “Oh shoot! I did. Ruby, I’m so sorry!” “Don’t stress, he clearly understood.” Her boss saluted and went back to work. Ruby ate while she worked and soon was done for the day. I survived! Thanks for the food and flowers! No problem! I figured you’d get busy and need food. And the flowers?” Pretty girls deserve pretty flowers. Smooth. I’m kinda craving ice cream… Join me for a late-night treat? You tempt me. That’s the point…. Do you really want to go two weeks without seeing me? … 🙂 Name the place. The shop on 3rd is open late. See you in 15! They got their frozen treats and went for a moonlit stroll. “Dinner meant a lot to me, Kyle. She grinned. “I wanted to help you.” He shrugged and disposed of their trash in a nearby bin. “Did you get it done?” “Just. It better go well.” She took his hand. “It’s late, and you have a big weekend ahead of you. We should head home.” He nodded, walked her to her car and kissed her cheek. “I look forward to our date next week.” He stayed close. Ruby didn’t move away either; she took his other hand. She didn’t want the night to end. They stood there, holding each other's hands. Then his phone rang and they both jumped back and laughed. He pulled himself together and answered. “Hello? Hey dude! Yeah no, I’m just leaving my date now. Yeah, it was amazing!” He winked at Ruby and mouthed goodbye. Rudy waved good night and giggled. Throughout that weekend, he sent her pictures of the trip, making her smile to herself.. On Monday, he texted to confirm. Okay this Friday 7:00, I’ll pick you up! Okay! 🙂 Rudy worked through her work week, looking forward to her evening with Kyle. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. She’d find herself smiling for a reason. Soon it was Friday; she was absolutely giddy. She told her boss there was no way she was staying late, and he vowed it wouldn’t happen. She was just about to head home when Kyle sent her a text. So bad news. Oh no! I have to work late, no one can get here to cover the night shift for at least a few hours. Oh. Well, now we’re even! 😊 I am sorry you have to work late though! Me too. My night shift counterpart is out sick and the only person who can cover is an hour away. 🙁 I know… Oh somebody needs help, I’ll text you later! Rubys felt her face fall; this date felt doomed. But she could return the favour. She ordered him dinner and sent it to his workplace. She looked at the flowers he had sent her last week. She could send him some too, but he shared a workstation at work. So she asked if the staff could add a note to the order form. Then she headed home. She reheated leftovers, put on some cozy clothes and started her favourite show. YOU BOUGHT ME DINNER! Seriously that was so sweet! Thank you. You’re welcome 🙂 It’s been a lifesaver. Oh, the night shift just got here, ice cream? But I’m comfy… I went out last week… True… I could bring it to you? If that’s okay with you. Ruby paused. He’d never been here before. They’d been going out for a month. Did she want him here? It beat walking in the cold… Sure. But I’m already settled in. Watching my show. Ice cream and a movie? Sure! Be there within the hour! She giggled, then stood to tidy up just a bit - didn’t need him to think she was a slob. She’d just put the last thing away when he knocked. “Hey! I got you mint chocolate. You said you really liked it a few weeks ago.” “One of my favourites!” She took it happily, then gestured to the couch. He sat first, and she sat next to him. “Is this okay?” “Yes.” He went to put his arm around her. “Is this?” “Yes.” She relaxed into his arms. “I think we need to pick a new restaurant.” She giggled. “You’re not wrong. I just kept hoping I could take you there to ask.” Kyle's voice trailed off, like he’d said too much. “Ask me what?” Ruby tilted her head up to look at him. “To ask you…” he took a breath, “...to officially be my girlfriend?” Ruby blushed. “I’d like that.” “You would?” Ruby let out a laugh. “Yes!” Then she got shy. “I was hoping you’d ask. If you didn’t soon, I was gonna beat you to the punch.” He kissed the top of her head. “Where should we attempt to eat next Friday?” Ruby held up her dish of ice cream. “The ice cream shop?” They both laughed.

No matter how many blankets they give me, I still feel cold. My daughter makes me tea every time she comes to visit. The tea helps, but I just want to sleep or go home. My daughter tricks herself into believing I mean the old house. But I mean home. We don’t talk about that. We talk about how my grandkids and great-grandbabies are doing. When she is coming to visit again. When her baby brother is coming to see me next - he never married so he often goes on crazy adventures. This month he’s off snowboarding on some mountain. I can’t remember. His sister finds it irresponsible; I remind her that I don't want either of their lives to stop because of me. She always shakes her head but drops the issue. She reads to me; my youngest grandbaby wrote a book, so she’s been reading it to me. That kid sure can write. My eyes grow heavy, so she ends her visit. Her visit was nice today, but I am so tired. I close my eyes, it feels like just a moment. But there is a gentle tap on my shoulder - it must be the night nurse making sure I eat something. I slowly open my eyes. But it’s not the night nurse, it’s a man. He’s wearing a hood that hides his face. “Have you come to take me away?” I ask tiredly. “Not yet, kind lady. But I do bring you a gift.” He extends his hand to me. “My body isn’t young. I don’t move like I used to.” I don’t move. “Tonight you will. Choose a day and we will go and relive it.” “Any day?” I look at him; there had to be rules. “Yep, wedding day, high school grad, the day you knew your family was complete. It doesn’t matter to me. I just take you to it.” I look at the roof…a day I’d want to relive. I had so many amazing days. How could I pick just one? Right now, all I want though…all I want is to sleep. Then a day comes to mind. I take his hand. The room gets really bright. I wince against the light, but when it fades, we’re standing on a beach. One I took the kids to when they were growing up. I came here as a young adult. It was my favourite place. “I haven’t been here in so long.” I lowered myself to the ground and noticed that, for the first time in a long time, it didn’t hurt. I look at my hands - they’re not wrinkled! I touch my face - it’s smooth to the touch. I’m young again! “So, did you get engaged here, or have a special moment with one of your kids?” the man in the robe asks. “He proposed to me in a small cafe and, while I had many amazing moments with my kids here, this day is none of them.” I lie back, soaking up the sun. “Then when is this?” he asks, still confused. “Just a time when I was young and had no worries. I had summer afternoons to spend in the sun.” I close my eyes and listen to the water hit the shore. “Really?” He sits down next to me. “I don’t think anyone has asked for something so simple before.” “I have been stuck in the room. I can’t go with my kids to the beach, I can’t go on adventures anymore. So why not relive one of my last days of freedom?” I smile and enjoy the simple pleasure. He looks around. “It is nice. It’s very calm.” I sigh. “Yes, it is.” After some time I look over at him. “Can you swim?” He seems taken aback. “Yes, yes I can.” “Good.” I smile and take off for the water. It feels so good to run. I haven’t run in years. I throw my head back and laugh. He takes a moment and then runs after me. We hit the water and the cool droplets splash against my face. I haven't felt this free in years. I float on my back, enjoying the weightless feeling. “I missed this. I used to do this every summer.” “I can see why this is nice.” I swim around until my body is tired. We get out of the water, then I dry off and look to my guide. “Do we have to leave, or do we have time for one more thing?” He looks at his pocket watch. “We have time.” I feel my face beam. I led him to the ice cream shop. “They have the best sundaes.” I buy him one and we sit on a picnic bench. “Oh, this is just as good as I remember.” “I’m glad you have enjoyed your time here.” He looks down. “But it’s time to go?” I finish for him. “I understand, thank you for this.” I take his hand again and the light blinds us once more. When the light fades, I’m back in my room and the nurse is coming in with dinner. We chat for a bit, and I tell her about this day I just remembered. She listens like the gem she is. She even promised me that she would book a trip for herself just like I did. I hope she does. As she leaves the room, my son calls me. “Hey Mom!” “Hello Dear, were your adventures amazing today?” “You know it, Mom! But one of my buddies got hurt so I’m gonna come home early with him. So I’ll visit you real soon!” “I’m sorry for your friend, but I’ll enjoy seeing you.” “Me too, Mom.” When he arrives, we talk till I start to fall asleep. As he shares stories of his day, I am so grateful he has his own amazing memories.