Literary Crumbs: Poems & Short Stories to Savor by D. Ryan Lafferty

By D. Ryan Lafferty

It was a cold December morning and the sun wouldn’t be up for hours. Jeremy just couldn’t sleep while his mind was racing, so he threw off the blankets and shivered in the chill of the morning air. The house was silent except for the irregular ticking of the heating grate. The old radiators seemed to sound off at random, like a sigh escaping an old man settling into an easy chair, a sound so soothing to Jeremy in some unidentifiable way. “It’s no use,” he thought to himself, I’m just going to have to tell her.” Every year, Christmas was a time for celebration in the Keller household; the gifts, the feasts, and family traditions. He had no reason to be up so early since school ended yesterday until the new year. Each year gift giving came so easy to him. For as long as he could remember, Jeremy always bought the perfect presents for his family, but this year was different. This year, it was already Christmas Eve and he hadn’t bought a thing. 

He could kick himself for not picking up the usual cheap baubles at the school Christmas shop, the one that the parent-teacher organization put together for the students at his school every year. There he saw the Nickel-plated best friend necklaces he’d bought the year before and had shared with Nick. His half read “Be Fri,” and Nick’s was emblazoned “st ends.” It was cool for a day or two, but he stopped wearing it when his skin had turned an odd shade of green and broke out in an itchy rash. Last week, at the sale, Jeremy had eyed the #1 Uncle golf ball, The pre-printed pen multi-tool emblazoned with WORLD’S GREATEST GRANDPA and the fold-out paper fan that he bought his mother every single time. They just didn’t speak to him as they had in years past. Had his tastes changed? He felt different, that was for sure, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.

Jeremy tiptoed across his chilly bedroom floor and sat down by the desk nestled in the corner of his room. He shuffled the contents around to reveal a coffee can covered in knitted yarn, resembling a surprised cartoon clown. This was his personal piggy bank, one that his grandmother had knitted for him around the time of his birth. It had served him well, a thoughtful gift that he hardly noticed anymore. Smiling there, watching him and keeping his life’s savings safely inside. No one would dream of looking within it. He lifted the fuzzy orange cap adorning the clown’s head, grabbing it by its red-orange pom pom and dumped out the contents onto his desk. A few folded bills and a hefty pile of loose change rained down onto the flat surface. He immediately began sorting and stacking his savings. 43 dollars and 73 cents. At 11 years old, Jeremy didn’t have much money and now he was running out of time. 

As the sun continued to rise on the promise of a new day, Jeremy piled on his hat, scarf, and heavy winter coat. He snapped on his helmet and biked on down the road to the drugstore close to his house. The automatic door slid open and the warm air inside greeted him along with the sound of “Sleigh Ride” bouncing through the speakers, “Ring, ting, tingling too…” he hummed and rubbed his hands to thaw them out from the cold. He walked aisle after aisle looking for something, anything to buy for his family. His mission was to find three gifts, one for each member: Mom, Dad, and Joey, his little brother. 

Over the next hour, Jeremy carefully walked up and down each aisle of the tiny store. The older teenager at the counter had circled back four times to ask if he could help the young man find anything. Jeremy replied, “No thanks, I’m just looking” and went about his search for the ultimate gift. He picked up stuffed animals, phone charging cords, and even a light up Santa hat, but put them all back. Then it caught his eye, exactly what he’d been looking for. The label read, “7-Day Emergency Candle” affixed to a tall glass jar filled with white wax. Immediately, Memories of his favorite Christmas decorations came to mind; those giant suncatchers that looked like stained glass hanging in the window. They were always the shape of some Victorian candle holder with sprigs of holly at the base and a halo-encircled flame atop the drippy candle stick. “It’s perfect!” he said and he bought the last three.

The salesperson was in the holiday spirit and gave Jeremy a few of the shiny wine bottle gift bags to use as wrapping and happily wished him a “Merry Christmas.” Jeremy raced out the door, hopped on his bicycle and slid the bag holding the candles inside his coat and pedaled down mainstreet as it gently began to snow. The town was bustling with happy faces smiling and waving, some checking their shopping lists while others waddled along with armloads full of treasures just waiting to be set under the tree. Jeremy could feel the magic happening and pedaled faster down the lane.

Every little shop was either closed or out of his price range now with only $37.52 to his name. He was going to have to be frugal and a little creative. As he pedaled along, Jeremy spied something on the sidewalk, it looked like a tarnished old horseshoe, lying on the ground. He pulled over to the sidewalk, propped up the bike, and with one swift motion, the kickstand was down. He bent low to investigate further and picked up the heavy shoe. He couldn’t help, but feel that this was his lucky day, that he had indeed found a real lucky charm… “Thank you, young man for getting that for me. It seems to have fallen from this nail. Please come in and help me hang it back up above the door. It’s been there for twenty-five years and it just decided to come down today, well, we’ll fix it.”  Jeremy looked up at an old man so ancient and grandfatherly that he couldn’t help but smile. “Here you are sir,” “Thank you my lad, please come inside and give me a hand with this.” 

Jeremy never talked to strangers and he hesitated, first looking at the front door of the building that he assumed was the old man’s house, but to his surprise it was a most curious shop, filled with antiques and other collectible things. A hand drawn sign read Open inside the large storefront window with beautiful typewriters, inkwells, and an array of fountain pens; all adorned with simulated snow for the holidays. He looked up at the shopkeeper and smiled as he followed him into the store. 

As the old man pushed open the front door, the magical sound of those cheerful tinkling bells that every child knows rang out gently. The sound of reindeer and sleighs filled with toys. It made Jeremy stop in his tracks and look around. Deep down, he still believed. Those were unmistakably sleigh bells. There hanging on the back of the door was a long leather strap adorned with silvery bells all in a row. They glinted in the soft light if the shop and rang out announcing the arrival of each new customer. Inside, the store smelled of old leather and the deep citrus-rich scent of wood polish; the distinct aroma of antiquity. It reminded Jeremy of being in an old church. As the gentleman went to fetch a small hammer and nail, Jeremy looked at the sea of antiques and curiosities that covered every inch of the store; so far from the antiseptic gondola shelves of the little drugstore he’d visited that morning. Everything here seemed interesting and unique; special somehow. Jeremy knew this is where he would find the rest of his gifts.

Just in front of him, sitting atop an old upright piano was a Christmas songbook from the 1950s with beautiful illustrations in bright red and green. It was perfect for his mother and it was priced at $22 dollars. That would leave him with $15.50 to spend on his brother. When the gentleman returned, Jeremy asked if he could buy the music book and when the old man opened the door, the jingling of the bells hanging there sparked his imagination, “…and may I please buy those sleigh bells too?”  It was a brilliant idea. Joey would love those and could use them every year. The shopkeeper turned back and with a twinkle in his eye, said, “Normally I’d never dream of letting them go, but since you were so helpful to me, I’ll sell it to you for $15. Jeremy jumped for joy and paid the man as fast as he could; thanking him profusely as he headed on home.  

Jeremy knew the candles he bought earlier would be perfect for Dad who always taught him what to do in emergency situations. These emergency candles would be both useful and Christmassy at the same time. The music for Mom would make her happy and she could learn all the words to the songs that she always hummed while setting up the decorations and trimming the tree. 

On this Christmas morning, Jeremey woke up early again, but this time it was out of anticipation. Not the kind that little ones wake up with on Christmas day, but the anticipation of seeing the joy and feeling of love his family would experience when they opened these very special gifts. When the presents had all been opened and the fireplace burned low, Jeremy, Mom, and Dad lit the candles and sang all the songs in that old time songbook, twice, while Joey played along on his sleigh bells. 

Dr. D. Ryan Lafferty is a local Bordentown poet, writer, and the author-illustrator of children’s books. To see more of his writing, visit http://www.dryanlafferty.com.