Free Christmas in Apple Ridge by Cindy Woodsmall

OF THIS CRAG .
    H OURS SLIPPED BY LIKE MINUTES, AND I WISHED I’ D BROUGHT A STURDIER HORSE, ONE I COULD USE TO HELPPULL THE CARGO OUT . B UT I HADN ’ T, AND I COULDN ’ T RELEASE THE LOAD I’ D PULLED HALFWAY UP THE SIDE OF THAT STEEP HILL . M Y BODY MOVED AS SLOWLY AS A BOX TURTLE AS I INCHED THE WEIGHT OF MY LOAD UP THE SLIPPERY HILL . I CONTINUED TO MAKE SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS AS NIGHT CLOSED IN AROUND ME .
    T HE CRISP SMELL OF A SNOWSTORM RODE ON THE AIR . B ARE TREE LIMBS RUBBED TOGETHER AS THE WIND PICKED UP, AND THE RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT SEEMED TO CHANT .
    “G IVE UP .”
    “G IVE UP .”
    A S THE SYMPHONY PLAYED, OLD MEMORIES ROSE TO HAUNT ME . T HE THING I HATED MOST IN LIFE STOOD BEFORE ME, CLOAKED IN DARKNESS BUT AS REAL AND POWERFUL AS THE LIFE THAT PUMPED THROUGH ME . I T WASN ’ T THIS SINGLE FIGHT THAT CAUSED THE WORDS OF THE SONG TO HOUND ME . I KNEW THAT . H OW MANY TIMES HAD LIFE SMACKED ME IN THE FACE LIKE I’ D RUN INTO THE SIDE OF A BARN? B UT G OD AND I WERE IN AGREEMENT—EVERY VICTORY WAS WORTH FIGHTING FOR
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    T HE BAD—AND MOST OF THOSE I WORK WITH IN REHAB HAVE HAD PLENTY OF IT—CAN ONLY FIGHT FOR A WHILE . P AIN SUBSIDES . I NJURIES HEAL . T HEN THE DARKNESS GIVES WAY, LIKE A BULLY FACING SOMEONE TOUGHER . B UT RIGHT THEN, IN SPITE OF MY PEP TALK TO MYSELF, THE CHANTING INSIDE MY MIND HAD ME RATTLED
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    “G IVE UP .”
    “G IVE UP .”
    I KNEW THAT MY FEELINGS WERE LYING TO ME AND THAT I WASN ’ T ALONE. I SHUT MY EYES, WILLING THE NIGHT ’ S CLAMOR TO BE A SOUND IN MY EAR AND NOT AN ECHO OF THE PAST IN MY SOUL . S OMEWHERE ABOVE ME I HEARD MOVEMENT IN THE FOREST .
    “J ONAH!” MY BROTHER YELLED, SOUNDING HOARSE, AND I KNEW A MOS HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR ME FOR QUITE A WHILE .
    R ELIEF BROUGHT NEW ENERGY, AND I ANGLED MY HEAD HEAVENWARD . “D OWN HERE .”
    U NWILLING TO CHANCE LOSING MY GRIP , I KEPT MY HEELS DUG INTO THE TERRAIN . A FEW MOMENTS LATER AMOS YELLED MY NAME AGAIN . W E CALLED BACK AND FORTH UNTIL MY BROTHER ’ S VOICE CAME FROM THE RIDGE DIRECTLY OVERHEAD .
    “D U ALLRECHT? ”
    “Y A . I’ M GREAT, BUT I COULD USE A HAND .” I TRIED TO SEE MY BROTHER AGAINST THE DARK OF NIGHT, BUT I COULDN ’ T . “D ID YOU BRING THE MULE? ”
    “T HE DRAFT HORSE .”
    “E VEN BETTER . I T WON ’ T BE STUBBORN .”
    “Y A , I’ LL ATTACH THIS END OF THE ROPE TO HIM, AND HE ’ LL PULL YOU UP . Y OU ’ LL HAVE TO KEEP YOUR FEET AGAINST THE FACE OF THE CRAG AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE .”
    A MOS TOSSED ONE END OF A ROPE OVER THE SIDE OF THE RAVINE, BUT IT DANGLED TOO FAR AWAY FOR ME TO REACH IT
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    “U H  … I’ M NOT STUCK DOWN HERE . I’ M GETTING WHAT I CAME FOR .”
    T HE SCREECH OF A BARN OWL CAME FROM NEARBY, AND ANOTHER ONE RESPONDED, BUT MY BROTHER REMAINED QUIET FOR A LONG MINUTE .
    “F INE ,” A MOS FINALLY GRUMBLED . “W E WON ’ T LEAVE WITHOUT YOUR PRECIOUS STUMP . T HAT ’ S WHY YOU CAME OUT HERE ALONE, WASN ’ T IT ? Y OU NEED A BETTER HOBBY .” A MOS PULLED THE ROPE UP AND TOSSED IT AGAIN, AND THIS TIME IT LANDED WITHIN INCHES OF ME . H E BEGAN MUMBLING, BUT HIS VOLUME ASSURED ME HE MEANT EVERY WORD TO BE HEARD . “T HE BEST-LOOKING ONE OF THE LOT , YOU ARE . I’ VE BEEN TAKING YOUR SIDE AGAINST THE CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS OF THE WOMENFOLK FOR YEARS . A ND THIS IS HOW YOU SPEND YOUR DAYS ? Y OU NEED A WOMAN! ”
    “I NEED WHAT ’ S ON THE OTHER END OF THIS ROPE .” A LTHOUGH I DIDN ’ T KNOW WHY, MY GUT SAID IT WAS SPECIAL . I STUDIED THE DANGLING ROPE BEFORE ME AND THE ONE IN MY HAND, TAUT FROM THE STRESS OF THE LOAD IT HELD . “H EY , A MOS, DID YOU HAPPEN TO BRING TWO DRAFT HORSES? ”
    H E HADN’T, BUT WE GOT THAT TREE UP THE SIDE OFTHE STEEP HILL, AND SOON THE HORSE WAS DRAGGING IT OVER SNOWY FIELDS . A ND IF LIFE ENDS BEFORE I MAIL THIS LETTER OR LASTS ANOTHER THIRTY YEARS , I’ LL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL THAT PIECE HAS BEEN A BRIDGE FROM YOUR WORK TO MINE .
    Y OUR FRIEND ,
    J ONAH
    Beth’s heart thumped like mad, begging for more as she