As the credits rolled across the screen, and the music played on, Michael Kelner stood up and cleared his
throat. Then in the most theatrical voice he could muster, he made his announcement.
“That’s it! I’ve made my decision! This year the Kelner’s are going to have their very own Christmas tree!”
The girls jumped up and down screaming – their dream had finally come true! But his wife Anna was noticeably silent. While she too had grown up eating bacon and cheeseburgers, a Christmas tree was one line she had never crossed. No one in her family had ever had one – let alone suggested getting one. But Michael wasn’t worried. She would come around. Didn’t half the couples at Beth Shalom have Christmas trees anyways? True – most of them were intermarried, but what difference would one more or less make? Why should they be the only ones on the block without their own tree?
Two nights later he took the girls to the parking lot next to the Chick-Fil-A. There a makeshift Christmas tree business was doing a brisk trade. Big trees, small trees, real ones, fake ones – he never knew there could be such a variety! While he had his own idea of what a Christmas tree should look like, he let the girls make the choice. After all – wasn’t it really for them? And boy did they make a choice. It looked like the biggest tree in the entire lot! It was so big they would have to have it delivered.
Shortly after they got home the doorbell rang. It was two delivery men with the tree. They lugged the huge thing into the living room, propped it up in a corner, installed a base and left. Then Michael and the girls began decorating it. They had barely begun when Tara – the younger one said she thought she heard a knock at the door. Michael hadn’t heard a thing, but he went to check anyways. Could it be the delivery men again? He didn’t forget to tip them, did he?
He opened the door – but no one was there. Then he looked down. A little girl with short brown hair and a pink jacket, certainly not more than four years old, was standing on the doorstep. Kelner was surprised. Were her parents outside? He peered into the darkness, but could see no one.
“Can I help you? Where are your parents dear?”
But the little girl said nothing. She just walked passed him, into the house and stood in the foyer. After looking around for a moment she turned left, entered the living room and sat down on the sofa. Tara and Shana stared at her in bewilderment.
“Girls, is this one of your friends? A sister of one of your friends?”
But the girls had no idea who she was.
“Shana go get some cookies from the pantry.”
Kelner crouched down so he was face to face with the little girl.
“Are you lost dear?”
No answer.
“How did you get here?”
Silence.
Tara ran upstairs to tell Anna what had happened and she came downstairs too.
“What’s your name honey? What are you doing here?”
But the little girl was no more forthcoming. Then in a flash of inspiration she removed the girls jacket. Sure enough there was a name label inside – Isabel Forucci. Kelner pulled out his smartphone and did a quick online search.
“There’s a Forucci just around the corner…”
He walked the little girl to his car and drove her around the block. When he rang the girl’s doorbell Mrs. Forucci expressed surprise. She hadn’t even realized her little girl was gone! She thanked him profusely and Kelner returned home. But something in her gaze seemed odd. Was it just his imagination?
The next few days passed quickly. Between work and buying presents Michael hardly had time to breathe. Two days before Christmas, the Kelners were watching television in the upstairs den when they heard another knock at the door. This time Anna answered. Upon opening the door she was met by three very young children – two girls and a boy. Surprised by the visitors she looked out into the darkness beyond. Were there adults outside with them? She couldn’t see anyone. Surely they couldn’t be collecting for anything – they were much too young. She called Michael downstairs and he was dumbfounded. What was going on here? What could these children possibly want at their house? This time he called the police. One of the girls was Isabel Forucci whom the police retuned home – but the other two children were nameless and it took several hours to figure out where they belonged. The two policemen were very professional and took upon themselves the entire task of returning the children.
But did they also have the occasional odd expression on their face, or was it just his imagination?
Michael tried to put the peculiar events out of his mind – but they kept returning. What was going on here? Was it just his house that was being visited or were there others? How could he even broach the subject with his neighbors? If it was just his – why? What attracted them?
“Maybe we have a gingerbread house and we don’t even know it,” he joked the next day.
But Anna didn’t laugh. She found the whole thing disturbing.
Finally the big day had arrived. Shana woke up first and upon remembering what day it was – quickly woke up her sister. Still wearing their pajamas, the two girls ran down stairs to see what presents were beneath the tree. But instead of cries of joy, they both screamed. Sitting in their living room were a group of five people – three children and two adults. Anna and Michael came running downstairs!
“What in the world is going on here!?!” screamed Michael.
“Who are you people? How did you get into our house?!? What do you want with us?!?”
The girls were terrified. Anna was hysterical – crying.
“Get out! All you! Get out NOW!!!”
He ushered them all towards the front door. But when he opened it he almost fainted. There was a crowd of people standing on his front lawn – perhaps a dozen or more. Adults, children, teenagers! They all stared at him.
“What are you people doing here? This is private property!!! Leave now or I will call the police!”
One elderly man gently approached him.
“We want… we want to go with you… Please! Take us with you…”
“Go – what? What are you talking about! I’m not going anywhere!! This is my home! It’s you who are going away!!! Right now!!! Leave here NOW!!!”
He called the police, but nobody came. And with each passing day the crowd grew bigger. Michael now slept in the living room with a baseball bat, while Anna and the girls were too scared to even come downstairs.
On the third day in the afternoon, he heard the sound of motorcycles. He ran to the window in time to see a skinhead with a leather jacket get off his Harley and hurl something at the front door.
“Get out of here!!” he screamed.
“Get out of here – you friggin’ Jew! This isn’t your country!!! You don’t belong here!!!”
Michael was livid! Livid and terrified both at the same time!
It was like some awful nightmare. Some gross distortion of reality! This wasn’t possible. This could not be happening!!! IT WASN’T HAPPENING!
That night he dreamt dreams that he had never dreamt before. Awful dreams. Crazy dreams. And then through it all he had a vision. A vision of his great grandfather – a man he had barely known. He was wrapped in a prayer shawl, wearing tefillin and muttering words in Yiddish. Words that Michael couldn’t understand!
Then all of sudden, out of nowhere, he switched to perfect American English and in a flawlessly clear voice he spoke the words that chilled his heart…
“It’s time Michael… It’s time to go home…”
