The Twelve Chimes Before Christmas

By Orion Blightman

Christmas is a time when everyone comes together to celebrate a joyous day. But as we immerse ourselves in festivities, sometimes we fail to recall the things we hold dear. In a small faraway town that was once lost and forgotten, everyone waits for the twelve chimes to ring on a cold Christmas Eve. Each chime holds a memory and a story to tell that, although somber, illustrates the true meaning of Christmas.

A boy dressed in raggedy clothes stumbles through the deep snow until he arrives at a red, white, and green house. After he is saved from the cold by the family inside, he receives an unexpected yet wonderful gift. A young woman trapped in an unhappy marriage waits every Christmas Eve to remember the boy she once loved. A homeless little girl without a name sits on a bench and stares at a far town shrouded by snow. After a kindly old woman hands her a warm cape one night, the girl decides to give all of her twelve precious matches to strangers and decides her fate.

The Twelve Chimes before Christmas is a poignant collection of lyrical holiday tales that remind all of us to embrace simple blessings, gratitude, and the kindness of strangers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Jan 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543744927

Orion Blightman

Orion Blightman (Kwan Ee, Chan) is majoring in language and communication at the University of Hong Kong. He is author of the poetry publication, Still I Fight, on Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, and is actively involved in a variety of creative projects that include poetry, short stories, and dramas.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Orion Blightman.

ISBN:               Hardcover                     978-1-5437-4485-9

                         Softcover                        978-1-5437-4486-6

                         eBook                             978-1-5437-4492-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1     The Soldier Boy

Chapter 2     A Father’s Will

Chapter 3     The Waiting (Part 1)

Chapter 4     The Waiting (Part 2)

Chapter 5     Halfway

Chapter 6     The Blind, the Crooked, and the Halfman

Chapter 7     The Silver Cross

Chapter 8     Eight Bells

Chapter 9     The Forbidden Song

Chapter 10   The Lost Chime

Chapter 11   The Little Match Girl

Chapter 12   The Governor

Acknowledgements

Let every breath be your last.

Let nothing ever come to pass.

Time ticks on, bits and pieces.

Moving on, but looking back

At memories, as they ride us home.

—Orion Blightman

Preface

Christmas is a time when everyone comes together to celebrate this joyous day. But as we immerse ourselves in carols and songs, what are the things we tend to forget in our lives? Alas, how could we remember something that we have already forgotten …

We move too fast in life and often do we forget the things that hold dear to us. But the snow remembers and the faraway town echoes in the distant snow, away from the world, waiting for the twelve chimes to ring across the town upon this cold Christmas Eve. Each chime holds a memory and a story to tell, written in poetry, a remnant of childhood and all that was good. However, none of these stories should you expect to be merry or fanciful.

So prepare yourselves as I bring you to the town that was once lost and forgotten, and the stories that I’m about to tell you may present to be sad and melancholy, but at the same time, they do retain heartfelt and warming moments that show us the meaning of Christmas. And perhaps, could we retrieve something meaningful as we move on in these sombre tales.

Now, be awaken from the sleep that is long overdue and remember the twelve chimes before Christmas.

The Twelve Chimes Before Christmas…

So this is where it all began

from a place where memories are long lost and forgotten.

A small town awakes upon this Christmas Eve

to sing the twelve chimes before Christmas.

For each new chime lies a chapter to behold

a story that we grew to live and forget.

In verse and rhyme these tales are told

to sing the twelve chimes before Christmas.

The soldier boy who kept his silence

to a father who carried his will.

The little match girl who kept her light; all

to sing the twelve chimes before Christmas.

But these tales you hear are not for the blessed,

nor in dreams shall you find solace and peace.

So brave yourselves in these sombre tales

and sing the twelve chimes before Christmas.

Chapter 1

The Soldier Boy

Upon this snowy winter’s night,

the storm raged on, so ashen and cold.

The wind blew stronger, and every second it grew

until nothing could be seen but a shade of fearsome hue.

Yet there it was,

among black trees and shadows.

A silhouette of a boy came walking through the deep, deep snow.

He was a weak little boy