Page 42

 Those famous words, "Celebrating the joy of Christmas" always created a much anticipated atmosphere of magical splendour for the children in the small town of Gabaldon, where seventeen year old Ryan Castro Mendoza lived. At the beginning of each December, the Street Officials dutifully decorated the light poles in an effort to create a festive atmosphere. Ryan however, felt the beauty of these coloured lights simply drew attention from the sad reality of the town's poverty. He thought the words "Celebrating the joy of Contradiction", would be a much more appropriate slogan to be displayed in the town.

"Excuse me Ma'am Sese." Ryan said to his classroom teacher, "How did the celebration of the birth of Christ, become such an internationally famous commercial venture?" A hush fell over the classroom as the teacher prepared her answer. "Thank you John for that very interesting question, it has given me a great idea for a class project; let's divide the class into six groups, each representing one of the six continents of the World. The groups will research and create a written presentation, with regard of how each continent celebrates Christmas." "I think this will make a perfect topic, for our class to present at the end of the year ceremony." she added. The soft groaning noise that filled the classroom, simply fuelled her energies, she smiled at the class as she instructed them to each select a card from her desk. Those with the same number were placed in the group corresponding to their chosen number; a similar process was used to name the groups. Here are the groups she said "Group 1. Africa: Group 2. Europe: Group 3. Australia/Oceania: Group 4, Asia: Group 5. The Americas: and Group 6. Antarctica. Please note, we will not use Antarctica, Group 5 will only include the northern section of the American continent and Group 6 will only include Central/South America." "If you have any questions regarding your group, please place your hand in the air and I will assist you." She said.

"Ma'am, this will be a very interesting project." said the group leaders, "I am sure it will provide a great amount of conflicting data." Ryan intervened. "Maybe and maybe not." replied Ma'am Sese, "We all know that Christmas day's original intention, was to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, however, I am sure that no matter what information that you research and discover, your hearts will provide the ruling power with regard to the theme of your presentation." She said these words convincingly to the group leaders. "It will be very educational, for you all to see mankind's differing interpretations of God's greatest gift." She added. "Please note, this exercise will show that the world has six continents, each with a different style of celebrating Christmas, or one world, with one uniting theme of celebration for the birth of Jesus Christ." These words provoked much classroom discussion amongst the students, "Ma'am, we only have approximately ten school days to prepare for this!" They exclaimed.

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 Gabaldon (formerly Sabani and Bitulok) is a third class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. This picturesque town is tucked within the Sierra Madre Mountains. It lies 171 kilometres northeast of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is bounded by Bongabon on the north, Laur on the west, General Tinio on the south, and Dingalan by the east. Originally, Gabaldon was the site of the Sabani estate, the largest hacienda in Nueva Ecija during the second half of the 19th century, occupying more than 6,000 hectares. In December 1941, during the Second World War, the town was destroyed by the invading Japanese forces and in 1942 the occupying Imperial Japanese Armed Forces established their main general headquarters, garrisons, camp bases, military and civilian POW barracks and local civilian internment camps. The town was recaptured in 1945 through siege and military raids by the local Filipino soldiers and guerrilla fighters stationed in the municipality of Gabaldon. It was the Christmas atmosphere each December, that helped to nullify these unforgettable memories that lingered with the aged community; the sounds of the excited children, as they carolled from door to door each evening, reinforced the intended spiritual message that Christmas brought.

"Good morning everyone, how is your project?" Ma'am addressed the class, "Tomorrow we will discuss each group's research. You will need to elect a representative speaker for each group, and please present all research in the following order; definition, history/origin, cultural Christmas customs, current commercialisation connected with gift giving and any other relevant information." She smiled and continued speaking as she handed out flyers to each student, "Please make sure to give these papers to your families. Our town is expecting the attendance of a very important visitor to the Misa De Gallo ceremony, which is held at our very famous St Paul the Apostle Church." The students looked at each other with bewildered concern, the town had never had any important guests on Christmas Eve before, "Who is this important person?" Tilda asked. "I am not sure, all I know is, that he is from Russia." Ma'am replied. "Maybe he knows Santa Clause!" the students exclaimed and laughed facetiously. "Maybe he does, so you all had better behave and make sure your presentation is a first class effort." Ma'am replied, as she dismissed the class for the day. "John and Ryan, please help with the chairs and tables, I need to take some papers to the office." she said. Upon her return to the classroom she was met by two children, "Can I help you?" she asked, both the children remained silent and simply stared at her. The children's lack of response unnerved her, their dark limpid eyes and strange clothing created a feeling of uneasiness, Ma'am Elvira Francisco Sese had been a high school teacher at Gabaldon for approximately ten years; she had known most of the students in her class since they were in Elementary, but these unknown children created an eerie presence that she had never encountered before.

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Ma'am Sese arrived at school early the next day, hoping someone could shed some light in regard of her encounter with the two eerie children. Neither the school staff, nor the students knew anything about such children, this left her totally bewildered. Surely someone in the town had some information; children do not just appear and simply disappear, she thought to herself.

"Let us start with our project." she addressed the class, "My list shows that Group 1 is Africa with Tilda as the presenter, Group 2 is Europe with Ryan as the presenter, Group 3 is Australia/Oceania with John as the presenter, Group 4 is Asia with Juan as presenter, Group 5 is the Northern section of America with Marissa as presenter and Group 6 is Central/South America and presented by Lucitta." She said. "Tilda please present your group's research" Ma'am instructed.

Tilda cleared her throat and began her presentation.

"Christmas or Christmas Day, meaning (Christ's Mass) is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ; it is observed generally on December 25th as a religious and cultural celebration amongst billions of people around the world.

The history of Christianity in Africa dates back to the 1st Century AD. What every missionary has found since that time is that Africans are very spiritual people. Besides Christianity, the other main religions are Islam and Indigenous beliefs. Going to church is generally the main focus of Christmas celebrations in Africa.

Christmas is celebrated throughout the African continent by Christian communities both large and small. There are approximately 350 million Christians in Africa. On Christmas day carols are sung from Ghana on down to South Africa. Meats are roasted, gifts are exchanged and family visits made. The Coptic Christians in Ethiopia and Egypt celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December in their calendar, which is the 7th of January for most of the rest of us.

Those who can afford it will generally give gifts at Christmas, but the holiday is not nearly as commercial as it is in Europe or the Americas. The emphasis is more on the religious aspect of celebrating the birth of Jesus and singing in church, than it is on gift giving. The most common thing bought at Christmas is a new set of clothes to be worn to the church service. Many Africans are too poor to be able to afford presents for their children and there aren't too many toy stores in rural Africa to shop at anyway. If gifts are exchanged in poorer communities, they usually come in the form of school books, soap, cloth, candles and other practical goods. The decorating of shop fronts, mango trees, churches and homes, is common throughout African Christian communities. You may see fake snow decorating store fronts in Nairobi, palm trees laden with candles in Ghana, or oil palms loaded with bells in Liberia." "Thank you, Group 1,

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 Ryan will now present Group 2's information" Ma'am instructed. Ryan stood and nervously began his presentation"Most Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25. This is a joyous holiday where families get together giving each other presents, decorating houses, singing traditional songs and attending mass. It is believed that Christ was born on the 25th, although the exact month is unknown. December was likely chosen, so the Catholic Church could compete with rival pagan rituals held at that time of year and because of its closeness with the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere, which was a traditional time of celebration among many ancient cultures. By the 4th century Christians were divided into two churches: the Eastern Church was in Constantinople today's Istanbul, and the Western Church was based in Rome. Each church celebrated Christmas on different days. The Eastern Church chose January 6th and the Western Church chose December 25. Today, most countries celebrate the Christmas holidays from December 25 until January 6." said Ryan as he blankly stared ahead at the other students. "Are you okay?" asked Ma'am, "Yes, sorry for stopping, I felt that my head was spinning." he answered and then continued with his presentation. "The Christmas traditions in Europe vary widely from country to country, each country having contributed something significant to the overall Christmas season. Such things as Santa Clause, Christmas trees, mistletoe, Christmas stockings, candy canes, holly and Christmas cards all had their origins in Europe. With the advent of different European countries slowly colonising the world, went the tradition of Christmas. It was the attractive enjoyable experience of Christmas traditions that kept a bonded connection between the homelands and the newly conquered world, thus, the spiritual meaning of Christmas, combined with the magical side of Christmas, became the perfect recipe for commercialisation."

"Ryan, Ryan." Ma'am frantically called to him, "Are you okay?" The cold water splashing on his face instantly revived him, "What happened?" Ma'am asked. "It's difficult to explain, I felt I was in another dimension looking down on myself and the rest of the classroom, I could even see the visitors at the doorway to our room, everything seemed so peaceful." he calmly said. "Come, I will help you to the medical room, where you must rest till your parents arrive to collect you." Ma'am instructed him. "What visitors are you referring too? We have not had anyone come to visit our room today." she said. "But Ma'am, I saw a boy and girl about eight, maybe ten years old standing in the doorway, they were both wearing long dark coats that almost covered their shoes." Ryan said. Ma'am felt deeply concerned upon hearing this information, the description of the children identically matched the two children she had seen the previous day, and she was very puzzled as to why, neither she, nor any of the other students, had not noticed them, yet Ryan could see them while in a state of unconsciousness. She felt that this matter of unidentified children appearing and disappearing definitely required further investigation.

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"Sorry for the interruption, we will continue with Group 3's presentation." She said addressing the class. "Are you ready John?" she said, indicating for silence in the classroom. John walked to the front of the class and proceeded with his speech. "The Australian/Oceania collectively combines all of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, as well as the thousands of coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific Ocean, which includes the Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia groups. The religions in Oceania are composed of different faiths, however, the predominant religion is still Christianity and hence Christmas still remains a very important time of the year. The two countries that have the biggest Christmas celebrations are Australia and New Zealand. While Christmas is celebrated in many Western countries with snow falling from the sky, here in Australia and New Zealand it is the exact opposite. At this side of the world, it is the summer season when Christmas traditions are celebrated, so instead of making snow angels and skiing, people in Australia and New Zealand usually spend their holiday breaks at the beach, basking under the warmth of the sun.

The Christmas celebrations in countries such as Australia and New Zealand are generally not that much different from those celebrations in the western countries, there are the usual Christmas decorations and lights decorating the cities, the exchanging of gifts, prayers, Christmas carols, and of course, the feasting. However, they have Christmas traditions that are uniquely their own, Australia often depicts the iconic Santa Claus with a twist, some people dress him up with summer clothes, flip flops, and instead of reindeer his sled is being pulled by a bunch of kangaroos. Commercialism booms during the Christmas season, and the focus on gift giving appears to be the ongoing priority with each new generation."

"Thank you Group 3, it is truly astonishing to hear how Christmas constantly evolves to suit the situation." Ma'am said. "We will continue with Group 4, after our lunch break." She added as she dismissed the class. Her thoughts however, were still strongly focussed with regard to Ryan's vision of the mysterious children; many unanswered questions formed in her mind, who are they, where have they come from and why are they here? She felt there must be a perfectly rational answer to her questions, paranormal events were just a disillusioned state of mind she felt and such things certainly did not fit with her logical mind. The abrupt knocking on the classroom door startled her, "Please enter." she called out, her words were met with silence. Slowly she walked to the door and opened it, only to find a very small ornately decorated package adorned with red and gold ribbons, looking up and down the corridor revealed no-one, but what looked like wet foot prints made from very small shoes. It was the foot prints that unnerved Ma'am, it was 36C outside and everywhere was completely dry, how anyone could possibly leave wet shoe marks on the floor was beyond her comprehension. Another mystery she thought, the coming school break during the Christmas period was beginning to look very relaxing; maybe she needed a well-deserved rest.

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 Her immediate words to the class after lunch were, "Did anyone see who placed this parcel outside the classroom door?" "Wow, what a great parcel!" the class exclaimed. "Yes, but first we must continue with Group 4's presentation and before we leave today, we will discuss this parcel." Ma'am said hesitantly.

Juan stood and proceeded with Group 4's information. "Only small fragments of population in most Asian countries are Christian, the largest Christian community being in the Philippines, here the Christmas celebrations mainly take the form of church services, however, the active Western media has slowly introduced secular Christmas celebrations with commercial activities. South Korea has a public set of the Christmas traditions of Asia hence it is recognized as a public holiday. Thus, some Non-Christian Koreans sometimes engage in gift-giving, Christmas cards and trees simply because the children enjoy Santa Haraboji or Grandfather Santa, their version of Santa Claus. The commercial influence is strong in Japan and the Japanese enjoy the secular celebrations of Christmas, second only to New Year's Day which is a sacred holiday, here Christmas is more of a time for lovers who exchange gifts and go on special dates. There are, however, sincere Christians who celebrate Christmas from the religious viewpoint.

In Muslim countries none of the Asian Christmas traditions are celebrated, except in some countries that allow Christians to celebrate and even recognize Christmas as a public holiday, such as in Jordan. In Malaysia, although Christmas is a public holiday, there is an unofficial ban on Christian religious motifs; hence the celebration is purely secular. Some 20% of Palestinians are Christians; the most famous part of Christmas in Bethlehem is the Mass of Nativity, this is held in the famous Church of the Nativity during the afternoon, evening and at midnight of Christmas Eve, this mass is conducted by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Jerusalem. This famous church was built, around 500 AD, over a place where it is believed that Christ was born and is managed by a combination of the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The most popular Christmas decoration in the Philippines is "parol." It is a bamboo pole with lighted star on top which represents the guiding star of Bethlehem. People also decorate their homes with buntings, candles, wreaths and numerous Christmas cards which are put in the living room for everyone to see. Cities shine with colourful lights. Christmas season in the Philippines starts on the 16th December with the first of nine early morning masses. People do not sleep during the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The feast on Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) starts after midnight. The centre of family Christmas celebration in the Philippines is "Lola/Lolo". Lola/Lolo is an elder family member, a grandparent who is highly respected in every Filipino family. Children line up in front of this person to obtain their blessing. Christmas in the Philippines has retained its true spiritual meaning.

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 Ma'am smiled as the students began to cheer, "We are the winners; we are the only country in Asia that has maintained the true meaning of Christmas." Her heart filled with pride felt emotions, as she pondered the innocence that accompanied the thoughts of her students, here was a 3rd World Country with more unmatched gratitude to offer God, than any of the so called highly commercial 1st World Countries. "True love cannot be bought." she said to herself. "Can I please have your undivided attention?" she asked, "I need your assistance with regard to this parcel." "Can you open the parcel Ma'am?" the students eagerly asked. "Yes, but first you all need to stand back, move well away from my desk, just in case there is some unanticipated complication." She said. With delicate precision she untied the two frayed ribbons that bound the small red box, then with even more caution, she meticulously lifted the hinged lid to reveal two exquisite silver necklaces, both carrying an unusual cross like piece of jewellery. "What kind of crosses are they Ma'am?" asked the students. "Your guess is as good as mine; I have never seen anything like them." She replied, "Maybe we can research them on the internet." Juan suggested. "That is a great idea." She said to Juan, as she carefully closed the box, sealing its mysterious contents within. "Tomorrow we must finish the remainder of our presentation and when finished, we can discuss the jewellery." She said with serious concern. "Good afternoon Ma'am" the students called as they left the room.

Ma'am Sese sat at her desk in a state of slight confusion; slowly she began to relive and question the day's events in her mind, was Ryan's collapse and his vision of the two unidentified children connected somehow to the mysterious parcel and its contents? Finally she composed herself, and commenced to write the required mandatory statement regarding the day's events, this she would present to the School's Principal as she was leaving. Her statement seemed to take forever to write, each event seemed to have a uniquely paranormal touch to it, finally she gave up, and decided to finish the statement in the Principal's office. "Kamusta po Sir Alex, do you have a few minutes free?" she asked with a serious tone in her voice. "Certainly, please come in and take a seat." he replied. The two sat and discussed all that had happened, coming to the conclusion that most of it made relevant sense, Ryan's collapse was a health issue, and the elusive children were simply kids being kids; however the mysterious parcel remained the only serious concern. Ma'am's feelings of relief upon leaving the Principal's office, were however short lived, in her hast to collect her briefcase from the classroom she failed to notice the two children that followed her. "What a day!" She exclaimed out loud, as she gathered her things to leave. It was the gentle tap on her shoulder however, which brought her face to face with the two children in question. "What are your names, and where are you from?" She kindly asked them, their only response was a simple smile; she indicated to herself and repeated "Ma'am Sese, Ma'am Sese." without turning their backs the children slowly made their way out of the room, only to have vanished outside before she could follow.

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 With only four more days to go before school break, Ma'am insisted that December 17th was the deadline for all of their research; the class project would be presented two days later at the 'End of School Year Celebration'. Ma'am nervously addressed the class, "Before we start with our work today, I insist, that you all remain vigilant with regard to any information concerning the whereabouts of the two elusive children, which have been recently seen here on the school grounds. As crazy as it sounds, they seem to just appear and disappear when you least expect it. Their presence quite unnerves me; they seem to have a creepy, almost otherworldly aura about them." These few words of concern quickly changed the mood within the classroom; fear of the unknown could be seen on the student's faces. "Marissa, please present your research." She said with an unusually soft voice, that prompted concern from the class, "Are you okay, Ma'am?" some students asked, "Yes, I am fine thanks, my mind was wandering, I am beginning to obsess about this whole scenario with the two children of question." She graciously replied, as she indicated with a nod for Group 5 to commence with their research.

Marissa confidently addressed the class. "The Christmas traditions in the Alaskan, Canadian and USA portion of North America, are largely based on those traditions of England, however the Christmas traditions in the Mexican part of North America have been strongly influenced by Spanish traditions. In the days leading up to Christmas it is normal to decorate a tree, most traditional evergreen trees have now been replaced with artificial trees, this is both better for the environment and a lot more convenient. Many people in North America attend church on Christmas Eve, traditionally this is a midnight mass, but now many people go to an earlier service, particularly if they have children. Following church, it is usually home to hang stockings on the mantle to wait for Santa Claus. Children normally leave out milk and cookies for Santa and water for his reindeer before going to bed. One tradition was to leave candles burning for Santa as well, but since this is fire hazard it is not normally practised anymore.

Once the Children are in bed, Santa will usually come and leave presents under the tree, the gifts from friends and family are also normally placed under the tree. Usually the gifts are opened first thing Christmas morning, although this may wait until later if there are no children in the house. Usually Christmas dinner consists of a turkey and all of the trimmings and it is normally a large event with several family members and friends invited over. Commercialism booms during the Christmas period, a new tradition on the day after Christmas is to go shopping and it has become the busiest shopping day of the year, this is mainly due to the huge discounts the retailers offer on the products they were not able to sell leading up to Christmas. When it comes to Christmas traditions in North America, things are starting to change somewhat, as both Canada and United States have large immigrant populations, hence a lot of traditions from other countries are beginning to manifest."

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      "Will it be okay for everyone to have their lunch break here in the classroom today?" Ma'am graciously asked the students. "That will be okay, Ma'am." They answered. "Thank you, I would like to discuss some issues of concern regarding the past few days' events." She said with a hint of trepidation in her voice. "The first thing I need to know has anyone heard from Ryan and secondly have there been any more sightings of the mysterious children?" The students' faces showed nothing but blank expressions, as they exchanged furtive glances amongst themselves. "Well, if anyone has contact with Ryan, could they please tell him that he is not in any trouble but it is of upmost importance that he reports to school tomorrow. Thank you for listening and please take an extra half hour for your lunch break." She said with as much gratitude as she could muster in her voice.

"Okay everyone, break time is over, we will now ready ourselves to listen to the information that Lucitta has for us." Ma'am said with an air of authority. Lucitta moved to the front of the classroom and began her speech.

"Christmas in South America is a bright, colourful holiday and is celebrated with a lot of passion. Most people in Latin America are Roman Catholics, therefore Christmas is observed very religiously with people devoting ample time to visit churches and cathedrals. The Christmas season is more a feast to honour Mother Earth and a means to ask her for blessings to keep away plagues. Unlike other countries or continents, it is difficult to find a Christmas tree in South America, however the Nativity or Presepio is part of a series of novenas, public gatherings of worship in the form of prayer, hymns, and religious poetry usually during a nine-day period of early morning church services, or re-enactment plays and pageants of the nativity scene that recalls the journey of the Holy Family to Bethlehem, under the guidance of a star and angels. The other characters such as the three kings, shepherds and costumed children, also join the parade on their special feast days.

The Misa de Gallo is a traditional Christmas Mass celebrated in all Catholic countries, but it becomes a huge event in South America. It starts right after Christmas Eve dinner, and it's not uncommon for Catholic families to watch it together on television. The Portuguese/Spanish name derives from the fact that the Mass is so long that people don't get home until the roosters are crowing. There's candle lighting, prayer, and after Mass it's time to put baby Jesus in the nativity scene. The entire Christmas traditions of South America are certainly varied, but it is the celebration of the birth of the baby Jesus, that bonds this continent with regard to their Christmas Celebrations."

"Thank you Lucitta. Tomorrow we will compile our research and create our presentation, I am sure it will reveal some very interesting facts." Ma'am Sese instructed. "Please remember to try and make contact with Ryan." She added before dismissing them.      

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           Ma'am Sese had been teaching high school students for approximately ten years and had always maintained a high degree of professionalism, she was well known for her strict, but fair attitude and her ability to remain calm when confronted with an antagonistic situation; however Thursday, 18th December 2014 was the day that truly tested her limits. She anticipated a busy day at school and arrived early with full intentions to finish her end of year paperwork, thus freeing herself to devote her entire day, assisting with the class presentation. One by one the students lethargically dragged themselves into class, "What is wrong with you all today? You look like you haven't slept for a week." She said. Her words were met by a room full of stunned faces, "But Ma'am, it's about Ryan, haven't you heard?" John called out from the back of the room, "No, I have heard nothing about Ryan, is he okay?" she asked apprehensively. "He has been admitted to hospital, he keeps fainting, but there is still no diagnosis to confirm his illness, his family is very poor and cannot afford the necessary scans required." John said quiet unashamedly. Ma'am walked back to her desk and sat, she was obviously deeply grieved by this information and it took a few moments before she felt sufficiently composed to answer. "If you are willing to finish the presentation this morning, I will request some leave for us all to visit Ryan in the hospital this afternoon." She said to the class. "Maybe some Christmas comradery will cheer him," John said. "It may be more than the good will of Christmas that he needs." she thought, as she excused herself to seek permission for this out of school activity.

"The Principal has okayed our visit, please realise, we are a large group and we must be respectfully quiet while in the hospital." She instructed the students as they prepared to leave the classroom. Despite the uphill twenty minute walk to the hospital, everyone enjoyed the much needed break from the usual school routines, Ma'am relaxed while she listened to the accompanying student chatter; she felt the buzz of Christmas spirit was definitely in the air. At first the Hospital was reluctant to allow such a large group of visitors to enter the Ward, the offer of a small donation to the Hospital Administration solved the problem. Ryan was beside himself with joy, when his classmates arrived and presented him with a get well card covered with signatures. "How are you today?" Ma'am asked him, "I feel okay, I am sure I will be okay to return to school tomorrow for the end of year presentations." He replied with a big smile. "That will not be possible Ryan, your medical tests are scheduled for tomorrow and you will have to remain in hospital until the MRI scan results have been analysed by your doctor." She said, "But Ma'am, my family cannot afford such expenses." Ryan replied demurely. Ma'am sat and took Ryan's hand as she spoke to him, "I have spoken to the School Principal and he is in agreement with me, that your incident happened in class time and therefore the school will shoulder your medical expenses." "But, but ...." He replied, "Please accept our decision regarding these scans, maybe that true spiritual side of Christmas has joined hands with the Christmas magic that can be found in everyone's heart." Ma'am said with conviction.       

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        Their return to the classroom that afternoon was met with a scene of sheer vandalism, "Oh my God, what has happened?" Ma'am cried out when she entered the classroom. "Quick, go and get the Principal and do not enter the room till he arrives." She frantically instructed the group of bewildered students. "Who could create such an assault on a classroom, in school time and not draw attention to their activities." She questioned. "Maybe the police will find some incriminating evidence." the Principal replied with jurisdiction. "After signing this witness form, please collect your bags and prepare to leave, however, I insist that you remain in a group till you have left the school grounds, I will see everyone in the gymnasium tomorrow morning at 9.00 a.m. for the end of school year class presentations." He said.

The End of School Year Ceremony began with the usual traditions, the Lord's Prayer, and the National Anthem; these were followed by the School Principal's greetings. It was during his speech that Ma'am Sese felt her mind wandering, full of inquisitive concern regarding the vandalism of her classroom; the police had not even found fingerprints, how very strange indeed she thought, even the lock on the door had not been damaged. The knowledge that this was the last day of school for a few weeks did not comfort her; she knew the holiday break would only enhance the torment her mind struggled with, in regard of these unanswered questions. "I will now introduce Class 1." These words from the Principal snapped Ma'am Sese's mind back to reality, "Two more class presentations then it will be a short thirty minute break for lunch followed by Class 4's presentation." He said. Ma'am tried to centre her thoughts on the upcoming presentation but her mind wandered and would not stay focused, all she could think of was Ryan and his MRI Scan.

"Good afternoon Sir Ryan." The medical team said in unison, as they tried to make light of the situation, "Are you ready for the scan?" the nurse said to him, "We have decided to give you a light anaesthetic, this will help you relax and allow for your body to remain perfectly still, while your MRI procedure is taking place, you will simply go to sleep for about thirty minutes, I assure you there is no pain and nothing to worry about." She kindly reassured him. "You will just feel a quick sting from the injection and then try and count to ten." The anaesthetist added.

The sting was the last thing that Ryan's conscious mind remembered. Waves of euphoria began to engulf him; a tsunami of peace and calm seemed to fill every cell of his being, at last he knew what it felt like to be trouble free, devoid of all earthly bonds, no more sickness and suffering, no more poverty and discrimination fuelled by jealous envy. He assumed these feelings of indescribable contentment and absolute equality could only be paralleled with those found in Heaven. His thoughts turned to many unanswered questions, why does God allow his prized creation to take and to abuse with no concern for others, all of the unique creations and opportunities, which were meant for all to utilise and enjoy? God's greatest gift to mankind being the gift of choice certainly proves man is his own downfall.

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                  Ryan's heavenly feelings were soon shattered, what was this catastrophic sound of violence and destruction that invaded his senses? It sounded as if he was in the middle of a war zone where the battle had reached its peak, he felt himself gulping for air, all around him he could see people running frantically through what he assumed to be was smoke. The noise that filled the air with its screams and explosions had reached a deafening crescendo, his fear of the unknown fuelled his adrenalin rush and he too joined the victimised crowd that appeared to run madly in all directions. At last he found shelter in the ruins of what he assumed was an abandoned church abbey, for the first five minutes he simply sat on the floor catching his breath, the noise of his pounding heart seemed to resound with an echo that masked the battle sounds from outside, he could not comprehend the entirety of the situation. His moment of solitude was short-lived when the sound of distant voices drifted into his sanctuary, what is that strange language he thought to himself, as he tried to blend into the shadows that filled the small room, the voices had a soft musical, almost birdlike pitch about them and the only words he could distinguish were Mama and Papa. His immediate reaction was to rush to their aid, maybe they are lost children also seeking refuge from this holocaust, stealthily he moved toward the voices. The two children screamed and simply froze on the spot when they saw him; their grime covered faces were streaked with tear marks, "Papa, Mama, Papa, Mama." they repeatedly called out. Ryan opened his arms and beckoned them toward him, knowing he was not entirely alone and despite the fact that they were only young children, somehow gave him confidence to escape this tumultuous situation. "Papa, Mama." he said as he pointed to the shattered frame of the doorway, cautiously all three of them climbed outside and hastily made their way through the rubble and away from the impending danger. The weight of the two children clinging desperately to Ryan, certainly made their travel cumbersome, many times he slipped and stumbled as he wove amongst the debris, but he would never abandon his newly found charges. Exhaustion finally overcame them all, forcing them to rest for the night in an old house that had somehow escaped the warfare. With the faint flickering glow from a much used candle, Ryan managed to see his way around the kitchen and with paternal care he scraped together a meal of dry biscuits for the children. Sleep evaded him that night, his mind constantly replaying the past day's events, only added to his already state of fear and confusion regarding the children, who were they, and what was this strange language that they spoke? Ryan's attempts to communicate with the children had only managed to clarify two things, their names being Anna and Dmitri and the fact that they had become separated from their parents, the only thing he was certain of, was that they were not safe. With a lot of animated gesticulations, he managed to convey his message of intent to the children, that somehow he would help them to find their parents. Together they began their search; Ryan was at a complete loss as to his whereabouts and could only rely on the children's knowledge of this obviously foreign but unidentifiable place.

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           Ryan shivered as he and the children made their way through the deserted streets, "I am not used to this cold." He said to both Anna and Dmitry, who simply nodded and encouraged him to keep walking. By what Ryan assumed to be almost midday, they finally took a well-deserved rest in the mottled shade provided by an uprooted tree; however the serenity of their rest was soon interrupted with the sound of distant gunfire. Gathering what was left of his strength; Ryan stood and commanded the children to follow closely as they continued on their way, to where he did not know. Their fears soon turned into reality, "Run, run." He yelled loudly, as the sound of explosives erupted behind them, suddenly an almighty force ripped through the air and threw all three of them to the ground. It took all of his reserves to remain conscious and despite the searing pain in his body, he managed to scramble to his feet, only to find his new found friends face down in the dirt and rubble that covered the road. Fearing the worst he cautiously approached the broken bodies of the two children, "Anna, Dmitry." He softly whispered. Something told him it was too late and with a heavy heart he carefully lifted each child's body, upon supporting their heads against his shoulders; he then carried them to what he assumed to be were the ruins of a nearby church.

Ryan's psyche had reached a stage of utter confusion; he felt every cell of his mind was recoiling serpent like with anticipated readiness to explode. His unanswered cries of "Why, why, how can any war ever be justified when it kills the innocent?" he said to himself, his empathy seemed to resonate from the depths of his soul, as he ever so gently laid the bodies of the children side by side in front of the desecrated altar. With all the reverence he could muster he placed Dmitry's right hand in Anna's left hand, hoping this would somehow keep their souls united as they journeyed into God's loving care, he deliberately left their tear streaked faces untouched, believing it would reveal how they had suffered in the hands of God's greatest creation. "Maybe it was time for God to show his hand and intervene in the affairs of Mankind." he thought.

"Wake up Ryan; wake up, the scan is finished." The nurse called to him, as she gently massaged his arm. "What, where am I?" Ryan answered groggily, "The children, Dmitry and Anna they are dead, what happened?" He said incoherently to the nurse. "Please rest, the procedure is finished; I guess you may have had a bad dream." She replied as she wiped his face with a damp cloth. "But, but ....what I saw seemed so real, it was truly frightening." He said as he tried to sit up. The combination of the anaesthetic and the realistic dream he had just encountered, brought tears to Ryan's eyes, he felt nothing could ever erase the traumatic events he had just witnessed. "Please relax; the doctor will be here soon to inform you, that the scan did not reveal any problems, everything is perfectly okay." The nurse reassured him. "Thank you Ma'am." Ryan replied, he knew in his heart he had just lived through, what he called, an experience of the paranormal kind, knowing that his teacher would be most interested in his story, somehow comforted him.    

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         Principal Alex Tomas Cortez smiled and waited patiently while the late arrivals found their seats. "Good afternoon everyone, I am sure you will all agree that our end of year class presentations have been most entertaining, our final presenters for today will be Grade 4. Please listen carefully, for I am sure you will all find it most enlightening." He said as he ushered the speakers on to the stage.

Ma'am Sese nodded to Tilda, who nervously stepped forward and began her speech. "Grade 4's presentation is titled 'Why, when, and how Christmas is celebrated around the World'. Our research studies have revealed that each Continent celebrates Christmas for the same reason, however the intensity of spiritual purpose varies and is often overlooked in favour of commercialism.

The 'WHY' of Christmas is answered easily, Christmas is to celebrate and worship the birth of Christ our Saviour. The 'WHEN' however is a lot more complicated, December 25 being the traditional anniversary of the birth of Christ, even though most scholars are unsure about the true date for Christ's birth. The decision to celebrate Christmas on December 25 during the winter solace, was made sometime during the fourth century by the church leaders in Rome, in an attempt to Christianise the popular pagan celebrations, such early cultures in the Roman Empire had fallen into sun worship. Recognising their dependence on the sun's yearly course in the heavens, they held feasts around the winter solstice in December when the days are shortest. As part of their festivals, they built bonfires to give the sun god strength and bring him back to life again.

For the most part, their efforts failed to make the people conform, and the heathen festivities continued. In Scandinavia, a period of festivities known as Yule, contributed another impetus to celebration as opposed to spirituality. Because winter ended the growing season, the opportunity of enjoying the summer's bounty encouraged much feasting and merriment. The Celtic culture of the British Isles revered all green plants particularly mistletoe and holly. These were important symbols of fertility and were used for decorating their homes and altars.

During the Middle Ages new Christmas customs began to appear. The most prominent contribution was the carol, which by the 14th century had become associated with the religious observance of the birth of Christ. In Italy, a tradition developed for re-enacting the birth of Christ and the construction of scenes of the nativity began.

Celebrating Christmas has been controversial since its inception. Numerous festivities that found their roots in pagan practices were greatly frowned upon by conservatives within the Church. The feasting, gift-giving and frequent excesses presented a drastic contrast with the simplicity of the Nativity, hence many people throughout the centuries and into the present, condemn such practices as being contrary to the true spirit of Christmas." Tilda said as she continued with conviction.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

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        "The 'HOW' seems to be the resulting combination of both Commercialism and Spiritualism, it is very interesting to note that those countries which do not lead the world's economy, are the very countries that lead the world when it comes to the true spiritual traditions of Christmas. Regardless of the pagan background of so many December traditions, and whether or not Jesus was born on December 25th, our goal is still to turn the eyes of all men upon the true Creator and Christ of Christmas. The light of the world has come, and the Christmas season and celebration presents the church, with a wonderful opportunity to preach the good news, that men can be made righteous and have peace with God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Whatever the pros and cons are of Christmas, we are still unwrapping, the gift of God's Son, and what an incentive for generosity and joy that gift certainly is."

"Thank you Tilda, for that most enlightening information, I only wish that the entire world could have heard what you had to say." Said the Principal, as he collected the microphone from her and began his closing speech. "It is with great pride, that I thank you all for a great 2014 school year. Your disciplined endeavours to participate in your academic programs are certainly evident when I look at the high standard of your resulting achievements. If the second half of this semester that resumes on January 5th 2015, maintains this high standard that you have set, then you certainly will go on to greatness. The faculty and I wish you all a safe and a very Merry Christmas, please enjoy your break, maybe we will all catch each other at the Misa De 'Gallo," He said as he dismissed the assembly.

One by one the Grade 4 students made their wayto the classroom to collect their bags and to wish Ma'am Sese a MerryChristmas. 2014 had certainly been a great year Ma'am reminisced, however thelast few days had certainly tested her calm demeanour, she still did not feelany closer to solving the mystery of the gift, nor the almost eerie apparitionof the two children in question. "To put an end to this enigma would certainlybe a fitting Christmas gift." she said jokingly to John and Tilda as theycollected their belongings. "Why don't you accompany Tilda and I when we visitRyan this afternoon, maybe it will help to remove your anxiety?" John kindlyasked. "That sounds like a great idea, thank you for your kind offer." shereplied. Their visit was greatly appreciated by Ryan, who was still feeling theside effects of the anaesthetic. Every movement he made sent waves of nauseathrough his body and it was with great difficulty that he managed to relay hisstory about the children in his dream. "I am sure your dream was just areaction to the anaesthetic." Ma'am told him, his response however came as ashock and was not to be expected, "Ma'am it was them, it was the children thatstood in the classroom doorway." He began to shout, "Their names are Dmitry,Anna, please believe me." He begged. Ma'am paled at the mention of theseenigmatic children. "Please rest for now, we can discuss this tomorrow." She saidpaternally as they bade their farewells to Ryan. "Will this puzzle ever besolved and put to rest?" she said to Tilda and John as they left the hospital

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    Ma'am Sese awoke early the next morning and readied herself to visit Ryan, hoping to hear the entire contents of his dream. "Wow, that is certainly a dream to remember, I guess the anaesthetic over stimulated your sub-conscious." She said to Ryan when he had finished relating every detail of the dream, his head nodded with agreement, but Ma'am could see by the expression on his face that the matter was far from over. She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked directly into his eyes before she spoke, "The scan results have revealed that everything is okay, I suggest you focus on your good health and enjoy your holiday break, please let this matter about the children go before it consumes you." She added. "After all, it is the Christmas season, focus on the excitement of meeting our Russian visitor, I am sure his visit will be a memorable occasion full of intrigue and mystery." Ma'am said as she bade her farewells to Ryan and his family.

The next few days kept Ma'am busy researching any information that she could find, with regard to the cryptic contents of the mysterious parcel, which had been left in the doorway of the classroom, "These strange cross like pieces of jewellery must have some significance." She said aloud to herself as she scrutinized them. "I guess I should take my own advice and simply let this matter rest for now, maybe the Spirit of Christmas will work its magic and grant me the answer." She said to herself while placing the parcel in a secure place for safe keeping.

"Good evening Ma'am?" John, Tilda and Ryan called out, as they hurried to catch up with Ma'am Sese. "We are all so excited to meet this visitor and hear what he has to say." Ryan said to Ma'am, "Yes, and I guess this extra-large crowd are equally as interested, in what he has to say." Ma'am replied to the three teenagers. "I have never seen our famous St Paul the Apostle Church so full of worshippers." She said as they squeezed themselves in and amongst the crowded pews. This very special Mass was always a firm favourite of the townspeople, not only did it reveal their devotion to God, but it united the community with a strong regard for the true meaning of Christmas. At the closure of the Mass, the much awaited guest speaker was invited to the pulpit, where he was formally introduced to the congregation. His aged appearance that certainly commanded respect and silence, was however masked by his voice which projected compassion and empathy with every word that he spoke. "A very Merry Christmas to you all, my name is Yuri Melnikova and I would like to share a very true, yet tragic Christmas story with you, it is a story that should never have happened. Most of you are aware that on December 24th 1944 during the Second World War, this beautiful church, this temple of God was desecrated as was most of the town. It was here on that particular Christmas Eve, while my wife and our two children were here celebrating the birth of Christ, that this church was bombed killing all those that were inside it. I was born in St Petersburg Russia in 1920 and at the age of eighteen years I immigrated to America, my beautiful wife and I married in 1939 and began our family, however our idyllic life quickly ended when the War broke out."       

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     He stopped to catch his breath and mopped his brow before continuing. "In 1942 I joined Uncle Sam's Marines and eventually became a Commanding Officer stationed here in the Philippines. Yes, it was a bloody battle that raged for six years, with huge numbers of casualties on both sides. An approximate figure of some eighty million people died, all to appease the egos' of the so called World Leaders as they gambolled for supremacy at that point in time. I ask you all to pray to Jesus, whose birth we are celebrating tomorrow on December 25th, that such another man made, unforgivable atrocity never happens again. I do not believe the fallacy that time heals all, time will heal your broken bones but only the love of God can help heal your broken heart. My wife died almost seventy years ago but it only seems like yesterday that she found her place in heaven, however the bodies of my children were never found and I have spent my lifetime, fearing that their innocent souls have not yet ascended to heaven. If only I had some recognisable truth of their whereabouts before I too die, then maybe my heart can release the bond that holds them earthbound." He said with an air of pensive sadness. "My visit here tonight was not intended to burden you with my personal grief, but my story I hope will inspire you all to be content and forever grateful for all the blessings that God has bestowed upon you. Do not waste your entire life holding on to grief, but accept God's plan and to constantly strive forward along a well-chosen path of righteousness. To lose our loved ones is an unbearable truth, just remember, they will be there waiting for you with welcoming arms at the end of your journey. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight, I wish you all a joyous Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Jesus our Saviour, that truly unique happening that started it all."

With the closure of his speech the crowd slowly departed, however a few remaining guests lingered hoping to extend their gratitude to Yuri. "Ma'am, can we speak to Yuri?" Ryan asked hopefully. "I guess it will be okay, I know what is on your mind, so please refrain from asking too many questions." Ma'am replied. The three students led by Ma'am approached Yuri and courteously introduced themselves. "Thank you Sir, for that enlightening speech." They all said simultaneously, Yuri smiled kindly to the group and jokingly suggested that maybe they should all find a seat so he could rest his weary legs. Once seated the three teenagers began a barrage of questions about Russia, Ma'am Sese quickly intervened, "Tilda, John and Ryan please slow down with all of your requests, Sir Yuri is probably tired and maybe needing a rest." "It is perfectly okay and to be expected, I wish I had their youthful energy." He joked, but even his attempt at humour, could not hide his eyes which revealed his inner sadness, they were the eyes of a brave and very proud man, they were the eyes that had held back a lifetime of tears. "All I can say is, Russia is Russia, a country of strong, brave people, which have endured through times of great hardship, just like the people of this fabulous country." He said, "I always carry a few photos' of my family with me, would you like to see them?" he asked as he tried to lighten the conversation.

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                One by one Yuri presented his rather tattered collection of photos. Time had yellowed these once beautiful, black and white photos, however the detailed subject matter was still clearly visible. The first few photos' were of a very young and handsome Yuri with his ever so beautiful wife, the next few showed Yuri's wife holding a baby and a very young child, and the last few were obviously of the same children at approximately six or seven years of age. These last few photos' of Yuri's children sent waves of shock through both Ma'am Sese and Ryan, for these photos' were of the elusive children that had visited their classroom. "Ma'am ...." Ryan immediately began to voice his concern, "Wait, this is not the place to talk." Ma'am Sese quickly intervened and turned her full attention to Yuri. "Sir, both Ryan and I have some surprising, but most important information that we would like to discuss with you, could we invite you to my home for some food and drinks tonight and there we can discuss this crucial matter." She said apprehensively. Yuri was delighted with this invitation and with Ryan leading the way they all walked the short distance to Ma'am's house.

"Welcome to my home." Ma'am said as they entered her yard, "It's not a mansion but I am sure we will be most comfortable in the dining room, please make yourself at home while I organise some refreshments." Together Tilda and Ma'am quickly prepared some snacks, while Ryan and John continued to politely bombard Yuri with questions about Russia and the USA. "What it is to be young and full of enthusiasm." Yuri said to Ma'am as she chastised the boys for their lack of manners. "Ah.....to think that I was only a few years older than John and Ryan, when I was an active soldier from the USA stationed here to fight in the perilous Second World War, I do not know where the years have gone?" Yuri said, as he casually shook his head. "I only hope that all the blood and tears that were shed have not been wasted and Man has learnt from his mistakes. To be able to move forward from such an atrocious act as a War, which involved the entire World, certainly takes an infinite well of forgiveness from all those involved and without God's gift of his only son, which we dutifully celebrate at this time of the year, then who would lead us with this huge task of finding forgiveness in our hearts, as we unite and move in a direction of righteousness. Yes it is true that God gave us everything we need, however it is our role to nurture and respectfully care for these gifts. It is time we stopped procrastinating with covetous behaviour and instead, become the intended guardians of each other." He said with jurisdiction. "Wow! Your words are so enthralling." Ryan said, as he nervously cleared his throat in preparation for the deliverance of his news. Together, with exacting detail, Ma'am and Ryan conveyed their experiences regarding the apparitions of the children. Yuri's face drained of colour, as he hung on to every word that Ryan spoke, his eyes seemed to change from blue to grey as they filled with seventy years of pent up tears. "I do not profess to comprehend how or why this once in a lifetime experience has manifested, it is truly miraculous, there are no earthly words that describe this coincidence of events." Yuri said.

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        Ma'am Sese smiled and gently place her hand on Yuri's shoulder, as she presented him with the box that had been left in the doorway of the classroom. A gasp escaped from his lips when he saw what the box contained, "Oh.....Dmitry, Anna, your crosses....." He muttered as the muscles in his neck convulsed, "My babies, please forgive and understand, that I could not save you from all of this suffering, it is only now that I know the truth of your fate and I can finally accept your death allowing your souls to ascend to their rightful place in heaven, where your mother and the Lord can take care of you. Oh my poor babies......" He said as is head collapsed on his forearms. Everyone at the table remained very quiet until Yuri finally composed himself, "I would like to say just three things. Firstly, I thank you all for your kindness and patience, secondly, I thank you Ryan for your acts of compassion and your heroic deeds in a dimension where none of us have ever ventured, and thirdly I thank you Ma'am Sese for your empathy. It takes a combination of everyone's unique god given gifts to create heaven here on earth. Your acts of kindness have annulled seventy years of anguish and sadness, such a gift that I thought only God could orchestrate, how foolish of an old man to think such a thing."

The rest of the evening was filled with merriment; Yuri had many jokes and tales to tell about Christmas during his childhood years, such tales were full of intrigue and captivated the attention of both Ma'am Sese and the three teenagers. "Was Santa Clause ever a real person or is he only a myth?" Tilda asked. "I guess you will have to fly to the North Pole and ask the reindeers." The boys yelled teasingly. Yuri smiled, this was the first Christmas he had celebrated since the loss of his family seventy years ago, what a joyous feeling it is to share your time with someone during Christmas Eve, this gift of friendship is far greater than any material gifts he thought to himself. "It is getting late my friends; I guess I must take my weary old body home and rest." Yuri said as he thanked everyone for their kindness, "I wish that you and your families have a Merry Christmas and a great New Year. Please remember two things, God's gifts work in mysterious ways and tonight is the night that the heavens have an overflow of angels in all readiness to assist with the Christmas Spirit, maybe someone very lucky will get a visit from one." He said.

John, Tilda and Ryan also bade their farewells and as they headed to their homes, they discussed Yuri's many philosophical statements regarding spirituality. "It almost seemed like God was speaking through him, his statements were so profound and so unusual. Remember what he said about the angels?" Ryan said as he turned his head, in response to some distracting sensation that made his body shiver. "Have a great day tomorrow and Merry Christmas." They said to each other when they reached Tilda and John's home. Ryan's feelings of contentment quickly turned to startled fear, when he felt a gust of air blow past his face. Hastily he made his way along the street and into his family's house. "What was that?" he mumbled as he readied himself for sleep, "Just an over-active imagination." He joked to himself as he drifted into a well-deserved sleep.

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      "Ryan's sleep was filled with dreams inspired by Yuri's tales, large Christmas trees, fireplaces adorned with stockings filled with small gifts, reindeers, sleigh rides through the snow, it all seemed so delightfully real, especially the angels. The angel statues in the church were the only angels Ryan had ever seen and they certainly did not possess the inspirational charm that the angels in his dreams portrayed. These angels that filled his dreams were in human form and were complete with glorious wings made of pearl coloured feathers, such a magnificence Ryan felt was indescribable to anything he had ever seen or imagined. Yuri's word's kept repeating themselves "Christmas Day is to be celebrated as God's greatest gift to mankind, that being the birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour." Feelings of sadness swept over him when he awoke, the new day had burst his magical dream filled bubble and he was back in the harsh reality of life. "A Merry Christmas to the world." He said in a state of semi-consciousness, "If only my angels were still here." He thought, "But we are here." A voice said. "We are your guardian angels, we are here to protect and guide you, just as you did for us." "Sure, this is just another crazy dream." He thought, unaware of the two feathers that lay near his pillow.