I Won't Be Home For Christmas
by Donna L Martin
Gracie stepped onto the tarmac and looked around. Just another stop in a long line of shows to help with troop moral. She'd never guess it was almost Christmas by the look of the grey barracks surrounded by the mud and slush of a dreary December afternoon.
Tugging her coat closer to her, Gracie ran the last few yards to the mess hall where a temporary stage had been built for the entertainment. She had just enough time to get ready before her curtain call. How many times had she stepped onto one of those stages to sing for men so far from home? One look into their war-weary faces and Gracie could tell the only Christmas wish on their lists was a one way ticket home.
Papa told her when he left her at the train station it would be hard traveling so far away during the holidays. Turned out he was right. But in her heart she knew she was still where she belonged.
"Little girl, you make sure you sing your heart out for those guys. Poor blokes, some won't see another Christmas."
"I will, Papa."
"And remember, look for the northern star and know your mama is always watching over you."
Tears misted Gracie's eyes as she thought of her mama while getting ready for the show. The pain was still a dull ache in her chest even after three years but Gracie knew her mother would be proud of what her little girl was doing.
Gracie did a final check of her makeup and slowly smiled back at her reflection before heading onstage. Outside the world might have forgotten about Christmas but for the next two hours she planned on bringing a little bit of the holiday spirit indoors...
***Okay, it's your turn! Does Gracie help those soldiers forget they're so far from home? Could there be a special surprise waiting for her as well? Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph. Continue my story or start one of your own. Join the fun and see where this picture prompt takes us!***
Gracie stepped out onto the stage and the music started, the strands of her first song. But something strange happened, she didn't follow the music. She looked around at the tired and scared men and women sitting waiting for this young woman to sing and take their minds off what lay ahead of them.
ReplyDeleteGracie opened her mouth expecting to sing but what came out was something completely unexpected. "I want you," she pointed to a young man in the front row, with tears in his eyes. "I want you to join me up here and tell me the name of a special song. It doesn't have to be a Christmas song or hymn but one that will take you to a place of peace and love."
The young man pointed to himself and when she said, yes you, he came up on to the stage. Gracie shook his hand and asked his name. "My name is Sgt. Mathew Wisdom. My friends call me Matt."
"Matt what song has special meaning to you and why?"
"Amazing Grace," Matt said. "That was the hymn my mother sang to me when I was tired, unhappy or just lonely. That song means more to me than any other."
Gracie smiled, that was her favorite song too. "Seems we have a mutual liking for Amazing Grace, my mother sang it to me too when I was a child. Will you join me in singing it? Come on everyone join us. Lets all sing our heart out and feel the love and peace that this song brings to all of us."
After two hours of sharing songs and stories with the men and women Gracie felt as if she had done something meaningful for them and herself.
Back stage her manager had a grim look on his face. "What in the world were you thinking? You didn't follow the performance layout. Or were you thinking at all?" He paused for effect, making her think he was going to ream her out. A big smile came to his face. "That was the best performance you've ever done. I'm proud of you."
She smiled and said. "Thank you, actually I had the best time of my life too. I'm sure the men and women did as well. This night will last them for the rest of their lives which may not long at all. God keep them in his arms safe and whole.
Who can top your ending? That was beautiful.
DeleteHi Gladys! Thanks for finishing my flash fiction piece. That was lovely way to end Gracie's journey...
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Donna, I was thinking WW 2 and the USO.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Janet, but this is actually Gracie Fields who performed for the RAF personnel just like the USO. Here she is in her last movie released in 1945 with a young Roddy McDowall...
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdVOSvHB8X4
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Lovely job both of you!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a Happy, Healthy, and Successful New Year!
Thank you, Yolanda, for your kind words! Here's wishing the same to you!
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!