Donsular

“So, how did you enjoy it?” Mary said as soon as Jack came bounding back into the flat after getting back from the lamp lighting. The smile on his face already answered her question, but asking it was really just for her own enjoyment in hearing his excitement. “It was great!” He beamed. “He did just about every single one on his own. The kid’s putting me out of a job here.” Bert chuckled, stepping in just behind the lad. “He’s a quick learner, that’s for sure.” “Can we do it again tonight?” Jack asked, turning back to Bert. “when you go turn them on for the night?” “Well of course kid! I’m on duty all weekend. And anyone, I only taught you how to turn them down this morning, I can’t leave you only knowing how to do half the job. Lighting them’s the complicated bit.” Mary could see the light sparkling in his eyes at that, loving the idea that there was more to it than he’d already been taught. If he enjoyed it this much, he’d probably go wild when he gets to start making repairs to

The night wore on, but Jack’s enthusiasm never waned. Bert was rather surprised to see that Jack was so in love with lamp lighting. Sure, it was a fine job, but Bert had never quite had the same love. He liked to mix up his careers, and really only id any lighting work part time, taking one of the routes for the weekend so the usual lighter could get a break. It could be hard at times. Nobody ever seemed to want to share the road with cyclists. He’d be rammed more times than he cared to mention. Kids threw rocks at the bike’s wheels or kicked his latter. Some people intentionally broke the lamps purely for the sake of target practice with their new hand-made slingshots. And of course, it sure as hell could be dull. Bert always needed change. It was just how he was. He couldn’t stay in one place very long. So, he moved between jobs just about every day: pavement art, collecting and selling chestnuts, busking as a one man band, sweeping chimneys, making and selling kites, and of course,

Michael and Kate were happy. That fact had never been up for debate. A walk in the park every now and then could prove to anyone of that fact. The way they doted on each other, the way they joked, the way they looked at each other like they were the only people in the world. It was all plain to see to anyone with eyes. Michael used Kate as his muse for many paintings, and Michael became the subjects of many of the songs she wrote at the piano. That was why it hurt so much once she was gone. Her illness had hardly been sudden. She’d been plagued by illnesses for years. A weak immune system was the cause, thanks to a short list of several autoimmune diseases that each provided their own unbearable symptoms. Some days were worse than others of course. But she generally had a reasonable control over them thanks to the medications she was on. And even as she aged, they seemed to wind down in severity of their symptoms. Kate had been ecstatic about this. With every doctors appointment, she

When Jack was woken early that morning, he didn’t expect much to come from the day. He didn’t have any school that day, so he was surprised to see Bert standing by his bed, gently shaking his shoulder to rouse him from his dream. “Mornin’ lad!” He said, with a grin far too chipper for so early in the morning. “Wha-?” Jack mumbled, “What’s going on?” “You, my lad, are finally going to get to do some lamp lighting!” And that’s when the penny dropped. Jack had been excited to do this ever since he found out that Bert was a part-time lamplighter. He’d always enjoyed watching the lighters do their work whenever he’d been out on the street. He had a great time with it. The little flames always looked so beautiful; like little twinkling stars that were harnessed specifically to bring a little magic to the city. Back when Jack was still living in Puerto Rico on the family farm atop Cerro Morrales, he would look out to the towns of Utuado and Jayuya and marvelled at their twinkling lights

“So yeah,” Jack huffed, “I figured if nobody wanted me there, then I’d leave and find somebody who actually did care.” Silence fell over the whole flat as Mary and Bert were left dumbfounded outside of Jack’s bedroom door. They hadn’t expected to get the story out of him at all, and while it had take a while to get it, it had completely floored them when they did hear it. To Bert, it wasn’t much of a surprise that Jack would decide that he’d fare better on his own. But the orphanage itself had been quite a shock. However, for Mary, that was something she knew all too well. Psych wards were really no place for children, not until things were massively improved, at least. But she knew how easy it was to be labelled “insane”, especially when it came to kids on the streets. She’d come across plenty of cases where being orphaned was enough to be stuck on such a ward, even if they displayed no side effects of the trauma they suffered. To her, it was common knowledge that the second someone

Well, that note was a load of nonsense. It had said the janitors would join Mr Cunningham on Monday to help him with the clear up of the place. Jack had taken that to mean that Cunningham would be in sooner to start and then be joined by the janitors later. But no. Things couldn’t be that simple.   And so, Jack soon found himself wandering the empty corridors of what was supposed to be his home all on his own. A weekend had never dragged so slowly.   Thankfully, the cupboards were still stocked well enough with tins of whatnot to keep him fed. And Jack knew enough about taking care of himself to cook it on his own. He even tidied the place up a little just to pass the time. And at the rate he went, there’d be little for the groundskeeper and janitors to do when they eventually got there.   But that was fine with him. He’d adamantly decided that the shock of all that would add to the hilarity of the situation when they realised he’d been left behind.   And it would be funny. He’d told

Jack could hardly believe it. As he watched two people walk right in who were, in the only possible way, perfect.   Their very aura seemed kind. With kind eyes and a kind smile and a kind everything. They looked relatively well off, but not wealthy enough to be snobbish. Just the right kind to be able to live comfortably and not need to choose between rent of food. And that would do just nicely for him. The couple were quite clearly married. But even from this distance, Jack could see how scuffed and scratched their wedding rings were, speaking to a long marriage. But the fact that they had both clearly been recently polished spoke of a couple who were still deeply in love with one another. They walked comfortably hand in hand with total confidence and their heads held high. Neat, tidy, perfectly respectable.   But that wasn’t even the best part. The second they opened their mouths and spoke to Sister Matthews; Jack instantly recognised an accent.   Spanish!!   They were like him. And

Jack had been sitting patiently for an hour now. He’d been waiting for the families to arrive just like he’d been told they would. The adoption event was supposed to start at about 2pm. And while he had to admit, he was feeling rather like a cocker spaniel in a kennel waiting for someone to decide he was cute enough and knew enough tricks and was well enough house trained to adopt, he was still happy to get his chance.   Surely with 400 prospective parents coming, there had to be a couple who’d take some interest in him. After all, there was only 30 kids in the orphanage. One of the other kids (whose name Jack hadn’t cared to learn) had done the maths on that one and it came out as just over 13 people per kid. 26 if they meant that there’d be 400 pairs of parents per kid. Jack had never been too good with numbers like that. It didn’t help that he’d never been to school, and with the orphanage being technically a part of an asylum, they weren’t required to provide an education as all

“Jack, you know can talk about this. It might make you feel a bit better.”   Right now, Bert and Mary were standing outside Jack’s bedroom door at their wit’s end trying to get Jack to open up to them a little about everything that had happened that afternoon. As soon as they’d gotten back to the flat, while Bert and Mary made a cup of tea and discussed their next plan of action, Jack had stowed himself away in his room and was now refusing to come out.   “Come on kid.”   “No.”   “If you hide away in there all the time, you won’t get to spend time with your friends before they leave.” Mary tried, the pair having come close to completely running out of ideas. Jack clearly didn’t like the idea of that, but he was smart enough to know that his friends wouldn’t be leaving London in the next five minutes. Or even the next twenty four hours for that matter. Which meant he still had plenty of time to spend on his own before he was ready to face the world again. And his silence was enough to

Having only seen them the once, Bert hadn’t expected to recognise the children so easily. And when he spotted the pair that Mary had pointed out, it was only Jack’s response that made him sure as to who he was looking at.   But the more he looked, the more he remembered Brickstack, with her ginger curls tucked tightly beneath her cap and the thick coat that she was buried beneath, and Snaps, with his sly grin and sharp green eyes that locked with Jack in an expression Bert couldn’t quite read.   He couldn’t imagine what they were thinking. The way Bert just showed up and then suddenly, Jack disappeared. They probably thought Jack was dead. Bert also realised that they therefore may also be scared of him if they thought he’d been the one to harm Jack.   Bert watched as Jack froze at the sight of them, as if he’d seen a ghost. After so long, the boy had likely given up on seeing them again. But there they were, right in front of him. They should have been happy. But something was

They said it would be over in time for Christmas. It was one of the ways they got so many people to sign up. Jack and his friends, like many young boys, were promised a better life for when they returned if they joined the cause. And for a boy who, at best, could hope for two small meals a day, that sounded pretty good. It’d be an adventure, and they had been promised that friends who signed up together, would be stationed together. They’d get to see a new country, fight the good fight, and then be home as heroes in time for Christmas. What was there not to like? Well as it turned out, quite a lot. But the recruitment officers wouldn’t tell them any of that. After all, they were so keen on getting more men that they overlooked underage soldiers. Jack’s initial concern was that they’d miss the battle with how long they were in training, which he had thought to be rather pointless, really. Several months of stabbing sacks with bayonets and learning to march in straight lines. It was

While getting everything ready for the big day, Ellen makes a mistake that could ruin Christmas. (This fic was inspired by the 2015 Sainsbury's Christmas advert: Mog's Christmas Calamity. It was made to raise money for chairty. Here's a link to the original advert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuRn2S7iPNU) ◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈ Ellen O’Mare was a busy woman. She had a lot to do regardless of the time of year, but one day in particular that would leave her tearing her hair out, was Christmas. It was for this very reason she didn’t usually work on Christmas. She’d prepare the food a day in advance and leave it ready with instructions for Michael as to how he should warm it up for dinner. However, this year, things were a little different. Ellen’s sister, Helena was going to be late. Normally, the two would meet up. They’d often get together with other members of the family, but every time, it was at least the two of them. But this year, it was just the two of them, and she was

Ok, Jane hadn’t actually planned to do what she did. It just sort of… happened. She had been with Jack to comfort him, but it quickly turned into a normal conversation: joking, laughing. And then it got a little flirty. She hadn’t planned to walk home with him, but it happened. It wasn’t like either of them wanted to go back inside again, anyway. And when they reached Jack’s flat, she certainly hadn’t expected she would be going in with him. But when Jane woke up next to him the following morning, she was certainly glad she did. Jane was the first to wake up that morning, where she spent several minutes lying in bed, thinking about how on earth she managed to get where she was, before spending a bit longer watching Jack sleep. A few rays of moonlight had slipped past the curtains to illuminate Jack’s body in their glow. He looked completely at peace, as if the drama of the night before had never even happened. His chest rose and fell with each breath as he lay on his side, facing away

Michael Banks did not know to say. He had known his Aunt B all his life. And in all that time, she had never changed. She always disliked bad manners. She always thought she knew best. And she always hated anything that wasn’t to her standard. But in all the time he’d spent in her company over the years of his life, Michael had never known his Aunt B to do anything like that. Michael spent several long moments simply sitting in his chair after Jack and Jane left, with no idea how to respond. He half wished the children would perk up and speak. But in the presence of their aunt, and now seeing how irritable she was, you couldn’t have even bribed them to say a single word out loud. He spent a little while just listening, in the hopes that he might hear his sister and Jack talking, but he quickly realised that that wouldn’t be possible. And fearing her reaction if he simply got up and left, Michael decided that he would try to talk to B instead. “Why did you do that?” “What?” she

In those moments, nothing else mattered. Jane had seen this before. Not just in Jack, but from plenty of her friends. Nearly everyone she knew who had been to the war or had family that did, all said the same thing. It changes you. Simple memories trigger pure panic. It feels like you might suddenly be sent back at any time. They called it “Shell Shock”. But in Jane’s opinion, “shock” didn’t even begin to cover it. By the time Jane had made it outside, Jack was standing by the lamppost at the front of the house. He was resting his head against his arms which leant against the pole. His head was down with his eyes screwed shut as he desperately tried to keep back the wave of emotion threatening to pull him under. His body remained tense, as it bathed in the glow from the lamp above, but it looked more like he was terrified of getting too far from the safety of the light, as he pressed his whole body as close as he could. She could see that he was shaking, as well, but it was too much

Jane Banks wasn’t usually in the habit of challenging her own family, but here she was. Maybe it was because she was already so tired from work. Maybe it was because it was Jack that she’d insulted. Whatever the case, it led to her sitting in the lounge of her brother’s house waiting on Jack. She would’ve preferred if she could have come to Michael’s with him, but unfortunately, Jack had work, and it was a lot easier if she just waited for him at the house, and he came over when he finished his rounds and changed. Because he had committed to the suit idea. Jane honestly couldn’t wait. Not only would she be able to shut down B, but she’d also get to see Jack wearing a nice suit, and she definitely liked that idea. B came downstairs after getting ready for the last hour, and Jane could tell that she had put even more time and effort into her appearance to intimidate Jack. Her white wispy locks were in the most precise and complicated updo she’d ever seen. She wore purple satin and

Today was not a good day for Jane Banks. She just had to show up at her brother’s house the day that Aunt Brenda decided to come over. She was meant to be coming next week, but of course, Auntie B loved to be early to things, even if it was completely inconvenient for everyone else. She was so rich, she seemed to just assume that everyone else in the family was too, enough that they didn’t have to work a day in their life. Of course, that idea was very wrong indeed. But it did mean that when Jane decided to visit her brother on her afternoon off, she was met with the rather forthright and dicty woman that she had really been doing her best to avoid since her teen years. You see, Aunt B was a very old-fashioned woman, and despite her title, she was actually their great aunt, being about 83. She was Grandma Bank’s sister, who’d married rich. Very rich. So of course, she only went around in the grandest dresses and hats that money could buy, and expected anyone that wanted to know her to

William Weatherall Wilkins has always hated Christmas. But after an insulting joke, he lashes out. But the spirits were watching, and now, he has to face the consequences of his actions in one very busy night. But the question is, will he ever change? ◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈ “Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Wilkins signed it. And Wilkins’ name was good upon ‘Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail... hang on.” The banker put the book down and let an accusatory gaze land on Miss Farthing. “So, they think I’m a misery, do they?!” Miss Farthing tried to keep eye contact with her former boss, but couldn’t help but cringe at his reaction. A few of the other bankers had gotten him an early Christmas present: they’d rewritten the entirety of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and changed the names of