Christmas Calamity

1

It's Christmas time in the Denver family household, Little Juliette's favourite time of the year. Every year, one family member is chosen to put the Angel on top of the tree. This year, it's Juliette's Uncle Harry. He steps onto the first ladder and his wife, Heidi, passes the angel clad in a beautiful glittery sky blue dress to him. He then continuous his journey up the ladder, but the angel begins to shine and shake. Harry tries to keep his grip and balance steady. But he's having trouble. Heidi and her oldest daughter, Jasmine, rush to help him.  But before anything else happens, a loud crash is heard from the kitchen. Everyone rushes over to find little Kai and Jay surrounded by broken plates. Sad expressions cast their tiny faces. Jackie and Jon, Juliette's mother and father, rush to aid their sons. Jackie scolded the two naughty boys. While everyone heads back to the living room. Noticing the finishing tree, Juliette cheers. And Uncle Harry is sitting in his usual arm chair when he comes and visits. Breathing, Talking, Laughing and Enjoying life.

And the little blue clad Angel sits silently on top of the tree.

•••

19 year old Juliette was putting the last few baubles on the tree, with the help of her brothers, mother and father. They were waiting for grandmother Joan to arrive. Jackie continued to check on the Christmas dinner, while Jon was keeping a look out for his mother. Juliette finished the tree when her phone chimed.

Message from Molly

Merry Christmas girlfriend! Can't wait to hang out on Saturday! Gonna be epic! X

The doorbell rang and Juliette quickly typed her best friend a quick "merry Xmas" back along with "me neither" and " I know, see ya soon" and pressed sent. She put her phone in her pocket just as her grandmother walks through the door.

Juliette hugs her grandmother, she takes her coat and bag and hangs them up for her. While Jon helps his mother to the table in the living room. Jackie begins to get the food out of the oven, when she knows it's all ready, she begins to dish it all up.

11 year old twins, Kai and Jay soon come running down the stairs, they hug their grandmother and exchange "merry Christmas' ". Jackie is soon finished dishing up dinner,  the family of 6 sit at the table, pull the Christmas crackers and they all dig in with their starters. Christmas songs blast out from the radio. Singing carols, laughing, enjoying the holiday season was why Juliette loved the festive season.

After dinner, Jon helped his wife pack everything away, the table, chairs, the left overs. But Kai and Jay kept getting in the way. Jon told them to calm down and they did. Soon enough, it was time to put the angel on the tree.

Jay wanted to do it. But so did Kai. "I've never done it before, dear." Came the voice that belonged to Joan. Jackie wasn't sure and neither was her husband. Joan was in her late 60s, early 70s. She might slip and fall and break her spine or damage her hip again. But Joan was very convincing. So both the young adults agreed, even though they didn't like it at all.

But when Joan began to walk up the ladder, the angel began to shine and shake. The ladder was slightly rocking side to side, but what wasn't helping, was that Kai and Jay was play fighting next to the tree and ladder. They just had too much energy. Jackie called them and took them outside. Jon was feeling peckish, so he went to hunt for a mini snack. Juliette was sitting on the sofa, texting Molly and keeping an eye on her grandmother. But the angel continued to shine and shake. Juliette looked back down at her phone to finish off her sentence, when she heard a piercing scream. She looked up immediately and there, right before her very eyes. Was. Her. Witnessing. Her. Grandmother. Dying.

" GRANNY!!" Juliette yelled. She jumped up, leaving her phone on the sofa, she ran to the lifeless body of her grandmothers. Tears poured down her cheeks. Jon and Jackie ran in, stopping dead in their tracks.