Twelve Hours of Christmas

Hour Four - In Which a Lot of Food is Given

The smell of cooking assaults Lewis' nose like an attack from a wild animal. He wrinkles his nose in disgust. 

"What's the matter?" Henry asks. "Don't you like food?"

"Of course I like food." Lewis answers. 

"What's with the funny face then?"

"I just think that it's a waste."

"How can food be a waste?"

"Some people get so much of it and yet others get hardly any. It just doesn't seem fair that we get to eat all this food and throw most of it away when we could give it to someone who needs it most." Henry doesn't say anything to this but instead continues to walk toward the sound of a large group of people. "Why are we going to the food market?" Lewis asks. 

"Who says we're going there? We might just be passing it." Henry answers. Lewis avoids eye contact with as many people as he can as they weave their way through the stalls and the crowds of people standing around each one. Henry walks quickly without stopping. 

Finally, Henry stops and tugs open a door. Lewis looks around him before following Henry into the warmth beyond. He has no idea where he is at all and he wonders what sort of place this could possibly be - especially if it had something to do with their previous conversation.

Henry has already taken off his coat and is hanging it up on a peg. He shouts a greeting down the hallway and an answering one is heard. Henry motions for Lewis to follow his lead and Lewis finds himself willingly taking his coat off and following Henry down the corridor. Halfway down it, Henry darts through an open doorway and Lewis follows him. 

Inside a bunch of people wearing aprons are busy cooking. There's a sort of window that opens out into a dining area where Lewis can see some more apron-clad people setting out tables and chairs. "Henry!" a woman greets, throwing her arms open. Henry hugs the woman and she looks over to where Lewis is stood with his arms folded. "Who's your friend?" She asks. 

"Manda, this is Lewis. I brought him here to help. He likes helping people." 

"Well then, he can go and help out with setting up," Manda says. "Is that okay?" The question is directed to Lewis. He nods a small nod and Henry takes him around to where the other group of people are setting up tables. They all greet him and set him to work straight away. Henry disappears back into the kitchen and Lewis can hear him joking about with the cooks. While he's setting up the tables Lewis does begin to wonder what this is all for. Henry never actually told him what this place was for. 

A few minutes later everything is set up and Lewis and the rest of the people in the dining area are called back into the kitchen to help serve the food out. As the dining area begins to fill up with people Lewis realises what this has all been for - it's a soup kitchen.

Lewis and Henry help out with the serving of the food for about half an hour before Henry motions to Lewis for them to leave. "Come on, we'll leave them to it."

"Why can't we stay?"

"Because they have enough people and the busy bit is over so they won't need our help. We'll just be in the way." 

"Can we come back?"

"Sure you can," Henry answered as they put their coats back on. 

Back outside, Henry heads straight back to the market. "So we are going to the market?" Lewis asks. He's become a lot happier in the time they spent in the soup kitchen and Henry uses this to his advantage. 

"Of course we are. It's one of the best things at Christmas."

"Please don't tell me we're going to buy food."

"Not a lot of it. Only small snacky things I can give as gifts." Henry says. "Which reminds me," he continues. "have you done your Christmas shopping yet?" Lewis shakes his head. 

"What do you think?"

"Then I guess our next task is sorted out."

"Please don't make me do Christmas shopping..." Lewis says. 

"Of course we're going Christmas shopping," Henry says. 

"No, no, please don't make me!" Lewis begs.

"Tough!" Henry starts to laugh as they wander through the stalls. Lewis grins at him, feeling a lot happier than he did a few hours ago. Maybe there was the slight possibility that he could become festive after all. He wasn't about to tell Henry that though...