Starla's Luck

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Starla went home for Christmas to the town of Meadowbrook. She was tired and hurting from the loss of her latest fiancee, who had died in a freak accident earlier this year in the big city. So Starla went home to her aunt’s house, where she grew up, to have a nice, simple, traditional Christmas in her hometown. She was not expecting to run into Ted, her first boyfriend, on her first night back, dropping all the packages she was carrying.

Seeing Ted brought back all her old feelings for him, but she did not want to get involved in another relationship. Not only did her last fiancee, Freddie, die in a freak accident, but her last two significant others before him had died freakishly also. So she decided to try to avoid him at all costs.

But avoiding Ted was not meant to be. There was Ted at every party she attended, every get-together, and every time she went caroling with her Aunt. It seemed that not only was God working against what she wanted, but Santa and her Aunt were also.

Take tonight, for instance. Starla was dressed as an elf, directing the kids to Santa's lap and serving cocoa and cookies, all for a Benefit to raise money to save the local orphanage from closure. She was having a great time until she noticed Santa’s eyes and realized he was Ted with a white beard and red coat. Every time Starla took a child to him, his Ho Ho Ho seemed more seductive to her ears. There was something about a man dressed as St Nick that Starla was finding she couldn’t resist. So when she took him a cup of cocoa, and he asked if he could walk her home that night, she readily agreed before she could think twice, forgetting that she had brought her car.

The pair was inseparable over the next few days, spending all their waking free hours together, volunteering at the same fundraisers, and attending community functions together. They served dinner at the homeless shelter. Sang Carols with the church groups. They went to family gatherings together and introduced themselves as a couple. On Suicide Hill, they went sledding with the other daredevils of the community, and in the evenings, they rode in a horse-drawn carriage or just took a walk through the park in the snow. They talked about their pasts and spoke of their dreams for the future.

Then came the night of the tree-lighting ceremony. It had snowed lightly earlier that day, casting a fresh blanket of white on the ground. This year, the decorating committee had outdone themselves with the decorations, mixing blue ornaments with gold bells and silver lace. The high school drama class was dressed as carolers and served cocoa, coffee, and egg nog to the community that had turned out. There were tables full of cookies and roasted chestnut vendors scattered throughout the crowd. Everyone was festive, waiting for the mayor to light the tree. Small groups of people were singing Christmas Carols.

Starla was in heaven. Ted held her in his arms. She could see her Aunt near the foot of the tree, in the area reserved for the community elders. The mayor was going around, adding a splash of rum to any adult cup of egg nog that was open to the idea–of course, the mayor already looked a little soused himself, but who in the town could blame him on this glorious celebration day?

Finally, the hour arrived to light the tree. The mayor was in place, and a heavier snow had started to fall again, and everyone got quiet again. Suddenly, the high school choir started singing “O Tannenbaum.” The mayor plugged the tree in.

Not many can agree on what happened afterward, but those who could agree with each other all swore that a colossal dog ran through the crowd and bumped the mayor. The dog caused the mayor to slip and trip on the cord to the lights for the tree, causing the tree to fall into the crowd.

Poor Starla witnessed the tree falling directly towards her and Ted and felt Ted throw her out of the way. Sadly, Ted didn’t get to move out of the way in time. Starla’s last view of him was of the Christmas Star sticking into his eye, while his other eye stared out lifeless from his dead body.

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