MEGAN’S CHRISTMAS

A Spirit Guide, A Ghost Tiger and One Scary Mother!

by

Owen Jones

Copyright © March 25th 2017 Owen Jones

Megan’s Christmas

by Owen Jones

Published by Megan Publishing Services

https://meganthemisconception.com

The right of Owen Jones to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. The moral right of the author has been asserted.

In this work of fiction, the characters, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or they are used entirely fictitiously.

All rights reserved.

Other books in:

The Psychic Megan Series

A Spirit Guide, A Ghost Tiger and One Scary Mother!

The Misconception

Megan’s Thirteenth

Megan’s School Trip

Megan’s School Exams

Megan’s Followers

Megan and The Lost Cat

Megan and The Mayoress

Megan Faces Derision

Megan’s Grandparents Visit

Megan’s Father Falls Ill

Megan Goes on Holiday

Megan and The Burglar

Megan and The Cyclist

Megan and The Old Lady

Megan’s Garden

Megan Goes To The Zoo

Megan Goes Hiking

Megan and The Cookery Competition

Megan Goes Riding

Megan and The Radio One Road Show

Megan Goes Yachting

Megan at Carnival

Megan’s Christmas

Megan Catches Covid-19

DEDICATION

This edition is dedicated to my wife, Pranom Jones, for making my life as easy as she can. She does a great job of it.

Karma will repay everyone in just kind.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

Believe not in anything simply because you have heard it,

Believe not in anything simply because it was spoken and rumoured by many,

Believe not in anything simply because it was found written in your religious texts,

Believe not in anything merely on the authority of teachers and elders,

Believe not in traditions because they have been handed down for generations,

But after observation and analysis, if anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, accept it and live up to it.

Gautama Buddha

––

Great Spirit, whose voice is on the wind, hear me.

Let me grow in strength and knowledge.

Make me ever behold the red and purple sunset.

May my hands respect the things you have given me.

Teach me the secrets hidden under every leaf and stone, as you have taught people for ages past.

Let me use my strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy – myself.

Let me always come before you with clean hands and an open heart, that as my Earthly span fades like the sunset, my Spirit shall return to you without shame.

(Based on a traditional Sioux prayer)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My thanks to the artist who did the cover for me,

Jacqueline Chavarria.

If you want her contact details, just let me know.

CONTACT DETAILS

http://facebook.com/MeganTheMisconception

http://twitter.com/Megan_and _Grrr

owen@meganthemisconception.com

http://meganthemisconception.com

http://owencerijones.com

http://tinyurl.com/meganseries

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https://meganthemisconception.com

1 THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS BEGIN

“I’m really looking forward to school today, Mam!” said Megan at breakfast.

“That’s nice, Megan… because it’s the end of term?”

“No… well, that too, but mostly because of the Carol Service and the special meal we get. I love Christmas pudding and custard, and I love mince pies”.

“You get them here…”

“Yes, I know, but I can’t get enough of them”.

“You’ve never told me that before. I could make them anytime”.

“Mmmm, thanks, but I don’t think they would taste the same in March or June… They invoke the festive spirit somehow”.

“Yes, I know what you mean… like hot Crossed Buns in September… Why is that?”

“Yes”, she smiled. “I don’t know. Anyway, I’d better get off to school. See you later, Mam”. Megan picked up her satchel and ran out of the door slamming it behind her. Suzanne was waiting for it, but that didn’t make the noise any less irritating.

∞

Megan was enjoying the end-of-term Christmas Carol Service at school, she always had done, but for the first time in her life, the words of some of the hymns bothered her. She had always considered herself a Christian, she had never had any other alternatives presented to her, but, phrases such as “Onwards, Christian soldiers…’ bothered her. She was not a soldier, not violent, and not anti-anyone or anything, as far as she knew, and she didn’t want to sing that she was. She marked it down in her mind as something to ask Wacinhinsha one day.

Lunch was sumptuous by everyday standards, but what topped it off was having the afternoon off. She had forgotten to mention it to her mother, but that didn’t matter - she had a key, and her mother was usually at home anyway.

As she, Jane and Grrr sauntered down Park Crescent from school, Jane suggested a coffee at Mr. Mill’s shop.

“Sure, why not? Mam’s not expecting me home for hours and I love to watch the world go by”.

As they were drinking their milky coffee and eating Christmas cake, their thoughts were on the holidays.

“Have you got any plans, Jane?”

“No, not really. Mum and Dad haven’t said anything except that they’ll be having a party on Boxing Day, but they usually go to lots of parties over Christmas and New Year, which means that I’ll probably be stuck on my own for most of the time… as usual. What about you?”

“Oh, you sound so sad…” she replied reaching out to touch her friend’s hand. “You know that you can come around to our house at any time”.

“Your mother doesn’t like me much though, does she?”

“I wouldn’t say that… She just worries about me…”

“She thinks I’m a bad influence”.

“Your ideas are a bit progressive for her, that’s all. She’s worried that I’ll copy you…”

“Charmed, I’m sure!”

“Oh, you know what she’s like… a bit old fashioned and you’re not”.

“No, and don’t want to be either! Your mother is positively Victorian… I don’t know how you put up with her”.

“Because she’s my mother, and I know that she is only worried about me”.

“Rather you than me. Anyway, what are you doing this year?”

“Nothing… just hanging around… same as every year. Eat too much, wear a silly hat and watch television. Do you think it’ll snow?”

“Yes! At least I hope so

They are predicting it. Dad put a bet on it being a White Christmas. £100 at five to one. He promised me and Mum a hundred each if he wins. Have you finished in work?”

“Yes, last week. The Civic Offices closes on Friday until after the New Year. Have you got all your presents yet?”

“Yes. You?”

“Yes, me too”.

“It’s going to be a long two weeks, isn’t it?”

“It looks like it, unless we can think of some way to spice it up a bit”.

“How?”

“I don’t know yet, I only just thought of it. Give us a chance!”

“You’re the brainy one!”

“We’re in the same form…”

“Well, you always get higher marks than me”.

“That’s because you don’t try”.

“It’s boring…”

“So, you get good marks without even trying, but I have to work very hard to beat you…”

“So, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know. Let’s have another laté and think about it. It’ll be getting dark soon. I love it when people switch their fairy lights on”.

“Yeah, me too… I do get a bit bored with the Christmas songs though. It’s the same ones every year played over and over and over again. I could scream sometimes”.

“Oh, don’t be so miserable. Sometimes, I think you do it on purpose just to be different”.

“No, I genuinely get sick of them”.

“I suppose I do too sometimes… especially Cliff Richard and Noddy Holder”.

“Too right!”

“How about visiting at the hospital?”

“Pardon?”

“You know, something to do over Christmas. We could visit people who are stuck in hospital over Christmas. Like when we visited that boy who fell off his bike, err, what was his name?”

“Will. I liked him”.

“Yes, Will James. You know, I think he liked you too?”

“No, he didn’t. He fancied you”.

“Oh, get away with you!” she said blushing.

“Oo, you fibber! Why have you gone red then?”

“Have I? It must be the cold. It’s getting a bit parky”.

“Yeah, right! OK, we could do that”.

“Good. We could buy a kilo of pick-n-mix sweets and give the patients we meet a handful each as a present”.

“Are patients allowed sweets?”

“I don’t know… I suppose it depends what’s wrong with them…”

“We could take a few oranges for those who can’t have sweets”.

“Good idea!”

“And we could buy a load of old books from the second-hand shop and give them out too. I’m sure old Mr Williams will let us have them cheap if we tell him what they’re for”.

“He might even give them to us if he can put his shop’s stamp inside…”

“That’s even better. Do you think the grocer and the lady in the sweet shop would donate too?”

“We could try. If the sweets were put in bags, the bags could be stamped, and so could the orange peel”.

“Or tangerine…”

“Or Clementine…”

“I don’t think Clementine would like that!” They both laughed at the thought.

“Come on, let’s pay up and go and ask”.

When they stood up to go, Grrr, Megan’s ghost tiger friend, appeared at Megan’s side again and Jane watched as Megan seemed to be stroking thin air. She knew what was happening though.

“You know, sometimes, I’m sure that I can see Grrr, but as soon as I try to focus on her, she disappears. It’s so annoying…”

“That’s your conditioning. You can see her, everyone can, but your brain filters her image out because it believes that she cannot really be there. It’s a bit like the washing machine at home… You hear it when it starts up, but your brain filters it out after a while… or people who live near an airport… they don’t hear the planes after a while.

“Adults don’t see ghosts as often as children, because they don’t want to appear silly. Animals don’t have that problem, so react to ghosts all the time. If you want to see Grrr, you have to unbrainwash yourself…”

“But you didn’t have to!”

“No, and I’m not sure why that is, but I’m definitely not the only one. Go down to Butrill’s Road Spiritualist Church and you’ll find lots of people who see and talk to ghosts every day”.

“I will go with you one day… It’s a bit scary though…”

“What is?”

“Changing one’s perception of the world”.

“Yes, I’d never thought of it like that… but I suppose it would be”.

“I really would like to see Grrr properly though”.

“You will, if you want to”.

“Can I touch her?”

“Yes, if you want to, but that is harder than seeing her. You may just feel like a soft breeze on your skin or a slight tingling…” Megan took her friend’s wrist and stroked the back of Grrr’s neck with her hand. “Can you feel anything?”

“Yes, but it’s hardly anything at all… like duck down or spider’s web”.

“That’s good… You’re getting there! Come on, let’s see what we can scrounge. Mr. Williams first”.

The three friends walked the twenty metres to the shop and went inside.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Williams. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, young ladies, and what can I do for you? Looking for something nice for your parents, are you?”

“No, not quite”, replied Megan. “We thought we might go and visit people who are stuck in hospital over Christmas, and we thought we might take them a few books”.

“What a lovely idea! What did you have in mind?”

“Just a selection”, said Jane. “We don’t have any money, so we were hoping that you might donate a few that have been on your shelves for ages”.

“Oh, I see…”

“You could stamp your name and address in them and we would say that you donated them out of the goodness of your heart.

“Mrs. Baker at the sweet shop and Mr Jones the green grocer are donating too”. Megan looked at her friend disapprovingly.

“Well, they are going to think about it…” she said amending her story.

“How many were you thinking of?” he asked scanning his bookshelves.

“That’s completely up to you”, said Megan.

“Ten, twenty…?” asked the kindly old man.

“Yes, lovely!” said Jane quickly.

Mr. Williams looked confused, but said, “All right. Come back tomorrow and I’ll have them ready for you”.

“Don’t forget to stamp your name and address on the flyleaf”, added Megan.

“No, I’ve only got the stamp I use for my invoices, but I suppose that’ll do…”

“Yes, but we will tell them that they came from you too. If you have any business cards, we’ll hand them out for you as well. It will bring a lot of publicity, and I’ll put an article on my blog… Perhaps the local paper will pick up on it…”

“That would be more publicly than my old shop gets in a year or more… and all for a few old books. You’re actually doing me a favour by letting me give you free books! Strange, isn’t it?”

“Yes, when you look at it like that. Thank you, Mr. Williams. We’ll be back tomorrow for the books. Bye for now”.

“Bye bye, girls, and good luck!”

A similar pattern of events occurred at the sweet shop and the greengrocers. The friends were quite astounded by their success.

“We’ll have to take photos of the shopkeepers handing over their donations tomorrow so you can put them on your blog, Megan”.

“Yes, that would be nice. You know, it’s a shame that we didn’t think of this earlier, we could have gotten even more businesses involved. What Mr. Williams said was quite true. These three small shops in our Crescent will get heaps of publicity from this and for much less than the cost of a classified ad in the local paper. Perhaps, we could turn this into a regular event, or expand it in some way…”

“We could do children’s presents for the orphanage… old people’s presents for the old people’s home…”

“Yes, that sort of thing… exactly what I had in mind. We can’t ask those three shops to donate more stuff though…”

“Maybe not, but there are other shops like theirs in other parts of town, aren’t there?”

“Yes. I’ll tell you what. You go home and sort out a few for us to visit tomorrow, and I’ll go home and write a first draft for the blog. I can fill in the details later”.

“OK, Megs, I think this is going to be fun, and who knows who we’ll meet…”

“Yes, I know whom you’d like to meet… and that’s fine by me… no criticism, but just don’t let my mother hear about it”.

“I don’t know what you mean, Megan! You think I have a one-track mind”.

“You do”.

“Perhaps… See you tomorrow”.

2 THE COLLECTION

The following morning, the girls arranged to meet in Mr. Mills’ shop for lunch at midday.

“Hi, did you draw up your list?” asked Megan as Jane pulled up a seat and sat down.

“Yes, it was easy. I put a few greengrocers, second-hand shops and charity shops on it, but I don’t know what to expect from the charity shops, since that’s already their line of business, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know… they don’t donate stuff to hospitals as far as I know. Anyway, we can give them a try if we don’t get enough support from the others. They can only say ‘no’, can’t they?”

“Megan, I was thinking… do we actually know how many presents we need to collect?”

“Err, no… Well, I don’t anyway; or how many of what type. How many children will there be, and how many adults? I suppose we ought to find that out first, although we’ve already told two shops that we will collect their stuff today. We’ll have to do that to keep our word”.

“Yes, I agree, but we could make a few phone calls now, or send some emails and sort those details out later”.

“OK, Jane, well, order us two drinks and cakes on me - I’ll have a cup of Earl Grey and a slice of chocolate cake, and I’ll start looking up their websites”. Megan took out the notebook and pen that she always carried in her bag, and opened up her Smartphone, which was always on the table in front of her as was Jane’s.

The girls were disappointed at first that the administration of the hospital and the orphanage would not divulge the actual numbers or the breakdown of the people in their care, but they soon realised that that actually made their task easier, although they wouldn’t have minded putting in the extra effort.

They made a few phone calls to their parents and contacts, especially Megan’s and came to the conclusion that there were approximately a hundred and fifty children in the orphanage and that about the same number would not be released from hospital for Christmas, most of whom would be elderly, many without local family to release them to.

They began to realise the enormity of the task that they were trying to take on, but had already been told that there were other organisations, such as the Salvation Army, who undertook these tasks every year.

‘What do you think about joining forces with the Salvation Army, Jane? It would make everything easier for us and for them, and they know the numbers and have the means of distribution”.

“I think it makes sense… Christmas will soon be upon us and we don’t really know what we’re doing, do we?”

“No, we don’t, and time is running out. All right, what do you say to collecting as much as we can today and tomorrow, and handing it over to the Sally Army tomorrow, or wherever they have time to take possession of it? We will need to sort through all this stuff too, won’t we? It’s all very well asking them to donate it, but we can’t expect them to deliver it as well.

“I’ll give my Dad a ring and see if he can help us out in… err, how long?”

“It shouldn’t take more than two hours to visit everyone on my list. After all, they are all local”.

“Good. Mum and Dad will have finished their weekly shopping by then. Which shop is the furthest away? I can ask them to pick us up there”.

“Debono’s in High Street”.

“OK, let’s see what they say”.

High Street was the next parallel street down the hill towards the coast, so wasn’t far away. Megan’s parents agreed to meet them there at three o’clock.

“Let’s go to it then, I’m looking forward to this; we should have a nice afternoon talking to the shopkeepers and collecting stuff. Let’s have another look at your list and then we’ll start”.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s go for it! Are you ready?”

“Yes. I just have to pay up”. Megan signalled to Mr. Mills, paid the bill, and then they left.

They began by telling their friends from the day before: Mrs Baker at the sweetshop, Mr Jones, the greengrocer, and Mr Williams, the second-hand book-seller that they would be back to collect their donations between three, and four, and moved on. High Street was the busiest shopping street for at least a mile around, and like The Crescent, was geared up for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Not only were there street decorations and illuminations that were switched on at about noon, but every shop there was decorated as well. The atmosphere was very festive and the shoppers seemed to appreciate the jolly spirit that the merchants were putting into the holiday.

The first establishment on the route was a butcher’s, which Megan thought was an odd choice on Jane’s behalf, but she was willing to go along with her friend’s judgement.

“Hello, Mr Hopkins”, said Jane as they entered the shop.

“Merry Christmas, Jane!” replied the jovial butcher. “How are you and your parents? What can we do for you today?”

“I’m fine, thanks, Mr Hopkins, my parents are too. This is my best friend, Megan. We are out canvassing for anything local businesses may have to donate to the children at the orphanage and people who have to stay in hospital over Christmas”.

“I see…” replied the kindly butcher. We already contribute through several organizations, but I want to encourage people like you to do what you are doing… I am not convinced that meat is the answer, but I will put a box of food together for you. When do you want it?”

“Megan’s parents are going to pick up contributions in an hour or so, but tomorrow would be alright too”.

“Ok, nice to see you, Megan, and you, Jane. I think it’s great what you girls are doing. Call back in an hour, and I’ll have something for you”.

“Thanks, Mr Hopkins”, said Jane as they left, and Megan smiled her appreciation as well.

They called on several other shops on the way before they got to the bottom of their list, but then they opened the door to Mr Debono’s second-hand shop and Megan’s eyes opened wide in the Aladdin’s Cave that she saw before her.

“Hello! Mr Debono!” the girls cried in unison. Everyone knew and liked the friendly second-hand dealer, who had done business with most people in Feytown at some time or other, but the shop seemed empty.

Unperturbed, the girls began carefully looking through the treasure trove, until a voice surprised them.

“Ah, Megan and Jane! Are you all right down there? I’ll be with you in two shakes of a lamb’s tale…”

“We’re all right, Mr Debono”, replied Megan for both of them as they looked around the thousands of items for the origin of the voice, smiling to one another as they thought that they would discover him at any moment.

“If you’re looking for me, you won’t find me in a month of Sundays!” came the voice chuckling. “That’s got it…” he said, “Beam me down, Scotty”.

The girls heard a definite click, and looked up to the ceiling behind the service counter. They were amazed to see a large section of the ceiling coming away, lowering down to the floor; then a pair of legs started walking down the stairs that had just appeared.

“What do you think of it?” he asked beaming but covered in dust. He looked like Sooty, and the girls couldn’t help smiling to each other.

“What on Earth is it, Mr Debono?”

“It’s something I’ve been meaning to implement for years, but haven’t found the time. I’ve seen them in clients’ houses over the years and always thought that one would be perfect for me”. He stepped off the bottom riser, took a pole from the wall, and pushed the staircase back up into its position flush with the ceiling. “There! No-one would ever guess it was there, would they?”

The girls looked at each other with a puzzled expression on their faces. “But it’s brown wood, Mr Debono, and the rest of the ceiling is Artexed white…” replied Jane nervously, not wanting to point out the obvious.

“Oh, that… a mere detail, my dear girl… It’ll only take me an hour or two to apply a coat of Artex and emulsion it… once I get around to it”. The three of them knew that that could take a long while, but no-one wanted to be the one to say it”.

“I love it, Mr Debono,” exclaimed Megan in an attempt to restore the atmosphere of enthusiasm, “but how did you know that we were here?”

“Ah! I’m glad you asked me that!” he said warming to his subject again. “Look!” he said, pointing to the four corners of the ceiling. “Cameras, linked to a monitor upstairs, but I also heard the bell on the back of the door ring when you opened it”, he said smiling.

They followed his finger as he pointed out the objects with obvious pride. “I got them from a house clearance the other week. The cameras and the monitor, that is… or was it the other month? I don’t remember now, but they are are working perfectly. I used to have to walk right to the back of the building to get to the storeroom upstairs, but now I can access it in minutes and open it up to the public. It has doubled my display room floor space! Brilliant, eh?”

“Yes”, they agreed in unison getting caught up in the mood once again.

“So, what can I do for you, this fine Christmas afternoon? What do you think of the street lights? Pretty, eh?”

“Yes, very’, they both said, then Megan explained the true purpose of their visit.

“I see… OK, well, I’m sure we can find you something. When do you need the items?”

Megan looked at her watch. “Mam and Dad are picking us up here at about three… in about forty minutes”.

“OK, well, look… here’s a fiver”, he said peeling a note from a wad that he had pulled from his pocket, “why don’t you go and get us three cakes from Doris’, the shop on the next corner, and I’ll put the kettle on and start rummaging around?”. As the girls were leaving, he called out from behind an old wardrobe, “A custard slice for me, please, but you have whatever you like”.

When they returned, steam was issuing from the kettle behind the counter and the stairs were down again. “Can you make the tea?” came Mr. Debono’s voice from above, “I won’t be a minute… everything you need is in the cupboard by the kettle”.

Five minutes later, the tea was ready and Megan was on the verge of calling Mr Debono down, when he appeared