The Town Christmas Chastised

By Paul McCann

Most people are happy at Christmas and wait all year for it to come around.
The message of Christmas is still the force that propels the thoughts and wishes of people in every corner of the planet we live on.

It must be said ,that for some people Christmas holds no special significance at all.
For some people it's just another day like any other.

God knows it's their loss.

Maybe they will one day discover the magic pf Christmas ;
like the people of Turkington did all those years ago.

I can still remember the story as clear as if it had just happened yesterday .

As I recall the people blamed the daily grind for their stress level,
and then they blamed the stress level for their anger , and then they blamed their anger for their lack of respect for other people .
Anyway greed was a good excuse to push away the concern for others
And everyone in Turkington was very greedy.
It became their only security life gave them
They all needed to have more than the next person .

In Turkington you either fitted in or you shipped out .
Over the years a great many people who left had said the only good thing about Turkington was the road that took you out of the place .

The people of Turkington loved to show off.
It was the normal way of life to walk over others and talk about how well off you were , and so went most of the conversations .

Anyway it was just before Christmas, when the biggest factory in Turkinton was blasting away, hammering out , and belting and smelting and pushing on in a tormented state .
Anxiety and friction was beginning to wear the people thin

Foremen pushed workers for more production .
Workers pushed their employers for more wages.
Day by day the situation got worse until it came to a head .

The final straw was when the employer asked the workers for twice the work load and so with that the workers ceased production .

The employer immediately cut all the workers benefits and suspended their holiday pay . All bonus awards and merit points were removed

In Turkington any commonsense that remained was ground into hatred
Anger spilt onto the streets. Cars were burned and shops gutted.
With only days to go until Christmas all the street decorations where torn down and all the Christmas lights were smashed.

The mood with the people was vicious and unfriendly.
Tension was at its highest level for decades.
On the crammed sidewalk's people pushed and shoved.
Young kids threw rocks at the passing traffic on the road.
The entire city was burning down.
Something had to happen in Turkington and it did .
They called it the day of chastisement.

No one knew where it came from or where it went ,
but after it left not a stone was left standing that Christmas.

Sometimes in our worst nightmares we discover things about ourselves that we don't like and we can see things that are going wrong.
That’s what was about to happen to the people of Turkington.

It all started so peacefully.
One evening as the snow fell softly over Turkington a bright light suddenly appeared from the sky.
As the light reflected on the snow almost immediately everyone in the town where blinded. The next thing to happen was a sound of bells that began to ring, and ring.
They where ringing all around the town.
In every home, on every corner they rang louder and louder until everyone in Turkington went completely deaf .
Although everyone in the town was deaf and blind they still had the ability to speak, but what use was it to them if there was no one who could hear.
For a few days they bumped into things, and tripped over each other, until Christmas morning.

What a Christmas surprise it wasfor the people of Turkington.

Their hearing and sight was returned but to their shock and horror they could not believe their eyes. What they saw was an emptiness that enveloped the entire town.
Their houses had been completely demolished and in the spots where buildings and factories had stood, only vacant lots where left.

Not a single man made thing was left standing in Turkington that Christmas.

After the initial shock something special started to happen.
For the very first time all the people looked at each other with compassion and it was then and there that they discovered the message of Christmas.

They hugged and kissed. They helped one another to cope with this extraordinary situation.
Snow fell and a bright light appeared in the sky.
Once again they were blinded and as the sound bells echoed through the town all the people went deaf.

They only remained so for a brief moment and as their hearing and sight returned they discovered that their town was completely rebuilt .

There were even Christmas decorations hanging from the rooftops of houses.

Christmas trees lined the streets through the town and all the people began to sing in one voice about their new found joy of Christmas.

It was almost as if -what was had been taken away and replaced.

From that day on things changed in Turkington.
It was Christmas everyday as people cared for each other.
Life was the gift they all shared together.

THE END