A Christmas Miracle

"This reunion must be costing a fortune." Daniel said, looking up at the hotel. He had to lean over the wheel to see the top floor. He realised Penny hadn't responded to his remark and glanced over to see her staring silently at the dashboard. Daniel had some idea why they were there but not much. Penny had told him that she'd met some people many years ago during an expedition in Egypt. Penny was an Egyptologist and had been trying to prove some radical theories. A rich American businessman had been funding the expedition. They'd been working out of an RAF base and two RAF officers had been accompanying them to the dig. Penny said the four of them marked the anniversary of an important experience at this hotel each year at Christmas. It was not negotiable she'd said when Daniel had complained. So, here they were. Penny had insisted they come but now she showed no sign of getting out of the car. Daniel switched off the engine and leaned over to pat Penny's knee. She flinched at his touch.
"Are you okay, Penny?" He asked.
"Yes." Penny replied, in a voice that was far away and long ago. Another car swept into the drive behind them and Penny turned.
"Michael." Penny said and got out of the car. Daniel followed, struggling to remember whether Michael was one of the RAF officers or the rich businessman. It was quickly cleared up when a tall, striking man unfolded himself from behind the steering wheel. His military bearing was so obvious it hummed. Michael's expression was distant and fixed until he saw Penny walking towards him. His face exploded into a delighted grin and he bounded over to gather Penny into his arms. They held each other tightly, barely moving. A woman got out of Michael's car, smiled pleasantly when she saw Daniel approach and caught him before he reached Michael and Penny.
"I'm Lauren." The woman said, sticking out a hand, "Michael's sister." Daniel shook the hand, "You must be Penny's boyfriend?"
"Yes, I'm Daniel." Their voices brought the other two back from wherever they'd been. Wherever they had been they'd gone alone and it hadn't been an easy journey.
"Sorry." Penny said, putting her arm through Daniel's, "This is Daniel Black. We met at New Year."
"Pleased to meet you." Michael said curtly and turned away to retrieve his luggage. Lauren and Penny watched him go then Lauren turned back to find Daniel looking helplessly bewildered.
"Just try to roll with the punches, Daniel." Lauren advised, then she leaned over to kiss Penny's cheek. Penny smiled a small smile in reply. Michael marched back to them.
"Nathan and Doug's cars are already here," He said. Penny fell into step beside him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Daniel frowned after them then picked up their bags. Lauren strolled past him.
"Roll with them." Lauren reminded him, "It's the only way."

In the hotel's bar they had met Nathan and Doug. Nathan, the other RAF pilot, was unaccompanied. Doug, the American, had brought his daughter, Tina. Daniel could see Penny's nightmares echoed in the men's eyes. They'd spent a few hours catching up on a year's news then one by one the four old friends had disappeared. After they'd been gone hours, Daniel went to find them despite Lauren and Tina's urgings to leave them be. He found them out on a fire escape. None of them saw him and, without knowing why, Daniel didn't want them to. There was a feeling that this was the still eye of a very nasty storm. As Daniel watched Nathan sighed heavily.
"Breathe louder, why don't you, Nathan?" Doug muttered.
"Shut up, Doug." Nathan snapped.
"We shouldn't start fighting again." Michael stopped them.
"Why the hell not?" Doug asked.
"Yeah, Michael." Nathan agreed, "We're not fighting to survive. This isn't Libya."
"We were still in Egypt when Michael first started stopping us fight." Penny corrected.
"What does it matter?" Nathan snapped. Daniel balked at the hostile tone used to his girlfriend and nearly stepped forward but something still stopped him.
"It matters." Michael said as Penny glared at Nathan, "If it didn't we wouldn't come here year after year. Reminding each other when we'd rather forget."
"Well, I'd rather not be reminded so let's call the whole thing off." Nathan said, forcing a smile at his own joke.
"We can't." Michael said, he was the only one who sounded even faintly calm, "And we all know it. A bubble breaks now and then and you have a bad day but it's there all the time. In dreams, in the backs of your eyelids, in the quiet moment before dawn." Michael glanced over the evening sky, "None of you can pretend it isn't like that. Every year it's dragged out into the open and it's raw and it's painful but we need it because..." Michael trailed off as he turned and spotted Daniel lurking in the corridor. His face shut off with a practised ease.
"Your new squeeze is eavesdropping." He said to Penny. Daniel let Penny approach him.
"Is everything okay?" Daniel asked.
"More or less." Penny replied, her expression was as closed as Michael's but in her eyes he saw the nightmares. He wanted to take her away from these three men who reminded her.
"Let's go downstairs." Daniel whispered. Doug cleared his throat from the doorway.
"Penny, honey, we're going for a walk." The American said. Penny nodded once to him, then turned back to Daniel.
"Sorry, Daniel." She said. Then Penny went to join her friends and they went out into the night.

The four of them walked silently. Flashes of memory blinded and deafened each them. The grass under their feet became sand. The noises of the crickets became the cacophony of the silent desert. The years between that moment and this faded away until the memories were as clear as if they'd been climbing up the side of that dune, so numb with terror that there was no courage in their final foolhardy escape attempt just a dull hope that was more habit than anything else. The ridge had loomed, a tantalising promise of freedom. When they had reached it and paused they had seen another stretch of sand, another unreachable dune. The faint glimmer of hope had faded in the face of such unbeatable odds. The echoing calls behind them began to gain clarity as they got closer but none of them moved. Hopelessness had paralysed them and the sweet relief of defeat was beckoning. Lost in a debilitating whirl of memories the four friends continued to walk around the hotel.

Daniel was in the bar with Lauren and Tina when their four companions came around the corner and stopped on the patio outside, lit by the light from the bar.
"What happened to them?" Daniel asked as he watched the four silent figures.
"None of us know." Tina told him, "And don't expect to."
"Penny wakes up shouting sometimes." Daniel said, "I can't understand what she's saying, but I look at her and..."
"I recognised the nameless agony - the terror, and the tremor, and the pain." Lauren said. It sounded like a quote but Daniel didn't know it. The four figures outside began to drift closer together.
"It's always the same." Tina said, "They don't mean it to be. But it is. There's the catching up then, when they can't ignore it, there's the arguments." Outside, Michael put his arm around Penny, "Then, there's this moment. I wouldn't miss this moment for anything." The sky darkened and four heads turned to a small star that had seemed to brighten. From the edge of hearing came the swelling sound of a single, clear voice singing softly. The world stopped. All there was in the whole universe was this one perfect moment of serenity.
"Every year." Tina whispered, her cynicism melted away, "Exactly the same."
"How is that possible?" Daniel breathed. The golden moment was no less wonderful to the others, but this was new to Daniel.
"It isn't." Lauren replied, "It's a miracle."
"Why them?" Daniel asked.
"Why not them?" Tina pointed out.
"They need it." Lauren explained, "Whatever happened to them made life a hard thing to live. This moment makes another year bearable." There was another silence filled with the noiseless sound of unheard harmonies.

Futility drowned them as they stood on the ridge of the dune. As the last threads of his hope wound away into the desert air Michael muttered a prayer. There was a flicker in the sky and they glanced up at a star that shone brighter than the others. A warm, still silence descended then, impossibly, the dunes began to sing. The bright star lit the way. And the four of them survived.