Prisca's_Writing_Area

Title: Overwhelmed with feelings
Character: Mr. Smith, Kurdy Malloy
Word Count: 230
Prompt: Overwhelmed/Exhausted
Rating: PG13

:::

Kurdy looked up from his stew when Smith stepped at the table, wearing his worn-out but thick coat, the backpack over his shoulder. "Where are you going? "

"To the school for a little Christmas celebration. I thought maybe you would like to accompany me."

The big guy smirked. "You know, I love Sister Hannah, but I am so not into that shit. Telling the children about Jesus, who was born to save the world... think about all that is happened during the last years, and then tell me that this is not just a fucking lie. "

Smith smiled. "Christmas is so much more than just that," he said. "It's about tradition, about sharing your love with others. It's about hope and joy.

For some weeks already, the children have been so hyper. They have decorated the hall, baked cookies, and created small gifts for each other. Michelle is rehearsing a little play with some of them, and there will be a choir. We will sit around the big fireplace, share winter stories, and have hot cocoa."

Kurdy had listened in silence. "Elizabeth would have loved this, "he murmured. "She was so into Christmas and these small snowglobes."

"One more reason to come with me, "Smith answered. "In your heart, she will celebrate with us; she and everyone we have loved... and lost. That's the meaning of Christmas."

Title: Wintertime Love
Character: Mr. Smith, Kurdy Malloy
Word Count: 123
Prompt: wintertime love
Rating: PG13

:::

Smith smiled, watching the young woman leaving the cafeteria. "Seems as if she likes you. "

Kurdy's eyes darkened. "Not interested. It's only some months since Elizabeth died, and I don't plan to go through all this again. This is not the time for love, it's the time for war. "

"Even if it's only a temporary thing, it will keep heart and soul warm, no matter the cold outside. Not the worst way to spend long winter nights. "

Kurdy huffed. "Says the guy who prefers to live on his own in a shabby hut in the middle of the nowhere, no matter ice and thunderstorms and heatwaves. "

"I'm never alone; God always has an eye on his valuable messenger. "

Title: A Day of Hope
Character: Samwise Gamgee, Rosie Hüttinger
Word Count: 276
Prompt: hope / winter solstice
Rating: PG

:::

Sam had always loved birthdays, with cake, music, and Gandalf's fireworks. But since Frodo had left the Shire, and he knew there would be no return, things had changed. His heart was broken, and he was no longer in the mood to celebrate.

Until one day in the winter, Rosie knocked at the door of Bags End. "Today is the shortest day of the year,“ she told him. „Winter Solstice. Did you know that at the beginning of all times, the hobbits used to celebrate this day?“

Surprised, Sam looked up. „Where do you know this from?“

„Gandalf told me once. He said that it is a tradition of hope. And that we should revive it one day.“ She kept quiet for a moment. „It was a hard time for all of us, so why not start with it today?“

„A party? No, thanks. I need to finish this chapter of the book, and then I will go to sleep.“

„Not a party. No music and no fireworks.“ Rosie smiled. „Just a little celebration in honor of this special day. We will have a campfire, remember the old times and the people we have lost. Butterblum will come by with his mulled wine, and farmer Maggot has bestowed a basket with potatoes and mushrooms.“

„Frodo would have liked this,“ he murmured. „He loved baked potatoes.“

„Who knows, wherever they are now, he, and Bilbo, Gandalf, and all the elves, maybe they will celebrate this day, too. Maybe Frodo will tell stories about the Shire and you, and he will hope that everything is okay and that you can be happy again.“