Read Online The Christmas Light by Donna VanLiere - Free Book Online
Authors: Donna VanLiere
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unhear that. That’s how awful it was. It will forever be with me!” Gloria bends over, laughing, as they march into the sanctuary for rehearsal with Mary and Joseph. Miriam gestures for Gloria to sit down and hands her a legal pad and pen. “Take notes, would you?”
Gloria is confused. “Take notes on what?”
Miriam turns to her in a huff. “On the scene, for crying out loud! Every good director takes notes.”
“But if you’re the director, why am I taking the notes?”
Miriam sighs, balling a fist on her hip. “I am the one blocking out the scene and working with the actors one-on-one. You’ll be doing nothing but sitting here. This will give you something to do.” Gloria mumbles and takes a seat in the front row of the church.
Audrey Goodrick is a twenty-year-old student at the local cosmetology school. Her reddish-orange hair is highlighted with purple streaks and Miriam pauses, looking at her. “Wasn’t your hair brown two days ago?” She is smiling but Gloria fears the strain of it may snap her face in half.
“It was,” Audrey says. “But this is the week we start color training. We’ve been practicing on each other.”
“Does the person who did this to you actually like you?” Miriam’s smile is strained more than ever.
“Yeah! She’s my best friend.”
Miriam walks up the steps to get a closer look. “We will need to tuck your hair back into the costume because … What is that?” Miriam says, pointing to Audrey’s neck. “Is that a tiger’s head?”
Audrey smiles, moving the shirt off her shoulder. “That’s my tat! The tiger’s crawling up my arm! See the tail down here?” She points to her elbow, revealing the entire length of the tiger.
Gloria wants to burst, watching Miriam’s face. Audrey will not be the tranquil, holy-looking Mary of Nativities past, but more like Edna Viviano from the motorcycle shop down the road. Miriam smiles as she pulls Audrey’s shirt back onto her shoulder, patting it. “Let’s run the lines, shall we? Tom!”
Tom Bradmore is a thirty-year-old auto mechanic at City Auto Service. Miriam “discovered” him while getting her oil changed. Thankfully, he and his family attend the church and have seen the Nativity each Christmas. He was assuming he would simply walk down the aisle, as Joseph has done in Nativities past, to take his place beside Mary inside the stable. But that was the old Nativity … not Miriam’s Nativity.
“Are you hungry?” Tom asks.
“Hold it!” Miriam says, bounding up the stairs to the platform. “You sound like Tom asking Audrey if she’s hungry.”
Tom looks at her, reaching for words. “I don’t know how else to sound. It’s the only voice I have.”
Miriam laughs and glances at Gloria who quickly looks down at the legal pad and scribbles “change voice.” She then gives Miriam the okay sign and Miriam nods. “You see, you need to picture the scene in your mind. Joseph and Mary have been traveling for miles and miles. She’s been up on the donkey and Joseph has been trudging along, beside her.” Miriam demonstrates walking as if Tom is unfamiliar with the practice. “So, now you’re taking a little break from your travel. Mary is off the donkey and the two of you are leaning against a hillside.” She looks over her shoulder to Gloria. “We will have a representation of a hillside, correct?”
“No, we won’t.”
Miriam shakes her head, as if something is shooting out the top of her brain. “What do you mean we won’t have a hillside?”
Gloria writes “no hillside” on the legal pad. “This isn’t Broadway, Miriam. It’s Grandon. I could get you a few ficus trees, if those would help.”
Miriam’s mouth is gaping open and closed as if she’s trying to ingest a word in front of her. “Really, Gloria? Ficus trees in Israel?”
“It was just an idea,” Gloria says, writing on the pad.
“It was a terrible idea.”
Gloria makes the sound of a canary in shock and says,
Gloria is confused. “Take notes on what?”
Miriam turns to her in a huff. “On the scene, for crying out loud! Every good director takes notes.”
“But if you’re the director, why am I taking the notes?”
Miriam sighs, balling a fist on her hip. “I am the one blocking out the scene and working with the actors one-on-one. You’ll be doing nothing but sitting here. This will give you something to do.” Gloria mumbles and takes a seat in the front row of the church.
Audrey Goodrick is a twenty-year-old student at the local cosmetology school. Her reddish-orange hair is highlighted with purple streaks and Miriam pauses, looking at her. “Wasn’t your hair brown two days ago?” She is smiling but Gloria fears the strain of it may snap her face in half.
“It was,” Audrey says. “But this is the week we start color training. We’ve been practicing on each other.”
“Does the person who did this to you actually like you?” Miriam’s smile is strained more than ever.
“Yeah! She’s my best friend.”
Miriam walks up the steps to get a closer look. “We will need to tuck your hair back into the costume because … What is that?” Miriam says, pointing to Audrey’s neck. “Is that a tiger’s head?”
Audrey smiles, moving the shirt off her shoulder. “That’s my tat! The tiger’s crawling up my arm! See the tail down here?” She points to her elbow, revealing the entire length of the tiger.
Gloria wants to burst, watching Miriam’s face. Audrey will not be the tranquil, holy-looking Mary of Nativities past, but more like Edna Viviano from the motorcycle shop down the road. Miriam smiles as she pulls Audrey’s shirt back onto her shoulder, patting it. “Let’s run the lines, shall we? Tom!”
Tom Bradmore is a thirty-year-old auto mechanic at City Auto Service. Miriam “discovered” him while getting her oil changed. Thankfully, he and his family attend the church and have seen the Nativity each Christmas. He was assuming he would simply walk down the aisle, as Joseph has done in Nativities past, to take his place beside Mary inside the stable. But that was the old Nativity … not Miriam’s Nativity.
“Are you hungry?” Tom asks.
“Hold it!” Miriam says, bounding up the stairs to the platform. “You sound like Tom asking Audrey if she’s hungry.”
Tom looks at her, reaching for words. “I don’t know how else to sound. It’s the only voice I have.”
Miriam laughs and glances at Gloria who quickly looks down at the legal pad and scribbles “change voice.” She then gives Miriam the okay sign and Miriam nods. “You see, you need to picture the scene in your mind. Joseph and Mary have been traveling for miles and miles. She’s been up on the donkey and Joseph has been trudging along, beside her.” Miriam demonstrates walking as if Tom is unfamiliar with the practice. “So, now you’re taking a little break from your travel. Mary is off the donkey and the two of you are leaning against a hillside.” She looks over her shoulder to Gloria. “We will have a representation of a hillside, correct?”
“No, we won’t.”
Miriam shakes her head, as if something is shooting out the top of her brain. “What do you mean we won’t have a hillside?”
Gloria writes “no hillside” on the legal pad. “This isn’t Broadway, Miriam. It’s Grandon. I could get you a few ficus trees, if those would help.”
Miriam’s mouth is gaping open and closed as if she’s trying to ingest a word in front of her. “Really, Gloria? Ficus trees in Israel?”
“It was just an idea,” Gloria says, writing on the pad.
“It was a terrible idea.”
Gloria makes the sound of a canary in shock and says,
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