WEBVTT
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The Christmas pageant is in full swing. Halo's straight, Carol's Sweet,
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until one stranger in the back pew smiles like he's
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waiting for something awful to happen, and as he grins,
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the night becomes much much less holy. How did you
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get in here? Ho? Ho? What's that you want to
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be scared? Come with me? This is Weekly Spooky. Hello,
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my spookies. It's not Wednesday, it's Thursday. But that won't
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stop me because all December long we're releasing shows with
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a holiday flavor to make sure you have a very
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scary Christmas. In fact, tomorrow we'll have a brand new
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novella just for you to enjoy as you begin your
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first weekend in December. And tonight we're heading to a
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Christmas pageant where not everyone is what they seem. But
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before we get to that, I want to say thank
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you so much for tuning in and joining us for
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this trip through Yule Tide Fear. And if you want
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to support us in a very direct way and get
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two bonus shows every single month, well, head to Weeklyspooky
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dot com slash join for as little as one dollar
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a month, you get two bonus episodes exclusive audiobooks and
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five years of creepypasta readings. That's Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join.
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This episode is also sponsored in part by cozyearth dot com.
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They feature the softest, most luxurious bedding, loungewear, and my
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As for tonight, imagine your hometown church on Christmas Eve,
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the parking lots full of snow dusted cars, every pew
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is packed, and somebody's kid is up front in a
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crooked halo, ready to say there one big line. For
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most people, the Christmas pageant is the safest night of
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the year. Soft candlelight, familiar carols, the same old story
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again and again. Now imagine one woman who needs it
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to be perfect. She needs the applause, the respect, the
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quiet nod from the pastor, and to make sure she
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met with a stranger in a sharp coat who calls
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tonight his special Christmas Gift and It'll never be forgotten.
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The Pageant by Morgan Moore. Janet Monroe was a mess,
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not in the sense that some people call themselves a
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mess to refer to their mental health. Nor was she
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messy in her appearance. Now she was a mess in
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that she was in a difficult spot and felt utterly confused.
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Janet had been selected to run the yearly Christmas pageant
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for her church this year and threw herself into the task.
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It was something she had wanted to be in charge
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of for years, just as most of the women in
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the church did. Being in charge of the pageant was
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a sign of social status. After all, only those whom
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the pastor believed would best serve the community were allowed
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to do it, which often meant they spent time at
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the church under his supervision, and nobody would complain about that,
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especially the women of the congregation. It also meant, foolishly
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that the person chosen best exemplify the values and spirit
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of Christ and Christmas. Everybody knew that in reality, it
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was no different than a popularity contest amongst most of
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the members, akin to class president or prom royalty. But
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Janet wanted it, and after years of waiting, she was
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given the chance. The ball was in her court, and
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she was determined to hit it out of the park. Unfortunately,
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it was why she was a mess. Janet wiped tears
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away from her eyes with the sleeve of her coat.
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The winter wind was stinging her face and made her
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tears painful as they welled up before running down her face.
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She had retreated out here to attempt to gather herself
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and maybe, just maybe, with enough will power, would wake
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up from what was surely and absolutely just a bad dream.
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That was the mindset ten minutes ago when she first
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came out. Now she knew this was her reality, her life,
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and she stayed in the cold, wanting to assis escape
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the embarrassment. For two weeks, rehearsals had gone without any issue.
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The gym that made up a fair portion of the
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church building, aside from the sanctuary itself, had been a
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one stop workshop for the whole production, from prepping costumes
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in what few props would be needed, to having a
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mock stage put together for the actors to work around.
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There was a small area with a piano for the
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choir to practice as well. Janet's cast was made up
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mostly of the younger church goers, but did feature some
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of the teenagers for a few parts. Plus there was
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the choir. Her own children, Andy and Mollie were part
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of the cast as well. Two weeks of running back
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and forth between school and church and the house and
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anywhere else the family needed to go or to get
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supplies for the production flew by. Yet Janet never let
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the chaos go off the rails. She always believed she
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thrived in craziness and was showing that was indeed the case.
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In a way, she thought of herself handling the pageant
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like a ring master controlling a three ring circus. But
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that was until going on fifteen minutes ago. As she
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checked her watch for the time. It was the night
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of the pageant and Janet had gathered everybody for a
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dress rehearsal from the jump. Something seemed a tad off,
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but not too terribly. She chalked it up to nerves
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throughout the cast, choir and miscellaneous helpers. Nothing too serious,
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Janet thought, maybe they just need a quick break to
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gather themselves. She excused herself from the gymnasium to go
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to the kitchen and gather up some treats. Some of
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the church volunteers had been baking cookies and brownies throughout
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the day for the cafe near the sanctuary to sell tonight,
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and Janet figured if a platter or two went missing,
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it wouldn't matter too much. When she returned to the gym,
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everything was a chaotic mess. Boys were fighting to the
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extent that they were falling into and breaking parts of
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the makeshift stage. The elder girls of the ensemble were
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bickering over who knows what. Younger kids were running around screaming, crying,
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and dirtying up their costumes. Even the choir director and
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other adults were our king. Everything that could go wrong
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was going wrong, and it was just too much for Janet.
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She dropped the platters nestled in her arms and let
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them crash to the ground as she ran out of
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the gymnasium. At first, she race walked through the church
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to try to find her husband, Paul or the pastor.
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The pastor was a no go, which wasn't too unexpected
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considering how popular he was with those who worked at
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the church and those who came for worship, not to
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mention the fact that it was Christmas Eve. A shame.
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She thought he could get everything running smoothly again, and
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unlike many of the ladies, would not give her grief.
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Her husband, however, was located and it was near the
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cafe where she found him talking to a small group
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of his friends. Paul caught sight of her and smiled,
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with Janet waving a hand to gesture him over. He
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started to make his way there, but was pulled back
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into the group by one leu Anne Philson. She was
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the epitome of the stereotypical mean girl, a church going
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woman who never left behind her days of being Queen
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Bee in school. Moreover, she acted like she knew everything
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and could never be wrong. Janet didn't often dislike somebody,
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let alone claim she hated anyone. It wasn't the way
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of the Lord to hate. Leu Anne Philson was an exception,
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and Janet could at least rest knowing Paul wasn't a
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fan of her either, He was only going along with
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the tide of whatever the group was discussing. Still, it
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didn't help her morale for her husband to have had
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to see the distress on her face and not come
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to comfort her, and that was when she decided to
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get out of the church before she had a fit
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Looking at her watch, Janet saw that it was fifteen
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minutes until the Christmas Eve service was set to start,
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which meant the pageant had a little under fifty minutes
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until it started. How on earth am I going to
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get everything settled in time? We can't even get through
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dress rehearsal, so how am I going to wrangle everybody
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for the actual show? These were the thoughts running through
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her head as another blast of winter freeze smacked her face.
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God damn it, she exclaimed, Unable to contain her frustration
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any longer, even if it meant taking the Lord's name
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in vain, Janet sighed and wiped away the last of
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her tears. She turned to head back through the door
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and bumped into a man. I'm so sorry, she said,
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through chattering teeth and surprise. The man was well dressed,
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at least in the moderate sense of most people who
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came to church who weren't senior citizens. Black dress pants,
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an open black long coat which showed a dark blazer,
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white dress shirt, and a dark red tie. His hair
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was blonde, and his facial features were an androgynous mix,
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neither too feminine nor too masculine. It's no problem if anything.
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I apologize for blocking your path, he told her. No worries, though,
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I mean, I don't need to say that. It isn't
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like you knew I was out here or even about
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to come in. Janet responded fair enough. He answered. Something
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about the man was alluring, not in any way that
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a person thought of as being attractive. It was something
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more in line with his presence. It wasn't to say
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Janet didn't find the man on the attractive side, but
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it wasn't his look books that caused something inside her
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to tell her to stay. It was something more natural, metaphysical.
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Even I'm sorry, I don't know if I've ever seen
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you here before. Are you here for the holiday? Janet asked,
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In a way. I'm always around, just not always noticeable.
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I guess must just be one of those faces that
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blends in, he said, with good humor. Maybe I'm usually
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serving in some capacity, so that's why I don't recognize you,
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she offered with a shrug. Perhaps, He replied, well, it's
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nice to meet you. I'm Janet, A pleasure to meet you, Janet.
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My name is Samiel, but you can just call me Sam.
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He held out his hand and she took it without
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a second thought. The grip was firm, but his skin
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was as smooth as stone and provided a source of
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warmth in the cold. Staring down at her, he tilted
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his head in an inquisitive manner. What's troubling you? Something is,
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But what exactly has you out here in the cold
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on Christmas Eve? He asked. Janet blushed, You don't have
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to worry about that. Well, clearly you have something on
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your mind, and I have all the time in the world,
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Samuel reassured her. You sure you really want to listen
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to my problems, Janet questioned. He flashed a friendly smile.
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If it helps you feel better, well, consider it a
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Christmas gift from me to you. Janet smiled and giggled
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a little. Well, it's just really that I'm in charge
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of this year's pageant, and I really wanted it to
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be as great as it could be. Well before I
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came out here, I was bringing everybody a snack, and
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the whole rehearsal area was in total chaos. All that
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hard work flushed down the toilet, though at least it
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wasn't near the actual stage. I guess I just really
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wanted to do a good job and for it to
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be special, to show that I'm a good part of
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the church. Is that all, Sam asked. Janet looked down.
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I really wanted to cement my spot as one of
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the good ones. I guess that. And it just sucks
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that I gave my all to this and it's going
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to probably reflect badly on me. I know it's silly,
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and this sounds like a little girl back in school,
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but that's what a lot of the social life is
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here unless you're really old. I just wanted to give
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everybody a show that they wouldn't forget, something that would
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give me an identity other than just another gal in
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a church. Samuel nodded, So, is that what would be
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at the top of your wish list for Santa Claus?
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A laugh escaped Janet's throat and lips. Yes, I would
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say that would be my one wish for Christmas. Her
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acquaintance smiled and gave her hand another shake and a squeeze. Well,
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I'm willing to bet you'll get all that you want
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and more. The service was more of the same, no
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different than any other Christmas Eve the congregation had witnessed.
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If anything was different, it was that it wasn't as
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showy as most churches tended to make any service any more. No,
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despite the size of the sanctuary and building itself, it
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was moderately snazzy, with all the warmth of a small
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local event. Janet peeked out of one of the doors
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behind the stage area and looked out at the crowd,
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a full house. Unsurprisingly, the pageant was about to start,
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and her nerves were still biting away at her. Talking
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with Sam had helped relax her somewhat, but the anxiety
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was still there, and seeing the sanctuary full of people
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did it no favors. But it was show time and
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it was time to hope and pray that everything would
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at bare minimum go somewhat to plan. When some of
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the staff had finished another song, the pastor came out
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and gave Janet her introduction, making the Sign of the Cross.
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Janet passed through her hiding spot in the doorway and
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on to the stage. The audience applauded, and she gave
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them smiles and waves as she hoped to hide her nervousness.
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Good evening, everybody, Thank you for coming out tonight to
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celebrate not just the holiday of Christmas, but the birth
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of our king years ago. Every year our church puts