The old man woke and thought he must have slept a long time. It had been a few minutes. There is a bit of magic in sleep. One minute you are here, and the next you may be a spy in a mystery. Suddenly, you look around you for your fellow spies, and they are an assembly of grinning clowns. As you pick the lock of the secret door, you enter and are back in your bed, looking for the night light. Such is the dream world and our present reality. Have you ever experienced a dream that was so real you wanted to go back to sleep to see what happened next? Or at times do you feel you may be dreaming when the lights are on and there is no bed to be found.

Ethereal thoughts follow us. All seems right and well until a spectre appears that we recognize from our subconscious. It is always with us, yet just outside our peripheral vision. We see a thousand faces throughout our days, and yet one or two stay with us. We connected yet know not how. Is a person we have loved our unseen companion? It is someone interested in our well-being. The stages we performed on had characters we loved at the time of our mutual performance. Then the show was over and we went our separate ways for the next Gig. What happened to our friend?

The Old Man stopped and stared. Before him was someone who looked just like he did 40 years ago. His younger self was laughing and preparing for Christmas. He and MJ were buying their first Christmas Tree with baby Aaron in tow. It was a magnificent tree with Victorian-style ornaments from Walmart. Then he was at a craftswoman’s house to pick up a handmade nativity to celebrate Jesus’ birth, and the enjoyment of their first son’s birth and first Christmas.

When the young man dozed off in the recliner by the front door of the little four-room house as baby Aaron was sleeping in his swing, he dreamed that he was an old man dreaming that he was a young man…

The new seven-foot-tall Christmas Tree stood by the humongous picture window, decorated with brilliant lights and Victorian Ornaments. Baby Aaron cackled with delight!