I saw what?
A huge thank you for Silverne for reading this through. :) I really appreciate it.
Catherine Rosenberg, seven years old, stared at her plate most intently like her breakfast would just suddenly jump up and start waltzing all over the table. From time to time she would quickly glance at her uncle who had, once again, come for his annual visit. It was Christmas Day and thus her mother, Lady Rosenberg, had seen it necessary to invite her younger brother to celebrate the Christian holiday in their winter house.
Again Catherine stole a peek at the long haired man sitting two seats to the left from her. All in all there were five people having breakfast around the huge mahogany dining table; Catherine herself, her mother and father, the Lord and the Lady of the house, and her Uncle Dorian and his new boy-toy. Or that is what her mother had said to his father one night when they thought that Catherine was long gone into the land of dreams.
The dark haired man sitting right next to her uncle looked quite intimidating to a young girl of seven. By no means would Catherine connect the word “boy” to that scary man who sometimes used funny sounding words while talking to uncle Dorian.
And the man most definitely was not a toy. He was human. Just like the rest of them. Mother must be feeling silly now. At that Catherine giggled, but stopped when her mother gave her a sharp look from across the table. She looked down at her hands slightly pink faced.
The polite chatter of the four adults was boring for the young girl to listen to. Her mind started to wander and there was one particular thing it seemed to focus on: her little trip around the house last night.
The night before Catherine had woken up feeling thirsty and without a sound she had slipped from under the covers on the bed, her feet meeting the warm rug on her floor. Tiptoeing to her door she had made sure no one was on the long hallway in order to drag her back to the confines of her room. Silently she had then opened the door and started down the corridor.
Hearing voices from the living room had made Catherine halt in her steps. The door had been left open and Catherine could see shadows flickering on the wall. Apparently the light in the fireplace was still on and two someones were discussing in the cozy room.
“Oh, darling, thank you so much!” She had recognized her uncle’s pretty voice easily. As long as he was not talking with her mother, she would be able to make her way to the kitchen.
“The look on her face made all that completely worth it, don’t you think?” Uncle Dorian had laughed softly and Catherine had got closer in order to see who else was in the room.
“I think she will remember this for at least a year.” She had almost been to the door and could just barely see the other person. If she just quickly poked her head into the room. Surely uncle wouldn’t tell on her.
She had seen something socking.
There in the room was uncle Dorian and Father Christmas!
“If you really are so bloody grateful, help me with this damned suit.” Catherine had been even more surprised to hear Santa Claus speaking such foul language. Just wait till her friends heard about this!
“Oh, my, don’t tell me, you are actually starting to feel too hot in that.” Seeing her uncle wink at Saint Nicholas had almost made the young girl giggle. Clasping her hands securely over her mouth she had managed to hide those before the two had taken notice of her.
“Dorian, hot and cold…” Santa knew uncle Dorian! “…Are a matter of discipline. Yes, darling, I know.” Now this was something she would have to tell her friends come morning! She had to ask mother to let her friends come over for a visit so that she could tell them all about what she had witnessed.
Engrossed in her thoughts, Catherine had almost missed the grand finale.
Uncle Dorian had smiled at Father Christmas, who had been standing face to face with the blond haired man. Peeking from the doorway Catherine had only seen his back and thus did not know what kind of look the white bearded Saint Nicholas had been giving her uncle.
“Dear Santa, have I been a good or naughty this year?” Although Catherine had not quite understood why her uncle would ask that, she just shrugged. Maybe he was worried about his presents?
Santa Claus had obviously said something that made the smile on uncle’s face widen. Uncle Dorian had been nice then, Catherine had then concluded. She had almost slipped away from the room, before she realized that her uncle, uncle Dorian, had just kissed Saint Nicholas!
And it hadn’t even been a small little peck, one like the good night kisses Catherine would receive from her mother. The way uncle Dorian kissed Santa was more like a fairytale princess kissing her prince. Catherine had seen those pictured in her storybooks.
After that Catherine had almost ran to the kitchen to get herself something to drink before going back to bed. Fortunately nobody had seen her wandering around the house alone. She fell asleep with thoughts of fires and fairytale kisses on her mind.
Now, at the breakfast table the memories of the last night had made her young mind very confused. Absentmindedly poking the eggs on her plate she looked at her uncle. He was at the moment saying something to the scary man sitting across from him. Catherine decided that she really needed tell her family, and the intimidating man across from her uncle, what she had accidentally seen.
“Mother, I saw uncle Dorian kissing Santa Claus last night.”