Light the Wreath

(picks up after Faith ends)

Ran cracked the door open, peered though to rule
out mischief in the living room. Standing
there Nolo, Inari, their son Nerule,
in a small circle, with Nolo talking,
“…livest and reignest forever. Amen.”
Nolo nodded; his son hesitated.
“Put the purple one in; we can eat then.”
“I’m not the youngest child,” Nerule stated.
He nodded to Ran who spied all this through
a door cracked open. “Ran should do this now.”
“What’re you doing?” Papa asked though he knew.
Or maybe he didn’t ’cause he joined Ran now.
Like a protective wall, he stood by Ran.
Through the door cracked open, he panned and scanned.

What Sarn saw didn’t make much sense; the trio
stood by an evergreen wreath. Nolo held
a book, which he’d been reading aloud, though
what had caused him to stop? Nothing Sarn beheld.
Nerule clutched a purple lumir crystal;
his hand trapped its glow. The boy looked at Ran,
who fidgeted. Sarn opened the door.  Total
silence. “Sorry,” Sarn said, catching Ran’s hand
and steering him towards the outer door. “We
didn’t mean to intrude.” Halfway to that door,
Inari’s voice arrested him, “Stay, we
are about to light the Advent Wreath. You’re
welcome to participate if you wish.”
Ran looked up at Sarn and he so did wish.

Nerule handed the purple lumir stone
to Ran, who frowned at it. “It’s not that bright.”
Ran handed it to Sarn, “make it brighter,”
and he did; the crystal’s violet light
filled the room. Ran smiled and lay the brighter
crystal on the wreath. “That light is for prayer,”
Nolo said, “we’ll light one to mark each week
of Advent–the coming of our Lord ‘ere–”
Sarn paled, cut him off, “he comes here? What week?”
Nolo scowled. “Not the Lord of the Mountain,
though you still need to speak to him, I meant
God’s son.” But he’d lost his audience when
he’d mentioned the mount’s lord and with it went
any opportunity to shed light
on the one true God that could help Sarn’s plight.

~ ~ ~

Nolo’s got ’till Christmas to get through to Sarn. We’ll see if he does.

Check out all the Holiday Madness on my Holiday page. Yes, Sarn, his family and Mount Eredren’s Ranger Core are going to do Advent. They’re going to do it their way and it’s going to be filled with good cheer and all manner of mayhem. Christmas may never be the same. St. Nick just shuddered.

~ ~ ~

The story continues in The Perfect Stone.

Read more about Sarn in the Curse Breaker Saga. You can also find more vignette-style poems about him and other characters from the Curse Breaker Saga on my Tales of Shayari page.

Prompted by this week’s Promp Stomp: Light and the fact that it’s the first week in Advent.