More Than Friends, A Christmas Short Story
An Epilogue to The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain
Merry Christmas everyone! I wanted to make sure I delivered your gift just a bit early this year. A short story you didn’t quite demand, here is an official epilogue to my 2023 debut novella The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain titled More Than Friends.
It’s not very long, and it’s probably not at all what you’d think (no monsters or spirits this time around), but it should help you better understand what your favorite wayward hikers have been up to since their strange adventure in early May. Seven months later, a lot has changed since the events at Bear-tooth Mountain, but change isn’t always bad.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and enjoy this short interlude into The Bear-tooth Mountain Archive!
Jordan slipped on the icy walkway at the base of his stout three-story apartment complex. He had been walking and talking and carrying a perfectly wrapped present under his arm when he stepped wrongly on a patch of black ice. As his feet flew out from under him, Jordan managed to toss his cell phone into the powdery snow just in time to use both hands (and all his coordination) to save the gift as he fell hard to the ground.
He examined the box held firmly between his palms. Nothing looked damaged–thank God–and even if it were, it’s not like he had the time to unwrap it and check. He could do nothing but trust his amateur juggling skills and pluck his damp phone out of the cold.
“Hold on,” Jordan said, resting the phone between his head and shoulder as he fished for the wireless earpiece in his pocket. He popped the device in his ear and slowly picked himself up. “Okay, I’m good.”
“You slipped on the ice again, didn’t you?” said the voice on the phone.
“Shut up, I’m fine,” Jordan responded. “It’s not like you’ve never eaten snow.”
“I resent that, I’m an athlete, remember? Having perfect balance is part of the act.”
“You were an athlete, remember? You’re nothing but a desk jockey now.” Jordan pushed his way through the complex doors and hustled up the daunting steps before him.
Deon was quiet on the other line, unable to fire back a well-timed and thought-up quip of his own. “Did you break her gift?” he asked.
“I don’t think so, but I don’t want to shake it or anything.”
“Fair point,” Deon said through the phone. “But you don’t want to give it to her all shattered or anything, do you?”
Jordan sighed. “I think it’s okay. I caught it before it touched the ground.”
“I’m sure it’s fine then.”
Summiting the third floor, Jordan whipped out his keys and arrived at Apartment 10. He struggled only once, for a moment or two, and then the door opened, and he quickly walked through. Locking the door behind him, he carefully placed the present on the kitchen counter and tossed his keys in the empty dish before removing his clunky boots and heavy winter coat. When Jordan fell onto the living room couch, the landing wasn’t wet or cold like before, but soft and warm. He kicked back with his feet firmly on the coffee table.
“Is your mom coming to see you?” Jordan asked.
“Yeah, her flight gets in on the twenty-first, which is…”
“Thursday.”
“Right, so I need to clean my place up a bit.”
“I bet it’s a pig-stye,” Jordan joked.
“Let’s just say that whoever said, ‘cleanliness was next to godliness’ didn’t have a clue what they were talking about.”
“Or maybe you’re just not as good as you think you are,” Jordan said, taking the rounded device out of his ear and placing the call on speaker. Without his roommate around, he could operate as he pleased.
“Well, that’s probably true,” Deon said. “When is she coming over?”
Jordan glanced at the digital clock on the kitchen counter. “Should be here any minute.”
“Then I won’t keep you, you better clean up…” Deon paused for a moment. “Who am I kidding, you’ve had this place spotless since your roomie left, didn’t you?”
“You know, he’s never been quite as messy as you were in undergrad,” Jordan said, a grin slipping from the corners of his pursed lips.
“Goodbye, Jordan,” Deon said. “And Merry Christmas if we don’t talk before then!”
“Right back at you, brother.”
The moment Deon ended the call, Jordan heard a soft knock at the door. He jumped from his seat, slicked back his hair, and pranced over to the entryway. Glancing through the peephole, he saw her. Chloe was dressed in a white fleece with a multicolor zig-zagging pattern that highlighted the curls in her platinum-blonde hair. Her arms were tucked behind her back as she swayed back and forth humming a Christmas carol she’d likely heard on the radio.
Thank God it’s not Mariah Carey, Jordan thought to himself. But even if she’d been humming that cursed tune, he wouldn’t be able to help but smile when he saw her. He was still in awe every time their eyes met, and he prayed that magic would never fade. He was completely devoted, and, by all accounts, it seemed like she was too.
“What’s the password?”
“Um, pineapple!”
“Pineapple? Well you know that’s not right.”
“Jordan! Please just let me in, I can’t remember the word.”
“Do you remember what it stands for?”
“Friend,” Chloe said offhandedly. “Of course, I remember that.”
Jordan unlocked the door and gestured her in as if he were the butler of a very large mansion.
“Thank you, kind sir,” she said with a chuckle. Her bright countenance lit up the room as she entered, twisting her body so that he couldn’t see what she held behind her. “Say, you got any hot chocolate?”
“Coming right up,” Jordan shut the door and bounced past Chloe into the kitchen. He quickly whipped up his mother’s famous hot chocolate recipe–which wasn’t too different from any standard microwavable directions you’d find online. As Jordan took care to prepare her favorite winter beverage, he glanced over and smiled as Chloe removed her fuzzy, pom hat and carefully placed her secret object behind the present he’d wrapped for her.
“I’ve decided that I need a different password,” Chloe said as a matter of fact.
“Oh, do you now? What password could possibly be better than a magical Elvish word that opens impossible doors?”
“Well, since I’m your girlfriend and not just any old college buddy or D&D groupie, I think I deserve a different classification.”
“Hmm,” Jordan pondered as he shoved Chloe’s unofficial mug into the microwave. “I’ll have to think about that.”
“You better, I don’t want to have to say mellon every time I come over.”
“Ah ha! So, you did remember!”
“It just came back to me…”
Jordan met her in the middle of the kitchen and beamed back at her. “Either way, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” Chloe said as Jordan leaned in for a kiss. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it was a passionate one. And it meant something far greater than any Elvish word or perfectly wrapped present could.
The microwave interrupted their bliss and Jordan soon returned with a steaming mug of intoxicating chocolaty goodness. Chloe could hardly wait as she grasped the cup with her still-mittened hands and pulled the warmth in close.
“Ahh,” she sighed. “That’s the good stuff.”
Grabbing their respective presents, Jordan shuffled Chloe into the living room where they plopped them on the couch. Jordan turned on the fake TV fireplace to set the mood before he turned and stared longingly at her. To his surprise, she was already staring the same way at him, and before they knew it, they were both lost.
She would be leaving the next day to head back home to Colorado for Christmas with her family, and Jordan’s folks would be arriving on the twenty-third to celebrate with him. Although they’d only been dating for about seven months, it felt odd not spending the holidays together. There was something about their connection that just felt natural and right. It was a miracle Jordan had worked up the courage to ask her out in the first place, but after that, they were blessed with a hundred other tiny miracles that only drew them closer together. Deon was right, after all, Jordan remembered thinking after their first date. She really does like me.
But it was more than that, they had fallen into a deep and intense love that neither of them fully understood, but one they couldn’t deny. They couldn’t wait to introduce the other to their respective families, though they’d have to wait until the new year for that.
“Open mine first,” Chloe squealed. She shoved her present into Jordan’s arms and tried to hide the bright smile on her face. “Come on, open it!”
Jordan ripped through the wrapping paper and opened the cardboard box to find another set of gift wrapping inside. The thin paper covering parted to reveal a brand-new wristwatch. It was silver-plated with a golden rim curved tight around the glass. Since it didn’t have an obvious brand name or logo anywhere, Jordan could also assume it was custom-made. He hated wearing brand names, but, of course, Chloe already knew that.
The watch was held by a black leather strap on either side that looked nicer than his sleekest pair of dress shoes. The time was already set, and when he turned it around, he carefully read the engraving.
To my Giant-slayer,
Love, Chloe
Chloe hadn’t understood the nickname that his best friend had given him–in fact, since he lived out of town, she’d only really met Deon twice–but it was always said with affection, and she caught on. Additionally, Chloe had noted that the sword hung on Jordan’s bedroom wall was similarly named Giantsbane. Though she had yet to be told the full story of Jordan and Deon’s adventure on the mysterious Bear-tooth Mountain, this was just another one of those tiny miracles that proved to Jordan that she truly was “the one.” Or, since he didn’t really buy into that line of thinking, the perfect one for him.
“Wow, Chloe…” Jordan could barely speak. “It’s beautiful.”
“I know you broke your favorite watch the last time you and Deon went hiking, and I know you hadn’t replaced it… If you don’t like it, we can take it back, but—”
“No,” Jordan stopped her. “I love it. Thank you. It’s a perfect gift.”
“Merry Christmas,” Chloe said. She’d lit back up like a string of holiday lights. “Okay, I’m dying to know what you got me now…”
Jordan nervously scratched the back of his neck. “Well don’t expect me to be able to top this,” he said as she ravenously eviscerated his expertly wrapped package. “Also, I slipped on the ice earlier, so if it’s broken or anything—”
“Hush, Jordan,” Chloe said, opening the box. “I’m sure I’ll love it.”
Jordan watched as Chloe removed a snow globe from all the wrapping tissue and foam that held it in place. The base was immaculate, littered with perfectly sculpted angels, fairies, dolls, and armed mice. The reds and greens popped the most, but the purples were particularly accentuated to draw one’s eye to the globe itself, which housed a little Nutcracker and the Mouse King as they engaged in combat over a young woman. Chloe shook the globe to watch as the simulated snow flurried around the characters, bringing the story to life.
“It plays music too,” Jordan said. He directed her to the key on the bottom, which she turned clockwise three times. Instantly the snow globe played a sampling from Tchaikovsky’s The Dance of the Sugar-Plumb Fairy.
“Oh my gosh.” Chloe had no other words. Instead, she let the music wash over her as soft tears welled in her reddened eyes. She tried, unsuccessfully, to wipe them, but just managed to redirect them to her cheeks. She studied the artistry of the globe as she took in the familiar sounds.
“I know you did ballet, and you said that The Nutcracker was your favorite, so when I saw this at that Christmas store downtown…”
“It’s perfect,” Chloe said. She pecked him on the cheek. “I love you.”
Jordan turned to her with inviting eyes and a sure grin on his face. “I love you too.”
It had been the first time either of them had said it, though they’d been thinking of and dancing around saying those three little words in that particular order for quite a while. They knew each other so well, and neither was surprised or anxious by the confirmation. They huddled together on the couch as they listened to Chloe’s gift play its trademark tune for them, holding each other in pure comfort and joy.
“Merry Christmas, Chloe,” Jordan told his love. “I hope we never have to spend another one apart.”
“I second that one, mellon.”
“That’s boymellon to you.”
“Hopefully not for too long,” she said as she gently rested her head on his shoulder. “Anyhow, I think I found my new password.”
Jordan squeezed her tight as he gazed back into the digital fire, thumbing his bare ring finger. Hopefully not, indeed.
THE END?
To all of you who showed up when I released The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain a few months back… THANK YOU!
Not only was the story near and dear to my heart, but the response has been so positive from so many of you. Thank you for journeying up Bear-tooth Mountain with Jordan and Deon. Their adventure may not be done (there are more adventures underway), but I hope this little interlude will satisfy you until they officially return.
(For those interested in adding More Than Friends to your Kindle library, I’ll eventually throw it up on the Kindle Store free of charge.)
Additionally, I do have another Christmas-themed short story out, this one a bit longer. As I mentioned in previous editions, The Middle-Night is out and available on Amazon! This holiday-themed ghost story takes some cues from A Christmas Carol while spinning the idea on its head. Taking place in 1995, a lone trucker finds his way to the base of Bear-tooth Mountain where he’s visited by a malicious spirit on Christmas Eve.
Oh, and did I mention there’s a sale going on? Today through December 28th, you can grab your copy of The Middle-Night for FREE! If you had been on the fence before not, or waiting until Christmas, now is the time. Be sure to follow the link to the Amazon Kindle Store HERE!
Thank you all again for your support. Until more editions of Further Up & Further In coming in the New Year, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!