A Christmas Story

In the rectory Dorothy was busy cutting the veg with her knife (little knowing that it was a subtle knife that could slice through the fabric of worlds) whilst her uncle was preparing his sermon for tomorrow, Christmas Day, and her birthday. 

Dorothy was just 17 and had come from Penrith, where she had been unhappily living with her grandparents, to Forncett St.Peter, with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle had taken up the position of rector and Dorothy was delighted when they had asked her to join them … she sensed that it was the start of a new life for her. Already excited that it would bring her closer to her brother, William, who was studying at Cambridge (having been separated for more than nine years following the deaths of their parents), Dorothy noticed as she sliced away that she had the momentary glimpses of meeting a man who was to become famous and who would stay with them and give her money to support her with her plans to establish a small school for the local children. His name was William Wilberforce. The subtle knife went on to cut through to a time when she would leave this place following her uncle’s disapproval of her brother’s affair in France which bore an illegitimate daughter but they would return to live as a family again in the Lake District and William would write poems.

And then, strangest of all, the knife went on to rent through time to the vision of a woman, far in the future … she had travelled from Cumbria…so fast … and it was hard for this 17 year old to understand or believe that this woman had come to visit to see this place where she was living simply and preparing vegetables on the day before her birthday whilst her uncle was preparing the Christmas Day sermon.

Happy Christmas everyone xx