Echoes of Faith: The Christmas Feather| Short Fiction

 

The Christmas Feather

As she stood next to the small ceramic Christmas tree on her dresser, 12-year-old Samantha's mother brushed a strand of hair from her face and asked, "What would you like for Christmas this year, darling?”

Samantha shrugged, staring at the blinking lights without really seeing them. Her shoulders slumped beneath the weight of a sadness that had wrapped itself around her ever since Barkley had gone. “I don’t know,” she mumbled.

Her mother crouched beside her, a flicker of worry crossing her face. “Come on,” she said gently. “There’s got to be something. A new doll? Some art supplies? What about a book?”

Samantha shook her head, her voice coming out barely above a whisper. “I don’t want anything.”

Her mother sighed softly, resting a hand on her knee. “I know it’s been hard without Barkley,” she said, her voice careful, like stepping on thin ice. “I miss him too, you know. But maybe this Christmas, we can find something new to make us smile. A little bit of joy. That’s what Barkley would’ve wanted, right?”

Samantha didn’t respond. She didn’t want new things. She didn’t want "joy." She wanted Barkley.

Her mother stood, brushing her hands on her jeans. “Well,” she said, forcing some cheer into her voice, “why don’t you get to bed, then? Santa will be here soon, and you never know—he might surprise you.”

Samantha’s eyes flicked toward the tiny tree on her dresser. The lights twinkled weakly, barely filling the room with their glow. Santa couldn’t bring Barkley back. Nobody could. But the thought clung to her, stubborn and insistent.

She hesitated at the doorway, watching her mother straighten the edge of her blanket. Then, without a word, Samantha turned back and pulled her desk chair over to her dresser. She rummaged through the drawer until she found an old piece of notebook paper and a stubby pencil.

If her mom thought Santa could surprise her, maybe it was worth a try.

Samantha sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor, her hands folded over the crumpled letter she’d just finished writing. The paper was lined with faint smudges—tears she’d tried to wipe away but couldn’t stop. It wasn’t the kind of letter she’d ever thought she’d write to Santa.

No toys. No candy. No glittering baubles.

All she wanted was Barkley back.

Her fingers brushed against the old collar that sat beside her, its once-shiny metal tag dulled with scratches. It had been three months since she’d last heard the rhythmic thump-thump of Barkley’s tail greeting her after school, three months since she’d felt his wet nose press against her hand. The house felt so quiet without him, so empty, like the silence had grown teeth and was chewing through everything warm and good.

She sniffed, pushing away the sting of fresh tears. It wasn’t fair. Barkley wasn’t just a dog—he was her best friend, her secret keeper, the one who always knew how to make her smile even on the worst days. If Santa was real, if he could bring toys and stockings full of candy, why couldn’t he bring Barkley back?

She pressed the paper flat again and read her shaky handwriting one last time.

Dear Santa,
I don’t want anything for me this year. Just please bring Barkley back. Even for one day. I miss him so much. I’ll do anything if you can help.
Love, Samantha.

She folded the letter and tucked it under the small ceramic tree that sat on her dresser. It wasn’t much—her mom hadn’t decorated the house this year. But Samantha had insisted on at least this one piece of Christmas, this one light in the middle of the sadness.

Before bed, she whispered into the darkness, “If you’re listening… I hope you’ll answer.”

The first thing Samantha noticed when she woke up the next morning was the soft glimmer of white against her pillow. She rubbed her eyes and blinked, her heart skipping a beat. A single feather lay there, shimmering faintly in the sunlight that crept through the blinds.

She picked it up, holding it carefully between her fingers. It was perfect—pristine and pure, like freshly fallen snow. A shiver danced down her spine. She had no idea where it had come from. She glanced around the room, then up at the ceiling, but there were no birds, no feathers anywhere else. Just this one. And somehow, it felt… special.

As she stared at it, a sound broke through the quiet morning air—a faint, high-pitched bark.

Her heart leapt into her throat. “Barkley?” she whispered, throwing off her blanket and racing to the window. She pressed her face against the frosted glass, her breath fogging the pane as she searched the snowy front yard.

There, nestled beneath the bare branches of the oak tree, was a tiny ball of fluff shivering in the snow. Its fur was golden-brown, with floppy ears that twitched at every sound, and when it looked up at her, its dark, wide eyes seemed to hold a question.

Samantha gasped, yanking on her coat and boots as fast as she could. She nearly slipped on the icy steps in her rush to reach the puppy, her breath coming out in frantic puffs. “Hey there,” she murmured, dropping to her knees in the snow. “Where did you come from, huh?”

The puppy whimpered, taking a hesitant step toward her. Its tail wagged timidly, and Samantha’s heart melted. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “I’ve got you.” She scooped the little dog into her arms, wrapping her coat around its trembling body. The puppy nestled against her chest, and for the first time in months, the ache in her heart felt… lighter.

Back inside, Samantha dried the puppy off with an old towel, marveling at how small and fragile it felt in her hands. She couldn’t stop staring at it—at the way it blinked up at her, its nose twitching as if to say, I’m here now. She thought about the feather on her pillow, the bark she’d heard, and the way this tiny dog had appeared as if out of nowhere.

Her eyes drifted to Barkley’s old collar, still sitting on her dresser. She felt a lump rise in her throat. “Did you… did you send him?” she whispered, clutching the puppy a little closer. “Is this your way of telling me it’s okay to love someone new?”

She didn’t know how to explain it, but deep down, she felt certain Barkley was still with her somehow. Maybe it was the feather. Maybe it was the timing. Or maybe it was the way this new puppy rested its head against her chest, just like Barkley used to do when she was sad.

Samantha smiled through her tears. “You’re not Barkley,” she said softly to the puppy, “but I think you’re exactly who I need right now.”

The puppy wagged its tail as if to agree.

That evening, Samantha sat by the little ceramic tree, the puppy curled up in her lap. She’d decided to name him Lucky, because finding him felt like the luckiest thing that had happened to her in a long time. The feather still sat on her nightstand, glowing faintly in the twinkling light from the tree.

As the house filled with the sound of Lucky’s soft snores, Samantha picked up Barkley’s old collar and held it in her hands. “I’ll always love you,” she whispered, her voice steady and sure. “Thank you for sending me someone new to love.”

Outside, the snow began to fall again, blanketing the world in quiet. And somewhere, in the warmth of her heart, Samantha felt Barkley’s paw print, as deep and steady as ever.

Echoes of Faith: Wings of Hope| Short Fiction

Wings of Hope

The sky outside Daniel’s bedroom window was overcast, a dull grey mirror to the way he felt inside. It had been eight months since the accident, and every morning since then seemed to drag him deeper into the same unshakable despair. His left leg, now pinned together with metal rods, ached constantly. But the real pain—the kind that gripped his chest like a vice—was knowing he’d never play soccer again. Soccer had been more than a game to him. It was his passion, his future. Now, it was a memory he couldn’t touch without breaking.

“Daniel,” his mom called from downstairs. “Are you okay? Breakfast is ready!”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he stared at the soccer ball in the corner of his room. Its surface was scuffed from countless games, the black-and-white hexagons worn down by his dreams. He wanted to kick it. Or throw it. Or just stop feeling anything at all.

He pushed himself out of bed, wincing as his crutches bit into his hands. Every step felt like a reminder of what he’d lost. He hated the crutches. He hated his leg. Most of all, he hated himself for not being stronger.

On his way to the kitchen, his mom intercepted him. Her eyes were soft but heavy with worry.

“Daniel, Pastor Rob called,” she said hesitantly. “He was asking about you again. Maybe we could—”

“No.” His tone was sharp, cutting through her words like a blade.

“Okay,” she said quietly, stepping aside.

Daniel didn’t want to hear about God, or faith, or miracles. If God cared, he wouldn’t have let the accident happen. If faith mattered, it wouldn’t have left him so empty.

After forcing down a few bites of toast, Daniel escaped outside. The fresh air stung his cheeks, cold and bracing. He hobbled toward the park down the street. He hadn’t been there since the accident, but today something tugged at him, a faint whisper he couldn’t ignore.

The park was empty, save for a few crows picking at scraps near the benches. The soccer field stretched out in the distance, a mocking reminder of what used to be. Daniel sank onto a bench beneath a towering oak tree and stared at the field. His breath came out in clouds, the silence around him heavy and still.

“Rough day?”

The voice startled him. He turned to see a young man sitting on the other end of the bench. He hadn’t heard anyone approach. The man looked about twenty, with golden-brown hair that seemed to catch the faintest rays of light filtering through the clouds. His eyes were a startling blue, as if the sky itself had poured its essence into them.

Daniel frowned. “Do I know you?”

The man smiled, a soft, knowing expression. “Not yet. But I thought you might need someone to talk to.”

Daniel shifted uncomfortably. “I’m fine.”

“Are you?”

The question lingered in the air, gentle but piercing. Daniel looked away, focusing on the soccer field again.

“What’s your name?” Daniel asked, partly to change the subject.

“Gabriel,” the man replied.

Daniel snorted. “What are you, an angel or something?”

Gabriel chuckled. “Something like that.”

There was something odd about Gabriel—something calm and unshakable, like he carried a kind of peace that didn’t belong to this world.

“You don’t know anything about me,” Daniel muttered.

“Maybe not,” Gabriel said. “But I can see you’re hurting. And I know how easy it is to let pain build walls around you, to keep hope out.”

Daniel’s jaw tightened. “Hope doesn’t fix anything. It doesn’t make your leg stop hurting, or your future stop falling apart.”

Gabriel tilted his head, studying Daniel with those unnervingly bright eyes. “No, hope doesn’t erase pain. But it gives you the strength to face it.”

Daniel let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, I don’t have strength. Or hope. Not anymore.”

Gabriel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Can I tell you a story?”

Daniel shrugged. “Whatever.”

“There was a boy once, not much younger than you,” Gabriel began. “He loved to run, more than anything. It made him feel free, like he could outrun the world if he tried hard enough. But one day, he fell. His legs were broken, and the doctors said he’d never run again. At first, he was angry. He thought, ‘What’s the point of living if I can’t do what I love?’”

Daniel’s chest tightened. The story felt uncomfortably close.

“But one day,” Gabriel continued, “he saw a bird outside his window—a small sparrow with a broken wing. The bird couldn’t fly anymore, but it still hopped around, singing as if it didn’t care that it was grounded. That little bird taught the boy something important: even when life changes, it doesn’t have to stop. You find new ways to live, new ways to hope.”

Daniel’s eyes stung, but he refused to blink away the tears. “So what? Are you saying I should just get over it? Find some new dream and forget about soccer?”

Gabriel shook his head. “Not forget. Remember it. Cherish it. Let it shape you. But don’t let it be the only thing that defines you.”

For a long moment, Daniel said nothing. The wind rustled the branches above, scattering a few leaves at their feet.

“Why are you telling me this?” Daniel finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Because you’re not as broken as you think you are,” Gabriel said softly. “And because you have more to offer this world than you realize.”

Daniel looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. He wanted to believe Gabriel’s words, but the weight of his pain felt too heavy to lift.

“I don’t even know where to start,” he admitted.

Gabriel smiled, a warm and radiant expression. “You’ve already started, Daniel. Just by being here. By listening. By wanting more, even if you’re afraid to admit it.”

Daniel glanced up, and for a moment, he thought he saw something strange—a faint shimmer around Gabriel, like sunlight breaking through a storm. But when he blinked, it was gone.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Daniel said.

“You don’t have to do it all at once,” Gabriel replied. “One step at a time. And you won’t be alone.”

“Why do you care?”

Gabriel’s smile deepened. “Because sometimes, we all need a little help to find our wings again.”

Before Daniel could respond, a gust of wind swept through the park, scattering leaves and sending a chill down his spine. When he turned back to the bench, Gabriel was gone.

Daniel blinked, his heart racing. He looked around, but there was no sign of the mysterious young man. Only the faint warmth in his chest remained, like a spark waiting to catch fire.

He glanced toward the soccer field again, and for the first time in months, the sight didn’t fill him with anger or sorrow. Instead, he felt something new—a flicker of hope, fragile but alive.

Daniel sat there for a while longer, letting the quiet settle around him. His mind replayed Gabriel’s words. “You’re not as broken as you think you are.” Those words felt strange, yet powerful, like they were wrapping around his heart and refusing to let go.

For the first time since the accident, Daniel found himself whispering a prayer—soft, hesitant, almost a question. “God… if You’re there, I don’t know how to fix this. But I’m listening.”

The wind brushed against his face, cool and gentle, as though answering him.

He pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. His thumb hovered over Pastor Rob’s name in his contacts list. He had ignored the pastor’s calls and messages for months, but something in him—maybe that whisper of hope—made him press the button.

The phone rang twice before a familiar, cheerful voice picked up. “Daniel! Hey, it’s good to hear from you.”

“Hi, Pastor Rob,” Daniel said, his voice uneven. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I… I think I need to talk. Maybe—maybe I could come to church this Sunday?”

There was a pause on the other end, but it wasn’t silence—it felt like relief. “Of course, Daniel. We’d love to have you. You don’t have to do this alone.”

“I know,” Daniel murmured, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

After hanging up, he stayed on the bench for a while, letting the conversation sink in. He didn’t have all the answers, and his pain hadn’t magically disappeared. But for the first time, he didn’t feel quite so trapped by it.

As he stood and started his slow walk back home, he noticed the sky had begun to clear. The clouds parted, revealing a soft blue stretching far above him. A single ray of sunlight broke through, spilling onto the path ahead, and Daniel couldn’t help but see it as a sign.

His crutches bit into the ground with each step, but they didn’t feel as heavy now. The weight in his chest had lifted just enough to let in something new—a sense of possibility.

When he got home, his mom looked up from the kitchen table, surprised to see him smiling. “You okay, honey?”

Daniel nodded. “Yeah. I think I am.”

The next morning, Daniel found himself in front of the church, hesitating on the steps. The building looked taller than he remembered, the stained-glass windows glowing with light from the rising sun.

He glanced back, half-expecting Gabriel to be there, but the street was empty.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the heavy wooden door. Warmth and light greeted him, and the faint hum of a hymn filled the air. Pastor Rob spotted him from across the room and gave him an encouraging nod.

Daniel stepped inside, the weight of his crutches felt less heavy, and he was steadied by the warmth of something bigger than himself.. He didn’t know what the future held, but he was starting to believe it might hold more than he had imagined.

As he found a seat near the back, he looked up at the cross above the altar and whispered, “Thank you.”

Somewhere deep inside, he could almost hear Gabriel’s voice again. You’re not as broken as you think you are. One step at a time.

This time, Daniel wasn’t just smiling—he was ready to begin.

Echoes of Faith: The Last Letter| Short Fiction

 

The Last Letter

The hospital room was quiet, save for the faint beeping of monitors and the whisper of wind brushing against the frosted window. Violet Harris sat propped up on a thin pillow, her once-strong frame now frail, her hands trembling slightly as they gripped a pen. The paper before her was cream-colored, faintly textured, and bore the scent of lavender—chosen deliberately, with care. If this was to be her final act, it would be done right.

The words didn’t come easily, but then again, they never had.

She closed her eyes, leaning back against the pillow, letting her mind drift. The years had been cruel in their passing, stealing not just her vitality but the connection she had cherished most deeply. Her daughter, Camille, had been everything once—a bundle of bright energy that filled rooms with laughter. But time and life had eroded their bond. Pride and unspoken pain had hardened the space between them into silence, until it was too wide to cross.

Margaret inhaled slowly, her chest tight not just from the illness but from the weight of regret. It’s not too late, she reminded herself. Not yet.

With trembling resolve, she bent to her task, her pen scratching faintly against the paper.

My dearest Camille,

I hope you’ll forgive me for writing to you like this, after so many years of silence. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I want to believe you’ll read these words. I want to believe that, somewhere deep inside you, there’s still a place for me.

By the time you receive this letter, I’ll be gone. I suppose that’s why I finally found the courage to write it. I’m not proud of that—I wish I’d been braver when it mattered. But the truth is, I’ve always been afraid. Afraid of saying the wrong thing. Afraid of rejection. Afraid of facing the mess I made of us.

But I can’t leave this world without trying, at least, to tell you the things I should have said long ago.

First, and most importantly: I love you. I have always loved you. From the moment I held you in my arms, I knew you were my greatest gift. And though I failed you in countless ways, my love for you has never faltered. I just didn’t know how to show it.

Violet paused, her chest heaving slightly. The pen slipped from her fingers, rolling to the edge of the table. The nurse had warned her not to overexert herself, but how could she stop now? She wasn’t just writing a letter—she was pouring out years of suppressed emotions, untangling a lifetime of regret.

She closed her eyes and pictured Camille as she had been at six years old, her golden curls bouncing as she danced around the living room, a tiara perched precariously on her head. Margaret had been so proud of her then. But the memories that followed—the shouting matches, the slammed doors, the final, bitter argument that had sent Camille away—those memories cut like glass.

With a deep breath, she picked up the pen again.

I want you to know that I see now what I couldn’t see then. I see how my words wounded you, how my stubbornness pushed you away. I see how I let my own pain blind me to yours. I was grieving your father in my own way, and I know now that I left you to grieve alone. For that, I am so deeply sorry.

I don’t expect this letter to fix what’s broken between us. I’m not naïve enough to think that words on a page can undo years of hurt. But I hope—oh, how I hope—that these words can plant a seed. That maybe, someday, you’ll be able to forgive me. That maybe, someday, you’ll remember the good moments we shared, and not just the bad ones.

Do you remember the summer we spent at the lake house? You must have been nine or ten. I can still see you running barefoot along the dock, your laughter echoing over the water. You were fearless then. I hope you still are. I hope life hasn’t dimmed your light.

If there’s one thing I wish for you, Camille, it’s that you live your life fully. Don’t let anger or regret hold you back the way I did. Be bold. Be kind. Love with your whole heart, even when it scares you. Especially when it scares you.

I’ve spent so much of my life holding onto pain, and all it’s done is steal time that I can never get back. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Let go of what hurts you, and make room for what heals you.

Her hand faltered, the pen slipping again. Violet blinked against the tears that blurred her vision. She had more to say, but her strength was fading. She could feel it—the heaviness settling into her chest, the faint chill creeping into her limbs. She had to finish.

With a trembling hand, she scrawled her final words.

I love you, Camille. I always have. And I always will.

Forever,
Mom

The letter was folded with care, tucked into an envelope, and sealed with a single kiss pressed to its surface. Violet placed it on the bedside table, her fingers lingering on it for a moment before she leaned back, her eyes drifting shut. For the first time in years, her heart felt light.

The house was quiet when Camille arrived two days later, its stillness thick with the weight of absence. She stood on the front porch for a long moment, staring at the chipped white paint on the door and the wreath her mother had hung last Christmas. It was faded now, the pinecones brittle and speckled with dust. She hadn’t been home in years—not since their last argument—but now there was no time left for reconciliation. Her mother was gone.

She stepped inside, the air cold and stale. The faint scent of lavender lingered, a ghostly reminder of her mother’s presence. Camille glanced around the living room—everything looked the same, and yet, it all felt so unfamiliar. Her mother’s favorite blanket was folded neatly over the back of the sofa, her knitting basket tucked in the corner. These small details felt like accusations, reminders of the life Camille had chosen to leave behind.

“Camille.”

The voice startled her, and she turned to see her brother, Paul, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. His frame filled the narrow space, and though he was only two years older, the lines around his eyes and the gray streaking his hair made him look decades ahead of her. They hadn’t spoken in years, their estrangement mirroring the one Emily had with their mother.

“You’re late,” Paul said, his voice quiet but firm.

Camille flinched, guilt turning to defensiveness. “I came as soon as I could.”

Paul studied her for a moment before reaching into his pocket. When he pulled out an envelope, Camille’s breath caught. The cream-colored paper was faintly textured, and the lavender scent was stronger now, as if her mother were standing right beside them. Paul held it out to her, his hand steady, his expression unreadable.

“She left this for you,” he said.

Camille stared at the envelope. “She… she knew I wasn’t going to make it?”

Paul sighed. “I think she hoped you would. But she wanted you to have this either way.”

Camille took the envelope, her fingers trembling as she ran them over her name written in her mother’s careful cursive. She could feel Paul watching her, but he didn’t say anything. After a moment, he turned and disappeared into the kitchen.

Camille sank onto the sofa and opened the envelope. The words on the page pulled her back into the past, into memories she had buried beneath years of anger and hurt. By the time she reached the end, tears blurred her vision. She folded the letter carefully and held it to her chest.

For a long time, she sat in silence, her mother’s words filling the cracks of her broken heart. And for the first time in years, she allowed herself to let go—of anger, of regret, of the walls she had built to keep the pain out.

Beneath a soft December sky, Violet Harris rested. And in the hearts of her children, something new began to grow.