Merryville

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

December 25

Chris awoke on a bed, the bright morning sunlight blinding him.

"Stay there. Don't get up. You need more sleep," a woman's voice said.

There was a woman in his apartment! Chris sat bolt upright and hogged the covers up under his chin. "Who are you?"

"I'm Madison. Arthur found you unconscious in the snow."

Madison? Arthur? Where had he heard those names before?

"Where am I?" Chris thought back to the night before. He had been with his family and friends. Had kicked everybody out and got himself ready for bed. Then there had been that strange light from the Christmas village arch. He remembered touching the arch and a second later the coldness of snow on his face.

"You are at the Merry Hotel."

"What? That's impossible. What's going on here?"

"Impossible or not, you are at the Merry Hotel in Merryville. You are probably lost. Nobody knows you around here."

"Lost? If I were really in Merryville, I certainly wouldn't be lost. I know everything there is to know about Merryville."

"You know everything, huh? It is a small town, but for someone new it is better to have a guide for the first few days."

Chris stared at Madison. She really was serious. Beautiful as she was with her long brown hair and wide green eyes, he wasn't sure he really believed her. Still, the only Madison he knew was in Merryville. The glimmering of the arch, then his landing in the snow a split second after touching the arch.... Well, there was only one way to know for sure.

"Give me one second." Chris said, as he jumped out of bed and ran out the door of his room – pajamas and Homer Simpson slippers and all. He followed a flight of stairs down to the lobby and then outside.

When he stepped outside, the Manhattan that he was expecting to see wasn't there. All the buildings and people around him were in Merryville, his Christmas village in his spare room. He really was inside the town, his apartment room now appearing as a clear blue sky.

Chris ignored the questioning glances of the people he passed as he ran to Center Park and stared up at City Hall. Chris started heading back toward the hotel talking to the figure—people he met along the way. "Sorry, is your name Barthelme?" Chris interrupted one man on his daily walk.

"Yes. Do I know you?"

Chris didn't answer, but continued through the park, stopping a young woman in a long red skirt and matching waist-length coat. "Are you Talia who works as a secretary at the Merry School?"

"Yes," she replied and glared at him suspiciously, "How do you know that?"

Chris ran back to the hotel more confused than ever. It was just as Madison had said — he was inside his own Christmas village. He pinched himself to make sure that this was real and not a dream. He found Madison at the front desk. She had to help him get back to his apartment and back to his life. "Madison?"

She looked up from her booking ledger.

"There are 355 people in this village, right?"

"Oh, you are good for someone new. Really close. Actually, with you, we are three hundred fifty-eight."

"Three hundred and fifty-eight? That's impossible," Chris said.

"Well, we are."

"Hey, I built this village. I know precisely how many people there are and I will prove it to you!"