"Standring's Christmas Wish", by Gratiana Lovelace, 2018 (Completed)

Prologue

"Standring's Christmas Wish", December 25, 2018 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #1200a)

(An original fan fiction story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace 2018; All rights reserved); [(1) story cover, left]

[As is my custom, I will illustrate my story with my ideal cast consisting of (and in order of appearance/mention in these chapters) of: as Ralph John Standring, Hayley Atwell as Clara Saunders, and others as noted.]

Authors story content and serializing scheduling note: My fan fiction short story here is based on the character of Ralph John Standring from the 2002 British mini-series "Sparkhouse"—with a new story arc. The tone of the chapters will be primarily PG to PG-13—for dramatic moments and/or romantic feelings. If you cannot or will not attend a movie with those ratings, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer.

And I will serialize this short story starting Christmas Day, December 25, 2018 with several initial chapter posts, and for a few days following after the Christmas Holiday this year. Please note that Chs. 2 – End will appear solely on my Wattpad site for ease of posting. I will strive to write and serialize my story with daily chapters posts—a little challenge that I set for myself for fun—such as with my 2014 story, "A Magnificent Love", "A Christmas Carol Reimagined" in 2016, and others. And I hope that you enjoy Ralph Standring's holiday story this year.

"Standring's Christmas Wish", Prologue, December 25, 2018 by Gratiana Lovelace

Ralph John Standring is trying to make a new home and a new life for himself after being jilted at the altar. He has lost the ability to trust, since his trust was broken. Yet what does anyone want but to belong--to someone or somewhere? And to have them belong to you--be they lover, family, or friend. Will Ralph have his own Christmas wish fulfilled this year of belonging to someone special, and having she belonging to him? Ralph had vowed never to trust and never to love again. Yet this Christmas, Ralph will learn to trust and to love again when a kind and loving lady welcomes him into her heart—if he is to establish a loving future for himself and others.

Ralph's tale continues the Christmas seven months after his fateful non-wedding between himself and Carol Bolton the previous Spring. Ralph, then using his middle name of John, was set to marry Carol and invest in her farm, and they would make a life together with her daughter, Lisa.

But the very married Andrew Lawton had unexpectedly arrived before John and Carol's wedding, proclaimed his love for Carol, and whisked away she and their daughter Lisa.

John was devastated. He had put his heart and his financial future into the hands of the fickle Carol Bolton. And then he was left with no wife and no money since he had already sunk his 80,000 pound inheritance from selling his grandda's house into Carol's farm and home called Sparkhouse, and he had no place to live.

John's hurting heart and humiliation  [crushed] his spirit. He wanted to crawl into a hole and to never come out. But he couldn't do that. Somewhere deep inside him, John still had the stoicism of generations overcoming worse obstacles than a broken heart, flowing through his veins. So he did the next best thing and he left in the middle of the night, driving to wherever the road lead him in his beat up truck. He only stopped when he realized that his truck was nearly out of gas.

***
That was seven months ago and John has long since moved on in his life now in a neighboring county and goes by his given name of Ralph--that he pronounces with the uncharacteristic L sound--after his grandda, to avoid questions or comment should anyone remember a John Standring.

And though Ralph has emotionally retreated from the world--and he retreated from wishing for love and happiness--this Christmas, he will have his wishes fulfilled, if he will only learn to trust and to love again.

To be continued with Chapter 1