brokeback mountain one-shots and short stories

christmas at brokeback

Christmas Eve.

The snow fell lightly from the cloudy night sky outside of Ennis and Jack's ranch house on the mountain.

It was their first Christmas after moving into their ranch and they had been looking forward to it, remembering the year they spent herding sheep when they first met, and the bitter, cold days where they woke up, freezing, to their pup tent being covered in snow.

Ennis had been outside, shoveling a path in the driveway that their blue, slightly worn out pickup truck sat in. He wore a blue, puffy jacket stuffed with faux down feathers to ensure warmth from the bleak winters on the mountain. A light blue cotton beanie hugged his head, covering his dirty-blond hair.

Jack was inside, tidying up the kitchen after he washed the dishes from the dinner they just shared. Jack felt a sense of pride, as he pictured Ennis' impressed grin as he put the first fork-full into his mouth. He loved to cook, and seeing his husband's enjoyment of his dish made meant the world to him.

Jack wiped down the counter and hung up the rag he used.

The house was awfully quiet, except for the constant pattering, sprinkling sound of the snow that gradually began to fall harder outside as it hit the windows of their home.

The digital clock with red numbers blared on the wall, reading 11:32 P.M.

Jack glanced at the clock and peered out the window. He grew worried as he caught sight of Ennis squinting while heaving and shoveling, as the harsh snow hit his face. He began to walk toward the front door and reached out for the knob, ready to holler out for Ennis to come inside. He paused for a second, his hand lingering. He hesitated, and slowly retracted his hand.

Jack knew that his husband was someone that didn't finish a task until it was completely done.

He sighed, turned his back from the door and walked toward the boxy, bulky radio that sat on a small table in the corner of the room, beside their Christmas tree that glistened in the dim, yellow light of the room. He bent down and turned it on, raising the antenna. He fiddled with the knob, trying to find a good station. As the radio whirred through the channels, he stumbled across the ending notes of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and let out a slow breath.

"You're listening to 102.7 WBAB, playing all your favorite Christmas hits on this beautiful, but ice-cold Christmas Eve. Hope you're keeping warm, it's really coming down out there. Here's 'Last Christmas' by Wham. Merry Christmas to you and yours..." The rich, intimate voice rumbled out of the speakers, evoking a comfortable feeling in its listener. The voice faded out as a hypnotic, wailing guitar played, followed by the familiar synthesizer chords that began to play.

Jack slightly turned the knob to raise the volume, and stood back up. He walked over to the counter and grabbed the lighter that lay there, making his way back to the fireplace in the living room where the radio and the tall Christmas tree stood.

He knelt down in front of the logs of wood that he and Ennis brought inside one day and reached his hand inside, clicking the button on the lighter to reveal a small yellow flame that wavered as he shielded it with his hand. He touched the flame to the logs and the fire slowly but surely started to grow, crackling to life as each part of the flame reached another area of wood.

The fire reached a reasonable size as Jack slowly got off his knees and backed away from it. He dimmed the lights even further. The familiar, inviting smell of smoke and wood burning slowly began to fill the room. Jack inhaled through his nose and sighed.