Episode 16 of You Sleigh Me: A Christmas Mystery
Old Saint Nick continued his yarn.
“Because the man was extraordinary grateful – and extremely pious – I repeated the exercise for each of his daughters. Unfortunately, on my third visit, he was waiting for me. He grabbed me, and forced me to reveal my true identity. I made him swear to keep the secret. Evidently, he did not, for my reputation as a benefactor grew.”
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“It was at about this time that I myself decided to visit Palestine. I travelled first to Egypt, and then on to Jerusalem. You may find it hard to believe, but I was something of an adventurer. Once, I saved two innocent men from death by snatching the sword from their executioner’s hands. In your parlance, they had been framed.”
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“When I returned to Lycia, I became Bishop of Myra, a much larger city. I spoke often of my travels in the Holy Land, and my faith was stronger than ever. An unfortunate circumstance, given that the new emperor, Diocletian, was intent on wiping out Christianity and returning the empire to its Roman Gods. They say that in a single day he burned 20,000 Christians within their city walls. It was not long before his men came for me. I spent many years in a dungeon, beaten, starved, and deprived of light.”
He paused, his expression far away, and for the first time I began to see him not as an apparition, or a myth – but as a human being.
“My reprieve came with the accession of Emperor Constantine, a Christian. He released me and restored me to my rightful place. I spent the rest of my life in grateful prayer, until I passed away, peacefully, in the night. My bones were laid to rest on the 6th of December, which in many countries is still celebrated as St Nicholas’s Day. But after my death, my destiny took an even stranger turn.”
To be continued...
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