Christmas in the Country (A Pocahontas FanFiction)

Open Roads Christmas Tree Farm

John got up first again and went over to Thomas' bed and sat down on the end. He ruffled the ends of Thomas' hair, "Good morning." Thomas' eyes began to open and focus on John smiling down at him. Thomas smiled back, "'Morning, John." John patted Thomas' leg, "Come on, we're going to get the tree today!" Thomas sat up and stretched, "Okay, I'm coming."

The boys got dressed and raced downstairs. Grandma looked up from the waffles and was pleasantly surprised to see them up and ready, "Well, early bird catches the worm. Why don't you boys sit down? It should be finished in a few minutes." John high-fived Thomas, "Alright!"

By the time everyone else was up, the boys were already asking when they were going to the tree farm. Uncle Ben gently rubbed Thomas' head, "We'll go as soon as we all get dressed." He laughed when he saw the excited gleams in his nephews' eyes, "You guys will get to go, I promise."

Once all the men were dressed, they said goodbye to Mrs. Smith and Grandma, promised to surprise them with a beautiful tree, loaded up in Uncle Ben's pickup truck, and headed out to the farm. The tree farm, Open Roads Christmas Tree Farm, was one of John and Thomas' favorite places. They remembered lots of fun times coming there: racing, rolling down hills, snow angels, snowball fights, finding trees, etc. When they were nine and seven, they built a snowman next to the sign next to the road. It was so good, the owner, Mr. Martin Barry kept it there all year till the snow melted. He told Uncle Lon that when people asked who built the snowman, he said, "Two little boys: John and Thomas. And I say they're the kind of kids you'd want to come over here every year."

Mr. Martin greeted them up the road and told them to whistle when they found the one they wanted. The men walked through the rows inspecting each one carefully. John suddenly felt a tug on his coat sleeve, "John," Thomas whispered. He pointed to a tree just across from them in the next row that wasn't sold, "How about that one? It's perfect!" John nodded, "Uncle Ben! Uncle Lon! How 'bout that one?" he pointed to the one Thomas spotted. They nodded, "Yep, this is it." Uncle Lon nodded. Thomas gasped, "John!" he grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the entrance sign, "Come on, let's build another snowman!" They raced off together and set to work. Uncle Ben rolled his eyes and smiled, "Those boys." He put two fingers and whistled for Mr. Barry, "Over here!"

When Mr. Barry and Uncle Lon finished cutting the tree down, the boys came back breathless and their cheeks a dark pink. Mr. Barry smiled, "You boys put up another snowman?" They nodded, "How else would there be evidence of kids here?" John asked. Thomas giggled his agreement. Uncle Lon chuckled and ruffled the boys' hair, "Alright boys, lead the way back."

John and Thomas led the men back to the truck. They would've helped put the tree in the bed, but Uncle Ben handed them the keys and insisted, "Get in and turn on the heat before you freeze to death!" The boys got in, turned the heat on, and huddled together to get warm. As the others got in, they waved goodbye to Mr. Barry and headed home.

When they were halfway down the road, Mr. Smith saw the time, "Goodness, it's half past noon." He turned to the back, "Are you boys hungry?" Before they could answer, Thomas' stomach growled. Thomas blushed and put a hand over it while John laughed, "I think that spoke for both of us." The men couldn't help laughing themselves, "I'll call your mother and grandma and tell them we're stopping for lunch. We'll stop at the Wendy's and go through the drive-in."

When they got home full of burgers, french fries, and soda, Mrs. Smith greeted them at the door and ushered them in. Thomas started taking off his mittens, "It's cold out there." John grinned as he undid his scarf, "No kidding, it must be twenty below zero out there." Mr. Smith patted John's back, "Why don't you boys go upstairs and get some slippers on." Mrs. Smith kissed her sons, "And I want you boys to get some clean sweaters on."

"Yes, Mom."

After getting warm clothes on, the boys sat on the floor and played Tiddlywinks. Even though it was an old game, it was still fun in its way. Mr. Smith brushed the snow out of Thomas' hair and flopped onto the couch next to Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben patted Mr. Smith's lap, "Tired, eh David?" Mr. Smith nodded, "I feel like I ran all over the place." Thomas giggled at this as he watched John take his turn, "Dang, missed again. Your turn, Thomas." Thomas ended up winning seven to four, "Best two out of three?" Thomas asked. John smiled and shook his head, "I don't think I'd stand a chance, you beat me like I beat you at chess. Let's play Snakes and Ladders."

"Yea, your right."

John started setting up the board, "Uncle Ben, Uncle Lon, we're gonna play Snakes and Ladders, you in?" They shrugged, "Sure, why not? Your poor dad's asleep now. Might as well let him rest." They played together until supper winning a game each. On the fourth round, Thomas asked, "Uncle Ben, I was just wondering-"

"If I'll go easy on you? Not a chance." Thomas rolled his eyes, "No, where does the name 'Tiddlywinks' come from?"

"Oh, that's easy." he told him, "It was an adult parlour game in Victorian England and it started as Tiddledy-Winks. The pieces themselves are called 'winks'. I don't know exactly where they got the name though." Uncle Ben won that game just as Mrs. Smith, who was helping Grandma make tomato soup for supper, called everyone to wash up. Grandma always made them wash hands before coming to supper. Uncle Lon woke Mr. Smith up and told him it was time to wash up for supper. Once everyone had washed, they sat down.

Feeling warm after the hot soup, Uncle Ben and Uncle Lon started to get the radio set up, "Why don't you boys get your PJs on and get ready for bed?" Uncle Lon told them, "By the time you're ready, it'll be set up." The boys went upstairs and got ready. While John combed Thomas' hair after Thomas used the shower, he asked Thomas what he thought was going to happen with The Wintergreen Witch, "It's so exciting! I'm on pins and needles!" Thomas nodded, "I know, right?"

They came back down and Mrs. Smith saw with satisfaction that they were dressed in warm things. Uncle Lon nodded towards Uncle Ben and motioned for the boys to sit down, "Let 'er rip, Ben."

Thomas yawned, "Gosh, everything's so cozy in here." he got closer to Uncle Lon and rested his head on his chest. John did the same to Uncle Ben. The two men smiled and patted the boys' sides, "Alright, boys. Scoot on upstairs to bed. We'll be up to tuck you in." Thomas rubbed his eyes, "Okay." the boys said goodnight to everyone else and went upstairs to get in bed. Uncle Ben and Uncle Lon came up soon, tucked them in, and kissed them goodnight.