"The Watch"

A young boy wanders aimlessly down the dark, snow-covered street on Christmas Eve. He is barely dressed, only wearing a bathrobe over his pajamas, and a pair of old sneakers on his feet. His eyes are bloodshot, and the tears form trails down his cheek, but he keeps moving forward in the frigid winter air with a look of determination. Despite being in a big city, no one takes a glance at this youth alone because they are lost in the warmth of the screens trapping them in a digital reality.

He makes it to a bus stop, and sits down for a few minutes. He wipes the tears away from his eyes as he pulls his bathrobe closer. He keeps shivering as he hides behind a sign trying to block the wind as best as he can. Alas, the wind blows harder, cutting like a knife through his thin bathrobe. He pulls closer to the sign, but it brings no relief from the winter onslaught.

An older man quietly enters the bus stop, and places his thick trench coat over the boy. The boy looks up in shock for he was completely unaware of the man's presence. The man in the fancy black suit made no sound despite the street covered in a layer of snow and the man wearing thick-soled dress shoes. He sits down next to the boy, who is now wrapped tightly in the trench coat, and smiles.

"What in the world are you doing out so late, son? Also, might I add a little underdressed for this weather," asks the man in a calm tone.

"No offense, but none of your business, sir," the boy replies in an angry tone.

"I guess not, yet, you have to find it normal for an adult to wonder why a well-mannered child is out at this time of the night instead of sleeping in bed on Christmas Ever," the man says as he pulls out his gold pocket watch.

"I don't have a bed to sleep in," the boy replies as he starts crying again.

"Mind if I inquire why?"       

The boy tosses off the coat and shouts, "Leave me alone!"

The man calmly picks it up, and dusts the snow off of it. He sets it on his lap and states, "Well, since I'm waiting for a bus anyway, I'll at least respect your wish to stop talking."

They both fall silent as they wait. The man fiddles with his watch as the boy stays motionless, his tear-filled eyes staring forward. A few passerbies’ glance at the boy, but don't say anything as they keep walking. One old lady tries to say something, but her husband hurries her along with a perturbed look on his face. One man stopped, only to snap a photo, and walk off while messing with his phone.

About thirty minutes later, a bus finally parks in front of the bus stop. The driver opens the door, and looks at them both. Since neither the man nor the boy move, the driver closes the door and speeds off.

The boy looks at the man and asks, "I thought you were waiting for the bus?"

"I said a bus, but didn't specify which one," the man states as he keeps glancing at his watch.

"Go away!" the boy shrieks. "Leave me alone!"

"As you wish, Mark," says the old man.

There's a bright flash that leaves the boy blind for a minute. When he regains his sight, the old man is gone, but the trench coat remains. He gets off the bench, and looks around. The old man is nowhere to be seen. He runs back to the shelter of the bus stop as the wind suddenly picks up, the cold cutting him down to the bone. He hides back behind the sign, but the wind is blowing too strong now that nothing offers protection.

Tired of freezing to death, the boy throws the coat on. As he tightens it around his shivering body, he feels something heavy in the left pocket. He reaches in, and finds the old man's pocket watch. He opens it, and instantly drops it when he sees the photos inside. He stares in shock at a photo of his dead great-grandparents from his mother's side.

He picks it back up and hears the old man's voice say, "Go home to your mother. She's worried sick about you."

"Greatpapa! Come back!" the boy yells out, but there's no response. All he hears is the howling winds and the hustle of the city streets. He sits down, and starts crying again. "Come back, Greatpapa. I'm sorry."

A young man passes the bus stop. He sees the boy sitting on the bench sobbing while holding the pocket watch. Finding it odd such a young child is wandering the streets alone, he enters the bus stop.

"Hey, kid. Everything okay?" he asks as he sits down on the bench.

"No. I lost my Greatpapa," the boy sobs. "He's not coming back either."

"Where did he go?" the man asks with a confused look in his blue eyes.

"Heaven," says the boy without looking up at the watch.

"Well, my grandfather is up there as well, so maybe he can find yours," replies the man.

"If he does, can he have mine come back,” the boy asks, finally looking at the man.

The man rubs his hands through his black hair and says, "Sure, but only if you do one thing."

"What's that?"

"Let me buy you some hot cocoa. It's freezing out here."

"I can't accept gifts from strangers," the boy replies as he puts the watch away.

The man digs into his back pocket, and pulls out his wallet. He flips it open, revealing a NYPD Detective's badge. "I'm Detective Luther Wechsler. I'm a police officer."

"How can I be certain?" asks the boy with a serious look on his face.

Before Luther can reply, he cell phone goes off. He pulls it out and answers, "Detective Wechsler."

The boy tries to listen in on the conversation, but all he can hear is the detective’s responses. The boy goes back to the watch as he can't understand what the detective is saying, but one response sticks out.

"Listen, I got a small boy sitting at a bus stop freezing. I'm going to get him some hot cocoa, and try to get him home soon,” says the detective as he glances at the boy. "I say seven to nine years old, Captain." The detective listens some more while nodding his head. He finally says, "You too, Captain, and yes, will keep you posted."

Luther hangs up the phone and states while putting it back into his coat, "Sorry. Work called. So, still up for some hot cocoa?"

"Yes, sir," says the boy as he stands up.

"Good. There's a diner right around the corner. A fellow officer is going to meet us there. After we get something warm in your belly, we're going to take you home."

"Do I have to go home?" asks the boy with a sad look on his face.

"Yes, Mark, it's time to go home," says Greatpapa, who is standing behind Luther.

"Greatpapa! You came back!" shouts the boy as he runs to Greatpapa.

Luther turns around and stares in confusion for there's no one behind him. All he sees is the boy hugging the air, yet he has a big smile on his face. Deciding it's better to see the child happy, he ignores the boy for a few minutes by fiddling with his phone.

Luther stops when he hears a voice say, "Take the boy home, Luther. It will be worth the trip."

He looks around in complete awe. That was the voice of his grandfather that passed away on Christmas day five years ago. It was that day that he was forced to severe ties with his family because he was blamed for Grandfather Wilhelm's death. He hasn't contacted anyone since that day, and vowed he wouldn't make the first attempt. However, he is hearing his Grandfather's voice clear as day.

Wilhelm glances at the boy and says, "Best to get moving with the detective before you catch a cold, Mark."

Luther stares at the boy in complete disbelief at what he is hearing. He dismisses it as the wind and says to the boy, "Let's get going before we both freeze to death."

"Okay."

They leave the bus stop, and start walking towards the diner. As they pass another bus stop, Luther does a double take. He sees his grandfather sitting at the bench. When he looks again, no one is sitting there. He begins to think that this winter air is freezing his brain.

As they make it to the diner, Luther and Mark are greeted by another officer leaning against a squad car. Luther tells Mark to head inside, and grab a table as he talks to the officer.

As the boy heads inside, Luther leans against the car next to the officer.

"No offensive, Detective, but it looks like you've seen a ghost," says the officer.

"I think the cold has numbed my brain," replies Luther. "Let's head inside so coffee can warm it back up."

"Sounds like a plan, Detective."

They inside, and find the child sitting at a table with a cup of hot cocoa looking at the watch laughing.

Luther sits down and asks, "Mind if I ask what's funny?"

"Something Greatpapa told me," the boy replies.

Luther looks at the watch and asks, "Mind if I see the watch?"

"Not at all," the boy states as he hands Luther the watch.

Luther opens it, and drops it onto the table when he sees the photo inside. The photo is of his deceased grandparents. He picks it back up, and hands it back to the boy. When the boy takes it, Luther sees his Grandpa sitting at the counter smiling. He closes his eyes, and reopens them. Grandpa is gone, but the boy keeps laughing. Luther begins to wonder if he's related to this boy.

The waitress finally comes over, and Luther quickly orders two coffees and a cup of hot cocoa to go. After seeing the watch and the constant visions of his grandfather, he wants to meet the boy's parents. He is getting an odd feeling that he's taking his nephew home, but won't know for sure till he sees the parents.

The officer speaks up, "You okay? You're a little pale, Detective."

"Yeah, rather get this boy home before it gets too late," he says. Luther looks at the boy and asks, "Do you got a name son?"

"Mark Schilling," replies the boy. "What's yours?"

"I'm Luther," he replies. The boy has the same last name as his sister’s married name. He keeps getting a feeling he's found his nephew that he hasn't seen since the incident involving his Grandpa. The boy doesn't remember, but he was at most three when it happened. He doesn't know what forces are at play, but it feels like destiny that he was meant to walk past this boy tonight.

With their drinks in hand, they load Mark into the back of the police car. Once the boy tells them his home address, they begin heading that way. As they drive through the city streets, Luther keeps seeing glimpse of his grandfather in the rearview mirror smiling at him. He looks at the boy, and sees he's sound asleep on the seat.

They finally pull up to an apartment complex at the edge of town. They see a light on in the window of Mark's apartment. Luther gets out, and orders the officer to stay in the car. He gently carries Mark out of the backseat, and up the steps. He finds himself nervous as he presses the intercom button for Mark's apartment.

"Hello?" comes across the metallic feminine voice.

"Yes, this is Detective Weschler of The NYPD. I have your son, ma'am."

There's a buzz and he hears, "Come on up."

Luther opens the door, and carries Mark up to the second floor. He sighs as he stands in front of the door. He swallows down his uneasiness as he knocks.

A minute later, the door opens. An older gentleman stands in the doorway. Luther immediately recognizes his father, but stays quiet. The man looks at him with a look of disgust in his blue eyes. He finally asks,” Where did you find him, Detective?"

"At a bus stop D..err...sir," replies Luther.

"Sorry about the inconvenience, Detective. I'm just glad my grandson is home safe and sound," snarls the old man.

"Mark!" shouts a woman behind the old man. She pushes him out of the way, and grabs Mark. She hugs him tightly as tears roll down her cheeks. She looks at Luther, and her eyes widen. "Luther? Is that you?"

"Hello, Scarlet," he replies smiling. "Been awhile."

"How in the world?"

"I came across Mark in a bus stop. You should look at the watch in his left coat pocket," he states while ignoring the looks from his dad, who's clearly not amused by this family reunion.

Scarlet reaches into the coat pocket, and pulls out the gold watch. The old man finally speaks up.

"Dad's watch? How did he end up with it?" he asks Luther as he looks at the watch.

"Grandpa watched over him tonight, Father" Luther replies.” Even left him that coat to make sure he didn't freeze."

"Luther, cop or not, but I will say this. You're full of shit," snarls Father. "Making up a story about my father just so you can contact us is pure bullshit!" He's about to say something else, but stops. He looks behind Luther, and sees Wilhelm standing there with a look of disappointment.

"Father, you okay?" asks Scarlet in a concerned tone as Dad's face turns to white.

"Papa?" Father shutters out as he stares in disbelief.

Wilhelm shakes his head in disappointment and says, "Luther had nothing to do with what happened. I've died a natural death, and he did the best to save me. It's been five years, Adolph. Let it go, and be thankful he found your grandson."

"FATHER!" shouts both Scarlet and Luther. "You okay?"

"Can you stay, or do you have to go back to work?" Father asks with a shocked look on his face.

"Let me send the officer downstairs on his way, and I can stay if you insist," replies Luther.

At that instant, Father does something that shocks both Luther and Scarlet. He reaches over, and embraces Luther in a big home. "It's not Christmas unless the whole family is together," he says crying. "Sorry about Mark. He snuck out while we weren't paying attention."

"The main thing is everyone is together for Christmas safe and sound," replies Luther. "Excuse me for a minute."

He walks over to the window, and taps it. When the officer looks up, Luther gives him a signal saying he can go. As the squad car pulls off, he says Grandpa on the sidewalk. Before his eyes, the suit turns into a white robe. Grandpa looks at him and smiles before Luther is blinded by a flash of light.

When he regains his sight, Grandfather Wilhelm is gone. He turns around and sees his father standing there.

"You coming in or what? I'm not heating the entire building.

Luther heads back to the apartment smiling. A chance encounter leads to him being with his entire family, and saving the life of his nephew Mark. He doesn't know who or what planned, but he's glad his Grandpa Wilhelm watched over Mark till he saw Mark. He wants to call this a Christmas Miracle, but right now, he is being invited in by his father, and that alone, is one miracle he never expected.