Bookshop Nativity (reading aloud cut)

Gabriel /adored/ books. Literature, he frequently pondered to one bemused customer or another, was the finest proof that the most beautiful of creations are those made not by the hand of the creator, but by the hands of the creations themselves. There was never a good book in heaven. It was usually at this point that said bemused customer would give up their search for anything specific, purchasing the nearest book out of politeness before hurriedly exiting the shop. Gabe didn't work at The Book Nook, exactly. He just spent so much time there that Eve- the youthfully ancient owner- took to treating him like another employee. She never quite knew what was going on in that boy's head- he was definitely on some kind of spectrum- but his face seemed to shine even brighter than usual when given a stack of books to shelf, and he was happy to be payed with docked rent and cups of tea. He was an angel to work with, so she put up with him occasionally scaring off the customers.

One cold day in April, Gabe was arranging the religious section by level of historical accuracy whilst Joseph took an amused tea break beside him.

'I honestly don't know what you're on Gabe but I think I want some' he chuckled as the boy sniffed suspiciously at the pages of an antique King James'.

'This is all wrong...' he muttered, throwing the highly valuable book onto a 'bin' pile that Joseph was gradually re-shelving while Gabe wasn't looking. The angel picked up a My First Bible (Revised and Abridged) and flipped to page 225 with an offended look,

'Well that's just made up! I never-'

He froze, his golden-blue eyes fixed straight ahead as the door opened with a bright /ding/.

'/She's here/' Gabriel shone.

Joseph sent a bewildered frown at the open door, which quickly turned to a bewildered smile as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen entered the shop. Soft brown hair fell over her brow, long eyelashes shadowing big amber eyes. She was followed by a broad shouldered man with a remarkably Neanderthal-like face, who Joseph found himself immediately disliking. Luckily, the Neanderthal didn't notice the two pairs of wide eyes gazing lovingly at his girlfriend from behind a bookshelf. These two pairs of eyes now turned to each other slightly territorially.

'Who is she?' Joseph attempted to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

Gabriel looked almost manic

'She's the /one/! The mother of the messiah'

'...Ooookay' Joseph subtly edged away, shooting Eve their trademark look of 'we should probably get him help', before grinning a little hysterically at the new customers.

'Anything I can help you with?!' Neanderthal Boyfriend glared and skulked off to the manly man section of DIY books and Top Gear annuals. The woman smiled sweetly, her warm toffee eyes crinkling,

'Sorry about Harold, he's a grumpy old man. Where do you keep the Brontës?'

Joseph's words raced to be closer to Her, stumbling over each other in their eagerness and tumbling out of his mouth,

'Just over there!'

The woman frown-laughed and strode off into the classics aisle.

She rounded the darkened corner and gasped as she came face to face with a boy who looked somehow brighter than his surroundings. His eyes sparkled with wonder: he seemed to be somehow reading her, working her out. He darted suddenly behind a shelf, remerging after some frantic shuffling with a book named 'the North Star Guide to Pregnancy and Parenting', which he silently pressed into her hands.

The woman frowned at her slender stomach,

'How did you know?'

Gabriel didn't really have an answer to that.

'Who are you?'

'Gabriel' the boy smiled, and it occurred to Mary that she should probably be worried about this mysterious boy with the strange gaze who somehow knew things he couldn't possibly know, but there was something reassuring about him, like some very old part of her recognised him as a friend.

'I'm Mary,'

'I know.' Gabriel said, and, yeah, that really should have been creepy.

A few months later Gabriel came downstairs to find Joseph peering out from behind the curtains.

'It's Her!'

Gabriel snuck between Joseph and the window, to spy on their newest regular. They couldn't hear much behind the glass but a few snippets snuck through:

'Of course you're the father who else would it be?'

'I don't know maybe that little shop boy you spend so much time with'

Joseph flushed with an odd mixture of rage and flattery. There was more muffled squabbling, until one remark smashed loud and clear through the glass,

'You keep the bloody baby then I want nothing to do with it!'

There was a shocked silence both in and outside the bookshop. Harold walked away, blank to Mary's desperate sobs behind him. Eventually it was just her, alone on the cold morning street with only her tears to warm her. She crumpled down onto the doorstep, cradling her swollen belly and leaning her head on her knees. Joseph emerged from the curtain and, without a word, unlocked the door and sat down on the doorstep with the weeping girl. He laid a big warm hand on her back,

'You look like you need a cup of tea.' She turned to him, sniffled and nodded, laying her head on his shoulder. Joseph fought down a smile.

Mary visited the shop more frequently from then on: she would read in the corner whilst Joseph made her tea and told awful puns just to see her smile, and Eve would tell him he was distracted and stop making the poor boy do all the work but smile to herself when they reminded her of her youth. They continued like this for weeks, talking, laughing, smiling- always together- sending shy glances each others' way when they thought no one was looking. Gabriel watched them tiptoe around each other, always so careful. It frustrated him more every day. The baby was due in a matter of weeks and it was his duty, his /nature/, to ensure it the best upbringing possible, and he knew that, as immature as Joseph was, there could be no better father for this baby. So he decided to give the pair a little assistance. He was tidying some fallen books in the bibliographies section when a familiar voice behind him said,

'Hi, I'm looking for Gabriel?'

He spoke with an Irish accent, though that was more a lifestyle choice, being as- of course- he wasn't from any earthly realm.

'Eros!' Gabe skidded into the shop front. Too impatient for introductions, he grabbed his old friend by the sleeve and tugged him up to his flat to discuss matchmaking plans.

'I don't think you need much help from me Gabe, those two are so in love it's giving /me/ a toothache and- y'know- I'm Cupid.'

'But they won't do anything about it!' Gabriel whined, 'this baby is /not/ going to be born on his grandmother's sofa, he needs a home, a family!'

'Aww you always get so protective over your wards,' Eros teased.

Gabriel put his hands on Eros' shoulders and seethed manically,

'I am literally babysitting the son of God. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT'

'Okay okay I'll see what I can do.'

And so Joseph found himself sitting on the stairs having a 'guy talk' with Gabriel's new old friend.

'You've just gotta go for it, man,' Eros told him as he sat wondering why he was taking love advice from a strange Irish fourteen-year-old.

'But... I don't know how,' Joseph whined.

'Just go up to her, say 'Mary, I think you're a great gal, and I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, how 'bout it.''

'That's a bit forward!'

'It's the truth isn't it?'

Joseph rested his chin on his knees and shrugged. Eros gave an exasperated sigh,

'Okay I guess you do need a little help,' he laid his hand over Joseph's forehead, a warm glowing light seeping out from under his palm. Joseph's eyes opened wide with shock, as images flooded his mind: Mary with a baby, her baby, in her arms, his own around her waist; Mary laughing as they fought over his tv remote; Mary's head on his pillow, soft morning light stroking her exhausted features; Mary smiling, always smiling. Eros took his hand away and Joseph slumped.

'What was that?' he croaked, ever so slightly terrified.

'Your future, now go to her.'

Joseph stumbled to his feet and ran into the book shop like his life depended on it.

The baby was born in December, driven home to Joseph's through the snow-sludge, and spent it's first few weeks bundled in a florid patchwork blanket- a present from Gabriel- never leaving it's mother's arms. His name was Jesse, and he had all he could ever need: a home, a family, and a guardian angel.