Chapter 9

A shabby tent has been set up by the side entrance of the church. In front of it, shepherds and shepherdesses in burlap clothing are seated. Next to the tent, a pen holds sheep, awkwardly trying to turn around. Liza leans over the wooden planks and gently strokes one of them on the head.

“Baa,” says the sheep.

Tim climbs onto the wooden fence and immediately tumbles into the pen among the sheep. Startled, they scatter toward the back of the pen, bleating. Tim scrambles to his feet as fast as he can and climbs back over the fence.

“You’re such a goof,” Liza laughs, brushing the straw off his clothes.

“Are you hurt?” she asks.

Tim shakes his head and anxiously looks around to see if anyone is coming to give him a scolding.

“You won’t tell Leonora, will you?” he asks. “Otherwise, she’ll start bleating again.”

They both burst out laughing.

“Then she might as well go stand with the sheep,” Tim snorts.

But Leonora isn’t near the sheep. She’s slowly walking along the shepherds, searching, peering into the darkness beside the church.

“Is she looking for her boyfriend?” Tim asks Liza.

“Probably. Maybe we’ll run into him later.”

They stop by a shepherd family to listen to their song.

“That was beautiful,” Liza compliments a girl when the song ends.

“Do you know her?” Tim whispers.

“Yes,” Liza says. “She goes to our church.”

“Oh,” he murmurs, craning his neck to look back as they walk on.

“Shall we go inside first?” Liza suggests to Leonora.

“Sure. Honestly, I’m starting to get a bit cold out here,” Leonora says.

Tim casts one more worried glance back at the sweet shepherdess, but she doesn’t seem bothered by the cold. He follows the girls and his father into the church through the heavy wooden door. Once inside, they see rows of chairs set up in the choir.

“In ten minutes, the Christmas vespers will be held here,” Liza tells Uncle Sander. He accepts a leaflet from a friendly woman and eagerly begins reading.

“We still have lots to see,” he says a moment later. “Let’s head right, to the Christmas room.”

The Van der Vorm Chapel is cozy; truly a 1930s-style Christmas room. In front of a beautifully lit Christmas tree, six girls in gorgeous dresses sing carols, accompanied by a piano. Liza takes her time looking around the chapel. She’s been here before, but never at Christmas. Normally, the chapel is very simply furnished. Here, tourists can unwind after a hectic day in the busy city. It isn’t a large chapel, more like a spacious living room with tall stained-glass windows all around. It isn’t quiet now. People crowd into the narrow hallway, trying to catch a glimpse of the little choir.

“It’s almost half past five,” Uncle Sander whispers. “We’re going to the Christmas vespers. Come on,” he urges the girls and Tim. He clearly doesn’t want to miss any of the festivities in and around the church.

They shuffle back through the hallway to the main part of the church and sit down on the chairs in the choir. More visitors have already arrived.

Along the aisle between the two rows of chairs, a woman approaches. She’s wearing a long black gown, her jewelry sparkling on her arms and neck—a picture to behold. She begins to speak about celebrating Christmas.

“Celebrating Christmas is knowing how dark the night can be, and yet keeping your heart focused on the light that inevitably breaks through—indeed, that has already come.”

Liza listens, letting her mind drift. Sometimes the night feels so close. How wonderful it is to know about the light. A warm, joyful feeling spreads through her. She believes that the Light has come and will shine into the most hidden corners of people’s hearts. It makes her happy, and she joins in, moved, singing Mary’s Song of Praise:

How holy is His name!
From generation to generation
His mercy is for those who fear Him;
For He prepares salvation
For all who revere Him,
Through every age.

Hope. Hope for the future.

After the vespers, it’s still too early for the shepherds’ Christmas meal. So they walk along the devotional path on the right side of the church, stopping to look at the displayed statues and read the poems beside them.

At six o’clock, they return to the wooden gym benches set up between the choir and the main church.

“Hi, Dad.”
The shepherd standing by the large kettle in the centre of the circle looks up. “Hi, Liza. Please have a seat, ladies and gentlemen,” he invites those still standing. “I’m going to tell you a story about the shepherds in the fields of Ephrathah. Meanwhile, you’ll be served soup and bread.”

Everyone sits, letting the little shepherds and shepherdesses serve them. Liza’s father begins the story about the night the heavens opened, and the angels announced the birth of the Lord Jesus.

“Then we went straight to the stable. We didn’t even look back at the sheep. We trusted the angels to watch over them. We had something more important to do. In the stable, we found the Baby Jesus, and you can’t imagine how happy we were that He had finally come. We went back to the village to tell everyone, but no one believed us. I hope,” he concludes, gesturing to the whole circle, “that you will believe me and also go to the Child to worship Him.”

A hush falls over the group. Everyone eats slowly, hesitant to respond.

Then Liza suddenly hears a voice behind her.

“Dear shepherd, I believe your story.”

A shiver runs down Liza’s spine. She knows that voice. Slowly, she turns and looks up into Antonio’s face. He looks at her and gives her a wink. Blushing, she turns back around.

Then the others dare to speak again. Someone starts a conversation with the shepherd, who happily responds. Antonio also talks to the people next to him, leaving Liza no chance to speak to him alone.

“I’m going to make a lantern,” Tim announces. He runs to the tables set up at the front of the church for crafting. When Uncle Sander and the girls come over to watch, Tim is already busily punching out little windows on the sides of his lantern.

“Aren’t you a bit old for this?” Leonora asks.

Tim looks up, startled—until Gerard walks over. He hears what Leonora said and steps in to help.

“No, it’s actually really fun, and later we’ll carry the lanterns through the town. You don’t want to miss that, do you?”

Tim grins at Leonora.

“Will you give him a hand?” Gerard asks. “Then I can help the other kids.”

Liza and Leonora each sit on either side of Tim, pick up a punching tool and a mat, and get to work.

Tim leans over and whispers to Liza, “Isn’t Leonora a bit too old for this?”

Liza nudges him gently with her elbow.

“Careful, she’ll stop punching the moment she hears you,” she teases.

Tim peeks at Leonora to his right. She doesn’t hear him or even notice; her punching work is going slowly. She keeps glancing up to see what Gerard is doing. Tim sees Gerard wink at Leonora and nudges Liza.

“Are they… in love?” he whispers.

“I think so,” Liza says.

Tim bounces with excitement on his little stool, laughing to himself. Liza wonders nervously what he might be plotting.

They colour the lantern sides and then try to assemble everything, calling Gerard over for help. A tealight is glued to the bottom, and a stick is attached at the top for Tim to carry it.

At seven o’clock, the procession starts at the church’s main entrance, and they still have to hurry to get all the lanterns finished in time. Outside, a small group gathers in the dark.

To the right of the entrance is the inn, where a messenger reads a decree from Emperor Augustus. A man and a woman, the woman pregnant, come out of the inn.

“Sorry,” says the stout innkeeper, “we’re completely full here. You’ll have to see if you can find somewhere else to sleep.”

The couple looks sad and walks past the lantern procession. Liza watches them until they disappear around the side of the church. Gerard gives the group a few final instructions and makes sure they form a neat line. Here and there, a parent stands among the children.

“Will you walk with me?” Gerard asks Leonora.

She looks at Liza.

“I’ll walk with Tim,” Liza reassures her.

The procession moves around the back of the church. Halfway along, they stop. A large golden cloth has been hung up, and angels are standing in front of it, singing.

“Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to all whom He loves.”

The children with their lanterns stand there, mouths open, watching and listening. When the song ends, they continue walking. Gerard turns to the group, walking backwards as he speaks.

“The Lord Jesus is born. Do you want to come see the stable?”
“Yes!” come the thin, shivering voices of the children.

They keep walking until they reach the back entrance of the church, where the stable is set up. A baby lies in the manger, with Joseph and Mary beside Him.

In the distance, the Wise Men approach in splendid robes, even bringing a camel. They ask where the newborn King of the Jews can be found, and someone points them to the stable. The children with the lanterns step aside so the Wise Men can look at the Child.

In one corner stand shepherds who had heard the news while watching their sheep and came at once. Tim tries to catch a glimpse of the little shepherdess he saw earlier that evening.

The procession continues through the Willem Vroesen Garden. There are sheep and just one shepherd—probably the one who returned for safety while the others stayed in the stable with the Child.

At the back of the garden is a small bridge, which leads to the other side of Sint-Jan’s. On that side, a guide stands, telling visitors about the illuminated windows. The procession turns right down a small street and then immediately left onto Tiendeweg. After looping around the market, they return to the church’s main entrance.

The parents thank Gerard and take the children home—it’s high time to get under the covers.

“Where did your father go?” Liza asks Leonora.

“Don’t worry about him. He’s fine.”

Sure enough, they soon see him again inside the church.

“I ran into an old friend and watched a Christmas film here,” he says apologetically. “I didn’t think about you at all.”

“That’s fine,” Leonora says. “We joined the lantern procession.”

“Good,” he sighs, “and,” he says to Gerard, clearly aware that he went along with the girls, “did you take good care of them?”

Gerard grins. “They were very well-behaved, sir.”

That earns him a nudge from Leonora.

“Would you like to come over for coffee?” Liza invites Gerard.

That sounds like a good idea to him. “I just need to clean up and put away all the craft supplies first,” he says, “then I’ll come over.”

“We’ll help you, then you’ll be done in no time,” Liza replies.

They get to work together, and soon, everything is tidy and in order. Meanwhile, Liza keeps an eye out to see if she can spot Antonio. She sees him talking near the choir. The three of them walk through the church toward the back exit. Tim has already gone ahead. Just as they get close to the choir, Antonio ends his conversation and comes toward them. Liza lets the others go ahead so she can be alone with him.

“I spent a little time talking with your father,” he begins.

“Oh?” Liza is surprised. “And… was he at least a bit polite to you?” she asks.
“Oh, yes, indeed. I think he understands my situation,” he adds, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
Liza looks at him, puzzled. What is he talking about? What does he mean?
Slowly, she asks, “My father understands your situation?”

“Oh, I don’t mean that we can suddenly start talking together on the street everywhere, and that he’d be any less bothered by it—but he wasn’t unkind to me.”

“Good,” Liza sighs. Maybe Dad will soften his view on homeless people someday. Who knows.
Together they walk through the wide door to the outside.
“I’m going to visit a few friends,” Antonio says, “maybe I can still do something for them. I hope to see you again soon.”

Then he slips away into the crowd of shepherds lining the path.

“Handsome guy,” Leonora says admiringly. “How old is he—twenty?”

“I don’t know,” Liza replies. She glances back to see if she can still spot him, but he has disappeared into the darkness.

At home, Mum and Aunt Liesbeth show off their floral arrangements—large golden Christmas ornaments nestled in greenery with red berries.

Liza stares at them.

“Do you like them?” the women ask the girls.

“Beautiful,” Leonora says, “one for the coffee table and one for the dining table.”

Liza says nothing. She thinks the arrangements are lovely, but weren’t Christmas ornaments supposed to be forbidden? She smiles, avoiding giving an opinion. This isn’t a night to fuss over something so trivial.

“I’ll make some coffee,” she announces and heads straight for the kitchen. Gerard follows her.

“I thought your mother didn’t like Christmas ornaments. You told me that recently, didn’t you?” he says softly, glancing over his shoulder into the living room.

Liza shrugs uncertainly.

“If you get it, then I get it too,” she says.

They both burst out laughing.

“Let’s just enjoy the beautiful Christmas arrangements,” Liza says, smiling.

“You’re right,” Gerard says and returns to the living room. Soon, he’s engaged in a lively conversation with Uncle Sander.

When it’s bedtime for Tim, Gerard also gets up. “My mother says I have to go to bed, too, Tim. I’m in the same boat as you.”

It’s then not so hard for Tim to say goodnight and go upstairs.

The girls escort Gerard to his bike. Liza pretends she’s very cold and quickly goes back inside.

“Thanks for letting me be alone with him for a bit,” Leonora says five minutes later as she comes into the hallway, shivering.

“Make sure you don’t catch a cold,” Liza says motherly. “Go take a nice hot shower.”

Leonora disappears upstairs, and Liza sits down in the room to play her violin. Sometimes her mind is so full of all the impressions she’s taken in that the only way to calm herself is by playing. The notes of Pavarotti come naturally again, and with a happy feeling, she thinks back on all the beautiful moments of the past few days.