story: White Beard

White Beard
By Surendra Mohanty -

"Hey look, that's Dumbledore!" cried out little Rachel pointing through her window at the old man, out on the lane.

"Stupid! His real name is Richard Harris. He plays Dumbledore," replied her brother, an ardent Rowling fan.

"No Gary," added Jones, the eldest sibling. "Don't you know Richard Harris is dead? That must be Michael Gambon."

The old man suppressed a chuckle. Thank God, these kids didn't recognize me, he thought. Though he had changed his guise there was nothing he could do to hide his long flowing beard. He hurried past the row of houses, sneaked into the church backyard and tiptoed into the vicar's room. Father Gillian was waiting for him.

"For Christ's sake, what took you so long?" asked the priest.

"I was watching the kids at play. Is my suit ready?"

"You've all night to watch your kids. Here, take your new suit and get going, before someone spots you. And take care, the snow is gathering fast."

The old man grabbed the parcel, winked impishly and rushed out of the backdoor.

It was getting late in the night. Groups of carol singers were already out on the streets. The old man hid his face with the parcel, as if to block the drizzling snow. He walked in the shadows and headed straight for the woods. Once there, he changed into his favourite bright red suit.

"Rudolf, Dancer, Prancer! Where are you?" he called out. "Come on, we've got a job to do."

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Surendra Mohanty's bio: This 47-year old Indian believes he can write and even tries his hand at it. Believe it or not, some of his stories did get published. His likes change constantly, almost every year. Sometimes it's horses, sometimes collecting coins and sometimes traveling. Only thing constant with him is his family. Married for 21 years, he lives with his wife and daughter in Dubai.