Читать книгу The Boy who Sang for the Angels - James Cantelon - Страница 5

Chapter One

Once upon a time in a village far away there was a shepherd boy who sang for the angels. All of heaven would hush when Jerzy sang. Here is his story.

In the little village of Weige in Eastern Europe there was a childless couple named Martin and Hilda Geist. Martin was a carpenter, and his wife, Hilda, earned a modest income cleaning homes for people in the village. Both in their forties, they had given up any hope of having a child. But Hilda, who had a warm mother’s heart, was often called on to care for little children when their parents were ill or for some reason had to be away from home. She was like a grandmother to these children. And they loved her as if she were their own.

Martin and Hilda lived in a small but cozy three-room cottage just a couple of blocks away from the cathedral that dominated the village. It was warm and inviting, and anyone who visited always felt at home. People used to love sitting by their fireplace, drinking the warm cups of chocolate that Hilda prepared. The atmosphere was especially attractive at Christmastime. There was always a little Christmas tree cut from the forest outside the village by Martin’s own hand and decorated with beautiful decorations created by Hilda.

One very snowy Christmas Eve, as Martin and Hilda were sitting by the fire drinking hot chocolate, they suddenly heard a muffled thump at the door. It sounded very much like someone throwing snowballs in fun, which would not have been a surprise, because children were always showing up at the Geitz household. Ignoring the sound they continued in their