Arden Finch

Arden was no stranger to waking up with the birds - sometimes literally. She'd fallen asleep with her balcony door open a crack and had woken up to a bird pushing its way through, then alighting on her bed and whistling several notes at her. She whistled them back. It repeated its song, and so did she. And then it sang five more notes at her, and instead of whistling them back, she started singing. Not just those notes, or even a few la la las, but a wholeass song. She wasn't really the 'wake up with a song in her heart' kind of girl - especially not after yesterday - but apparently, some days were exceptions to that.

"Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you?"

She...vaguely...remembered this song from the churches of her youth, but the song seemed to go from the depths of her memories straight to her mouth, bypassing her conscious brain entirely. She got out of bed, spinning around a few times, as the bird flew in a circle around her, it providing something as close to an accompaniment as possible.

"Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will calm the storm with his hand?"

No longer content to sing in her room, Arden made her way out to her balcony in a welter of "Mary did you know?s". It was cold under her bare feet and her pj shorts and sweatshirt were not up to the task of really cutting through the chill, but here she was anyway. And once she was outside, she just let go of any inhibitions she had, belting out the rest of the song in a voice that might have been mistaken for angelic all by itself.

"Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
Is heaven's perfect Lamb?
That sleeping child you're holding is the great, I Am!"

The last round of "Mary did you know?"s were sung progressively quieter, while the confused expression on her face grew progressively sharper, until finally the song ended amidst fluttering birdsong and a decidedly unmusical, "What the fuck?"

Welcome to Christmas on the island, sweetie.

[Open for housemates or anyone wandering the beach who wanted to witness an impromptu early morning Christmas serenade]