A Christmas Story by Anna-M Solvsteen Nielsen

It was Christmas Eve the year of our lord 2012, and I was standing guard at Hampton court palace. When I suddenly heard lively music from the great hall that and was weird because the palace was supposed to be empty. I went to investigate and throw whoever was playing the music out but when I got closer to the great hall I heard that is was medieval music being played so I walked to the door and opened it to see that the people in there were ghosts a lot of ghosts some dancing and others talking.

I looked up at the thrones in the far end of the room and saw a handsome young man sitting on the king’s throne but no one sitting on the queens but there was a line of six women all wearing crowns fit for queens standing looking at the king and he was looking at them but then suddenly one of the women a young woman of sixteen found someone else she would rather be with and ran over to a young man who looked like a servant “Culpepper!!” she said and when she got to him they kissed and hugged and started dancing.

I looked back at the king and the now five women and then one more of the women stepped out of the line and walked over to a man but she didn’t look happy to see him she looked mad and when she got over to him she slapped him he was standing and trying to touch and kiss a young red-haired woman and when the woman came over the girl ran over to one of the four women in the line with the king the woman she ran to had dark brown hair and very dark almost black eyes and she hugged the young girl and kissed the top of her head like she was her mother and then a young brown haired woman came over to the four women and hugged a woman with black hair and they were so happy to see each other that they both cried like they also were mother and daughter. Then one of the four women walked out of the line she didn’t walk over to any one she just sat down in the window seat and looked at the party and the king looked relieved to see her go. And then a little boy of six or seven came running in to the room over to the blond woman in the line by the thrones and she picked him up and hugged and kissed him like he was her son and then the three women looked at the king like he would have to choose between the three women and their children. He quickly send the woman with the black hair and her daughter away and they walked away from the line and walked to the window seat where the who king were happy to let go were sitting and they sat down and spoke with each other.

And then there were two in the line for the throne of the queen and then the king stood up from his throne and stood before them and looked from one to the other taking a long time to choose but in the end he walked over to the woman with the dark brown hair and kissed her and led her to her throne and send the blond woman away and she walked to the window seat as well and the king sat down in his throne beside his queen and the red haired girl sat on a pillow on the floor beside the queen and then all the other ghosts in the room stopped whatever they were doing and looked up at the king and queen

“Long live his majesty king Henry the eighth and her majesty queen Anne Boleyn” the crowd roared and they all bowed “and the princess Elisabeth” and suddenly it all made sense it was a Christmas party at the court of Henry VIII and the first woman that ran out of the line had been Katharine Howard and she ran to her lover Thomas Culpepper and the second woman to leave the line was Katharine Parr and she had slapped her husband Edward Seymour and the third woman to go was Anne of Cleves and the first woman Henry send away had been Katherine of Aragon and their daughter Mary the first also known as Bloody Mary. And the second woman to be send away was Jane Seymour and with her their son Edward the sixth, and of course the queen Anne Boleyn on her throne with her daughter Elisabeth beside her who would be known as the virgin queen and the queen of Britain’s golden age. And then Henry stood up and took Anne’s hand and led her to the dance floor and they danced like they had just fallen in love and like Henry had never fallen out of love with Anne. So I decided that I would leave them all alone and let them all party in peace.