If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be?

Everyday Lou Suffern battled with the clock. He always had two places to be at the same time. He always had two things to do at once. When asleep he dreamed. In between dreams, he ran through the events of the day while making plans for the next. When at home with his wife and family, his mind was always someplace else. On his way into work one early winter morning, Lou meets Gabe, a homeless man sitting outside the office building. Intrigued by him and on discovering that he could also be very useful to have around, Lou gets Gabe a job in the post room.

But soon Lou begins to regret helping Gabe. His very presence unsettles Lou and how does Gabe appear to be in two places at the same time? As Christmas draws closer, Lou starts to understand the value of time. He sees what is truly important in life yet at the same time he learns the harshest lesson of all.

This is a story about people who not unlike parcels, hide secrets.They cover themselves in layers until the right person unwraps them and discovers what's inside. Sometimes you have to be unravelled in order to find out who you really are. For Lou Suffern, that took time.

Time can't be given.
But it can be shared.

Well, this was better than If You Could See Me Now (but that's not saying much...I wasn't impressed with that at all) but still not a patch on PS. I Love You (which I enjoyed far more than I had expected I would).

The story is based on the fact that Lou needs to be in two places at once to keep both his family & work happy, & after meeting Gabe, a homeless man who he offers a job to, he finds...surprise, surprise... that he can be!

I can't say that I found Lou to be a particulary endearing character but maybe that was the point - I guess he's meant to be a modern day Ebenezer Scrooge. Gabes "gift" makes him realise what's important in life & to learn the value of time. A story with a moral but not with the ending I was expecting - though I should have gathered how it would end from the opening chapter!

Read as part of the 2010 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

Released as part of the CHRISTMAS IN JULY Challenge (#13)
& the 2010 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE



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