Title: Of Possums and Wigs
Author: Michelle W.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Disclaimer: Catherine Marshall's story "Christy" belongs to the Marshall
and LeSourd families.  I am in no way trying to infringe on or profit
from her story or characters.  This is written for non-profit
entertainment only.  Any additional characters or storylines are my own
invention.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Of Possums and Wigs



The gently falling snow blanketed the Cove like a pristine white quilt.
A cozy fire hissed and crackled over the logs in the fireplace at the
MacNeill cabin as its two occupants ate their evening meal.

Neil absently pushed around the remaining food on his plate with his
fork while squeezing the ends of his hair with his other hand.

"Neil, is something wrong?" asked Christy as she began clearing the
table.  "You've hardly eaten any of your supper."

Neil looked up at his wife with an apologetic look on his face.  "I'm
sorry, love.  My mind is elsewhere, and my appetite appears to be as
well."  He brought his plate over to the wash basin as he continued
speaking.  "I'm going to make sure Charlie and Buttons are settled in
for the night -- I won't be too long."  He placed a quick kiss on
Christy's cheek before bundling up and heading outside.

As the door closed behind him Christy let out a long sigh.  Neil had
been distracted a lot as of late -- she wondered if it had anything to
do with the upcoming holidays.  She had received a letter earlier in the
week from her parents; they were wondering if she and Neil would be
coming to Asheville to celebrate Christmas with them.  Christy doubted
they would be going however - money had been tight, and it was looking
like this would be a harsh winter.  "Perhaps that is what is bothering
Neil," she mused.

Christy had just begun washing the cutlery when she heard a shout coming
from outside.  Hastily she dried her hands on her apron as she went to
the door.  Opening it, she peered into the chilly night, straining to
see any movement from the horses' shed.  She heard another yell - it was
definitely in the direction of the shed!  Her brows knit together in
worry, Christy pulled her coat on and ran outside.

Her breath coming out in cloudy puffs, she stopped when she reached the
shed's door.  As she pushed the door open, she tried to prepare for the
worst.  What Christy did find, however, caused her to burst out
laughing: As a bewildered Charlie and Buttons looked on, a very angry
Neil was trying desperately to remove a frightened - but tenacious -
possum from the top of his head.

Just when it appeared that her husband would be permanently wearing a
possum hat, Neil gave the creature one last pull.

What Christy saw next caused her laughter to turn into a terrified
shriek.

The possum, which was only now playing dead as it laid on the ground,
held in its paws the curly blonde-red hair of her husband!

Christy turned her gaze to Neil, staring at him in open-mouthed shock.
Where his beautiful hair should have been, there remained in its place a
thin layer of stubble and bits of glue.  Christy's hands fluttered to
her mouth as a very embarrassed Neil retrieved his hair from the
possum.  Shaking the bits of straw out of it, he quickly placed it back
on his head and wordlessly resumed his chores.  Christy turned and fled
to the cabin with the possum following not too far behind her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Christy, I promise I was going to tell you!" said Neil as he tried to
comfort his sobbing wife.  "Please let me explain!"

Slowly Christy turned to look at Neil as he sat beside her on the
hearth.  "H-h-how l-l-l-long?" she stammered as she wiped away her
tears.

"It happened last week after I returned from Lufty Branch.  You had
already left for school and I was exhausted, so I went straight to
bed."  Restlessly Neil stood and went over to the window before he
continued.  "I hadn't slept for very long when I was awakened by the
sound of someone knocking on the door.  When I went to open it, no one
was there.  I returned to bed and was about to lay down when I saw tufts
of hair on my pillow."  Neil paused for a moment; when he resumed
speaking his voice was ominous.  "It was then I knew the curse of the
MacNeill men had come upon me."

"You never mentioned any curse before," replied Christy as she toyed
with the edge of her apron.

 "I didn't believe it myself.  I thought it was all due to a poor diet.
However, according to the legend, all of the men before me have begun to
lose their hair as their thirty-fifth year draws nearer.  By the time
they reached the age of forty-three, all of them have been completely
bald."

Looking down at her trembling hands, Christy tried to understand what
had just been said.  Two things puzzled her though.  She took a
steadying breath before speaking.  "Neil, then why didn't you suspect
there was some truth to it when your own father went bald?  And why is
your remaining hair so. . .so. . .short?"

"My father died in his fortieth year, and he was in the habit of keeping
his hair closely cropped to begin with.  As for my hair's current
length, it is because I am trying to find a cure."

Christy looked at Neil, a puzzled frown creasing her forehead.  Neil
strode over to her and resumed his previous position on the hearth.

"It is a curse on my people, Christy; and the only one I can conduct
research on is myself.  I made a rather rash decision," he added with a
sheepish grin, " to cut off what was left of my hair.  It was not until
I saw the end result that I realized how unsettling the sight of my
nearly- bald head may be for you, not to mention how it unsettled me. So
I used the hair to make a wig, which I planned to wear until I could
think of a way to explain all of this to you."

For the first time that evening, a small smile broke out on Christy's
face.

"Why doctor," she teased, "I didn't know you were a man of such
talents."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Despite Christy's earlier teasing of Neil, the fact that her husband
was, in all likelihood, going to be completely bald troubled her.  Her
sleep was plagued with nightmares of the MacNeill curse.  One
particularly frightful scenario involved her and Neil having five
children - three girls, two boys - and all of them were completely bald.

Christy was relieved when she saw the first rays of sunshine peek
through the frosty bedroom window.  She could hear Neil moving around in
his laboratory as she made her way downstairs.  She lightly tapped on
the door before entering, secretly relieved to see Neil had his wig on.

"Good morning," said Neil as Christy made her way over to him.  "I hope
I did not wake you."  He chuckled as Christy wrapped her arms around his
neck, being careful not to brush his hair.  "It tis alright, lass -- you
saw how much it took for that poor possum to get it off!"

Embarrassed by her nervousness at giving Neil a simple hug, Christy
rested her forehead on his broad chest so he wouldn't see her face.
Neil gently cupped her chin with his hand and  raised her face until she
was looking into his eyes.

"I am sorry Christy," he said softly.  "I know this came as a shock to
you, and I shouldn't tease you."

All was temporarily forgotten as Neil then gave his wife a tender kiss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The light of thousands of tiny diamonds danced across the snow as
Christy made her way to the mission on Buttons.  She was meeting Miss
Alice and David's wife Anna there, who would be helping her wrap
Christmas presents for the children.  Christy had told them at the
beginning of the school term that there would be a reward for each of
them before the winter break based on their school work.  Thankfully her
announcement was not met with any protests, as the children rightfully
viewed it as something they would earn.  They still were not comfortable
with the thought of beholdin' to someone.

Christy sighed deeply as she replayed the previous evening's events in
her mind.  It troubled her that she was so upset by Neil's current lack
of hair, and her unease at the possibility of its permanence.  "Am I
really so shallow and vain," she thought, "that I base my love for Neil
on his hair?"

Her question was to remain unanswered for the time being as the mission
came into view.  Christy hurriedly led Button's into the stable, where
she found David grooming Prince.  He smiled broadly when he saw her.

"Hello, Christy," he said warmly.  "Why don't I look after Buttons for
you?  Miss Alice and Anna are waiting for you."

Christy smiled appreciatively at him.  She was about to leave when David
spoke again.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked as Christy turned to face him.

"Yes, David.  I just didn't sleep very well last night."  She smiled
reassuringly at her friend while silently willing him to not press the
issue further.  David returned her smile, seeming to be satisfied with
her answer.

"Well I won't keep you then," he replied as he returned his attention to
Prince.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The saying "Many hands make light work" was amply illustrated that
afternoon in the mission's dining room.  In less time than Christy had
thought possible considering the number of students, the three ladies
had every gift wrapped and labeled.

Anna, who was feeling a bit under the weather, politely excused herself
and returned to her and David's cabin to rest after Christy offered to
help Miss Alice clean up.  The two women worked in silence for some
time; the sounds of crumbling paper and the crackling fire being the
only noise.  It was Miss Alice who spoke first.

"Something has been troubling thee, Christy."  Miss Alice's face
remained expressionless as she began to sweep the floor, but the concern
was evident in her voice. Christy slowly placed the last of the
children's gifts in the box that would be brought over to the
schoolhouse.

"I still never seem to be able to hide anything from Miss Alice," she
mused.  Looking up at her mentor and friend, Christy hesitated to share
the specifics of the previous evening's events and her consequent
musings.  "Would Neil be upset or embarrassed if I told her?" she
wondered.  Then, remembering her self-doubts from that morning, Christy
realized she was more embarrassed by it than Neil ever would be.
"Besides," she reasoned to herself, "Miss Alice probably knows about the
MacNeill curse with having been in the Cove for so long."

So with her fears allayed Christy shared Neil's revelation with Miss
Alice as they entered the parlor.  Not once did the Quaker woman
interrupt or even smile as Christy spoke, giving the matter her utmost
and serious attention.  When Christy was finished, Miss Alice placed a
comforting hand on the young woman's cheek.

"Christy," she said gently, "thee is not a shallow woman; thee has
depths that even thou are not yet fully aware of."  Tears welled up in
Christy's eyes upon hearing her words.

"Oh, Miss Alice," she replied, "I just wish I knew why I'm so upset by
the idea of Neil being bald!"  Hastily Christy stood up from her seat on
the davenport and walked over to the fireplace.  "I married him for who
he is - not how he looks.  Or is his appearance more important to me
than I care to admit?"

Miss Alice gazed at Christy thoughtfully for a few moments before
answering.

"Perhaps," Alice began, "your reaction is based on thy own fears."  She
smiled softly when she saw Christy's puzzled frown.  "What Neil revealed
to thee may have stirred up memories of something thee fears will happen
to you."  A slow realization dawned upon Christy as she quietly
considered her friend's words.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that evening, Christy paused in her reading as she sat by the fire
waiting for Neil to return from his evening chores.  Miss Alice's words
echoed in her mind: ". . .memories of something thee fears will happen
to you. . ."

Laying her book aside, Christy picked up a nearby kerosene lamp and went
up to the bedroom.
She stood in front of the mirror hanging over the chest of drawers,
staring fixedly at her reflection.  Carefully she brushed a few loose
strands of hair off her face.

"I only hope Neil is not too upset with me for having hid the truth from
him for so long," muttered Christy.  And with that she gave her hair a
mighty pull, revealing the smooth pate underneath.

Just then Christy caught sight of Neil's reflection in the mirror as he
fell to the floor in a dead faint.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Christy, Christy!  Wake up, lass!"  Neil gently shook his wife, who had
been fitfully tossing as she slept beside him for the past several
minutes.  "Tis only a dream!"

Groggily Christy opened her eyes.  "Could it all really have been a
dream?" she wondered as her hand went to Neil's hair.  Gathering
numerous strands she gave them a firm yank, much to Neil's
consternation.

"Blast it, woman!" he said, wincing slightly as he rubbed his scalp,
"what was that for?"

Christy did not answer him, as she was busy tugging on her own hair.
Satisfied that her and Neil were not really wearing wigs, she gave her
husband a peck on the cheek before rolling over and promptly going back
to sleep.

Bewildered by Christy's actions, Neil stared at her sleeping form for a
few moments before blowing out the lamp on the table beside the bed.  As
he drifted off to sleep he made a mental note to never let Christy drink
Ruby Mae's special eggnog again.


The End

Author's Note: No possums (or opossums) were hurt, maimed, or killed
during the writing of this story. ;-)