Brian G. Walsh

Christmas is a time for joy and reflection, a time to give thanks for all those you love for being in your life. But for many, it's a bittersweet holiday season because of the loss of someone they love. "Christmas Bells" is one man's story of pain and heartbreak. His wife and children have been gone for many years, yet he has stoically "soldiered on" with his duties as lighthouse keeper. But now, he makes a discovery that brings home the full desolation of his existence. He has lost his family forever, and he's ready to die. But footprints in the snow alert him to the fact that intruders have trespassed the grounds this Christmas morning. One final act of duty to perform before he puts an end to his own misery. He must confront the trespassers directly, for he has nothing else left to live for. "Christmas Bells" is one of the short stories in the anthology "No Place For Mercy," available at Amazon.com: http://www.am