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“This can be from both of us.”
Seri reaches under the tree and pulls out a small package. Inside are three balls of twine, tied up tightly.
“There’s a bit of dried caribou meat in the middle of each one,” Seri says. “I think he’ll have fun trying to get to it.”
Seri rolls one of the balls at Solo, but he’s completely uninterested. Instead, he’s determined to eat the end of a Christmas tree branch. When she pushes him away from it, he jumps on top of the discarded wrapping from my gift, bites down, and kicks at it with his back feet.
“Ornery cat!” Seri snickers. “Hopefully, he’ll decide it’s interesting later.”
“Your turn.” I grab the fur-wrapped package from under the tree and hand it to her.
Seri take the gift and holds it up to her ear to give it a shake. She grins at me before pulling off the fur wrap and finding the plastic bag inside. She turns it over and over, examining the contents.
“What is it?” Seri looks at me questioningly.
“A survival kit,” I tell her. “See, it’s got water purification tablets, first aid stuff, waterproof matches, a mirror you can use to signal people, and a knife. The plastic bag is waterproof, and I’ll put a strap on the wrapping paper so you can carry it over your shoulder.”
“Wrapping paper?” Seri grins.
“Wrapping fur. Whatever. It will be a bag once I sew up the sides. It’s the kind of stuff you need if you’re ever caught out in a storm. There’s even some fishing line and a hook. I’ll teach you how to ice fish.”
“Thank you, Bishop.” She reaches over and hugs me around the neck. “I think this is the nicest gift I’ve ever received.
“Merry Christmas.” My heart beats faster as I bask in her words.
Solo finally dives on one of his balls of twine as Seri eyes me, looking thoughtful.
“You don’t really like Christmas, do you?” she finally says.
“I don’t know.” I lean back against the edge of the bed and page through the coupons to see which one most resembles my interrupted dream. “It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just…there.”
“Because of your father?” Seri asks quietly.
“Basically.” I let out a huff. “Christmas was usually okay. He was pretty good about keeping his shit together on holidays, but gifts under the tree just gave him something to break later.”
“He broke your toys?” Seri gasps.
“One of his favorite hobbies.”
“I’m sorry.” She reaches over and grips my hand.
“Not something I really want to think about.” I turn my hand over and lace our fingers together. “I’d rather make some new memories…with you.”
“I’d like that.” Seri leans over and kisses my cheek.
I make breakfast while Seri examines the contents of her survival kit. She pulls out the knife and fiddles with it until she figures out how to open it with the latch on the side.
“If you practice, you’ll get better at it,” I tell her.
“It’s smaller than the one you always have on you.”
“Mine is a hunting knife,” I tell her. “It will cut through hide. Yours isn’t quite that strong, but you can use it to clean a fish and strip down sticks for tinder if you need to start a fire. It’s also good for chipping ice to melt for drinking water and for generally defending yourself.”
“Against what?”
“Bears. Wolves. Bigfoot. Whatever.”
“Bigfoot. Right.” She laughs. “Is this just a ploy to get me to learn how to clean fish?”
