Page 20 - Publishing Inspiration Christmas Card 2013

Uncle Hickory’s New Year’s Resolution

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Uncle Hickory made a New Year’s resolution. He

swore he would quit drinking. He had been driving while
he was drunk and had one of the biggest scares of his life.
He claimed the angel of death had come for him. He was
trembling as he told us about it.
He had been to a New Year’s Eve party, and the
celebration was quite lively. There were many kinds of

alcohol, and Uncle Hickory was hard pressed to find one
he didn’t like. He sampled all of them, from the lightest
beer to the hardest vodka. Of course, he claimed he only
had a little of each.

Once the old year had rolled away, and everyone had
toasted the new one, it was time to head for home. Uncle
Hickory wobbled his way to his car, feeling happy and
light, hardly noticing the cold at all.
It had snowed heavily the previous two days, and,
while they had been celebrating, the wind had kicked up,

causing huge drifts. Uncle Hickory’s old car plowed
through the drifts, sliding back and forth as he went.
“Suddenly the road smoothed out,” Uncle Hickory
said, “and the car quit bucking and sliding. That was

when it happened. I was traveling carefully along at
about 30 miles per hour when I saw him approaching in
my rear view mirror. He was floating toward me, all
draped in black, closing the distance between us quickly.”
Uncle Hickory shook visibly as he continued. “I

knew who he was, and I knew he was coming for me.
Even though it was slick and dangerous, I gunned the

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