The Most Famous Twins of All
Kris & Ed – The Most
Famous Twins of All
A baby cries, letting the world know he has arrived. His father takes him out the door and shows his dockmates.
“A son!” he exclaims, “My bride has given me a son!”
“William,” the midwife calls after him, “Your bride has another child!”
William hands his son to his friend John and goes inside. His wife, Alice, has given birth to another son. Where once there was quiet, a house of just William and Alice, now the cries of the twins Edward and Kristofer fill the air.
Alice and the midwife tend to the boys, but William must return to the dock which is full of ships heading to the New World. it is a busy time in Bristol, England, with passengers heading to America to make a new life, and ships brining new and interesting goods from the West Indies.
Will, as his friends called him, helped passengers load their luggage onto the sailing vessels. Will made a good wage and often got tips in household goods when the ships were too full to carry all the items the passenger were sure they “needed” for their new lives. Will brought home a cast iron cooping pot, new bowls, and a teapot for his bride of two years, Alice.
Will works until dark most days, and when he gets home, he and Alice both look at the starry skies above and are thankful. They named their sons after their fathers, but their nicknames were Ed and Kris.
The boys grew quickly and followed their father to work every chance they got. Ed was bi enough to help with the luggage. Kris was a charmer who could talk to anyone and calm their children. Ed would get a coin or two for his help and would take it home. Kris would get no coins, but he was happy he was helping the children.
“Give your mother the coins, Ed.” his father would say. ‘We all work to help the family.”
“I want to keep them, “ Ed replied, “I earned them.”
“We need to help the family, “Kris would say.
“Shut up!” Ed yelled. “Just because you can’t make money doesn’t mean I have to share mine.”
“I still help,” Kris said. ‘I help the children. I don’t need money to be nice.”
“I’d rather have the money, “ Ed retorted and stormed off, coins in hand.
“Kris, you have such a kind soul. Helping children is it’s own reward,” his mother cooed kindly. She handed him a biscuit with butter and tussled his hair. ‘Your hair is so blond, Kristofer.”
“But Ed’s is so black,” Kris said between bites, “ How come?”
“Even twins have differences,” she replied. “Now go wash up for supper.”
Kris loved his time on the docks, and when he turned 15 he was offered a job with his father. Kris had a special assignment to find families with kids and help with the children. Kris often gave them toys to take on the long journey, and read them stories his mother would write.
Ed was on the docks, too, but he had no job. He was caught stealing too many times and no one trusted him. Ed has let his black hair get long, and he and Kris hardly looked alike at all anymore. Every time they saw each other, Kris would wave and say hi, and Ed would ignore him. Ed lived on the streets with his friends, Kris still lived at home with his parents and gave them his wages. But at midnight, they both still looked at the stars, like their parents liked to do.
When the boys turned 17, their mother took ill. Will and Kris did not have enough money for the doctors to save her. Kris asked Ed for money, but Ed refused. Poor Alice died, and Kris and Will were heartbroken.
Ed was mad at Kris for not telling him how sick she was and ran away. He joined his friends on a ship and sailed away for good.
Kris stayed with his father, helping the children of the town find their new lives. Eventually Kris left home and built a toy shop, giving away toys for free to kids everywhere. Will lived on the docks in England and never again saw his boys.
Ed grew a long scraggly beard and became a famous pirate, travelling to Jamaica and the New World. His crew named him Blackbeard. Kris grew a long blond beard which turned white with age. He continued to make toys for the kids and give them away every year. The kids named him Father Christmas, and he was known as Kris Kringle.
Kris and Ed never saw each other again, but they often looked to the skies and wondered where their twin brother was off to, and how he was doing. Kris standing by his sleigh in the snow, and Ed standing on the deck of his ship, both looking to the starry sky above.
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