Every Christmas Eve St James Episcopal Church in Three Pines holds a living nativity with live actors portraying Mary, Joseph, and the three wise men. The newborn Jesus is usually portrayed by two or three babies in rotation, or by a doll when a live baby isn’t available. Various types of farm animals are brought in for the occasion, so it doubles as a kind of petting zoo for the kids. It’s an all-day event with a catered lunch and a bonfire after sundown.
It was a tradition that had grown over the years so that not only the entire population of Three Pines came out, but families from as far away as West Fork. The church was at the bottom of a hill, down below the highway, and the parking lot where the living nativity took place was bordered by a high rock cliff. Throughout the day people would come and look at the nativity and get a bite to eat, and the kids would play with the animals and the grownups would put some money in the donation jar and be on their way.
There were about thirty people milling around when Ruffer fell off the cliff and landed behind Mary and Joseph, among the piglets and sheep. The actors in the nativity were supposed to remain still, but the sound of Ruffer hitting the pavement and the reaction of the crowd made them break character. The man playing Joseph was an experienced outdoorsman, and he looked at the mass of black fur calmly. “It’s a bear.” He said to the cast and astonished audience. “They can be dangerous when they’re injured, we better get all these people into the church quick.”
“I got a rifle in my truck.” One of the wise men said.
“Good,” Joseph said, “get it.” The parents began rounding up their kids and everyone was trying to get into the church without panicking. Pastor William, who’d seen the whole thing, was already on the phone to the police.
Ruffer had been unconscious for about thirty seconds and when he came-to he heard the sound of humans talking excitedly and a sheep baa, baa, baaing near his ear. He sat up and took in his surroundings, looking for a place to hide from the humans before they saw him, but it was too late. Two humans with fake fur on their faces were staring at him, and they looked very scared. One of them was pointing a black branch at him and Ruffer remembered Rei’s talk about devices that spit teeth. He took the stick from the man and stood up. Joseph and the wise man stepped back away from him, looking at him as if he were a ghost.
Ruffer tossed the man’s rifle over his shoulder and it hit the cliff and broke in two. He brushed the men to the ground with the back of his hand, and staggered toward the trees down by the creek. He seemed to disappear when he got there, and the incident became a story that was much told around Three Pines, but not very much believed.