Esther Ashton's New Dress: A Short Story

By Kellyn Roth

Recently-orphaned Esther Ashton doesn’t expect much from Christmas with her brother away fighting in the South Pacific, her sister-in-law hospitalized with a new baby, and her job at the department store providing little to no profit. Will Esther have any sort of a Christmas or will it be another dud?

Esther Ashton’s New Dress, a Christmas short story, is sure to delight any fan of Christmas, the 1940s, and brevity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kellyn Roth
• Release date: Dec 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781540169594

Book preview

For my WW2-loving friend, Sofie, who is better at WW2 fiction than me, but oh, well. I can try.

Esther Ashton’s New Dress

Chicago, Illinois

December 24th, 1943

Staring through the glass into the nursery, I behold what I like to term a miracle, probably the greatest one to enter the Chicago General Hospital since ... well ... since its founding. Pink and chubby with the cutest little hands and feet, she’s sleeping in the little bed directly across from me.

My niece, Rosalie E. Ashton. The E stands for Esther. That’s me. I’m only nineteen and already so swell that people are naming their kids after me! Okay, that’s really not why - I think my sister-in-law Ann just wanted to please me, and Mark’s not here to stop her.