Hi all. It’s a miserably damp so gray the security lights are still on sort of day here but I’ll have snippets to read on Nano breaks so all is well.

Last week in my steampunk Christmas story we met the airman Jacob. Today we get to meet the professor, Dr. Al Troyer.

Al tamped out the old dottle from his wooden pipe and replaced it with fresh tobacco. His favored blend of Turkish and Black Cavendish, the latter cased in rum and sugar, gave him a sweet and mild finish to enjoy. He rested his pipe in the bowl of the silver ashtray, atop the embossed men playing bocce ball. A fire crackled in the fireplace, the light dancing on the cherubs and lions carved into the mantle. Outside, a bitter wind howled, making Al regret lighting his pipe. Here he sat, tea with a nip of whiskey at his side, pipe in hand and book in his lap, all snug and toasty, and somewhere high in the winter winds, Jacob was sailing his way home. How cold he must be.

Blurb As Chief Tactician for the airship DeGrasse, Jacob Scarberry has spent the last six months on a wearying tour of duty. He’s missing home, and his prosthetic leg is conducting the December cold straight to his core. But with the holidays coming up, he’s looking forward to a well-earned leave, sharing some Christmas surprises with his lover, Dr. H. Alphus Troyer, and welcoming in the dawn of the 20th century.

A professor at Ohio University, Al is already on Christmas break, and his unconventional household is in a festive frenzy. Al is a bit less joyous, his anticipation of Jacob’s return warring with uncertainty over the special gift he had commissioned for him. Would Jacob appreciate it, or will it put a strain on their relationship?

Suddenly Al’s worries become trivial when the newspapers report an attack on the DeGrasse. With Jacob fighting for his life miles away, Al is left to wonder whether Jacob will return at all, or whether the planned festivities will become holiday heartbreak instead.

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If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!