The Invitation

Retold by: Wilfred Raj, Oasis

Wallace was a young boy who lived in Scotland. As he was stout, his friends never included him in their company to play football. So, he was all alone almost all the time.

It was the practice in their parish to present the Play of Nativity on the Christmas Eve. The Play of Nativity is a play portraying the birth of Jesus Christ. This year also, the children began the practice for the Play in right earnest.

Hoping to get a role in the Play, Wallace approached the parish priest. But the Children were not ready to part with a role for the stout boy. Instead, they laughed at him. But when the priest interfered, he was included as the inn-keeper.

The role Wallace played was supposed to be the keeper of an inn in Bethlehem. Joseph would come to the town of Bethlehem, along with his pregnant wife Mary to register their names in the census. As the town is busy and the demands for rooms were too high, they would be turned away from each house and inn. At last, they would come to the inn where Wallace was the keeper and request for room for the pregnant woman to stay in the night. Then Wallace would say: “There is no room here.” It was the only dialogue included in the Play for Wallace’s character.

The Play was well rehearsed. The Christmas Eve came. After the Mass in the night, the Play was presented.

As per the script, Joseph and Mary came to the inn and requested for room. Wallace said: “There is no room here.”

Joseph and Mary returned in despair. Wallace looked on with sympathy. He felt sorry for he could not do any help for them. For a moment, he forgot that he was an actor. He exclaimed loudly: “Come to my house; there is enough room for you and the baby!”