He woke to the sound of carol singing

He woke to the sound of carol singing outside his window. His eyes were sticky, his throat dry, his head fuzzy. But even so, a little voice niggled that carol singing wasn’t what he would expect. Not in June.

Away in a Manger ended, and there was the briefest of pauses before Good King Wenceslas struck up. An elderly choir by the sound of it, the male voices deep, slow. Harmonious nevertheless.

The fuzziness in his head softened a little, and he pulled himself upright, rubbing his eyes to clear th...