Title: I'll Be Home For Christmas
Genre: Family Friendly
Author: Mary MacFarlane
eBook: Yes
For "Tales by the Tree: An Anthology of Holiday Flash Fiction"
Dedication: To my wonderful parents, David and Susan Seilkop, who kept me believing in the magic of Christmas. I am so thankful that God gave me such supportive parents!
Emily
pressed her nose against the cold windowpane until her breath fogged up her
view of the wintery dark world outside. It
was still and quiet except for the occasional breeze that blew some of the snow
off of the lighted lamppost in the front yard.
No sign of anyone coming up the driveway. Heaving a sigh, she swiped the glass clean
with a pudgy fist and bounded down the stool, brown pigtails bouncing. She grabbed her stuffed elephant and hugged
it tightly to her chest.
“Mommy, do
you believe in Santa?”
Nadine set
down the popcorn string she was working on and smiled a tired smile at her 5
year-old daughter.
“Do you believe in Santa?”
Emily
thought about it a minute. “Paul says he
isn’t real. He says that daddies pretend
to be Santa and that the mailman eats all of Santa’s letters for breakfast.”
“And what
does Emily think?”
“I want
Santa to be real,” she said wistfully as she hopped back up the stool to stare
out the window. “He has to be real.”
Nadine went
back to stringing on the popcorn kernels.
Life hadn’t been easy since her husband had disappeared in the terrible
blizzard last year. They had managed to
scrape by so far, but finances were getting tighter all of the time and she
really didn’t want to have to search for a full time job outside of the home. She didn’t want Emily to be just another
daycare kid.
Elvis
started crooning “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” on the record player. Tears welled up in her eyes. Tom would never be coming home for Christmas
again. Quickly she dabbed her eyes with
the sleeve of her sweater and stole a glance at Emily, but thankfully the little
girl was still occupied gazing out the window.
“Good kids
get what they asked Santa for, right Mommy?”
“Yes,
darling.”
“Good. I was especially good this year!”
“Yes, you
were, darling. I’m sure Santa made Ellie
a nice sweater.”
A suppressed
giggle came from the window.
“Emily, why
do you keep looking out the window? Come
and help Mommy finish decorating for Santa.”
The brown
pigtails shook in a vigorous no. “I have to keep watching!”
“Watching
for what, sweetie?” Another suppressed
giggle. Nadine shook her head and
smiled again as she tied off the end of the string. It would be time for bed soon and the few measly
presents she had managed to put together from “Santa” would go under the
Charlie Brown tree. She had spent hours
at night knitting the little cardigan for that stuffed elephant.
The popcorn
strung across the mantel, the cookies and milk set on the table, they were
ready for Christmas. Nadine rolled her
shoulders in a stretch and crossed over to the window to wrap her arms around
her daughter.
“Bed time,
Emily,” she whispered. The little girl
didn’t budge from her perch. “Bed time,
Emily!” she said a little louder.
“Shhh!”
Emily put a finger over her lips, head tilted as her young ears picked up some
sound Nadine couldn’t hear. Then it
came, softly at first, then gradually louder.
The jingle of bells. What was
this? Some kind neighbour helping make their
Christmas magical?
She gasped
as an over-laden sleigh hauled by eight caribou settled onto their
driveway. In the driver seat sat a
rather obese man in a red fur coat who turned and waved at them. Out of the sleigh tumbled a stick-figure of a
man.
“Daddy!”
Emily shrieked. Jumping down from her
stool, she scampered to the front door and threw it open. Dashing out across the lawn, arms
outstretched, she tumbled into the waiting arms of the man. Nadine was still in too much shock to
move. She was sure her eyes were playing
tricks on her, but eventually she found her way outside where she could see for
herself who this really was.
“Tom?”
The face
that glanced up was gaunt, gristly, and hardened, but the blue eyes that
twinkled underneath were unmistakable.
“Tom!” Nadine joined the heap in the snow, her
laughter bubbling through her tears of happiness as Tom embraced wife and
daughter for the first time in a year.
The old man
in the sleigh watched the scene with a smile glowing on his wrinkled cheeks,
quite forgotten and happy to have it so.
Slapping the caribou with the reigns, he clucked his tongue and backed the
loaded vehicle out of the driveway. As
the sleigh began to rise into the air, he cast his eyes on the weathered sheet
of notebook paper in his hand.
“Deer Santa
Claz,
I now I was
a good girl but I dont want any toys. Pleas
find my daddy. We misss him lots. I want Mommy to laf agin. We need my daddy for Krismas. Thank yoo!
Hugs and
kisses,
Emily”
(812 Words)
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Emily
pressed her nose against the cold windowpane until her breath fogged up her
view of the wintery dark world outside. It
was still and quiet except for the occasional breeze that blew some of the snow
off of the lighted lamppost in the front yard.
No sign of anyone coming up the driveway. Heaving a sigh, she swiped the glass clean
with a pudgy fist and bounded down the stool, brown pigtails bouncing. She grabbed her stuffed elephant and hugged
it tightly to her chest.
In a tiny tree house nestled in the
Forest of Tranquility lived a fairy elf named Mairí. Today was a very special day for Mairí for
this year she was hosting the Christmas Eve feast. All day she flitted from one corner to
another of her four room house, decorating it for the occasion. The entire population of birds who also lived
in her tree whistled Christmas carols while hopping from snowy branch to snowy
branch as the aroma of baking bread permeated the crisp winter air. 