Nancy’s Surprise

• Aisha Tlais, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2011

Nancy jumped out of bed like a frog trying to catch a fly on a cool day. The day had finally arrived. She was going to get a few special packages from her family that she never knew. Nancy was 11 years old, her mother died when she was one from cancer and her father married another woman. This woman had two children, a son named James and a daughter named Lira. Nancy knew nothing about her real mum Julia’s family, and today she was going to get a few packages from them. She was very excited. She couldn’t wait.
It was 3pm when the packages finally arrived but Nancy was still at school. She didn’t finish until 5pm so her dad put the packages in her room so when Nancy got home she could open them. It was half past four when her step mum walked into the room. She was packing up her step daughter’s room until she saw the packages. She knew that they were packages from Nancy’s unknown family. She didn’t like Nancy’s unknown family or her real mother even though she didn’t know them. So when no one was looking she took the packages to the basement. No one had been there since Julia had died. It was 5pm when Nancy came home. She ran to her room to open the packages but they weren’t there. Nancy was worried. She looked everywhere but couldn’t find them.
She asked her father but he said “I made sure I put them in your room”. She asked her step sister and step brother but they didn’t know where they were. She asked her step mother but she lied and said that she hadn’t seen them. Nancy ran to her room and locked the door and started to cry. Then her step mother unlocked the door and came in. She sat with Nancy and said “I know where the packages are, I hid them. I didn’t want to tell you because I known you would hate me. Sorry!”
“I would never hate you. I know you want to be my real mum.”
“Oh wow!” gushed Nancy when she opened the presents. She really loved them.