The Saving Of Christmas

• Loretta Lindsay, Grade 6, Our Lady Of The Sacred Heart Primary School
• Short Story
• 2011

Excellence Award in the 'Step Write Up 2011' competition

It was Christmas Eve and nine-year-old Louisa Mooreheight was curled up in front of the fire with her dog, Bonnie. Bonnie was a golden Labrador, and playful as anything. The rest of her family were seated on either sofas or armchairs. The big Christmas tree was placed in a corner of the parlour, merrily decorated with candy canes, baubles, tinsel and candles with a glittering star on the top and it’s scent of fresh pine leaves filled the room.

Under the tree were ever so many presents and both Louisa and her eight-year-old sister, Claire, were anxious to open them, but they had to wait ‘til the next day, which seemed to the girls ages away. Louisa thought of the delightful presents she got everyone; she had got her Mother a beautiful pale pink parasol, trimmed with frills. She had embroidered a notebook-cover for Claire and she had bought her Father a volume of Shakespeare. Of coarse, she hadn’t forgotten Whiskers and Bonnie, getting them each a sweet little collar, Whiskers, a pink one and Bonnie blue. She couldn’t wait to see everyone’s faces when the saw what she’d got them!

‘Mother, how long will it be until we can open the presents?’ asked Claire, jumping off her armchair to stop her playful kitten, Whiskers from clawing the sofas.
‘When you wake up in the morning, you’ll be able to come straight down and open them. Tomorrow will seem to come sooner if you go to sleep sooner,’ Mrs Mooreheight replied.
‘OK! We’ll go to bed now! Goodnight Mother! Goodnight Father! Merry Christmas!’ exclaimed Louisa.
‘Yes! Goodnight Mother and Father! Merry Christmas!’ agreed Claire. ‘Come on, Louisa. Come on, Whiskers.’ She picked up the tired kitten and started up the stairs.
‘Bonnie, here girl!’ said Louisa. The girls and their pets left the room and went upstairs.

Later that night, Louisa crept downstairs to go and look at the beautiful pine Christmas tree. But when she reached the parlour, instead of the usual fireplace, sofas and tasselled rug, was a snowy forest of pine trees.

Curious and a little frightened, Louisa wandered through the woods. Eventually she saw a glowing through the trees. And when she reached where the glow was coming from, Louisa found a large clearing, in the middle of which was a large pine Christmas tree, decorated the same as the Mooreheight Christmas tree, only twice the size and lightly sprinkled with snow.

The candles on the tree flickered merrily, casting a circle of light around the tree, causing a great effect on the clearing. Louisa stared in awe at the size and beauty of the tree. Their parlour Christmas tree seemed a mere shadow in the corner in comparison to this one!

Gradually, Louisa grew very tired. She curled up under the Christmas tree and stumbled upon the Land of Sleep.