A Piper's Song: The Pied Piper Tales by C.K. Johnson

Author:C.K. Johnson [Johnson, C.K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Weeping Willow Press
Published: 2015-04-16T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Christmas

THE WORDS, “SHE’S AWAKE!” ENTERED MY already sensitive ears and banged around in my brain like a smooth metal ball in a pinball machine. I cringed, waiting for Abby’s shrill yell to subside. With a groan, I pulled the covers over my head.

“Five more minutes,” I said. ”I was having a good dream.”

“Hey, good afternoon, sleepy head,” Kelly said as he ruffled my hair. I yawned and shifted around so I could throw my feet over the edge of the bed, but there was no edge, or at least not where I thought it would be. I wasn’t in my bed. They must have moved me while I slept to Maggie’s room.

“Yep,” McKennan said. He had gotten too good at reading my expressions.

“The kids have been waiting for you to wake up to open presents, so get your little tush moving,” said Kelly. Fresh clothes lay waiting for me on a long wooden chest at the end of the bed. I changed and went downstairs where the party had already begun in the kitchen, from the sounds of it. Even our littlest sister Kate had arrived.

She sat by the tree, right next to Meredith stringing popcorn and cranberries. Kate put a handful of popcorn in her mouth for every one piece that actually made it on the string. It warmed me to see how cheerful she looked.

When she saw me, she gave a shy wave and turned back to the popcorn bowl. It had only been three months and my littlest sister felt shy toward me? It’s hard to believe I missed her fourth birthday.

I wanted to embrace her, pull her close to me and never let go. But it felt like a shame to interrupt the moment she was sharing with Meredith. I rested my hand on her head for a second before going over to the sofa and sitting down. I willed all my love through that simple touch. How confusing this must be for her? Yet, what we had now, felt more like a family than anything we had in the past. Without Father, there was a chance she would see the world in a different light than the rest of the family. She might feel safe at home.

I grinned as Conner came dancing in from the kitchen, trying to drag Fischer, now dubbed Fish, behind him. Kate laughed when he came in and ran over yelling, “Fish, Fish!” They must have become acquainted while I napped.

He swung her in a circle in the air and then set her back down. She smiled, wobbled back to Meredith, and plopped down rather hard next to her. Soon Molly and Abby were skipping into the room, followed by James, McKennan, Kelly, and lastly Maggie. Kelly held Maggie’s hand. She looked like a faerie straight out of another world. The air seemed to shimmer between them, resonating their commitment to each other. Whatever happened in this life, Kelly would always take care of her.

The kids ran for the tree as if it, and the contents below it, would disappear if they did not.

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