Annie's Christmas Wish by Barbara Cameron

Author:Barbara Cameron
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abingdon Fiction
Published: 2013-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

“I warned you it would look different.”

Annie glanced at her mother as they stood on the sidewalk outside of the New York Times.

“I hope you won’t be disappointed.”

This wasn’t the building forever trapped in the snow globe she’d left back home. “It’s amazing,” Annie breathed, overwhelmed by the glass and steel building as it loomed over them.

They walked inside where visitor badges awaited them, arranged by David, along with a special tour guide. Men like David got special privileges. The guide led them through the lobby garden that reminded Annie of how Central Park existed like a jewel in the midst of glass and steel buildings in the middle of the city.

“The building is just six years old,” the guide said, as they were led through the lobby garden featuring seven tall trees with white bark giving the glass-walled garden a sort of fairy tale feel.

“The trees are paper birches,” he said. They were an apt choice when you thought about it, Annie mused.

“We had some of those near my house when I was growing up,” Jenny said softly. “I used to love to pull a piece off and write on it.”

A modern art exhibit called Moveable Type gave visitors a visual of constantly changing images of the paper and the news of today and the past. The small digital screens fascinated Annie, who wanted to examine all of them before her mother gently urged her along.

An open area filled with reporters manning desks and working at computers on the news of the day was a kaleidoscope of color and movement.

Both the network and the newspaper had a compelling intensity about them. They moved up one floor, then another, through the huge, open structure, and as they did, the windows seemed to get bigger and bigger until it seemed the city was a part of the building as much as the building was a part of the city. Annie even saw the big electric signs of Times Square flashing at one level.

They ended up in the cafeteria at big, round tables with a view of the city. The guide left them to eat a light lunch and promised to be back in half an hour.

“I hope your father and Aaron aren’t letting Johnny eat a bunch of junk while they’re at the zoo,” Jenny said. “But I sure wouldn’t mind having a hot dog right about now. Nothing better than a hot dog from a New York City street vendor. We’ll get one before we leave and you’ll see what I mean.”

Annie loved food as much as anyone, but she was enjoying watching a table full of men and women her age engage in a vigorous discussion. It was rude to eavesdrop, but she wished she could hear what they were talking about.

She looked around. “Well, the network was a little more interesting when they were taping a show and things like that, but Gordon wouldn’t like to hear I think this building is more amazing than the network one.”

“Well, the paper has been around for a long time.

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