A Suede Boot
Soft golden light from the street lamp outside my window wavered upon my blankets. The early morning cold bit at my limbs. My eyes popped open as my ears caught the faint sound of my alarm. Reaching over, my head in a flurry, I turned it off and jumped up from my bed, allowing the cold to envelop me. Past the glass of the window the sky was filled with snow, though a dull gray color. No golden sun peeked through the gray, though there was a slight tint of pink. Twenty-five days of counting down has finally led up to this! I threw on my fuzzy bathrobe over my arms and slipped my feet into my bright blue slippers. I could hear my sister arousing from deep sleep from her bed across the room. I hurried over to her and shook her. Her eyes slowly opened.
“Boo Boo, wake up! Come on!” I whispered as a smile crept up on her lips.
“Is it Christmas?” she asked.
I nodded and took her blankets off as she pulled herself out of bed and threw on her bathrobe, which was a simple purple. We grinned at each other and silently passed through the creaky hallway of the upstairs and noticed our brother's door wide open. Flying down the stairs together, we froze at the bottom, with a clear shot to the present-filled living room. I almost screamed in delight as I ran forwards to my overflowing stocking, next to which sat the little camouflage teddy bear I had wanted for so long. Your name is Cody, I thought as I hugged him and began to rip open my stocking presents alongside my sister and brother. While we did, we all showed each other what we got, and more and more the excitement grew.
Suddenly, a dull thump caught our attention. I turned my head and gasped as I noticed a large black suede boot sitting in the unlit fireplace. What the...We all stood and crept forwards. My brother cautiously called out.
“Hello?”
“Help me! Please!” a low voice answered back from inside the chimney.
“Oh my gosh, someone is up there!” Boo Boo cried quietly, half in fear and half in wonder.
“You're right,” I said. “Who are you?”
“Ni-” the voice was cut off by a scratching noise and a puff of ash that fell into the boot. We stepped back away from the dirty air.
“Sorry?” I called upwards.
“My name is Nickolas, get me out of here!” the voice-Nickolas- muffled back.
“How?” my brother asked.
“Use my special dust on the youngsters head and have her wish me down!”
I frowned at the words. Then, my face lit up. “There!” I pointed at a small bag lying next to the boot in the fireplace. I ran forwards and grabbed it.
“The youngster?” I wondered.
“Boo Boo!” my brother figured out.
I opened the bag to reveal shimmering golden dust and sprinkled some on Boo Boo's head. She closed her eyes and wished silently. Right then, a man appeared before us, wearing a large red and white coat, and bright red pants. Both boots were on his large feet once more. His face was tomato red and his eyes were brown, with a strange shine in them. The man's chin was covered by a snow white beard. He leaned down to Boo Boo and addressed us all together.
“Thank you, youngsters. You have saved Christmas,” he then walked out our front door so as to not get stuck in the chimney again.
We gaped after him as we heard the ethereal ringing of many bells outside the house.
“Was that Santa?” Boo Boo shrieked.
“Yeah, it was,” I whispered.
We shook our heads in amazement and went back to opening our presents, all the while baffled and delighted with our little encounter with the one and only Santa Claus. When we were done with our stockings, the floor was littered with wrapping paper and our new toys and food. We all experimented with our new things as it dawned on us that we were up four hours before Mom had said she would be down. It was four in the morning we realized in shock. That meant four hours to wait before we were allowed to open our bigger presents, which mocked us from under the tree.
“Lets go back to bed, guys,” I offered.
Boo Boo and my brother looked at me and nodded.
“Yeah, lets go,” my brother agreed.
Only a half hour later, all us were back downstairs. Boo Boo was playing with her Zhu-Zhu pets and my brother and I were eating our beef jerky. None of us could fall back asleep. I guess we'll just have to wait three and a half hours down here. Suddenly, Boo Boo shrieked. I glanced down at her and found her pointing at a small silver box that sat on the ground in front of her.
“It just appeared there!” she whispered.
My brother went forwards and lifted the box, reading the label that was stuck on the lid.
Dear children,
Thank you for getting me out of your chimney. If you had not, it would have wrecked havoc. But now, because you did, all of America has gotten presents. You truly have saved Christmas.
Your friend, Santa Claus.
Opening the silver box, which was made of tin, we found a miniature version of the brown suede boot, with a golden string attached to it. We all grinned at each other, then hung the small ornament on the tree in the corner of the room. Then we all took up our spots on the couches once more, and awaited eight-o-clock. Fingernails were bitten almost to the skin, and fingers tapped upon the floor. Our anxiety grew with each passing moment, each of us siblings growing more and more restless as the minutes ticked slowly by.
