The Christmas Thingy (4 page)

As Thingy peeks into the great living room, it sees the big Christmas tree all alight, and sees all the presents piled around it. Thingy wishes they had Christmas like this in Thingyland. It would be so much better than stealing.

Suddenly, Thingy spies a dark figure in the corner by the fireplace. It’s Mrs. Murgatroyd, standing guard over the presents with her broom, ready to sweep an unwary Thingy back to Thingyland.

But Thingy knows how to take care of her. It braids up its tentacles and squeezes its eyes shut, and in less than a minute Mrs. Murgatroyd is sound asleep.

Safe now, Thingy approaches the tree and starts picking out all of Jessica’s presents. Then it carries them up to Jessica’s bedroom. This is tough work because Santa has left Jessica so many presents. As Thingy gets ready to push the presents under the bed to take them back to Thingyland, it spies a little gift-wrapped box sitting all alone under the bed.

Thingy pulls out the box and looks at the tag. It reads,
“To Thingy from your pal, Jessica.”

Thingy can’t believe it. Quickly, it tears the box open and inside finds a tiny Christmas tree decorated with miniature balls and strung with tiny garland.

A tear forms in Thingy’s eye. No one has ever given it a Christmas present before—or
any
present, for that matter. It simply isn’t done in Thingyland.

Thingy is suddenly very upset. This ruins all its plans. How can it steal Jessica’s presents after Jessica gave it one for its very own? The Christmas Thingy knows that Thingies must steal, but it can’t take Jessica’s presents now, it simply can’t!

Thingy hurries back downstairs and replaces the presents under the tree, then returns to Jessica’s bedroom.

Thingy knows it has to get back to Thingyland before dawn. There’s not much time left, and it must steal
something
to bring back with it...it simply must. But what? It doesn’t want to take anything Jessica will miss.
What...?

Suddenly Thingy has an idea. A wonderful idea! It knows just what to steal. It braids up its tentacles, scrinches its eyes shut, and starts the magic...

~~~

Jessica
awakens the next morning to find a note beside her bed:

With her heart pounding, a very worried Jessica slips out from under her covers and looks under the bed. Thingy is gone, and so is the present she left for it. Missing her friend already, she runs downstairs to see if Mrs. Murgatroyd has been right all along.

But no. She finds lots of presents for her under the tree. Jessica wakes Mrs. Murgatroyd, then rushes back up to her room and looks around. There’s no sign of Thingy, and she can’t imagine what is missing.

What could Thingy have taken?

Suddenly Jessica gasps and looks down at her left leg. She forgot to put on her brace and yet here she is standing without it.

“It works! My leg works!”

She looks over by the night stand—the brace is gone! And then she remembers Thingy’s note:

I took something you won’t be needing.

“Mommy! Daddy!” she cries, and runs down the hall on her two good legs to show them how her friend the Christmas Thingy left her the best Christmas gift of all.

But in the back of her mind she wonders what will Thingy ever do with her old leg brace?

~The End~

F. PAUL WILSON is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than twenty novels and dozens of short stories. Over six million copies of his books are in print in the US and his work has been translated into twenty-four foreign languages. He also has written for the stage, screen, and interactive media.

ALAN M. CLARK has been a free-lance illustrator since 1984. He is the recipient of the World Fantasy Award and four Chesley Awards.

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The Christmas Thingy
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