The Christmas Sleigh

By: Grace M.

DISCLAIMER: Catherine Marshall's beautiful story of Christy is owned by the Marshall-LeSourd Family, L.L.C.  We are in no way seeking profit or credit for her story. We are continuing the story of Christy for our own amusement only.  This story uses themes from the book, CBS Series, and PAX movies.
 

Mountie O' Teale trudged through the cold snow. It was a day when the wind was fierce and the ice was thin and slippery. Mountie was on her way to Granny Barclay’s cabin to give her some of her Mama's spices and herbs.  

"Here's yer sp-spices ma'am. Didn't ferget the ginger." she stumbled shyly.  

“Thank ya. Mountie? I’m beholden. Stay and hear a tale?” the elderly women asked. 

“I r-reckon I got s-some time.” 

“Good. I got plenty of ‘em.” Granny Barclay started, “Once, in earlier times, a young lad was wanderin’ round yonder in Crumb Hollow. Lookin’ fer arrowheads, I reckon. Like that young Holcombe lad, Sam Houston. Well, he was a curious feller, and when he found the Christmas Sleigh he had his day. That thar sleigh was the most majestic thing that’s ever been seen inside the cove. Its contents were wondrous. But, he decided to keep it fer his own. 

“Because of his greediness, an elf took it away from him and the whole cove. The elf was a good feller. Times later, the elf would return and help the cove. If the young’uns were lost in Crumb Hollow, he’d help ‘em find their way, he would. Always remember, Mountie, curiosity killed the cat.” 

“I-I will.” She sighed, wondering what it would be like if she herself found the Christmas Sleigh.

“ Y’all be on yer way, now.” The old women said.

Instead of walking past the Mission House and around to her own cabin, Mountie found herself going past Miss Alice‘s cabin and turning in the direction of the Holcombe Cabin. She wondered if she would ever find the Christmas Sleigh, what the amazing sleigh could hold, and if the elf would hurt her. She even wondered why she was going to the Holcombe Cabin instead of toward home.

With all these questions buzzing around in her head, Mountie could barely walk straight. As she went through the woods, she heard a wild, shrill cry, and saw small figure dash right in front of her.  She screamed and fell into the ice-cold snow.

“Sam Houston Holcombe!  You should be ashamed of yerself!” scolded Lizette Holcombe, whom Mountie saw nearby.  “How dare you, scarin’ neighbors like that. Oh, Mountie! I’m awful sorry. Here let me help ya.” Lizette finished, gently pulling Mountie off the ground.  “See, he’s all rowdy, since Mama’s gotten all a-scared.  We’ve been seeing strange things.  Shadders and such.  Even the critters are a-feared, cause they’re all disappearin’.  Mama thinks that Bird’s-Eye’s lurkin’ round here. It even gives me the creepers.”

“Gosh. Y-yer right.  Sounds just like m-my place. Mama seems awful a-scared. She doesn’t talk bout’ it much. She’s p-probably a-feared somethin’ t-terrible would happen, like we’d g-get h-hurt. I d-don’t know what will h-happen to us. Oh, L-Lizette, I’m awful a-feared.” Mountie said with a shudder.

“It’s alright. We’ll be alright.” Said Lizette, trying to sound reassuring.  It was a hard time for them.  The men were off in El Pano, trading with the year’s honey, foods, and quilts, so they weren’t there to protect their families. Bird’s-Eye had a lot more goods than the rest of the cove this year since Lundy, his son wasn’t around to be bothersome to him. Bird’s-Eye had more than the cove, but he had it rougher than them all—except the Spencers.

“What y’all talkin’ bout’?” asked Sam Houston, who was listening in on Lizette’s last few words.

“You shouldn’t bother pesterin’ us a now. You ain’t got a right to listen in neither, after you done scared poor Mountie here. Besides, Mama ain’t even a-told you cuz you ain’t old enough.” Lizette said.

“I-it’s okay. H-he might know some-somethin.” Mountie insisted, trying to stop a fight before it started.

“Yeah, Lizette, give me a word or two.  I done heard some say that Birds-Eye ain’t even here. He’s gone away to El Pano or somethin’. To trade even.” Sam Houston announced.

Suddenly, a gunshot fired off in the distance.  Lizette shrieked in alarm, and Mountie could barely contain herself as she felt her heart skip a beat.

“Those darn thangs! Always firein’ off when ya least expect it!” Sam Houston hollered.

Lizette, who had a tight grasp on Mountie and Sam Houston’s hands, jerked them ahead, further into the dense woods. “We best get going.  After all, we’ve a-wandered off far away from our cabin.  Mountie, you should—” Another gunshot sounded, this time much closer.

They all screamed, and their tired legs carried them far off somewhere in the woods. Soon as they caught their breaths, they realized they were lost.

“W-we is lost! W-where’s my Mama?  She’ll be m-missin’ m-me now. I… I- I’m s-scared.” Mountie said, her voice full with panic.

When a slim figure came out of the woods, Mountie pulled her hand from Lizette, and quickly jumped backwards trying to get away.  She tripped and fell over a fallen branch that was in the snow, where she landed. She shivered as she felt the cold, frigid snow against her neck. Her big blue eyes were wide with fear, and a tear dropped slowly out of the corner of her eye.

“Mountie! Are you all right? It’s only Ruby-Mae. Ruby-Mae, you plum scared her!” Lizette exclaimed.

“I’m awful sorry Mountie. I came out lookin’ for some possum to cook for supper at the mission.” Ruby-Mae apologized. Mountie couldn’t say anything - her mouth wouldn’t open, her body couldn’t move, she felt so abandoned in the frosty weather.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, they were still lost, walking endlessly to nowhere. Now that Ruby-Mae was with them, a lively chatter filled the air. But Mountie’s heart still sank with hopeless misery. She looked up in alarm when she heard the rolling of wagon wheels. It was Birds-Eye. But it wasn’t just Birds-Eye she saw as she looked on. A freshly built wagon filled with goods passed ahead of her. Her heart leaped with joy and as she looked around her, the sky wasn’t so gloomy after all. She then realized she had found the Christmas Sleigh!

“It’s r-real!! The Christmas Sleigh is here! It’s real!” Mountie exclaimed with a giggle. Clothes, food, shoes, books, wooden blocks, and other trinkets filled the wagon.  Mountie climbed up on the wagon as soon as it stopped.

“Well, hold on there!” Birds-Eye said, his voice gruff.  Mountie froze, suddenly aware that she was approaching a stranger.  “I didn’t hear any Merry Christmas, from you missy, that’s not very polite.”

“M-merry C-c-christmas.” Mountie stuttered shyly.

“Merry Christmas to ya too.  Now hop on and I’ll give you and yer friends a lift to the mission.”

~*The End*~