Alexandra and the Amythest chapter one

Alexandra and the Amythest

Chapter one

By: Lance Ortego



"Good night teddy," stuttered the little girl. "I hope it stops raining tomorrow so we can go outside and play." She placed her head on the cold, hardwood floor she called a bed. She had grown accustomed to the excruciating pain that it caused, and even longed for it's stability at times. She gave her stuffed friend a kiss, pulled the covers over both of their heads, and quickly drifted off to neverland. Teddy was her dearest friend. She would drag it along for all of her adventures. It's beat up nose and patchy fur was a testament to that.

The next day the little girl got her wish. The rain clouds had been forced away by the overpowering rays of the sun, which were now bearing down on the girl and her fluffy acquaintance. Her skin warmed in the vibrance of the sun. Her lungs began to fill with freshly heated air. When she opened her eyes and saw the splendor the morning sun brought with it she let out and exillerating yell. She grabbed her teddy and jettissoned out to the welcoming warmth of the sun. As she basked in the fresh air and dew filled grass, the teddy and she played ring around the rosie. It was their favorite game.
They were interrupted by a deep voice telling them to get off his lawn. The little girl's chest began to swell, her legs started shaking uncontrolably. She cautiously looked back, as if she had just seen a ghost, but was greeted with a friendly smile and saw the familiar blue suit. It was the mailman, Carl Thompson. When she saw the gregarious face, her legs calmed down to normal, and she was able to breath again.

Carl Thompson had been the sole person in charge of mail delivery for Shattered Springs for almost thirty years. He walked with a limp that he called "his memento from the Vietnam War." An older man now, head full of cotton painted hair and a beard to match, he was still not one to be messed with. Many of people felt his deceptive wrath when they tried to take advantage of his slendor frame and what he called his beer storage facility. But for some reason he kept a soft spot for the little girl. He watched her grow from the time they first met. Always keeping an eye on her making sure she stayed out of trouble and that trouble stayed away from her.

~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

"Come on Carl, you gotta do it for us this year. We are in a bind."

"No Lou, I will not do it. I've got standards and this is definitely below my standards," Carl barked.

"Please carl, we won't tell anyone that it's you. Only for one hour, sixty minutes of your life."

"Nope, not today, not tomorrow, not never!"

"It's for the kids Carl!"

"Oh hell, give me the damn thing." Carl snatched the red suit from Lou and begrudgingly put it on. "This is the last time I do you any favors Lou, I don't care if you get on your knees and beg. No more addresses of the ladies in the cooking club."

"Aawwww, you don't look that bad. It's actually pretty good. You know you just might be the best Santa Claus we've ever had"

"Shut up Lou. And as for Barry when I see his drunk....."

Suddenly an echoing rendition of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" blared throughout the mall, signaling to every child that the fat jolly one, was ready for pictures and wishlists. His hour goes by tortuously slow but to his surprise he was actually enjoying himself. Once everyone had come and gone, he heard Lou patronizing a little girl.

"No baby, Santa has to get back to the North pole. Maybe you can see him next week."

The little girl began to sob, "but, but."

"I've got time for one more," Santa says in a gruff voice. "Now get over here and tell Santa what it is you want." As the girl walked closer to the paper mache sled, Carl was blinded by two of the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen. He could only akin them to the ocean reflecting back through a spread of diamonds. Her long curly hair concealed her actual age. He estimated her to be about six.

The beautiful little girl was on a mission and would not be deterred. She had heard the stories of wonder and magic of the man in the red suit. She had to get her wish to him. He was the only one that could help. She bounded anxiously onto the felt covered knees of Santa and looked him point blank in the eyes.

"Well baby, what is your name?"

"I'm not supposed to tell my name to strangers. Aren't you supposed to know that already."

"Well baby I guess you are right. I just wanted to make sure that I had the right person. So what do you want ole' Santa to bring you for Christmas?"

The little girl's face was glowing with excitement. "I want my parents to come back and get me. They went on a business trip two years ago and never came back. I've been living with my grandparent but they are not nice to me. Not like my parents." A tear rolled down the girls cheek.

Santa's attempt to keep his jolly smile soon withered the moment he spoke. "I don't know that I can get that baby." He had never seen such a glowing smile turn to a frown so quickly. The little girl's face had grown stiff with the fear of disappointment. Carl tried to make a quick recovery, "I'll send out an elven search team and they will comb the globe for your parents. When they are found you will be the first to know."

The little girl seemed satisfied with his response. She hopped off Santa's lap and skipped down the ramp. She slowly faded out in to the overcrowded mall.

"That little baby has got some troubles Carl."

"Yeah you right. We need to keep an eye on our little baby." From that day on Carl called her baby.