A Dream on Christmas Eve  （2）

By Zhongwanting

 

 (XIII)    The Wild Idea

 

‘Strange enough!’ Angela thought. ‘She was able to fly through the glass without breaking it! She didn’t even hurt herself. She was like a ghost or a spirit! I doubt whether she is real or not!’

Then, turning round, Angela noticed several shining things on the floor. She picked them up.

‘Feathers!’ Angela was surprised.

She looked at them again. ‘Silver feathers!’ She said. ‘Pretty silver ones!’

Angela looked up. There were some more on the window-sill. She looked down at the ground outside. She saw some shining silver feathers on the snow.

‘Oh!’ Angela exclaimed.

She looked outside. How she wished to follow Polayne! Perhaps she could visit Santa Claus if she followed Polayne.

Perhaps!

 

(XIV)     What’s Best?

 

Angela sat by the window and looked outside. She got several strange ideas. Perhaps she should follow that feather trace. She could see Polayne then!

‘Oh it’s silly!’ She thought. ‘I’ll be tired out following Polayne. Oh, and there’s a chance she won’t be able to go to Santa Claus’ Village at once. OK, it’s a bad idea. I won’t follow it!’ The second one: gather the silver feathers and make a bunch of feathers. Hm, a feather fan would be nice! A shining one would be strange! But what if Polayne came back for it? Not a good idea, then.

The best idea is ... phoning Santa Claus! Angela jumped up.

‘Oh, no! What time is it?’

 

(XV)     The Telephone Call

 

She looked up. It was 8:50. There was still 10 minutes left! There was no time to be lost. She picked up the receiver and dialed: 12345678.

‘Ho ho ho, this is Santa Claus from the Santa Claus Village. Who is that, please?’

‘This is Angela Javis. I have a wish.’

‘What is it then?’ The jolly voice asked.

‘I ... I ... well ... hm ...’ Angela was hesitating. What should she say?

‘Don’t be afraid, Angela. You’re a nice girl.’

‘Do you ... do you send poor children gifts?’

‘Of course I do.’

‘Will you please give them an extra gift? Or money?’

‘Why?’

‘They’re poor ... but they are nice and kind. And many of them are beaten by their parents, step-parents or hard bosses. Their money is robbed by the cruel people. They can’t even afford to buy food, water and clothing. It’s all right to help them.’

‘Oh ... ’Santa Claus was silent for a long time. ‘Then will you be interested in sending the gifts by yourself? Ho ho.’

‘Myself? Oh, yes! But how?’

‘I’ll send a girl to your house at 10 p.m.. When the clock strikes ten, a light ball will appear at your window. Only you can see it. Then you’ll hear a tiny voice. It says: “Nice lady, good little girl. Go and open your bedroom window. I’m Santa’s little fairy, I’ll grant your great wish. O hush, hush, hush! Quick, quick, quick!” Go and open your window and let her enter. Be quick or she’ll become impatient and fly away. When she is in your room, lower the curtain. Then you’ll see a tall strange girl. She’ll say she’s No.9 and you must tell her the following code: 87876565. She’ll grin at you and show you a silver bird. You must grab it tightly for a moment. When you feel a great pain in your arm, let it go. And it’ll become a little gold ring. Then the girl will turn to go. Before she opens the curtain, she’ll shake her wings. Don’t miss the chance!’ you must walk up to her silently. Then, whisper in her ear, “Blum-Cranb-Kitgo-Woop!”’

‘Absurd enough! Why?’

‘Yes, very ridiculous! But it doesn’t matter. She will turn around and scream. Then, pull three feathers off her left wing. She’ll try to catch you. She’ll cry, ‘You are a bad little girl! I tried to help you, but you hurt me!’ you needn’t be scared. You should say, ‘Oh, oh, my friend, my friend! Don’t be angry! Santa told me to do so. Now, you can leave, you can go. Bye!’ and then, she’ll smile and say, ‘Good night!’ You’d better open the window for her.’

‘Open the window for her. Okay.’

‘After that, she’ll be pleased. She’ll give you a little pink box---a “Dream Box”.’

‘What is a “Dream Box”?’

‘A “Dream Box” is a container to collect dreams.’

‘What should I do then?’

‘Put the “Dream Box” on your bedside table, together with the feathers and the ring. When you go to bed, the “Dream Box” will collect the poor children’s dreams. Open the “Dream Box”, put the ring on your finger and take the feathers with you. Say out aloud, ‘To Dreamland!’ And off you go. When you are …’

Suddenly, the clock struck nine.

‘The feathers are used to make you fly. The ring is used to transfer yourself from Dream Castle to the Reality Camp. Time is up. Bye!’

‘Wait! Wait! How can I …’ Angela shouted. ‘How can I get back? How to use the things? Wait!’ But it was too late.

 

(XVI)     The Story in the Book

 

Angela took a storybook from her bookshelf. The book was ‘Little Bluebell’s Adventure’. It was Angela’s favourite book. Angela sat at her desk and began to read.

‘Tick, tick, tick, …’ the clock sang. The blue second hand went around and around. The pink minute hand moved step by step. The yellow hour hand walked very slowly.

Angela turned a page. Suddenly, her eyes fixed on a word: ‘Dreamland’. ‘Strange,’ Angela murmured. ‘I knew that word. Yes, I knew it. “Dreamland”. But when?’ Angela shook her head.

‘“Dreamland”. “Dreamland”. Oh, yes! Now I remember.’ Angela jumped up. ‘The telephone. Santa told me about “Dreamland”.’ She looked up at the clock. It was half past nine. Angela continued to read.

‘Fiona the Fairy appeared at the little window. She called out softly, “Magic stick, magic wings! Good girl of the suburbs, Little Bluebell! Open your window, hush o hush! Fiona the fairy is here. Open your window, quick o quick!”’

Angela frowned. ‘Fairy! A fairy came to her house, too! And the fairy also said something before she entered.’

‘Little Bluebell pushed open her bedroom window. Fiona flew in. She was wearing a golden dress. She danced in the air. She left a golden trace behind her…’

Angela looked at the clock. It was nine thirty. She looked at her book again.

‘… The fairy disappeared behind the window. Little Bluebell looked at the objects on the small table. A tiny ring, a small wooden box and three silver feathers.’ ‘This is strange!’ Angela said. ‘The same things. Exactly the same.’

‘Little Bluebell went to bed. She looked at the things again, then closed her eyes. She saw the blue sky, the green land …’

Angela hummed and stared out of the window. Her eyes wandered to the clock. Her humming stopped at the word. ‘God!’

‘Oh, God! 9:35. I must read faster. Or that whatever—you—call girl may come and …’

She dropped open her mouth.

A twinkling light—no, two lights—were beside her. Big as eggs. They seemed to be reading the book with Angela and listening to her silently, for they darted here and there over the print in the book. Eyes, maybe. Angela was so concentrated in the book that she failed to notice them!

Angela let out a little cry. The two eyes jumped a little and, for the first time, Angela saw some letters on the pale, orange pupils of the bright yellow eyes. She moved nearer to get a closer look, scraping the ground with her chair and making nasty noises. Her heart gave a violent jump, and she wished the eyes would stay.

The eyes didn’t seem to be shocked by the scraping noise. They floated in the air silently, quietly gazing at the book.

Yet it was Angela who became astonished.

 

(XVII)     The Curious Eyes

 

She squinted at the words on the pupils of the eyes.

‘Lirry’ on one and ‘Rermg’ on the other, which became ‘Lirry Remg.’

‘Strange!’ Angela found herself drenched in sweat, ‘FRIGHTENING!’

She sat bolt upright. ‘Lirry Remg.’ She knew it. She was sure she knew it. But where?

Angela racked her brains and then her eyes glinted with joy. She trotted to her book-shelf and searched in the rows. She found a big, heavy, leather-covered book under all her comic books. She hurled out books like ‘Angel Tears’, ‘The golden Ball of Happiness’ and ‘Messing Around!’

Pulling out the last book on top of the big old book and throwing it onto her bed, hitting the fluffy Teddy Bear in the face, she at last took out the old, big, web-covered book and collapsed—right onto a series of ‘Jewel Swords’. Several books fell onto the floor with a loud bang, and three spiders dangling from the old book fled under the huge bookcase.

She wiped off the dust on the book and revealed a nearly-ripped-off date painted in gray on the faded brown cover , ‘Sep. 1st, 1609’. Above the date were the words ‘Generelle Ripper the Maid and Lirry Remg the Adventurer’s Girl.’

It appeared there! Thought Angela. The Adventurer’s Girl. Well …

She squinted at the pair of eyes, twinkling in the misty canopy of light spread on the table by her lamp.

9:50.

She muttered to herself, ‘Goodness me!’ and went over to eyes. They blinked! She winked at them, forcing out a little smile.

Blink.

Angela stared as the letters rearranged themselves quickly and silently, into ‘Merry Girl’.

Blink.

Angela stared. ‘Lirry Remg’ again. She stretched out her shivering hand to catch the eyes. However, they scented danger, glared at her, and, turning magenta very surprisingly, darted to a corner of the room, where they blinded and watched her silently.

Furious, Angela forgot all about Fiona and Little Bluebell. She sprang forward, but the eyes winked and rose up in the air, making Angela bump into the wall. The eyes shook in the air, as if they were laughing at her.

Angela jumped up angrily and dashed at the eyes. They dodged and Angela hoped that she had had a flying broomstick.

Angela wiped off the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. The eyes quickly hid behind the light-bulb of Angela’s lamp. Yet their twinkling light gave them out.

Angela shuffled around the room, searching for the strange eyes. Suddenly, she saw the twinkling eyes under the thin, translucent silk cover above the lamp’s light-bulb. She nearly slipped on the ground with joy and she almost flew towards the lamp.

Yet the eyes were quicker.

 ......

(to be continued) 

 

 

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