THE
CHRISTMAS
KITE
Story by Tony Waterfall
Original illustrations by Ilya Viryachev
1
ONCE upon a Christmas time or nearly a Christmas time, for it was a week to go until Santa would arrive.
All about, people were scurrying in the snow. They were looking and buying.
The two little boys our story is about were thinking of all that Santa would bring them.
Their names were Peter and David.
Peter was older but David was very bossy.
2
David wanted Santa to bring him a big red fire engine with a loud siren, whining wheels, big clanking ladders, and lights that flashed on and off.
David also wanted a remote controlled four wheel drive truck that would roll over and smash into walls.
David had a very long list of toys for Santa to bring.
3
Peter wanted a kite.
4
David often laughed at Peter because Peter only wanted a kite.
One day David mockingly asked “What good is a kite? All you can do is hold the string.”
David wasn’t being as un-thoughtful as he usually was.
In fact, David was being very good because he wanted Santa to give him the fire engine and other toys, then he wouldn’t care.
5
All through the rest of the week David behaved like an angel and when he wasn’t he blamed it on Peter.
Sooner than you think it was Christmas Eve and both boys were in bed sound asleep, or as sound asleep as little boys can get on Christmas Eve.
Around midnight along came Santa with his jolly smile and big white beard.
6
Santa had a great big sack that held every type of toy you can imagine.
It was a magic sack because it was never empty.
Santa’s sack always had just what the children wanted.
Santa stopped to look at David and out of one of his sacks he took out a big red, battery powered, sirening, clanking, whirling, fire engine.
Santa reached in again and out came the four wheel drive truck.
7
As Santa placed David’s toys under the tree, he hoped that maybe next year David would understand the meaning of Christmas.
Santa reached down into his other bag and came out with a kite.
It was a large kite with a happy smiling face in the middle.
It was a sunny day kite even on a rainy day.
Santa smiled at both boys as he went away for another year.
The next morning both boys were up early it was Christmas Day.
8
David ran to the Christmas tree and grabbed his toys.
Soon the fire engine began to clank and whine and the four wheel drive truck smashed into the walls.
Peter picked up his kite, smiled back at it and hurried to get his clothes.
Peter put on his snow boots for it was still snowing outside.
Peter and his kite were away to high places.
9
It looked strange to some people to see a little boy out flying his kite on a snowy day.
10
As soon as they saw the smiling face on the kite it didn’t seem to matter.
11
When Peter came home, David was in a horrible mood.
David had grown tired of his fire engine.
Its’ batteries had run down and its’ sirening and clanking and whining had given David a headache and everyone else in the house.
David did not have to play at being good anymore because Santa had given him what he wanted, or what David thought he wanted.
When David saw Peter and his kite, David’s temper was at its worst.
12
David kicked Peter’s kite so hard that he broke the frame.
Their father had seen what was going on and sent David to bed right away.
Peter’s father said that he couldn’t fix the kite.
Peter put it next to his bed and went to sleep.
13
That night David had a dream, at least he thought it was a dream.
In the dream Santa came to David and told him he had no right to damage Peter’s kite because he was unhappy with his own toys.
Santa also told David that it was time to change a lot of his bad habits.
The dream frightened David so much that he woke up and went over and woke Peter.
14
David told Peter how sorry he was and that tomorrow he would help Peter fix the kite.
When the two boys got up the following morning they were both surprised to see the kite smiling at them.
The kite wasn’t broken anymore.
The boys dressed and ran out into the snow.
15
David was so excited when he held the string.
It wasn’t just a piece of string, through it David could feel all the life that was in Santa’s twinkling eyes.
16
THE END
Tony Waterfall
© copyright Tony Waterfall 2007
