Stories

Now who is Credit? I wondered. I had never seen or heard of her before.

After we finished dinner and talked by the fire in my parents' room, Mama said it was time for all of us to go to bed. Mama went across the hall with me, tucked me into my feather bed, and pulled the covers close about me. "Now I must not go to sleep," I told myself. I waited until I could no longer hear my parents' voices, and taking Alice under my arm, I crept back across the hall and opened their door. I could hear their breathing and knew they were sound asleep.

The fire in the fireplace was still burning and cast a soft light on the Holly tree and my chair beneath. But what I saw was a wonder. In my chair was the most beautiful doll. Hair - long dark curly hair - a face with rosy cheeks, shining open eyes ever so blue, a pink dress and white shoes and stockings. Santa had come in spite of the dry hot winds.

But now something was not right.

I had not gone to sleep, not heard the prancing of reindeer on the roof or the sound of Santa's "Ho Ho Ho." How could he possibly have come down the chimney with all the fire the fireplace?

I stood there, holding Alice and looking at the beautiful doll. How could this have happened? Then I remembered Mama and Papa's happiness at the dinner table and Papa's remark about how Credit had helped. So, I thought, maybe … just maybe … this person Credit had something to do with this beautiful doll.

Taking Alice, I let myself quietly leave the room, cross the cold hall again and jump into my warm bed.

"Alice," I said, "in the morning when Mama and Papa wake, we're going to find out more about this Credit person."