Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a little town, there lived a little girl named Stephanie. She was a very good girl and loved her mother and father very much. She had a dog named Rags who followed her everywhere she went. They all lived in a small house in the great forest that was just beyond the river outside the little town about five miles away.
Stephanie loved to play with Rags in the forest whenever her mother sent her to get mushrooms. She would throw a stick and Rags would run after it and snatch it up. He would run back and play tug with Stephanie until she got the stick back and then would throw it again.
She had no idea that her family was poor. Her father would cut down trees in the forest all day for wood to sell in the town, while her mother would go to town and clean house in some rich families home. The little money this brought in was just enough for food with a little left over for some clothes for Stephanie.
Christmas was not far off one year when Stephanie came home from playing with Rags and started to set the table for dinner. Her mother would be home soon and her father would be hungry when he came home a little later. As she got the plates and forks out she started thinking about Christmas and the gift she wanted to give her mother and father. Rags followed her around the kitchen, wagging his tail with every step Stephanie took. He knew it was almost time to eat and looked forward to the table scraps he would get. Although there would not be much, it would last until morning. Stephanie thought and thought but could not think of what she wanted to give them.
“What do you think Rags?” she asked. “What can we give them?” Stephanie tried to think of a gift for both her mom and dad and while she sat there alone with Rags there was a knock on the front door. Stephanie knew that her mother told her not to open the door to strangers so she crept up to the window and peeked out through the curtain. Just outside the door stood Officer O’ Shaw, the local policeman. Stephanie liked Officer O’ Shaw very much and ran to the door and opened it with a laugh. “Hi Officer O’ Shaw.” she cried.
“Hello young miss.” said the Officer. “I suppose your mom’s not home yet.” “No, not yet Officer.” She said.
“I thought it was early for her.” said the Officer. “Your father asked me to check on you when I met him in the forest.” “He wanted me to tell you and your mom that he will be home at six.”
“Thanks Officer. I’ll tell mother.”
“OK young lady. I must be on my way now. I hope you are ready for Christmas.” said the Officer.
“Well, not really. I still have not figured out what to give mother and father.” she said.
“Well I am sure it will be something special.” said Officer O’ Shaw. And with that he waved good-bye and went on his way.
Stephanie sat on her bed and talked to Rags about what she wanted to give her parents. She was very tired after the hard day of playing and the next thing you know she laid down on the bed and fell asleep. Rags jumped onto the bed and curled up and quickly closed his eyes also. It seemed to Stephanie that she heard voices in the distance and opening her eyes she ran to the door and opened it. There in front of her she saw her father and mother. They were cleaning some fish that her father had caught when he stopped by the river on the way home. She heard her father say, “ This will make a great dinner tonight.”
“Oh I hope we can have a nice Christmas this year.” said mama. “I do hope Stephanie likes the dress we got her.”
“Don’t worry about Stephanie.” said her father.
Along about then a big man came around the house and walked up to Stephanie’s father. “I came for the rent.” said Pueh. Pueh was Mr. Snod’s man who he would send to do his dirty work and Mr. Snod was the landlord. Both men were very dirty, they never washed and smelled very bad but no one wanted to tell them because they were mean.
Stephanie’s father turned and looked Pueh in the eyes and said, “I don’t have the money now but I am going to town to sell my wood and I will have the money in a day or two.”
“Mr. Snod wants his money today.” And just at that moment Mr. Snod rides up on his bike and gets off in front of the house. He is covered with dirt from his head to his toes and smells very bad. “Did I hear that you don’t have the rent for me today?” he asked with a grin. As he smiled you could see that his teeth, some missing, were not any cleaner then the outside of his face.
“We will have the money in the morning.” said Stephanie’s father. But Snod didn’t listen to him and turned to Pueh and said, “If I don’t get the money by twelve tonight I want you to throw these.. people out.” And as he said this he turned to look at Stephanie’s father.
Stephanie shook she was so scared of the two men. “What will happen to us?” she thought to herself.
It was getting late and Stephanie went to the back door and walked out into the forest with Rags close behind. She didn’t know where she would go but she had to come up with an idea to save her home. As she walked in the woods it got darker and darker. “Stay close Rags.” she whispered. “It sure is dark.”
Off in the distance Stephanie saw a flicker of light. “What’s that?” she said. As she crept slowly toward the light a sound came through the woods. Someone was singing, very quietly, but she was sure she could hear it. She peeked around the last tree before a small clearing and saw a tiny man, no bigger than Rags, dancing around a fire, singing a tune. Stephanie could not understand the words because they were in another language. As Stephanie watched, she could not believe what happened next. Out of the dark woods, on the other side from where Stephanie was watching came a black bear. The little man screamed at the sight of the bear and jumped into the air onto the other side of the fire. The bear came around and the little man was caught between some large stones and had nowhere to run. The bear slowly stepped closer and closer. All of a sudden Stephanie looked down at Rags and said to him, “Get him Rags.” Rags shot out of the forest and into the clearing, jumped over the fire and onto the back of the bear. The bear was startled by Rags barking and stopped. When Rags got on top of the bear he snapped at his ears and nose. This was too much for the bear to take and with a swift move he pawed Rags off and ran into he darkness of the forest. While all this was happening the little man just stood there frozen to the stones he was leaning against.
“Are you alright?” Stephanie asked the little man as she walked into the clearing. The little man looked up at her and with trembling words said, “uiewun iudjn3 iwj3u?” Stephanie shook her head and gave a shrug because she could not understand a word of this strange mans language.
Just then with a puff of smoke a woman appeared. She was just as tiny as the little man but seemed older. She was dressed all in white with threads of gold at the seams. The lady looked at Stephanie and then at the little man. “JI&HJB Ynbuisiuh JH sii?” she talked to the man. “ksbHJ iuwb isqhoi wqq.” The man answered in reply. The lady looked at Stephanie and said, “Who are you?”
Stephanie was surprised that the lady spoke her language but answered, Stephanie and this is Rags. We live over on the other side of the forest.”
“My thanks for saving my sons life. We are elves. We live in the forests all around the world but almost never are we visible to humans. My son here is still learning the ways and got careless.” “How can we repay you for this brave act you and your dog have done for my son and I?”
Stephanie looked at the tiny old lady and her son and said, “I do not wish to get anything for saving your son. I would do it again if need be.” “ Come on Rags, we had better get home, mother and father will be looking for us.” and she turned to go home. “Wait” said the old lady, “Please take this box, and open it whenever you need help. It has a magic spell on it.” Stephanie took the box and said “Thank you.” She opened it and it was empty. “The spell will work if you believe and you need help.” Said the old lady. “Good bye.” And with that her son and her vanished in a puff of smoke.
“My gosh!” Ste
phanie exclaimed. “Let's go Rags.” “We better get home.” and Rags turned and followed her back the way she had come.
As she came to the front of the house she saw Officer O” Shaw standing there with Mr. Snod. Her mother and father were there and mother was crying. Stephanie’s father said to Snod, “Please, can’t we have a little more time?” Snod only looked at officer O’ Shaw. Officer O’ Shaw said, “I am sorry but Snod here holds your deed to this home and that gives him the right to do this but I sure wish I could help.”
“You can’t help them.” Snod said with a sneer. All the while Pueh was taking the furniture out and putting it in a pile in front of the house. He threw a chair on top of a table so rough that Officer O’ Shaw yelled, “Hay, be careful with that furniture.”
Stephanie’s mother saw Stephanie standing there at the corner of the house and said, “Stephanie dear, where have you been? Come here to mother.”
Stephanie walked over to her mother and Rags just growled at Pueh and Mr. Snod.
Stephanie hugged her mother and her father then looked on as Pueh continued to take out all their positions and throw them on the growing pile in front of the small house.
All at once Stephanie saw a puff of smoke near the forest where she had just come out of. There at the edge of the trees was the little old lady. She looked at her mother and then the others but no one else seemed to see this beautiful woman. She could hear her voice even though she was a long way off. “Open the box and use your reward my dear.”
Stephanie had forgotten about the box in all the excitement. She opened the box and it was still empty. Stephanie looked at the old woman and shook her head. The old woman smiled and waved her hand in a circle over her head and with another puff of smoke disappeared.
Stephanie took a breath and looked at her mother and father. “What good is an empty box?” she said. Then she looked down at the empty box again and as she looked the box suddenly started to fill with gold coins. It filled up so fast that it was getting heavy and Stephanie put it down in front of her mother and father. When her father looked down he was amazed to see the gold coins. He knelt down and looked at Stephanie. “Where did this come from? her father asked. Stephanie explained all that had happened in the forest. Her father took the box and took out some coins and looked at them. “Stop!!!” he shouted. And Pueh stopped in mid toss with a chair leg going around and hitting him in the face.
“Officer O’ Shaw, take a look at this.” “I think this is enough to cover our debt. In fact, here is enough to buy the whole property.”
Officer O’ Shaw looked and then grabbed the chair out of Pueh’s hand and said ”Start putting things back where they were, gently. Or do you want me to press charges against you Snod for trespassing?” Officer O’ Shaw grinned at Rags and winked at Stephanie.
Stephanie’s mother and father picked her up and gave her a big hug. “This is the best Christmas present we ever received.” said her father.
Rags barked and wagged his tail and Stephanie was so happy to have found her Christmas present for her parents.