Christmas Heave!

India was sitting in the kitchen, staring fixedly at the back door.  This had been her spot since early afternoon, well before darkness had fallen.  She knew full well that this was way too early but she wanted to make sure that she was in place, ready and waiting.

All the family had gone to bed now, and she was on her own, unless, of course, you counted the rather smelly stuffed rabbit that she held firmly, but gently, in her mouth.  He was, she had to admit, a very smelly rabbit indeed these days and it really made no sense whatsoever to keep carrying him about but there was something about having him near that gave her comfort, now that Packham wasn’t with her anymore.

Last year, Christmas Eve and all that it entailed had come as something of a surprise and she had been grateful to Packham for guiding her through it (although, she had to admit, she found it pretty irritating at the time, until she realised what was going on).  This year, she felt a tremendous sense of responsibility now that she was going to have to do it all on her own.  She sighed, causing the stuffed bunny to wobble a little in her mouth, and continued her watch on the kitchen door.

“Excuse me!”  A very small voice came from by her right front paw.  She looked down and was pleasantly surprised to see a Wood Louse staring up at her.

“Hello, didn’t we meet last year?  You made that ‘THRRPT’ noise at me” She said, with some difficulty, both because, as a sound, ‘THRRPT’ is rather tricky for a dog and she had her stuffed bunny in her mouth.

“Yes” agreed the Wood Louse, “and you were blocking my way then!  Can you let me through?”

“Yes, of course” India nodded and lifted her paw.

“Thanks a lot” the Wood Louse said, as it pottered across the floor.  Then it stopped and looked back at India, “where’s the other one?”

“Other one?” She frowned.

“Yes, the other doggie?  Big brown thing with a long waggy tail you had to watch out for”

“Oh, you mean Packham” India swallowed hard, “he erm, he’s not here.  You see, he became really ill, all of a sudden and I’m afraid he’s…not with us anymore”

“Oh!” the Wood Louse thought for a moment, and then said, “I’m sorry to hear that.  It must be very hard for you.  It’s always hard at Christmas.  We lost my mum at Christmas”

“Oh no, how sad.  What happened?”

“Somebody stepped on her” the Wood Louse said, in a matter-of-fact way.

“Oh, how awful!” India was horrified.

“Well, not really” the Wood Louse replied, philosophically, “it’s sort of an occupational hazard for us Wood Lice.  That’s why we come across as a bit rude.  You’d be rude too if you stood a chance of being flattened at any moment.  Same as my brother…”

“Not the one that lives upstairs?” India had met him last year.

“No, not him.  He’s still up there, as far as I know.  No, this was the brother who used to live by the fireplace.  Somebody dropped a Christmas Tree on him.” The Wood Louse shook his head, “still, I suppose it was the way he would have wanted to go, and I’ve still got another 157 of them”

“What, brothers?”  India was surprised.

“Well, brothers and sisters” the Wood Louse nodded, “so you’re doing the Santa Claus thing all on your own then?”

“Yes” India agreed, sadly, “and I’m really worried that I’m going to mess it all up”

“You’ll be fine” the Wood Louse said, cheerily, “I can help, if you want me to?”

India wasn’t quite sure how much help a Wood Louse could be, and was about to say so, when there was a tremendous WHOOSH out in the stable yard, a very bright light and the sound of hooves on cobbles.

“Here we go” India said, under her breath.

Outside, she could hear someone moving about and a crunching sound as carrots were consumed and mince pies munched.  Last year she would have been growling fit to burst by now, but this time she knew better.

The cat flap flipped open and a gloved hand pushed a neatly wrapped present through.  India dropped her smelly bunny and carefully gripped the present, placing it on the kitchen floor.

“That will be for Flynn” She said to the Wood Louse, who had pottered over to look at it.

India knew that the next thing would be her present.  She shut her eyes tightly and thought hard about what she would like.  There was the sound of someone saying “Hmmm” outside and then, after a short pause, the cat flap opened again and another present came through.

“What have you got?  What have you got?” the Wood Louse was jumping up and down with excitement.

“Well, it looks and smells like it’s going to be a box of my favourite biscuits” India replied, a little glumly.

“You must be pleased with that” the Wood Louse grinned.

“Well, sort of” India nodded, “but what I was really thinking about was how much I missed Packham.  I don’t really know what I expected to happen.  Nothing really, I suppose”

“There’s a gift tag on it” the Wood Louse pointed out, “what does it say?”

“Erm” India nuzzled it open and stared hard at the unfamiliar writing, “it says:

 ‘To India with love from Father Christmas.  Hope you enjoy these but don’t forget to check under the blanket’”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not really sure” India admitted, “I guess it means the blanket in my crate, but there’s nothing under there.  It’s nowhere near as messy in there now as it was when I was sharing with Packham”

“Bit of a mystery then?”  The Wood Louse mused.

There was a surge of white light outside, another WHOOSH and the sound of chuckling vanishing into the distance.

“Bye Santa, see you next year” India said, quietly, just the way Packham had done the previous year.

“Better get these presents under the tree” the Wood Louse suggested, pushing at the gift wrap as hard as he could but not really making any difference.  “Strewth, that’s heavy!  I suppose that’s why they call this the Christmas Heave!”

“I don’t think that’s quite what they mean.  Here let me help” India said, diplomatically, “they’re probably a bit heavy for you”

India first picked up Flynn’s present and plodded into the living room to place it under the tree, then returned and retrieved her present, causing the Wood Louse (who was leaning against it and pushing with all his might) to tumble onto his back.

“Hey doggie!” He yelled, legs flailing in the air, “don’t leave me like this”

India nudged him with her nose until he was the right way up again.

“Great orange lump!” He said, dusting himself off, “I could have been stuck like that for ever!  And I was trying to help you”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were there” India apologised.

“Oh well, no harm done I suppose” the Wood Louse conceded, “well, I must be on my way.  We’re having a family party tomorrow lunchtime and I don’t want to be late”

“What, all 157 of you?”

“Well, no, not all of them.  Some live too far away, like my brother upstairs for instance, but there’ll be loads of us.  We’ve got a nice little place at the back of the fireplace in the Living Room”

“That sounds like fun” India smiled and went to pick up her smelly bunny, “hope you have a good time” She mumbled through a mouthful of bunny.

“You too” the Wood Louse said cheerfully, “don’t forget to check under the blanket!”

“There’s nothing there” India shook her head and plodded off down the hall, aiming to join the sleeping family upstairs.  She had just got to the foot of the stairs when something told her to go back to her crate and take a look.

Feeling slightly foolish, she dropped her bunny briefly and pawed at the blanket, not expecting to find anything.  To her surprise, half a biscuit dropped out of one of the folds.  Not only that, but it was the sort of biscuit that Packham had always loved.

‘He was always looking for a bit of biscuit that he thought he had lost’ She said to herself, ‘and now it’s here!’

She stared at the half biscuit for some time.  Habit nearly overcame her and she went to eat it, but then stopped herself.

‘This is my real present from Santa’ She thought, ‘I was thinking about Packham and that’s why this has turned up’

She nudged the part biscuit back under the blanket and pushed it into a corner of the crate.  ‘As long as it’s there’ She thought, “so is Packham’

She trotted back to the stairs, a little lighter in heart, and almost tripped over the Wood Louse who was plodding his long and weary way into the living room.

“Oh, sorry Wood Louse!” She apologised, “didn’t see you there.  Merry Christmas!”

“Stupid doggie!” the Wood Louse yelled (although quite quietly really, because he was only a tiny Wood Louse after all) and then, “Merry Christmas!  Oh, and doggie…”

India stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked back.

“Yes?” She said, politely.

“THRRRRPPT!” the Wood Louse went, jumping up and down and going slightly red in the face with all the effort.

“And the same to you, too” India grinned and headed up stairs for a restful sleep and a fun day on Christmas Day.

All of the Packham and India stories are now available in paperback - 'Waggy Dog Tales', all profits from which go to support TURN Education.  Watch the precursor to this story 'The Night Before Christmas'