 |
| Paul Contemplates |
There was Paul and
there was Kay. Little Kay was a very
active child, and little Paul a very pensive one, and they were both very good
around Christmas time - but they were
still Paul and Kay.
You sometimes had
to tell Paul which boxes were his, because he might not get near enough to
check labels. After being told, he would
sit quietly on the floor in front of the wrapped gifts and try to imagine what
was inside each one.
 |
| Kay Investigates |
The parents of Kay were impressed by Paul. Kay never left any package under the tree unexamined. Every gift was pried at and turned over and shaken and held against the light and rattled gently and generally pawed. Kay certainly read the labels - she could tell everyone which gift was theirs - she might tell them what it was, too, if the tape had come a tiny bit undone. But if the package was on the mantle well out of reach even the adults could guess their box contained crystal or fragile electronics that shouldn't be gyrated to produce tell-tale festive sounds.
 |
| Kay Celebrates |
When they told Kay
Christmas cake was coming, she skipped and drummed with a spoon on the edge of
the cabinet.
 |
| Paul Imagines |
Paul asked what
kind of cake. They told him it had a
Christmas tree on top. This was a
mistake. You can just picture what he
imagined; it was downright magical. In
his mind's eye Paul clearly saw the sparkling drum-shaped cake, about four feet
across; rearing up from its center, ten feet of swaying pine branches covered
with blazing lights and toy soldiers and an announcing angel in gold on the
very peak of the tree.
What he got was a
sheet cake with a smudge of green frosting in a flat triangle.
Kay ate two
pieces. Paul ate half of one.
I think the adult
relatives have almost agreed that Kay and Paul draw even. They made this decision on Christmas morning,
three thirty a.m.
.jpg "Kay Observing on Christmas Morning, S. Myers") |
| Kay Watches |
Kay came right
down the stair into the front room and stood watching weary adult gift-bearers
until they became aware of her presence and lifted her bodily out of the way.
But Paul; well, he
was coming down too - the temptation was just as great... He knew he shouldn't look... He didn't want to see until the very last
second. He had his eyes closed as he was
climbing down the stairs, and he was only a third down when he missed his
footing.
When they picked
him up at the bottom of the stairs he closed his eyes tight again. But they let him see anyway... After all, Kay had already been there.
.jpg "Paul at the bottom of the stair, S. Myers") |
| Paul Tumbles |
A Christmas tree
with all the gifts is especially marvelous at three thirty a.m. If adults don't know this, it's because they
haven't rattled all the boxes or fallen down a staircase with their eyes shut.
.jpg "Kay Observing on Christmas Morning, S. Myers")
.jpg "Paul at the bottom of the stair, S. Myers")
