A Christmas Wish by Joseph Pittman Page A

she was using all these items to try and hide the box? It was supposed to have been stored in the attic, and it had gone mysteriously missing. Well, no more. I’d found the little box that contained my family Christmas ornament. All this time wondering what had happened to it, and here it was stashed under Janey’s bed. What was it doing here? Why would she do such a ridiculous thing as to take the ornament and then not tell me where it was? A wave of fear washed over me as I reached under the bed for the box. The sound of footsteps caused me to pull back, and I returned to my feet just as Janey entered her room.
    â€œHey, where were you?” I asked.
    â€œIn the attic. Sorry, were you calling to me? Guess I got lost in time, just like you did that other night when you were at the windmill.”
    â€œYes, and what did we learn about that night?”
    â€œDon’t go wandering off—either of us.”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œSorry,” she said. But then her enthusiasm returned, a smile brightening her face. “But I was getting so excited thinking about seeing that big Christmas tree in New York, and that’s when I started to feel bad because you never found that pretty ornament with your name on it. So I wanted to surprise you by finding it! I looked and looked, all around those boxes—Momma sure liked to keep everything, didn’t she?”
    I nodded, unable to use my voice for a moment. Finally, I said, suspicion in my voice, “And what did you find, Janey?”
    â€œNothing. Well, not the ornament. Sorry, we’ll have to keep looking.”
    â€œYes, we will,” was my only reply.
    She didn’t react to that. She just said, “Okay, can we go, Brian? I’m really excited about the trip. Is your friend John as silly as you are?”
    â€œWe’ll have to see about that,” I said, not feeling very silly at all at the moment.
    â€œI bet he is. I never knew grown-ups could be silly. Not until I met you.”
    But there was nothing silly about this moment.
    I was sorely tempted to reach under the bed and retrieve the box. Confront her. But I couldn’t do it, not now. We had too much ahead of us, today and throughout this holiday season. There would be a time for explanations later. At least I knew where the ornament was. I took cold comfort in such knowledge.
    â€œLet’s get out of here, we have a big day ahead of us,” I said, and led her from her room. Neither of us looked back, and before long we were buckled into our seats and on the road. Again, we passed by the windmill, today looking lonely against a gray sky backdrop. As though it felt my mood. Even the sails were quiet. It took all my concentration to follow the road as we wound our way out of Linden Corners and back into the big, bad world. Our Philadelphia trip had gone well enough, but this new venture was something different. I was taking Janey to my previous life, the one I’d left behind on such an impulsive whim. Yes, it was time for sharing some of my traditions with Janey. But among them was the very obvious fact that I had a tendency to run from my problems. I eventually faced them, however, and now again I had another dilemma before me—what to do about Janey and the ornament.
    She seemed oblivious to my frown. She happily gave a running commentary on all she saw out the window, other cars and piles of snow and in one case, a deer standing on the edge of the woods. Gradually the traffic increased as we got closer and closer to New York. It was a place I now associated with betrayal, and how appropriate was it that Janey accompany me back into this embrace. Seeing as how I had found proof that Janey had lied to me.
    â€œYou’re very quiet, Brian,” Janey suddenly said.
    â€œJust nervous, I guess, about going home.”
    She frowned up at me, eyes dark. Then she settled into silence, staring out at the road.

C HAPTER 13
    Thankfully those dark