The Christmas Thingy (3 page)

Thingy jumps on it. “Hurry, Jessica. Hop on!”

Jessica steps onto the rug and drops to her knees at its center as the rug begins to vibrate.

“What’s happening!”

“We’re about to have some fun!” Thingy says.

A very astonished Jessica finds herself rising into the air upon the rug.

“We’re flying!” she cries.

“Yes. A flying carpet. Just like you said.”

Jessica is a little scared but she’s also very excited. She’s flown on a plane before, but never on a carpet. She laughs as they rise almost to the ceiling, then lets out a little scream as the carpet begins to swoop about the room, diving up and down like a roller coaster.

“This is fun!” Thingy says to her. “Why didn’t I ever think of it before?”

“Maybe because you never watched
The Thief of Baghdad
. If you want, we can—” Suddenly, Jessica notices that they’re swooping straight toward her bedside lamp. “Look out!” she cries.

“Whoops!” says Thingy as he tries to pull the carpet out of its dive. He almost makes it, but the edge of the rug catches the rim of the shade.

The lamp falls to the floor with a crash.

“Oh, no!” Jessica cries as the rug settles back to the floor. “We broke it!” Suddenly, she hears footsteps on the stairs. “Hide, Thingy! Here comes Mrs. Murgatroyd!”

“Okay,” says Thingy, “but first...”

Thingy braids its tentacles and scrinches up its eyes.

As an amazed Jessica watches, the broken pieces of the lamp begin to move.

“Hurry!” Jessica whispers. “I hear her coming down the hall!”

The pieces rise into the air and begin to revolve around each other. Slowly at first, then with lightning speed, they swirl as if caught in a miniature tornado.

“She’s right outside the door!” Jessica says.

Suddenly, with a flash of light, all the pieces rush together again and the lamp is as good as new.

Jessica hears the door knob turn. She looks up and sees the door beginning to open.

“Miss Jessica?” Mrs. Murgatroyd says as the door swings open.

In a single blur of motion, the lamp hops back up on the night table and Thingy dives under the bed.

“Yes, Mrs. M?” Jessica says, gulping with relief as the old housekeeper steps into the room.

“Did you ’ear a loud noise just a moment ago?”

“Yes, I did,” Jessica says. “It sounded as if a lamp had fallen and smashed on the floor.”

“I dare say, that’s just what it sounded like to me, as well. I thought it came from this room.”

“Well, as you can see,” Jessica says, pointing to her lamp, “my lamp is as good as new.”

“So it is. I do believe me ears is starting to play tricks on me! Ah, well. Come downstairs now. Breakfast is ready.”

“I’ll be down in a minute,” Jessica says.

As Mrs. Murgatroyd steps out into the hall and closes the door, Thingy sticks his head out from under the bed and winks.

Jessica laughs. This is going to be the best Christmas ever.

~~~

“
I
feel it in me bones,” Mrs. Murgatroyd says as she sips her morning tea. “That Christmas Thingy blighter’s come back.”

It’s been two weeks since she thought she heard Miss Jessica’s lamp break, and a number of happenings have made the old housekeeper very suspicious.

First of all, there are the noises in Miss Jessica’s room. Mrs. Murgatroyd has heard crashes, laughter, running feet, and, on a number of occasions, when she’s listened at the door, she’s heard the sound of two voices talking: Miss Jessica’s, and someone else’s.

Secondly, little things are missing about the house. For days now, Mr. Atkins has been looking for his favorite tie clasp; Mrs. Atkins reported yesterday that her favorite pen, the one she uses to write herself notes, is missing; and just this morning Mrs. Murgatroyd discovered that her very own tortoise shell comb is gone.

“I may not be Sherlock ’Olmes,” she says to herself, “but it don’t take no bloomin’ genius to suspect that the Christmas Thingy is back.”

Just then Jessica walks into the kitchen.

“I won’t have time for breakfast this morning, Mrs. M.,” she says.

“Late again?” says Mrs. Murgatroyd. “Whatever do you do in that room these past few mornings?”

“Oh...I just play.”

“Well, Miss Jessica, I wouldn’t be doing me duty if I didn’t give you one more warning: Don’t ’ave nothin’ to do with that Christmas Thingy. It’s bad news, it is.”

“Maybe that story about the Thingy isn’t true,” Jessica says.

“It’s true all right. And should that Thingy show up, don’t you let it tell you otherwise. Thingies love to lie; they tells the truth only when necessary. And don’t be forgettin’: They steals. As me Mum used to say, ‘Like a rose must bloom and a pig must squeal, a cow must moo and a Thingy must steal. It simply must.’ You may think it’s your friend, Miss Jessica, but it’s obliged to return to Thingyland before dawn on Christmas morning, and when it does, it will take all your presents with it.”

“I have to go back upstairs for a minute,” Jessica says.

Mrs. Murgatroyd nods her head slowly as she watches Jessica limp away.

“It’s come back,” she says to herself. “I’m sure of it now. The lit’le blighter’s come back.”

~~~

Jessica
is worried as she hurries back up to her bedroom. She and Thingy have been having such a great time these past few weeks. Every day has been something new. Thingy is full of all sorts of magic and knows hundreds of wonderful tricks. Jessica has never had such a special friend all to herself before. She doesn’t want to believe that Thingy’s been lying to her.

As she bursts into her room she says, “Are you going to be my friend forever, or are you going to take all my presents and leave me on Christmas Eve?”

Thingy looks at her with its wide, innocent eyes and says, “What kind of a friend would take another friend’s Christmas presents?”

“Good. I knew you wouldn’t do something like that to me. See you after school.”

“Bye, Jessica,” says Thingy.

~~~

Later
on that morning, Mrs. Murgatroyd arrives in Jessica’s room with her broom. “I know you’re ’ere, Mr. Thingy,” she says. “An’ I’m going to find you. An’ when I do, I’m going to take me broom and sweep you right back to Thingyland, I am.”

Mrs. Murgatroyd spends most of the morning searching Jessica’s room. She searches under the bed, in the drawers, in the closet, under the night table, everywhere a Thingy might hide. In a corner under Jessica’s bed she finds Mr. Atkins’ tie clasp, Mrs. Atkins’ pen, and her own tortoise shell comb.

But nowhere does she find a trace of the Christmas Thingy.

“I may not be too sure of many things in me life,” she says to herself at last, “but I know for certain there’s no Christmas Thingy in this room.”

So saying, she takes her broom and leaves.

~~~

It’s
Christmas Eve and Jessica is wrapping the last of her presents in her bedroom.

“Who’s that for?” Thingy asks.

“My mother. I made her a chain for her eyeglasses.”

“I’m sure she’ll love it,” Thingy says. “What do you think Santa will bring you?”

“I don’t know,” Jessica says as she places the gift on the floor. She turns to Thingy with a big smile. “It doesn’t matter. Even if he puts coal in my stocking tonight, this will still be the best Christmas ever because of you, Thingy.” She takes off her leg brace and leans it in its usual spot against the night table. “We’ve had so much fun! And there’s so much more fun to come!” She leans over and kisses Thingy on the top of its head. “Good night, my best friend.”

“Good night, Jessica.”

“Get to sleep now,” Jessica tells Thingy as she turns off her light. “Before Santa Claus comes!”

“Okay. I will.”

~~~

But
Thingy doesn’t go to sleep. It doesn’t even crawl under the bed. Instead, it waits up in the dark until after it hears Santa Claus come and go. Then it sneaks downstairs.

Thingy doesn’t want to steal Jessica’s presents. It really likes Jessica, but it can’t help itself. Like a rose must bloom and a pig must squeal, a cow must moo and a Thingy must steal. It simply must.