Page 2 of A Curvy Wonderland

My brain went wild as I contemplated my wish. Was I making the right choice?

When the mayor reached the top of the tree, he pulled out a megaphone, the large star in his other hand. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” he said, echoing the familiar song. “Today, it’s my honor as your mayor to place the star on the tree and light up Garland, knowing that the holiday spirit of the people of Garland shines brighter than any light on this tree.”

Carefully, he placed the star on the tree. Whispers sounded around me, hundreds of people making their wishes. Each of my friends had their eyes closed, lips silently moving.

I closed my eyes too, feeling magic humming through me as I made my wish.I wish for the best Christmas ever,I thought to myself. It was simple and left room for unexpected surprises–the best possible kind.

A second later, the star lit up. Its bright light made the crowd gasp and clap. I put my hands together, clapping too, because I was ready. I was ready for my wish to come true.

“Belle, look at it,” I said to my friend. She loved Christmas just as much as me. “Isn’t it so pretty?”

She nodded, mesmerized like me.

After the mayor came down and thanked everyone for coming, my friends and I gathered around to talk. “Wish on anything special this year?” Carolynn asked the group, rubbing her hands together.

“Just that we remain friends like this forever. No matter what,” Sera said. She always said something sweet.

“That’s a great wish,” Belle replied.

I agreed, but I wasn’t sure we should be sharing our wishes—wouldn’t want to jinx it. Glancing towards Santa’s Workshop down the street, I changed the subject, saying, “So, who do you think will be picked to be Santa this year?”

This was one of the things that made Garland special. Every year, someone was selected to be Santa and take pictures with kids at the mall. It was a big honor to be picked, although getting selected was a huge mystery. No one even really knew for sure how you got nominated or applied. And no one ever knew Santa’s true identity either.

“Maybe they’ll pick Mr. Thornton,” Belle joked about our grumpy, middle-aged math teacher. He was definitely more Grinch than Santa material.

Everyone else shuddered.

We walked and kept making guesses, each one more and more crazy.

As we reached Cocoa Corner, the local coffee shop, we all got ready to head in different directions.

Everyone had something different going on for Christmas this next week. I’d be doing all the fun Garland activities with Tatum and Lucy while their mom worked her busy season delivering packages. The five of us would hardly be able to see each other. So we all agreed we’d meet up at Haley’s big New Year’s party and catch up once the craziness died down.

I hoped when we all were together that I had the best story to tell about how my Christmas wish came true.

2

ELDAN

Ilooked up from the cashier stand at my family's Christmas tree farm, seeing the tree in Cider Center light up.

Thousands of dolts stood in the town square, making wishes that would never come true on a tree that had about as much magic as the drool dripping down the corners of Bob, my Tibetan mastiff’s, mouth. But that didn’t stop them from wasting money on decorations and presents and even the Christmas trees my family sold.

Bob sat next to me, happily panting despite the fact that it was well below freezing and there was now a perpetual layer of snow on the ground which wouldn’t be completely gone until the summertime.

I reached down and scratched his ears. “It’ll all be over soon enough, Bob,” I told him, mainly reminding myself.

He tilted his head at me like he didn’t quite understand.

Of course he didn't. He got infinite pets and attention from all the customers of Emerald Acres this time of year. What more could a dog ask for?

“We don’t open for another hour,” Mom said.

I glanced up, seeing her standing there in her dark wool coat and her matching buffalo plaid scarf and hat. Frozen mulch crunched under her snow boots as she approached me at the cashier’s stand, right by a heater.

“I wanted to remember what this was like,” I muttered.

“What?”

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