It was then that she noticed that her grandparents were wearing their coats as well.
“Are you coming, too?” she asked them hopefully.
“We certainly are!” John Pratt replied merrily. “Believe it or not,” he added with a teasing wink, “we old-timers have never been on a horse-drawn sleigh ride before either. They’d already invented cars when we were young!”
The sleigh ride turned out to be exactly the way the girls hoped it would be. It was a beautiful night, not too cold and not at all windy, with the black winter sky made friendly by a shining yellow moon and a thousand twinkling stars. As the dozen or so horse-drawn sleighs made their way through the snow-covered winding roads of Ridgewood, their jingle bells a merry accompaniment to the Christmas carols that the gleeful passengers were singing, Chris and Susan both felt as if finally they were living in that Christmas card they’d both liked so much.
Just as Andy had promised, there was a large gathering at the church right after—not only the people who’d been on the sleigh ride but dozens of other people from the town, as well, all packed into the church’s community room. Recordings of Christmas carols were playing in the background and although they may have sounded more polished than the renditions just given by the sleigh riders, they were definitely no more heartfelt. There were decorations everywhere—wreaths and pine garlands and even a big Christmas tree decorated with lights and gingerbread boys and girls just like the ones that Susan had baked. In the middle of the room there was a huge punchbowl filled with hot mulled cider.
“Cider!” Susan exclaimed. “Just the thing to warm me up. Come on, Chris. Let’s go get some. Besides, I see someone over there that I’d like you to meet.”
She had recognized the woman standing next to the punchbowl sipping a mug of hot cider and talking to some of her friends as Betty, the owner of the craft supplies store.
“Excuse me,” Susan said, going over to her with her sister in tow. “I don’t know if you remember me....”
“Well, of course. I do! You’re Emily Pratt’s granddaughter, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. Susan Pratt. And this is my twin sister, Chris.” Turning to Chris, she explained, “Betty’s is the shop where I got that pretty yarn for Grandma’s Christmas present. You should see her store. It’s filled with beautiful crafts that she’s made. Just like the things that Grandma makes.”
After Chris and Betty had chatted for a while, then said good-bye, Chris took Susan aside.
“Sooz, I’m a little confused. Betty is certainly very nice, but why was it so important to you that I meet her?”
“Well, Chris, I’ve been thinking. All through the sleigh ride, even though I was having a great time, I couldn’t help worrying about that children’s hospital I told you about. And at the same time I kept thinking about Grandma and Grandpa and how they want to sell the house and move down south. And, well, I decided that we simply have to do something about it.”
Chris was suddenly interested. “And you’ve come up with an idea?”
“Well, no. Not exactly.”
By now Chris was very confused. “But I don’t understand. If you haven’t come up with a plan, then what does Betty have to do with all this?”
Susan laughed. “To be perfectly honest, Chris, I’m not sure yet. But I’m working on it. And you know as well as I do that once one of us Pratt twins sets her mind to something, it’s only a question of time before the wheels start rolling....”
Chris laughed, knowing that what her sister had just said was perfectly true.
“But in the meantime,” Susan went on, “let’s get Grandma and Grandpa over here, along with Brian and Andy, and we can all have another mug of cider together. It’s Christmas, and I want to make sure I spend as much time as I can with the people I really care about.
“After all,” she added, with a twinkle in her brown eyes, “isn’t that what Christmas is all about?”
Chapter Five
“So, Sooz, what are you planning to do today?” Chris asked her twin as she helped herself to a second serving of French toast and doused it with hot maple syrup.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Susan replied. “There are so many things to do here that I’m not sure where to start! I could go skiing or ice-skating or sledding or tobogganing....”
It was early Monday morning, and the two girls were lingering over a leisurely breakfast. Even though this was a school vacation, they had found it impossible to sleep late. They were too anxious to have another day get under way.
“How about you, Chris? What are you going to do today?”
Chris shook her head slowly. “I’m afraid I’ve got to get some of my holiday obligations out of the way. Would you believe that I haven’t done any of my Christmas shopping yet? I’ve got to start prowling around in those shops in Ridgewood, or I’m going to be caught empty-handed once the big day arrives!”
She stuck a forkful of French toast into her mouth. “I’m not looking forward to this. I haven’t got one single idea....”
“Don’t worry,” her sister assured her. “Once you get going, between the cute little shops in Ridgewood and all the snow and Christmas decorations, I’m sure you’ll get some inspiration!”
“I sure hope so.” Chris sighed. “I’d much rather be in your shoes, trying to decide between skiing and ice-skating and sledding....”
“I’ve got a better idea,” a male voice suddenly boomed. “How about spending the morning taking the grand tour of the Ridgewood Children’s Hospital, Susan?”
Surprised, Susan and Chris turned to see Brian Barker standing in the doorway of the dining room, wearing a shirt and tie underneath his moss-green wool sweater.
“Brian! What are you doing here?” Susan cried. “Especially so early in the morning. Why, it’s not even eight-thirty yet!”
“I know,” said Brian with a grin. “I’m on my way to work. And as I was leaving the house this morning, it occurred to me that you might enjoy taking a look around the hospital. Seeing where I work, meeting some of the kids, maybe even spreading around a little Christmas cheer.”
“Gee, that sounds like fun,” Susan said. “I’ll go get my coat. Oh, and there’s something else I want to bring along.”
“Really? What’s that?”
“Some Christmas cookies! If I know kids, that’s one thing that will go a long way in spreading around some Christmas cheer!”
While Susan hurried into the kitchen to pack up some of the homemade cookies that she and her grandmother had baked, Chris and Brian chatted together in the dining room.
“You’re welcome to join us, if you like,” Brian offered congenially.
“Thanks, but I’m afraid I’ve got to get some Christmas shopping done.” Chris made a face.
“It looks as if you dislike shopping as much as I do!” Brian laughed.
“Oh, it’s not that. It’s just that I don’t have any ideas about what gifts to get. And frankly, I’m afraid that the selection in a small town like Ridgewood is going to be pretty limited.”
“I know what you mean. That’s a problem that a lot of us have.” Brian shrugged. “What I always do is drive out to one of the malls around here. But I’m one of the lucky ones since I have a car. Old and beat-up, maybe, but a car nonetheless. I can’t help wondering what everybody else does about that. Like older people and the mothers of small children. Sometimes the snowy weather around here makes for some pretty rough traveling, and it must be hard for them to get out to do their Christmas shopping.”
Susan reappeared then, wearing her coat and carrying a big tin of cookies.
“Gee, the kids will really appreciate this!” Brian said warmly as he led her out to his car.
“Actually, they’re doing us a favor!” She laughed. “We’ve got so many cookies that we’d never get rid of them all without some help! And if we did, we wouldn’t be able to fit into any of our clothes anymore, because we’d all be shaped like Santa Claus!”
As Brian and Susan rode through Rid
gewood toward the children’s hospital, he told her a little bit more about himself. He was a freshman at the state university nearby, majoring in computer science and working in the hospital’s computer center whenever he wasn’t in class or studying.
“Gee, it sounds pretty exciting,” Susan observed.
“Knowing a lot about computers, using it to help patients get the best medical care possible ...”
“Actually, my work at the hospital is pretty straightforward. Routine, even. And to be perfectly honest,” Brian added with a chuckle, “I spend more time working on the hospital’s budget and sending out bills than getting involved with the actual patients!”
He grew more serious then. “But I do care about the kids. That’s why I try to get out of my office into the wards as much as I can. You know, to spend time with the children, playing games with them, teaching them songs, helping make the time they’re in the hospital pass a little bit more quickly—and a lot more pleasantly.”
“That’s really nice of you.” Thoughtfully, Susan added, “I wonder if I could get some of those kids interested in some art projects. I do have some experience in that area....”
Brian brightened. “Really?”
Susan told him about her longtime interest in art, the classes in painting and drawing she was taking at school, her experience as an arts and crafts counselor at Camp Pinewood the summer before—and her dream of going to art school after graduating from high school.
“In that case,” he teased, obviously impressed, “I’m definitely going to draft you into spending some time with the kids. I hardly even know how to hold a paintbrush much less teach a bunch of children how to make things out of paste and crayons and colored paper! Now that’s a real talent!”
Susan chuckled. “Brian, I’d be more than happy to help out!”
By then they had reached the Ridgewood Children’s Hospital, a redbrick building three stories high set behind a large circular driveway with a parking lot off to one side. It was a congenial-looking place except for one obvious fault.
There was not one single sign of Christmas.
“Gee, there isn’t even a wreath on the front door,” Susan commented with surprise as she and Brian strolled inside after he’d parked the car in a special section of the lot reserved for hospital employees. “I’m beginning to feel more and more sorry for the kids who are patients here every minute!”
“I know exactly what you mean,” he agreed. “You’d think that this was Ebenezer Scrooge’s house and not a hospital for sick children!”
Once inside, she was struck by how dreary the place looked. No Christmas tree, no decorations, not even any Christmas carols playing softly in the background.
Why, it’s as if Christmas doesn’t even exist! she thought sadly. The whole town is overflowing with decorations and carols and holiday cheer, yet anyone inside these walls would never even guess that today is December 20!
“Come on downstairs, and I’ll show you where I work.” Brian grinned ruefully as he pushed open a door near the front entrance that led to the stairs. “Unfortunately, they’ve got us computer types stuck down in the basement, far away from all the action. The only consolation is that the director of the hospital has his office down there, too. Probably so the rest of us won’t feel quite so bad!”
Sure enough, the area in which Brian worked was tucked away at the end of a long hall, isolated from the rest of the hospital. Even so, it was a busy place. Three computer operators were already working at their terminals, clicking away on the keys of their machines so fast that it almost looked as if their fingers weren’t moving at all.
After meeting Carol, Brian’s boss, as well as the other computer operators that he worked with, and then taking a quick tour of the facilities, he led Susan out into the hall again.
“I really shouldn’t stay away too long,” he said, “although later on today I’ll make up all the time I miss. Even so, let’s just hope I don’t run into Mr. Stone as we’re going upstairs, up to the wards where the children stay.”
“Mr. Stone? Who’s Mr. Stone?”
“He’s the director of the hospital. See, that’s his office over there, right across from the computer room.”
“Oh, I see. And I take it he’s not in favor of having the computer people doing volunteer work with the children on the side?”
“That’s not exactly the problem. . . .” Brian frowned. “Let’s just say that there’s something ... funny about him.”
“Funny?” Susan blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. Sometimes he’s quite friendly ... but a lot of the time he really keeps to himself. And, well, I often get the impression that he doesn’t really care all that much about what happens here at the hospital.”
“Doesn’t care? But that’s impossible! I mean if he’s the director ...”
Brian shrugged. “I know it sounds odd. That’s why I said I’m not exactly sure. But there’s definitely something peculiar about Mr. Stone.”
The elevator door opened, and Susan and Brian stepped inside.
“At any rate, let’s not worry about this now. You’re about to meet some of the most terrific kids you’ve ever met in your entire life, and I don’t want anything to spoil it!”
Brian’s promise turned out to be one hundred percent accurate. Susan spent the next two hours in the company of some of the liveliest, spunkiest, most fun-loving children she had ever met. Even though every one of them was sick, they all seemed determined not to let that stand in their way.
A few were bedridden, and Susan and Brian stopped off to chat with each of those who were immobile. As for the others, however, they excitedly gathered together in the sun-room, pleased to have something different to do. Brian told them stories and played games with some of them. Susan, meanwhile, raided the hospital’s limited supply of colored paper, paints, and crayons and showed the children how to make paper wreaths and stars to decorate their rooms, as well as the rooms of those who weren’t well enough to create their own.
When she and Brian finally dragged themselves away and were walking down the stairs back to the computer center, Susan discovered that there were tears in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Brian asked, concerned.
“Oh, nothing.” She sighed deeply. “It just doesn’t seem fair, that’s all. I mean, those kids are so great ... yet they’re hardly having any Christmas at all.”
“Yeah, I know,” Brian agreed sadly.
However, while he was dwelling on how unjust the whole situation was, Susan’s mind was clicking away, plotting and planning and searching for a solution. Now that she had met the patients of the Ridgewood Children’s Hospital, witnessed their charm and their determination firsthand, she wanted more than ever to recruit her sister and do something to help.
I have absolutely no intention of letting those kids’ Christmas pass by without some fanfare, she thought with resolve. At least, not as long as Susan and Christine Pratt possess a single ounce of yuletide spirit!
Chapter Six
“Grandma, these are beautiful!” Chris squealed. “Did you really make them?”
It was Monday afternoon, just after Chris had returned empty-handed from her morning of Christmas shopping. She came home discouraged, convinced that she would never find the right gifts for her sister and her grandparents in a town as small as Ridgewood. In an attempt to cheer her up, her grandmother had suggested that the two of them do some exploring.
Now Chris and Emily Pratt were up in the attic’s storage room, right behind the two bedrooms that the twins were using, rummaging through the old trunks and hatboxes and cardboard cartons that were stored up there. There were mostly old discarded things packed up in those boxes: well-worn clothes that were no longer in style or that didn’t fit anymore; a set of dishes, many of them chipped, that had once been much loved but had since been replaced by a newer set; photographs and letters that had been lovingly tied up with ribbons and put in boxes, then lef
t upstairs where they would be safe.
But Emily Pratt had also tucked away some of her handmade craft items. Some of them were projects that were only half finished, sweaters she planned to finish knitting when she had the time, a yellow and blue hooked rug she hoped to go back to after the holidays when things quieted down once again. But the two patchwork quilts that she had just unfolded were indeed completed, and as Chris had noted with such enthusiasm, they were quite beautiful.
“Yes, of course I made them!” Emily Pratt said with a laugh, blushing with pleasure over her granddaughter’s reaction to the handmade creations, looking on proudly as Chris admired the two quilts.
One of them, made up of a dozen different light blue fabrics, was the L-shaped patchwork design called Log Cabin. The other, made in pinks and greens, was the pretty Ohio Star pattern. Both had intricate handwork, with each and every patch outlined in small, even stitches, and it was evident that they were not only expertly done but had required long hours of demanding work.
“One of these quilts is for you, and one is for Susan. You two can decide who likes which one of them better. I made
them for you girls to use when you have homes of your own. After all, next year you’ll both be going off to college, then living on your own after you graduate, getting jobs and having your own apartments.”
The older woman’s eyes filled with tears, as if just thinking about the rapid passage of time made her sad. Chris noticed immediately. She put the quilts down, then went over and threw her arms around her grandmother.
“Oh, Grandma, sure Susan and I will grow up and do those things one day. But what about right now? We’re all together, you and me and Grandpa and Sooz, for the first time in years. And it’s so great to see you both again! Let’s concentrate on the present and make sure we have a wonderful time!”
Emily Pratt dabbed at her eyes and nodded. “You’re right. I should be thinking about the present, and how lovely it is to see you girls once again. Just having you both here has already made this the merriest Christmas that your grandfather and I have had in a very long time!
The Candy Cane Caper Page 4
