Rascal's Festive Fun

by Holly Webb

  Half an hour later, Ellie had a scarf for Grandad from the same stall, with paw prints knitted on it, and a lot of things for Rascal.

  She hadn’t meant to buy him anything else, but she just couldn’t resist. She gave him his new rubber bone straight away, as a reward for his singing, but she was saving the other things for Christmas. Rascal was looking tired, so she scooped him up and carried him around the stalls as he chewed on his bone happily. Ellie was just walking past the Lucky Dip, wondering if Mum or Dad might buy her a cake from the refreshments stall in the corner, as she’d spent all her money, when Rascal spotted Hugo again, and dropped his bone in excitement.

  The bone went straight into the big box of shredded paper, just as a little girl was about to reach in for her prize. She looked up in surprise as the bone went past her, and then gasped as a small brown-and-white dog hurtled past too.

  “Rascal!” Ellie cried. She’d been thinking about cake and not holding him very tightly, so he’d simply leaped out of her arms and straight into the Lucky Dip!

  “Now that is a good picture!” someone said, and the newspaper photographer snapped Rascal, his bone held triumphantly between his teeth.

  “It says the Christmas Fair raised over five hundred pounds,” Ellie said proudly, reading the local midweek newspaper that had just come through the door.

  “I can’t believe Rascal’s on the front page,” Mum said, chuckling to herself. It was funny. Rascal was looking right at the camera, bright-eyed and half-covered in shredded paper. The Lucky Dip sign was hanging over his head, and it looked like he’d just dipped and won his bone. Or maybe he was the prize, Ellie thought lovingly, stroking the real version, who was lurking by her feet, hoping there might be some food to munch on soon.

  “Amelia’s going to be so cross,” Ellie said smugly. “She was following that photographer around, trying to get him to take pictures of her and Goldie. Actually…” She laughed, and glanced up to show her mum something she’d just noticed at the very back of the photo. “I can see Amelia there in the corner…” Then she squeaked excitedly, and jumped up from the table. “Mum, look!”

  “What is it?” Her mum turned round to see. “Oh, goodness…”

  “It’s snowing, it’s snowing! Look at it, it’s falling so fast!”

  There was a thundering on the stairs, and Max hurtled into the kitchen. “Have you seen? It’s snowing! Where’s the sledge? Where’s my snowboots? Come on, Ellie!” He raced out again, leaving Ellie and Mum open-mouthed, and Rascal staring after him doubtfully.

  “He can’t possibly go sledging in half a centimetre of snow…” Mum muttered, as Dad came in and peered out of the window.

  “It’s falling very fast,” he said. “I don’t think it’ll be long before there’s plenty of snow for sledging…”

  “Rascal’s never seen snow before.” Ellie picked up Rascal to show him the view out of the kitchen window. Rascal whined, looking at the strange white stuff all over the garden.

  Dad was right. It only took about half an hour for there to be a thick layer of snow covering the pavement in front of the house. Max had been standing on the doorstep, clutching the sledge while he watched it settle, and now he popped his head back in to yell for Ellie. “Are you coming to the park, Ellie? Do you want to bring Rascal?”

  Ellie flung on her coat and boots, and looked thoughtfully at Rascal, who was jumping around in the hope of a walk. Would he like the snow? It was probably almost up to his tummy by now, in the deep bits. She wrinkled her nose. He was going to have to like it. Who knew how long the snow would last? They couldn’t possibly keep him inside the whole time. Rascal got even rascallier than usual if he didn’t have two good walks a day.

  She clipped on his lead and opened the front door. Rascal went to race out as usual, but then stopped dead and looked up at Ellie in confusion.

  Ellie put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing at him. Rascal looked completely shocked. But then, everything had changed since they’d popped out for an early-morning walk before breakfast, she realized.

  “It’s OK, Rascal,” she whispered. “It’s only snow. It’s fun, look.” She picked up a handful, and flung it across the garden.

  “Does he like it?” Max called.

  “I don’t think he’s sure yet,” Ellie told him. “Come on, Rascal.” She stepped out on to the path, and led him over to the gate where Max was waiting.

  With tiny, dainty steps, Rascal tiptoed into the snow. Ellie had been right. It was almost up to the top of his little legs already.

  Max watched Rascal padding along, and sighed. “This is going to take hours. Look, you sit on the sledge with him, and I’ll pull you there. That’ll give him some time to get used to it.”

  “Cool!” Ellie sat down on the sledge, and hugged Rascal tight. He was as good as a hot-water bottle in this cold. Rascal squeaked excitedly as Max set off, and the sledge ran smoothly along, bouncing here and there over dips in the snow.

  By the time they got to the park, Rascal was less confused by the cold white stuff. He chased after the sledge as Max and Ellie went down the big slope, barking excitedly and half-swimming through the snow as he hit the deep bits.

  “OK. I’m exhausted,” Max said, a while later. “We must have gone down a hundred times. And back up again.”

  Ellie nodded. “Let’s go home and ask Mum for some hot chocolate. I’m frozen. And then we could make a snowman in the garden, maybe. We don’t know how long the snow’s going to last.”

  Max nodded, and they set off home, Rascal jumping and wading through the snow beside them.

  Mum had been making mince pies, so after a couple of those each, and hot chocolate, they felt recovered enough to go out again.

  Lila had been asleep until now, but she got up and came outside just as Max and Ellie were about to start on their snowman.

  “Snowmen are boring,” she said firmly, in a very big-sister way. “Let’s make an igloo.”

  Ellie looked at the snow doubtfully. There was lots of it, but it was very squishy. She wasn’t sure it was good building snow. But Lila was determined, and she soon had Max and Ellie working on a production line, squashing the snow into hard, glittery blocks, so she could arrange them into the shape of an igloo.

  “Um, Lila…” Ellie said, after the first few rows. “It’s a very small igloo…”

  Lila stood back and looked at it. Then she giggled. “It’s going to have to be a dogloo…”

  “Uurgh, don’t tell Rascal that!” Max snorted with laughter.

  “You know what I meant!” Lila flung a snowball at him. “Stop being stupid, let’s get it finished. We just need to get the roof filled in.”

  Rascal pottered out of the house – he’d been recovering from the trip to the park with a snooze on his cushion – and admired the igloo, sniffing all round it. Ellie thought he was about to lift his leg against it, and glared at him, but luckily he decided not to. Lila might have thrown a wobbly if he had.

  “Last block!” Lila carefully wedged the final block of snow in place.

  Rascal wandered round from the back of the igloo and peered into the little doorway. He looked up at Ellie, as though he wasn’t sure he was allowed in.

  “Go on, Rascal!” she told him, and he poked his nose in thoughtfully and then went all the way inside, turning round and lying down as though he approved.

  Lila took a photo of him on her phone, laughing.

  “I’m going to make a snow-dog now,” Ellie said, wandering further down the garden to find some fresh snow.

  But snow-dogs were difficult, it turned out. The paws kept falling off. And it was getting colder and colder. Lila and Max had already gone inside, and finally she decided it must be close to lunchtime. She looked round for Rascal, but he must have gone in with Lila and Max.

  “Oh, I was just going to call you, Ellie!” Mum told her, as she opened the door. Then she frowned. “Where’s Rascal?”

  “He came in with the others…” El
lie said.

  Mum shook her head. “No, he’s definitely not here.”

  Ellie looked back out across the garden worriedly. Had Rascal got out somehow? What if the snow had drifted, and he was stuck, buried in the snow?

  Then she smiled. “Wait a minute,” she told Mum, and ran to check the dogloo.

  Sure enough, there he was. His white bits were blending into the snow, so only his little brown ears stood out in the dim, snowy light inside. Rascal was fast asleep in his own little snow-house.

  Ellie wrapped up most of her presents on Christmas Eve. She’d given Christy and Lucy their presents the day before, when they went over to Christy’s house. Luckily, Christy lived close enough to walk – Mum didn’t like driving in the snow. They’d made an enormous snowman in Christy’s front garden.

  Ellie looked happily at the little pile of presents on her bedroom floor. She had made the wrapping paper herself, and used glittery Christmas stickers instead of tape. She’d printed out some more photos of Rascal in his hat and used them as gift tags, with some glitter on the hat, and they looked gorgeous. She was ready to put them under the tree, just in time for tomorrow!

  “Come on, Rascal!” She picked up the pile, and went to the door, but a worried yip behind her made her stop. Rascal was trying to follow her, but he’d been playing with the roll of ribbon, batting it around with his paws, rolling over with it, chasing it under the bed… Then he’d sat down for a little rest, and somehow the ribbon had wrapped around all four paws.

  Ellie put the presents down on her bed. “Maybe I should put you under the Christmas tree!” She giggled. “You look just like a present, Rascal! You just need a bow on your head.” She undid him carefully, and rolled the ribbon up again, while Rascal pranced around her, happy to be free. The house was full of good smells, and interesting things kept arriving.

  Ellie led him downstairs to put the presents under the tree. There were so many! And lots of them had her name on. She’d felt them, but she couldn’t tell what was inside. Proudly, she added hers to the pile, and then wandered into the kitchen to see what Mum was doing.

  “Oh, yum, more mince pies.”

  “Well, Max and Lewis between them polished off the rest of the last batch,” Mum explained, as she cut out the pastry circles, “and I thought you might want to leave some out for Father Christmas tonight.”

  Ellie nodded. “And carrots. Have we got any?”

  Mum nodded towards the vegetable basket. It was practically overflowing. “The reindeer wouldn’t like some sprouts as well, would they? I think your dad got a bit carried away in the supermarket.”

  “Mum, no one likes sprouts. Not even reindeer. Or Dad! Why did he buy so many?”

  “Sprouts are a Christmas thing. We’ll all just have a couple…” Mum sighed. “And who knows what we’ll do with the other fifty or so…”

  There was a strange creaking noise from the living room, followed by a worried whine, and Ellie looked at Mum in horror.

  “Rascal! I left him in there alone!”

  Ellie raced back into the living room, to find the Christmas tree leaning at a very weird angle. Rascal had tinsel wrapped right the way round his middle, and one of the candy canes that Gran and Grandpa had sent was sticking out of his mouth.

  “Oh, Rascal!”

  “Is he all right?” Mum asked anxiously, as she hurried into the room. Then she saw Rascal crunching the last of the candy cane and sighed. “Of course he is. What’s he done to the tree?”

  “Don’t worry, Mum. It’ll be fine,” Ellie said, trying to push the tree straight again. “It’s just a bit lopsided…”

  “Mum, can we put out the mince pies for Father Christmas now?” Ellie asked. She was just about to go to bed, after staying up late to watch a film with Lila and Max.

  “Oh, I already did, Ellie,” Mum called apologetically from the sofa. “Sorry, did you want to?”

  “Where are they?” Ellie looked at the fireplace, and then noticed that there was an empty plate pushed behind the poinsettia plant Dad had brought home for Mum.

  “Not again, Rascal!” Mum said crossly. “Oh, when am I going to stop forgetting about you? I just put them there like we always do. And after the candy cane, as well. If you’re sick on Christmas Eve I’m going to take your present back to the shop!” She sighed and got up. “I’ll go and get some more. And this time I’m putting them in a tin, with a note! I’m sure Father Christmas won’t mind…”

  Rascal burped loudly, and then jumped up, looking surprised at himself as though he wasn’t sure where the noise had come from.

  Ellie giggled and picked him up. She had a feeling it was a good thing it was bedtime!

  “Urrgh…” Ellie rolled over, brushing at her damp cheek. “Rascal! What time is it?”

  It was still completely dark in her bedroom, and it felt early. “Oh, Rascal! It’s only half-past five!” But Rascal was scampering up and down Ellie’s bed, whining excitedly. At last, he gave up trying to make Ellie do what he wanted, and seized something in his teeth, dragging it towards her.

  “My Christmas stocking! I’d forgotten what day it was!” Ellie was suddenly wide awake. “I’m not sure you’re going to want any of it though, Rascal,” she told the excited little dog, as she turned on her bedside light. “It’ll be pencils and books, and maybe some chocolate…”

  She tipped out a little pile of parcels, and Rascal swiftly seized the one he’d been sniffing out. Ellie laughed. “Dog chocolates! OK, I take it back. Shall I open them then?” She held them above his nose, teasingly. “OK, OK! Don’t bark, Mum’ll make us go back to sleep.” She opened the packet, and fed Rascal a few of the dog choc drops, while she ate a chocolate snowman and opened the rest of her stocking presents.

  Then she snuggled down to look at one of the books, and the next thing she knew, someone was tickling her.

  “I thought you’d slept late for Christmas morning!”

  Ellie jumped awake, and looked up to see Dad laughing at her. “What time did you open those, then?”

  “Half-five.” Ellie yawned. “Rascal woke me up – there was a packet of doggie chocs in my stocking.”

  “I see! Get dressed now, Ellie. It’s breakfast time, and Auntie Gemma, Liam and Grandad will be here soon.”

  Ellie wriggled out of bed, trying not to tip her presents all over the floor, and dressed quickly. She was hungry, and before she reached the kitchen she could already smell the croissants that Mum had bought for a special Christmas breakfast.

  “When can we open our presents?” Max asked.

  “Not till everyone else is here,” Mum said firmly.

  Max sighed and stuffed half a croissant in his mouth in one go. Lila groaned, but Mum pretended she hadn’t seen him.

  Rascal suddenly bolted down the bit of croissant Ellie had “dropped” for him – it was Christmas – and raced out into the hall.

  “I guess people are arriving!” Mum laughed. “He must have heard them coming up the path.”

  Grandad was at the door, and Auntie Gemma and her boyfriend Liam were just pulling up in their car.

  “Happy Christmas, Grandad!” Ellie hugged him. “Come on, I want you to open my present!”

  Everyone gathered in the living room. Dad started to hand out presents, and soon the room was full of bits of wrapping paper and ribbon.

  “It’s beautiful! Can I put it on now?” Ellie asked, stroking the velvety fabric of her new dress from Mum and Dad.

  “Let’s open the rest of the presents first,” Mum said. “There’s a pile here for Rascal. Oh, and this one is for you, Gemma, from all of us.”

  “Oooh, that looks interesting.” Auntie Gemma took the squashy parcel, and started to undo it, while Ellie got Rascal to tear at the wrapping paper on one from his little pile.

  “Did you make this, Mum? It’s gorgeous!” Rascal sniffed at his first present curiously as Ellie opened it out.

  “Well, I thought Hugo looked so nice in his red coat at the fair, Ellie. And
it’s so cold at the moment, I thought maybe Rascal could do with one.”

  Ellie wrapped the little blue coat round Rascal, and did up the Velcro. “It’s really smart. Thanks, Mum!”

  “And this is beautiful!” Auntie Gemma had opened her present now, a lovely knitted red hat. “I need a hat.”

  “To keep your other hats company?” Liam teased her. “It is nice, though. And thanks for the books, they look great.”

  Grandad wrapped his new scarf round his neck, and kissed Ellie. “Lovely. Very cosy, Ellie, I love it. And look at Max’s hat, that’s very smart.”

  “It’s cool, Ellie, great teeth!” Max pulled it on. “That’ll be good for when we go sledging again.”

  “Have we really opened all that huge pile?” Mum shook her head in amazement. “Wow. Actually, I need to go and check on the turkey.”

  Rascal trotted after her. The smells from the kitchen were so good, he didn’t want to miss anything.

  Ellie went and changed into her dress, then spent the rest of the morning nibbling chocolate snowmen, and playing Max’s new PlayStation game with him. He beat her every time, which meant he was happy. Lila watched them, and painted one fingernail in each of the ten colours in the set Ellie had given her, to see which she liked best.

  “Lunch!” Mum called eventually, and everyone squashed into the kitchen.

  “Yay, crackers!” Max grabbed his, and waved it at Ellie. It went off with a huge bang when they pulled it, and Rascal yelped and scooted out of the kitchen.