La Petite Chanson

  Chapter 1 Wreck the Halls “Maddie! How come you’re not packed!?” I asked, pausing at Maddie’s room with an armful of suitcases and Rufis trailing behind me. “We’re leaving in an hour!” “Oh, that’s today? I forgot! Maybe you should have reminded me twenty more times ,” Maddie rolled her eyes and plopped down on her beanbag with her phone. “And I am packed, see?” she held up her small duffle bag and dropped it on the floor again. “That’s all you’re bringing? We’ll be gone for eight days!” And seven hours .  “It’s not like we're backpacking,” she flashed a grin for a selfie and then sat up. “What’s burning?” A curl of smoke wafted doon the hall. My eyes widened. “JAAAAACK!” I dropped the suitcases and dashed down the hall into the kitchen. “Hi mom,” Jack sat up on the counter next to the source of the smoke; a pan of what looked like coal sizzling in a fireplace. “ Jack, what have I told you about using the oven!?” I switched the range off and hosted Jack down from the counter...

  Prologue Christmas was going to be fun. I mean, how couldn't it be? I had planned fifteen minutes of “fun” throughout every day of our trip by my daughter Maddie’s request! No, that’s not weird, that’s being prepared. And I had gotten all of Jack’s and Maddie’s presents months before december! So how did we end up on Christmas eve, upside down, in a car, in a ditch, surrounded by snow, screaming at each other? I don't know, but this is the story of the Christmas I found out what it meant to have fun, improvise, and what really matters at Christmas.

  Hope raced behind the tree, her heart pounding. For a moment, she considered climbing into the treehouse, but it would take too long and they would find her. So she crouched behind the blueberry bush instead.  She saw the dark shadow stop in front of her and tried to quiet her raspy breath. The shadow passed and Hope let out a relieved sigh.  But before she could think, out of nowhere the shadow pounced on her, knocking her back. She let out a screech as the thing started… licking her? “Lulu!” Hope squealed, pushing the small dog out of her face. “You found me!” Lulu barked proudly. “That’s two for Lulu and me!” Amber helped Hope out of the bush. “No fair! Lulu shouldn’t be able to use her nose!” Hope said.  Amber laughed. “Come on! The sun is setting, you know what that means!” she said in a sing-song way as she skipped to the back door. “Pizza!” Hope ran with Lulu trailing behind. Once they were inside, Amber turned around and locked the door. There, all locked, ...

That wonderful sensation,  that warm humming at the back of my mind, The notes fill my head as a bubbling song threatens to burst. My lips mouth the words I've known my whole life. Like eating sweet candy, I savor each pitch. My head bobbing to the beat, the room around me melts away. I close my eyes and am taken away to a world all my own, a world of rhythm and dancing. Bright colors swirling around me, an ocean of rippling beats and sound waves.  I dive below the surface, past the vocals, the chords, the strumming, right to the core. A beautiful glowing ember that lives in the heart of every song. I wish it could last forever, but as the song ends, the lights dim and the music fades.  I’m pulled back into reality. A dull gray world compared to mine, but a wonderful feeling still lingers. A little spark still burns inside.