Merry Godmother

by Mariah Deitrick

"Stop that, Sam!" Jillian cried.

 "Why? It's fun," Sam said, as he shook the Christmas tree. "It looks like the elves are dancing."

"You're going to make them fall," She said.

"No I'm not," Sam argued.

Jillian stomped off to tell on him, but a loud crash stopped her. She raced back to the living room.

"Sorry," Sam said. "I didn't mean to."

With tear filled eyes, Jillian stared at her favorite fairy ornament broken on the floor.

"You're a rotten brother!" she shouted, and ran to her room.

Why'd she have to have a brother anyway? She wished her parents would have just gotten a puppy instead.  Then her life would be easier. Now, because she had a brother, her ornament was broken. Jillian cried harder.

"Why are you crying?" a tiny voice asked.

Jillian wiped the tears from her eyes. "Who's there?"

"I'm Tinsel. Your Merry Godmother," the tiny voice said. "I'm here to grant your Christmas wish."

"What wish?" Jillian asked. She didn't remember making any wish.

"I'll show you," Tinsel said, and waved her sparkly wand. Jillian's room changed.

Jillian started to ask what happened, but they were not alone. A puppy ran up to the bed where a girl was sleeping. Jillian stared at the girl, shocked. It was her.

That Jillian got up and played with the puppy. She threw a ball, and the puppy chased. The ball was too big. The puppy couldn't get it in its mouth so it pushed it around the room as it barked.

"We'll play again later," she told the puppy before darting out of the room.

Tinsel and Jillian followed her downstairs.

The living room was a mess. Wrapping paper was everywhere, and dolls were missing their stuffing. Every present was ruined. The girl cried and ran back to her room.

 "What happened?" Jillian asked.

"Your wish is granted," Tinsel said happily.

"What wish?" Jillian asked again.

"You wished for a puppy, remember?" Tinsel said.

Jillian looked at the mess. "The puppy did this?" she asked. Maybe a puppy wasn't such a good idea. It was worse than Sam. At least he wouldn't eat her presents.

"Puppies like to play too," Tinsel said.

Changing her mind, Jillian said, "I don't want a puppy."

"I'm afraid you must. It was your Christmas wish," Tinsel said. "Tomorrow when you wake, he will be yours." The fairy smiled.

Jillian started to cry. "I wish I'd never made that wish. Sam wasn't that bad. Can't I take it back?"

"Merry Christmas," Tinsel said, and waved her wand. This time, Jillian fell fast asleep.

When she woke up, it was Christmas morning. She ran right to Sam's room, but he wasn't there. Her wish had come true. He was gone.

The sound of wrapping paper tearing caught her attention "Bad dog!" Jillian shouted as she ran down the stairs.

"What dog?" Sam asked confused. "I'm not a dog.

Her wish hadn't come true after all. She ran to give him a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, and a burst of sparkle surrounded the tree. She looked up to find her ornament hanging perfectly in place.

 "Are you still mad at me?" Sam asked.

Jillian shook her head. "No."

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About the Author: Mariah Deitrick currently lives in Iowa with her husband and four children. She's a graduate from the Institute of Children's Literature and enjoys writing fiction for all ages.

About the Art: little fairy by shihching wu of taipei, kenyung, Taiwan