The Magic Pine Cone
Christmas story from 2010
Our story like most starts in a town. That town was a sleepy little village called Nashville. Now Nashville is a quiet little village, one of those places where nothing seems to be going on at all. But as Christmas approached something very special was about to happen.
One day as Richard, Roz, and Rylee arrived home from school it started to snow. Roz ran around the yard with Rylee trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. While Richard hurried inside to play his video games.
As the snow began to stick to the ground Roz went inside to get her aunt Becky. “Please Becky take us to the park”, she ask.
Becky thought a moment then agreed. They ask Richard but he had started a game and didn't want to go. So the girls and their aunt left and walked to
the park. When they arrived there the girls ran for the slide then swung on the swings for a while. This while their aunt sat at a nearby table texting a friend on her phone.
After a while Roz headed up a little hill where she a Rylee sorted through the pine cones on the ground.
“This is a magic pine cone”, Rylee said holding up a nearly perfect cone. Roz laughed at her saying, “there is no such thing as a magic pine cone”.
“Yes there is”, Rylee insisted, “Grandpa says so”.
“Your silly, Roz said as she gathered up as many cones as she could carry.
Why is your pine cone magic”.
“Because, Rylee said, I can wish with it and I will get my wish”.
Roz just laughed at her little sister and headed down to where Aunt Becky was.
Becky looked up to see Roz with several pine cones and told her to drop them. “Your mom will kill me if I let you come home with all of those”
Reluctantly Roz dropped the cones one by one then sorted through them and found the best to keep.
Rylee showed her aunt Becky hers saying, “I found a magic pine cone”.
Becky smiled saying, “ok whatever you say Rylee”.
“It is magic, Rylee said, I'll show you. Then she closed her eyes and said, “I wish we could have Ice cream tonight”.
At that they all headed back to the house for dinner.
As dinner was ending their mother ask the children if they would like a fudgecicle for desert. Richard immediately yelled “I do”.
Roz and Becky both looked at Rylee who just sat there smiling.
“That is not ice cream”, Roz said to Rylee.
“Close enough for me,” Becky said.
Now Roz started to wonder about that pine cone could it be magical?
As bedtime came Rylee put her pine cone on the nightstand beside her bed. As their mother tucked them in she checked one last time. And as the lights went out she went to sleep thinking about her magic pine cone.
When morning came and Roz woke she hurried to the window to see how much snow they had. There was a lot of it and she woke Rylee and Richard so they could go out and play in the new snow. As they hurried to eat and dress Rylee remembered her pine cone and stuffed it in her pocket of her coat.
The children ran outside and started making a snowman. Richard who was taller and stronger lifted the heavy pieces into place. Soon they had two snowmen done one much taller than the other. Roz proclaimed it was grandpa and grandma snowmen because the tall one was Grandpa Tom. Then without thinking about it Rylee said, “I wish we could spend Christmas with Grandpa Tom”. She forgot she had the magic pine cone in her pocket.
In a flash all three children found themselves standing on a strange street in a strange town. There was three times as much snow and it was even colder.
“Where are we”, Richard ask.
Rylee smiled and said, “I forgot I had the pine cone in my pocket, this must be where Grandpa Tom is”.
Confused, the three looked around. There were a lot of people walking on the street and several just standing outside one shop. Richard being a good big brother took charge and said, "follow me". So they headed along Manitoba St. At the coffee shop they stopped dead in their tracks when a voice called out to them. It was Grandma Mynka. She ran up to them and ask where their mother was.
The children were happy to see a face they knew, and quickly explained about the magic pine cone and what had happened. Mynka laughed then together they headed off to Grandpa and Grandmas place to surprise Grandpa Tom.
When Mynka opened the door she said, “I found something you will like for Christmas”.
Grandpa Tom was writing and paused to turn and look towards the door as the three children peeked around the door at him. Happy he stood and went to the children. “What on earth are you doing here”, he ask.
As Grandma Mynka fixed some hot chocolate the children explained again about the magic pine cone and how they came to be in Canada now.
“I guess we had better call your mother so she will not worry”, Grandpa Tom said. So while the children ate cookies and had their hot chocolate he phoned their mom. When he finished he came back to the table and announced they would be staying for Christmas, and that their mother would be coming as well.
The children were happy and ask if they could go outside to play in the deep snow.
And for the days leading up to Christmas the children played and went for walks with Grandpa Tom and Mynka. They went to the movies and visited the library. They even had a visit with a Canadian Santa. And even though they loved their time with their grandparents. They were very happy to see their mother and their baby brother when they arrived on Christmas eve.
Rylee had been so happy she forgot all about her magic pine cone that had been left near the heater. There it had opened up and was dropping its seeds.
So with everyone together they all enjoyed a big Christmas feast, as well as opened all their Christmas gifts.
The next day bright and early their mother prepared them all to leave. Rylee was in a panic as she searched for her magic pine cone. Grandpa Tom remembered seeing it and showed her where it was. But she cried when she saw it. It had opened up completely, and had dropped hundreds of little seeds. She cried to grandpa Tom, “all the magic fell out of it”.
Grandpa Tom smiled as he scooped up the seeds and put them in a baggie for her. “No, he said, now you have seed for a hundred more magic pine cones. Perhaps you will plant a new one when you get home”.
Rylee stopped crying and smiled handing Grandpa Tom some seeds. “Now you can have a magic pine cone too”.
