Little AmericaX Little Reader

Little AmericaXLittle Reader
Christmas cookies

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     You were sitting at the kitchen table drawing a picture of a Christmas tree. It was Christmas Eve, and it was your favorite time of the year. Being six years old, why wouldn't it be? You knew that in the morning you would wake up to a pile of presents left under the tree by Santa. You smiled smelling the sugar cookies you mom had just pulled out of the oven. They were sitting on the counter cooling so you could decorate them. You and your mom always did this before you went to bed on Christmas Eve.
     The phone rang in the other room, and you heard your mother answer it. Thinking that she would be distracted for a moment, you slid off your chair and snuck over to the cooling cookies. You were about to reach over and grab one when you mom came into the kitchen.
     "Freeze (name)." She said. You froze your hand inches from the delicious sugar cookies. "I thought I told you to leave those cookies alone."
     "But mommy, they smell sooo good!" You said giving her the puppy eyes she always caved for. She sighed.
     "You can have one in a little bit. Besides, I have a surprise for you." She said. Your face lit up.
     "What's that?" You asked excitedly.
     "Your little buddy Alfred is coming over." She said. Alfred was the little boy who lived next door to you, and the two of you were connected at the hip. You did everything together and spent every moment you could together since the time both of you found walk. You squealed happily and jumped up and down. You loved it when Alfred came over to visit. Your mom smiled at you.
     "Yes, his dad is away on a business meeting, don't know why they had it over Christmas, but he's not home, and his mom got called into the hospital. They're a little shorthanded tonight, so Alfred's going to come over and help us decorate cookies." Your mom explained.
     "Yay! Alfy's coming over!" You shouted excited running around the kitchen. You mom rolled her eyes and laughed at you. There was a knock at the door. You raced your mom to the door giggling the whole way. She beat you and opened the door reviling Mrs. Jones and Alfred standing on the front porch, their faces a bit red forms the cold night air and snow in their hair. Alfred's face lit up when he saw you.
     "(name)!" He shouted bolting in the door and tackling you in a bear hug. You mom laughed again.
     "Oh those two." She said looking at you. Mrs. Jones laughed as well handing your mom Alfred's back pack.
     "Thanks you so much (mom's name). You're really a life saver. I'll try to get off as soon as I can." She was saying.
     "It's really not a problem dear." Your mom said. Mrs. Jones smiled warmly at her.
     "Alfred, you behave for Mrs. (last name)." She said to her sun. Alfred grinned.
     "You betcha' mom!" He said tugging his coat off.
     "Hey Alfred guess what!" You said barely able to keep your excitement contained any longer.
     "What?!" He asked his bright blue eyes growing a little bit wider.
     "We get to decorate Christmas cookies!" You said bouncing again. His goofy grin got even bigger.
     "Really?! No Way! That's so cool!" He practically shouted grabbing your hand and dragging you towards the kitchen.
     "Merry Christmas Mrs. Jones!" You managed to call before Alfred pulled you through the kitchen door. You heard your mom and Mrs. Jones laughing. Alfred was looking at the tray of sugar cookies.
     "They smell so good." He said. "Did you mom make 'em?" You nodded happily.
     "She even made the icing too!"
     "Cool!" Alfred chirped.
     "Okay you two, you ready to decorate some cookies?" Your mom asked coming into the kitchen as well. You and Alfred nodded eagerly. Your mom grabbed the tray of cookies and brought it over to the table. "(name), sweetie could you pick up your drawing stuff?"
     "Sure mommy." You said. You went over to the table and made to grab your picture you had been working on, but Alfred picked it up first.  
     "No Alfy! Don't look at it!" You said grabbing it from him.
     "Why not?" He asked giving you his sad puppy dog look.
     "Because it's not done yet." You explained.
     "Can I see it when it's done?" He asked. You smiled at him.
     "Sure."
     Your mom grabbed paper plates and set them on the table along with the cookies and homemade icing and array of sprinkles and small candies. You and Alfred both eagerly grabbed a cookie off the tray and set to work decorating them talking and laughing the whole time. You carefully spread the icing on the your cookies and placed the sprinkles and candies in the right spot trying to make them perfect, while Alfred dumped handfuls of whatever he could reach on his cookies thoroughly enjoying himself. By the time you both had almost finished decorating your cookies, the phone rang again. You mom left to answer it. Alfred looked sadly at the now empty tray of cookies.
     "I wanna decorate more." He pouted.
     "I think that's all we have." You said sadly. You want to decorate moor too. Alfred was quiet for a moment. He looked as though he was pondering something.
     "We could make some more." He said thoughtfully. Your eyes widened. What a great idea!
     "We should!" You said.
     "Do you know who your mom made them?" he asked. You thought for a moment. You had helped your mom make the cookies earlier that day, but didn't remember all the ingredients she used.
     "I know she used flour…and that's in the cabinet there." You pointed to the cabinet above the stove.
     "Well it's a start at least." Alfred said pulling his chair over to the counter. He climbed up on it then onto the counter next to the stove so he could reach the cabinet. You bit your lip watching him climb on the counter. It wasn't the first time he had climbed something, but it didn't make you any less nerves.
     "Oh be careful Alfy." You said.
     "Don't worry (nickname), I've got everything under control." He opened the cabinet and grabbed the bag of flour. "See!" He said triumphantly turning to show you the bag of flour. He turned to fast however and lost his grip on the bag. It flew out of his grip and hit the floor causing a cloud of fluffy white stuff to erupt out of the bag coating everything in the kitchen in a layer of white. You looked from the bag on the floor, up to your friend who was still on the counter looking like a ghost, then back down to the bag, and up again. Alfred looked at you his blue eyes standing out even more due to that white on his face.
     "Oops…" He said timidly. Just then your mom came back into the kitchen, you and Alfred both looked at her nervously.
     "What…" She said taking a step into the room taking in the white that now covered everything and the guilty expressions on yours and Alfred's faces.
     "I'm so sorry Mrs. (last name), it was an accident, really." Alfred said hoping down off the counter.
     "It really was mommy! Don't be mad at Alfred please." You chimed in. you didn't want to see your best friends get in trouble. You mom sighed and shook her head smiling slightly.
     "It's okay (name)." She said gently. "Let's just get you two cleaned up."

~~~

     A little while after the flour incident, you and Alfred were in the living room. You had both changed into you pajamas after you mom had cleaned off the flour from you. she told you to go play in the living room and try not to make another mess while she cleaned up the kitchen. You were sitting on the floor next to the coffee table finishing your drawing while Alfred sat by the tree playing with the train that ran along under it. You finished putting the finishing touches on your picture and got up and went over to Alfred. He grinned as he accelerated the train around one of the turns causing the train to tip. One of the car was full of small fake presents. They spilled out on to the floor.
     "Oh no Alfy! You crazed! Now how are the kids supposed to get their presents?" You asked playfully, sitting next to him.
     "I'll save the presents!" He said in his hero voice. He used it whenever he wanted to sound impressive. He set the train right side up again and stacked the presents up. "There, now Christmas can continue as normal." He laughed. You couldn't help but smile. He was so goofy sometimes.
     "Hey Alfy…" you said.
     "Hmm?" He turned to look at you. You pressed the picture you had been working on into his hands. He looked at it for a moment.
     "Is this what you were working on?" He asked you. You nodded. He looked up at you and smiled.
     "It's really good (name)." He said.
     "You think so?" You asked.
     "I know so!" He said. You blushed a bit at his complement.
     "I want you to have it." You said.
     "R-really? You mean it?" He asked you. You nodded and he hugged you tightly.
     "You're the best (name)!" He said happily. He let go of you and ran off the put the picture with his coat so he wouldn't forget it. You yawned and rubbed your eyes. It was getting late. You wandered over to the couch and curled up on it closing your eyes. Alfred popped his head over the couch and saw you falling asleep. He smiled at you and grabbed the blanket that was on the back of the couch and covered you up with it.
     "(name)…" He said curling up next to you.
     "Hmm?" You muttered sleepily.
     "Merry Christmas." He said softly kissing your cheek.
     "Merry Christmas Alfy."

~Mom's POV~

     "Those two…" your mom sighed wiping her hands off. She had just finished cleaning the kitchen. She paused admiring the sparkling kitchen and noticed how quiet the rest of the house was. 'It's quiet…too quiet…what are they up too this time?' she thought as she when out into the living room investigating the sores of the quietness. Her eyes fell on you and Alfred curled up on the couch together sound asleep. Her heart melted a bit at the shear cuteness of what she was seeing.
     "Oh my gosh!" she said digging around on the desk looking for her camera. "This is just too cute." She found the camera and quietly moved a little closer to the couch careful not to wake the sleeping kids. Just as she took a picture, there was a soft knock at the door. She opened the door and let Alfred's mom in.
     "I hope everything went alright." She said shaking the snow from her blonde hair.
     "Everything was fine, well there was a little incident with the flour, but it was nothing really. How was your shift?" You mom asked. Mrs. Jones shrugged.
     "Uneventful." She looked around taking in the quietness. "Where's Alfred?" Your mom laughed.
     "Come look." She said and led her over to the couch. Mrs. Jones smiled looking at her son curled up on the couch with (name).
     "I wish I had my camera." She said.
     "Oh don't worry I already got a picture." You mom said. They both laughed.
     "Aw they look so cute!" Mrs. Jones gushed. "I don't want to move them."
     "He can stay here, it's fine." Your mom suggested.
     "I'll have to let Santa know he's here." Mrs. Jones said. There was silence for a moment. "You know, it would be funny if someday, they ended up together."
     "That would be too adorable." Your mom said.






-To be continued maybe-