THE WORTH OF ONE - A CHRISTMAS STORY

 By Tessa Harvey

    Veronica looked at the school. It towered over her. Her parents had gambled on some investment or other and won, so she had been sent here. Thankfully, for the moment at least, she was alone.

    A tiny rabbit hopped over the dewy, daisy-speckled lawn.  The girl kept quite still. The bunny, funny little nose twitching, had not seen her, rubbing at a lovely, fresh tuft of bright green grass.

    But out of the corner of her eye, Veronica saw the school cat prowling closer. It was a bad tempered old battleaxe of a black tom cat. Some girls had been nasty to it, but it knew this girl was no threat. It crawled nearer, hind-end quivering. But a mature buck rabbit had been watching. He thumped the ground heavily in warning and with a flash of fluffy white tail, the little bunny had gone.

    The black tom, Brutus, strolled away, trying to look as nonchalant as possible, as though intent on more important matters.

    A window slamming open broke the silence. "Veronica," thundered the girls' mistress, "get inside at once!"

    To emphasise her displeasure, Madame Smith had stretched out the four syllables of Veronica's name. Like a piece of old elastic, the girl thought, as the casement window slammed shut.

    Unhappily, she trudged towards the old kitchen door. The early morning sun seemed dimmed by clouds. The bright shininess was gone and a chill wind blew....