THE WORTH OF ONE - A CHRISTMAS STORY

By Tessa Harvey

    Not far away, lights glowed suddenly in the principal's residence. It was slightly set apart from the junior and senior boarding houses. The school was girls only and most were day pupils. Further down the road was the boys college. As yet there were more staff here and so the early arriving boarders were of both sexes.    
    The principal sighed. Tomorrow, two more pupils would arrive. They were "on trial."
"What a silly expression," thought Mrs. O'Leary to herself the following morning. The two new pupils were siblings and supposedly "on trial." "On trial for what?" she wondered.
    They had been scheduled to arrive a little before lunch, and the young girl, Veronica and the boy Augustus were already fast friends.
    Maureen O'Leary hid a smile as she saw them exchange quick glances, a little unnerved by her presence. They were waiting for the new arrivals in her colourful lounge. The soft couches were grouped informally with cushions in teal, aquamarine, and deeper blue. The walls were full of pictures and places overseas, harbours with glittering seas, towering cliffs, sweeping vistas of places far away. The new children came in.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE WORTH OF ONE - A C H R I S T M A S STORY  By Tessa Harvey     "Jesus was born at Christmas." said the principal, firmly ignoring the interruptions. "He is the most important person in all the history of the world."     Aiden opened his mouth again, but the principal motioned for him to be silent, and he obeyed.     "Jesus is God.  He came to earth as a baby, grew up, was loved by many and died a cruel death so he could save us from all the bad things we have ever done. And." she added, raising her voice, looking in turn at each child, "every one of us is guilty of lying or stealing, being mean to others, thinking bad things. I know I am."     The children were silent, waiting. Something caused them to listen. The sun shone through the windows and they could hear the faint roar of the ride-on lawn mower. Still they waited.     "Jesus died and rose again from the dead. There is no grave for Jesus. He also came to show us the...
Read more
THE WORTH OF ONE - A C H R I S T M A S STORY By Tessa Harvey     It was the end of term and the students were gathered for the final assembly. Christmas songs were sung and beautiful verses were read by some of the pupils about the prophecies of the coming of Jesus in the Book of Isaiah in the Bible. They were written hundreds of years before the actual birth of Jesus. Other pupils read about the new-born King from the stories of Matthew and Luke.     Finally the principal spoke. "Jesus was truly human and truly divine, a part of God. He chose to come to earth to be the bridge separating us from the love of God, a Cross to cross the chasm. The bad things we do, the silly mean selfish things keep us from God.  But Jesus died to save us.     "A manger is really a food bowl. It is bigger than a small tray for bird seed, or a dog or cat bowl. It was big enough for cattle or donkeys - so it was able to hold Jesus as a tiny baby. Jesus loves each of us very...
Read more
THE WORTH OF ONE - A C H R I S T M A S  STORY   By Tessa Harvey     Just then there was a strident clamour of an electric bell.  It shattered the stillness. Aiden and Pamela bolted for the door. They struggled with the knob in their panic, enabling the principal to bar the way out. Jacob grabbed Melissa and headed under the biggest desk, leaving Veronica open-mouthed. It was only a bell! Augustus cradled his arm, looking uncertain.     "Calm down," called Mrs. O'Leary. "It is only a practice fire drill. Someone forgot to warn this class. Now line up sensibly near the door. Augustus and Veronica first, please, then Aiden and Pamela." Reluctantly they moved into place. "Now Jacob and Melissa. We go down to the school yard in two's following me. There is a VERY small fire rigged and one of the Junior children will show us how to use one of the school fire extinguishers.     Without looking back, the tall woman led the way firmly and the students...
Read more