2 #2
‘Say hello to Ms Lachlan, class,’ Belle said as each of the ten children chose a chair to pull out, a few of the braver kids vying for the spaces at the top of the table closest to Edina.
‘Aye, don’t be shy.’ The elderly woman beamed, her cheeks rosy with excitement. She waved her hands, encouraging the children to sit as they chorused a loud hello.
‘As I told you earlier, we’re here to write and decorate our Christmas lists for Santa.
It’s the fifth of December already so we need to make sure they have plenty of time to reach the North Pole.
Ms Lachlan was so excited when I told her what we had planned that I asked if we could come here so she could join in and write a Christmas list too,’ Belle explained.
‘Aye, I haven’t written to Santa for years!’ Edina said, grinning at the children as they sat.
Belle had had the idea of moving the lesson to the castle after their conversation a few days before.
She’d been determined to do something to brighten up the older woman’s life.
In the last week she’d seen how lonely Edina was.
While she spent some time in the village, most of her days were spent alone within these four walls.
So Belle had arranged a last-minute trip to the castle, delivering the consent forms to each of the children’s parents herself over the weekend.
She yawned and rolled her shoulders, wondering when she’d last slept for more than five hours.
‘We practised writing letters last week so you should know what to do. Can anyone tell me what we should put first?’ Belle supressed a grin when Bonnie and Lennie McGregor, the blonde, blue-eyed twins, both bounced up and down, waving their hands in the air and grinning at Edina when she put hers up too.
‘Lennie?’ Belle asked, promising herself she’d pick Bonnie next when the little girl’s smile dimmed.
‘Dear Santa Cause!’ Lennie shouted at the top of his voice.
‘That’s almost right, it’s Santa Claus, C.L.A.U.S.
’ Belle spelled out the last word slowly as she encouraged both of the parent helpers to join the children at the table.
‘Remember, you need to think carefully about what it is you’d most like for Christmas.
I’m sure you’ve all got ideas for toys, which is great.
But remember, you can add other things to your list. They don’t all have to be physical things – something you can touch or feel – you might want to ask for something you’d like to see happen in the village, at school, your home or even to someone else.
’ For a brief moment Belle’s mind was whisked back to when she was eight, when she lived in Kenya with her mam and da.
Her mam had always insisted they write to Father Christmas on the first of December, to give the letters plenty of time to arrive.
But while Belle remembered once asking for the latest Lego truck she’d seen in a magazine and for some blue princess shoes to go with her sparkly dressing-up dress, her mam had written about the children in the orphanage where she volunteered, detailing their need for medicine, writing equipment and nutritious food.
Belle frowned; she could still remember feeling guilty when she’d found out.
‘I want a sister,’ Bonnie declared, her eyes narrowing as her brother began to write slowly, taking care with the letter ‘D’, probably so he could earn extra brownie points with Belle. The twins constantly competed for her attention and keeping them both happy was a juggling act.
‘Aye, I always wanted a sister, or a brother would have been grand.’ Edina grinned and picked up a red pencil.
‘But I think it might be a bit late to ask for one now.’ The older woman had bloomed in the short time the children had been in the castle.
This morning at breakfast, after Tavish had carried her into the kitchen and Belle had made her tea and toast, Edina had looked pale and she’d glanced around the room as if she wasn’t sure if she should be there at all.
Belle wondered again exactly how many visitors Edina usually received.
How many hours she must have spent alone in the huge cavernous rooms since her husband had passed.
And why was her grandson taking so long to visit?
Belle had been here for a week now and Jack hadn’t called once.
Belle suspected Edina lived a lonely life.
Her mantelpiece was hardly filled with Christmas cards – she’d only received one, and that had come from Morag Dooley who ran the post office in Lockton.
‘Are you writing a list, Miss?’ Nessa MacLeod pushed her long blonde hair out of her face as she leaned on the table and Belle shrugged. She hadn’t written one in twenty-two years – not since her mam had died.
‘Aye.’ Belle nodded and sat in one of the empty chairs at the opposite end of the table to Edina. She stared at the piece of paper, before picking up a pencil.
Dear Santa, she wrote.
I’m sorry I haven’t written for such a long time, but I hope everything is good with you, Mrs Claus, all the elves and reindeer at the North Pole.
She looked up as Nessa nudged her arm. ‘If I ask Santa to make me Mary in our school nativity, do you think he could?’ Her blue eyes were clear and Belle swallowed.
She’d done nothing about organising the Christmas play for the school yet and time was running out.
She’d avoided Robina for most of last week, aware the headmistress would demand an update, but she hadn’t even had a chance to read Benji’s notes.
There were just so many things to do. She’d promised Kenzy she’d go for a drink with her in the pub this evening and wondered if she could get out of it before dismissing the thought.
She’d find a way to fit it all in, she always did.
‘Aye, there’s no harm in asking,’ Belle said softly. Nessa would be a good choice for Mary; she made a mental note. ‘We all know Santa may not give us everything on our Christmas list, so think carefully about what you most want,’ she advised the class.
‘You know where Santa lives?’ Nessa asked, pouting as she leaned over to read Belle’s letter.
‘Aye.’ The post office gave out an address each year and Belle knew if she posted the cards in plenty of time, Santa would also reply.
‘Don’t forget to put your name and the school’s address in the top-left corner of your letter like I showed you on Friday.
’ She raised her voice above the chattering children.
‘I’ve written it on some cards which you’ll find in the centre of the table – just copy it and that way Santa can reply. ’
‘He writes back?’ Edina glanced up from her letter.
‘Aye,’ Belle assured her. ‘Be sure to include the address though. You can put Evergreen Castle on yours if you like.’
‘What do I write next?’ Doug Wallace, one of the shyest children in Belle’s class, went scarlet as everyone turned to stare at him.