by Jo Cotterill
“Why, I thought it was obvious – I chose you . . .I’m your guardian angel, Billy.”
Lucky Elvis
by Julie Sykes
What was that noise? Jenna rushed to her bedroom window and stared through the rain-splattered glass. A red and white camper van was coming along the road with Christmas Rock Till You Drop blaring from it.
“Auntie Holly!” Jenna ran downstairs and opened the front door as her aunt swung onto the drive.
The camper van looked very festive with silver and red tinsel entwined around its bumper and a miniature Christmas tree fixed to the roof rack. Auntie Holly cut the engine and jumped out. She was wearing her trademark leggings with an oversized Rudolf the Reindeer jumper, complete with a red pom-pom nose. Holly pushed a pair of flashing reindeer antlers into her long brown hair as Jenna ran towards her.
“How’s my favourite niece?” Auntie Holly hugged Jenna tightly.
“Good,” said Jenna. “Even better now you’re here. Nice antlers.”
“Thought you’d like them.” Auntie Holly pulled a large holdall and two carrier bags from the back of the van.
“I wish you could stay for Christmas,” said Jenna as she helped her aunt to carry the bags inside. As an only child, Jenna envied her friends with brothers and sisters even more at this time of the year. It would be fun to have a big family to share Christmas Day with.
“Me too, but I’m starting a new job. Did Johnny tell you?” Johnny was Jenna’s dad. Mum called Auntie Holly his naughty little sister because she often caused trouble. The last time she’d stayed she’d accidentally put her red top in with the white wash and turned everything pink – including Dad’s pants.
Jenna nodded. “Dad said your new job is in the Alps. Are you going to be a skiing instructor?”
Holly spluttered with laughter. “I wish! I can’t ski well enough to teach anyone else. I’m going to be a chalet girl. My first group is a party of sixteen. They’re staying for a week and I’m cooking them Christmas dinner.”
Jenna giggled. “Are you sure you won’t give your guests food poisoning?” Auntie Holly was great with a microwave but that was as far as her cooking skills went.
Holly pulled a face then pointed to the bags Jenna was carrying. “I’ve been practising. In there is a turkey, spuds, sprouts, stuffing - the works. I even bought a Christmas pudding. I’m going to practise Christmas dinner by cooking one for you.”
“Sounds great,” said Jenna, doubtfully, putting the carrier bags down in the hall.
“Hello, Holly.” Mum came out of the kitchen still wearing her apron. “How lovely to see you. Don’t get too close, I’m covered in flour.”
“I thought I could smell mince pies,” said Holly. She blew her sister-in-law a kiss as she walked into the lounge and dumped her holdall on the carpet.
“Take your boots off Holly, you’ll be much more comfortable,” said Mum pointedly, “and give me that holdall. I’ll dry it out in the kitchen.”
Jenna winced. Mum’s disapproval of Auntie Holly showed. Luckily, Auntie Holly didn’t seem to notice. She smiled as she sat cross-legged on the floor. “I’ll move the bag in a bit but first I’ve got some presents. Sit down, Jen.” She patted the carpet next to her.
Jenna sat. Auntie Holly’s presents were the best; she was so inventive with her gifts.
Mum’s face creased into a frown. “I don’t think we should open Christmas presents yet. It’s far too early. Christmas is a whole week away.”
Holly was already pulling parcels from her holdall. “These aren’t proper presents. Jenna can open them if you don’t want to.” She handed Jenna a small package wrapped in shiny paper.
Jenna hesitated. She wished Mum would join in the fun rather than stand watching with a face worse than the weather. Her fingers picked at the sticky tape and the paper fell away. “A toilet roll holder… er, thanks!”
“It sings Christmas songs.” Auntie Holly started to giggle as Jenna switched it on. “Your face! Your mouth was smiling but your eyes were all glassy like a fish.”
“I was a bit disappointed,” said Jenna truthfully. “But not now! It’s brilliant.”
The singing toilet roll holder was so ridiculous that she could hardly unwrap the next present for laughing.
“Flashing reindeer antlers! For me?”
“Sure. These ones are for your mum and dad.” Holly produced two more headbands.
“I’m floury,” said Mum, backing away as Holly went to crown her with a set of antlers.
Jenna smothered a sigh as she put hers on. If only Mum would chill a bit. Auntie Holly took the loneliness out of being an only child. Jenna unwrapped the other presents. There was a flashing snowman, a pooping reindeer, a Christmas pudding shaped candle and a Christmas elf with a big round base. It reminded Jenna of the wobbly man toy she’d had when she was a baby. No matter how hard you tried to push it over it always sprang back up again.
“That’s Elvis. I named him after the famous singer. He’s a lucky singing elf. Ever since I bought him I’ve had nothing but good luck. His singing woke me on the morning I had the interview for my new job. I’d turned the alarm off and gone back to sleep. I almost fell out of bed when he started up. I must have knocked his switch when I cancelled the alarm.” Holly took the elf from Jenna and slid the switch on his base. She put Elvis down on the floor and immediately he sprang to life, rocking backwards and forwards, his head nodding in time to the music.
“We Santa’s elves work hard all year to bring good Christmas cheer.
Making toys for girls and boys, to be delivered by reindeer.
On Christmas day, when the work is done
Santa’s elves can have some fun
Out in the snow we go.
OUT, OUT, OUT we go.”
As the elf fell silent Auntie Holly said, “Isn’t he brilliant? He sounds just like the real Elvis Presley.”
Jenna couldn’t stop laughing. “He’s nothing like him!” Mum was a huge Elvis fan and often played his music. “I love him though.” She put the lucky rock-and-rolling elf next to the Christmas tree where he started his song again.
“Lovely,” said Mum, stiffly, after the third time. “Why don’t you put him in your room now?”
“Elvis wants to stay here where he can see the garden.” Jenna positioned the elf to look out of the patio door. “Sorry about the rain, Elvis. It’s been wet all week.”
Mum rolled her eyes. “I’d better get back to my mince pies. Don’t leave the elf switched on or you’ll wear out the batteries. And drive me mad,” she added under her breath.
It was great having Auntie Holly in the house, just like having a cool big sister, thought Jenna wistfully, as they fitted the new singing toilet roll holder in the bathroom and draped tinsel around Dad’s shaving mirror. She wished Auntie Holly could stay longer, like forever.
It was still raining after lunch so Mum suggested that Jenna and Holly open the big tin of Christmas chocolates and watch a DVD together. Holly had other ideas. “Tonight I’m cooking you a proper Christmas dinner so I’ll have to get started on it now.”
Mum’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You are? I wondered what the carrier bags of food were for. It’s a nice offer Holly, but you’re our guest, so why don’t you relax and let me do the cooking?”
“Because I really need the practice,” said Holly truthfully.
Mum sighed. “Well don’t make a mess,” she said.
“I won’t. Well I probably will, but I promise I’ll clear it up.”
“Can I help?” Jenna asked.
“Of course. Bring Elvis too. We’ll have a bit of a sing song!”
*
Auntie Holly’s style of cooking made the boring jobs seem fun. Jenna won the carrot scraping race; Auntie Holly won the “who can cut the longest piece of potato peel?” race and they both got very wet during a game of “toss the Brussels sprouts into a pan of water”. Auntie Holly used every plate, dish and saucepan available and soon the
kitchen looked like an earthquake zone. As she and Holly worked they sang along with Elvis, shouting the chorus loudly. Mum came in twice to ask them to keep the noise down.
“OUT, OUT, OUT we go,” they bellowed as the door opened for the third time.
Mum stomped over to Elvis and picked him up. “And out that goes. It’s given me a splitting headache.”
“Sorry,” said Holly meekly. “Please don’t take Elvis away. I’ll take the batteries out instead.”
She took the elf from Mum, removed the batteries and put them in her pocket. “I promise we’ll be quieter, and don’t worry about the mess,” she said as Mum surveyed the room. “I will clear it up.”
Jenna held back her giggles until mum had gone. “Honestly!” she chuckled. “She told you off as if you were a little girl.”
To Jenna’s surprise Auntie Holly didn’t laugh with her. “I guess I can be a huge pain,” she said. “I’ve always been the baby of the family and it’s suited me to play on it. I’ll just have to make it up to your Mum by showing her that I can act like an adult and cook an amazing Christmas meal.”
Holly spent ages setting the table, folding serviettes into fans and decorating the stems of the wine glasses with coloured glass beads strung from thread. The Christmas dinner was wonderful. When Dad came home from work he could hardly believe that his naughty little sister had cooked such a fantastic meal. He was so surprised that he even agreed to wear his flashing reindeer antlers.
“That was delicious,” he said, as he spooned up the last bite of Christmas pudding. “Well done, Holly.”
“Jenna helped,” said Holly, modestly.
“It’s the best meal I’ve had in ages,” Mum agreed. “You’re full of surprises, Holly.”
Holly’s face turned redder than Santa’s cloak but you could tell she was pleased from her smile. “I’d better start clearing up,” she mumbled.
Jenna helped, clearing the table and stacking the dishwasher while Holly hand-washed the wine glasses. They were almost done when Jenna heard a squeak. She looked at Auntie Holly. Was she messing around?
“What?” said her aunt, smothering a yawn.
“Listen.” Jenna stood very still. There it was again, a sad cry that seemed to be coming from the garden. As she opened the back door, cold air rushed into the kitchen. Rain splattered against the back of the house and dripped from the gutters. Jenna and Holly peered into the darkness but there was nothing to see.
“You must be so tired that you’re imagining things,” said Auntie Holly. “You should probably get to bed.”
Jenna wasn’t tired at all. She lay in the dark re-living her wonderful day. When her parents went to bed, they looked in to say goodnight.
“That was a gorgeous meal.” Mum bent to kiss Jenna. “Your auntie Holly is going to be great at her new job.”
Jenna glowed with the praise for her aunt and, slipping under the duvet, she fell asleep at last.
Much later she woke with a start. The room was blacker than coal, the silence thick enough to cut with a knife. It made Jenna’s skin prickle and her heart race a little. When she closed her eyes again she heard a noise downstairs. Jenna sat up. Was that Elvis, singing? Who was playing with him at this time of night? It had to be Auntie Holly. Jenna jumped out of bed and tiptoed downstairs to ask her to stop before she woke Mum. It would be awful if Mum went back to being all cross and disapproving again.
Jenna reached the kitchen as Elvis started on the chorus. “OUT OUT OUT we go,” he bellowed.
She groped for the light switch and snapped it on. Strangely, the kitchen was empty except for Elvis, who was sitting on the windowsill. Jenna stretched over the sink to pick him up, “Santa’s elves work hard all year…” and slid the switch to off.
“…To bring good Christmas cheer,” Elvis sang. Jenna jiggled the switch back and forth several times but Elvis wouldn’t shut up. Was it her imagination or was he getting louder? In desperation, Jenna opened the battery case to remove the batteries again.
“OUT, OUT, OUT WE GO. OUT, OUT, OUT WE GO. OUT, OUT, OUT WE GO.”
Now Elvis was stuck singing the last line of the song. Jenna’s hand hovered over the battery case in disbelief. It was empty. Elvis rocked backwards and forwards as he continued to bellow the last line of the song. With an extra loud “OUT” he jumped out of her hands, bounced on the draining board and fell against the back door.
“OUT, OUT, OUT!” he shouted.
Jenna’s heart thundered in her chest. Elvis was scaring her. How could he sing without any batteries? She had to get rid of him. Fingers trembling, she turned the key and opened the back door. A sliver of moon lit the water-logged garden and the air was heavy with the pungent smell of wet earth. As Jenna stepped outside, something wet and soft brushed against her bare legs. Swallowing a scream, she jumped back. But it was just a cat – a skinny, half-drowned cat.
Jenna threw Elvis into the garden then bent to stroke the cat. “Hello. Where did you come from?”
The cat purred as he nudged his head against her hand, then suddenly he darted past her and into the kitchen. Jenna was about to follow when she realised that Elvis had stopped singing. She hesitated, then on impulse she went over to where he’d landed. He looked so ordinary lying there in the moonlight. Jenna relented, took him back indoors and put him on the table.
The little grey and white cat butted at Jenna’s legs. He was clearly a stray; every rib showed through his lifeless coat. Jenna dried him with the hand towel hanging on the cooker. She took the left-over turkey out of the fridge and offered a piece to the cat. He sniffed it daintily then gulped it down. Jenna was so absorbed in feeding the cat she jumped when Auntie Holly came into the room.
“Are you all right? I heard the back door open.” Auntie Holly ran a hand through her messy bed hair. Her eyes widened. “Where did that cat come from?”
“Something weird happened.” Jenna quickly told her aunt about Elvis, how he wouldn’t stop singing, and finding the cat.
“That is weird,” Auntie Holly agreed. “I told you Elvis was lucky. Maybe he’s a little bit magic too! He’s found you a new friend.”
“Really! Do you think Mum and Dad will let me keep him?” Jenna felt a sizzle of excitement. With the little grey cat to talk to and share her secrets, she wouldn’t miss Auntie Holly quite so much when she left again.
“I’ll talk to them about it,” Auntie Holly promised. “Your Dad likes cats so that’s a good start.”
Jenna picked the cat up and it nestled into her chest. “You need a name,” she told him. Her lips curved into a smile. “I’m going to call you Elvis, after the lucky singing elf. He brought both of us good luck!”
Blue Crescent
by S C Ransom
“I’m going out, you can’t stop me, not this time!” Mia shouted to her mother. She slammed the heavy door into place and set the lock code. That wouldn’t keep her mum out of the chamber for long, she knew, but with a bit of luck by the time she had fetched the override key, Mia would be in her suit and opening the outer door. She hesitated as she lifted the huge suit from the hook. Even in the Moon’s low gravity it was cumbersome, and she fumbled as she reached into the arms.
By the time she was sealed up she was sweating hard, her hands damp inside the thick gloves. The intercom crackled as it clicked on, booming around the small room.
“Mia, don’t do this. You know I didn’t mean to upset you. And someone has to check that suit before you go out. It’s the protocol.” Her mum’s voice didn’t sound even the tiniest bit sorry.
“As if I care,” she muttered, hoping that her mum could hear. She tried to move faster as the override would open the inner door any second. Her only chance was to initiate the air retrieval sequence and stop it. She pushed the button then dragged herself and the heavy boots to the end of the airlock. The mechanical voice echoed around her, warning her that the air pressure was falling. As soon as it stopped she turned the long red handle and pushed the enormous door open. For a
moment she imagined that she could feel the wind of the escaping air rushing past her, and that was quickly followed by panic. Was the suit leaking? Was she about to die horribly like Toby? She held her breath, ignoring the indignant shouting from the loudspeaker. There was no leak. She stepped outside.
The argument with her mother had been building for some time and had exploded earlier. Mia had been so pleased with her surprise. Christmas was something which was difficult to celebrate on the Moon station for those who had lost so much, but Mia always enjoyed it. This year she had – very carefully and without telling anyone – written out a lovely poem which Joe had taught her. ‘’Twas the night before Christmas’ was a wonderful tale of Saint Nicholas visiting a family, and Joe had described some of the images to her – a sleigh, reindeer, chimneys. She had spent hours drawing pictures around the poem and was really pleased with how it looked.
After dinner, when they had the extra potato each as their festive treat, Mia had presented the poem to her mother and the rest of the crew as their present. There was a stunned silence.
“Was that the last sheet of paper?” her mother asked, rubbing it between her fingers. Mia nodded, her smile fading.
“What a waste . . .”
Mia felt the hot tears prick her eyes as she sprang out of her seat. She snatched the sheet out of her mother’s hands and, too choked to say anything, ran out of the room.
*
Mia looked across the barren moonscape, then – with a smile - wedged the door open using a discarded pole. Her mother’s face was just visible through the airlock window, looking furious. Mia ignored her, turning back to face the horizon.
The Earth was just rising. It was mostly in darkness, the sun only lighting up a thin line of bright blue along the edge. The blue fascinated her. Nothing on the Moon was that colour. She knew that it was water – she had seen a picture of the sea – but she couldn’t really grasp the reality of it. For her, water came in drops from a tube. After oxygen, it was their second most valuable commodity.