Emily was getting impatient. Today was her favourite day of the year: Christmas Eve, the day she was allowed to pick out a gift from the most wonderful toy shop in the world. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Her nanny would be taking her, with her little brother in tow so he could scamper through the store looking for soldiers, trains and other toys that would soon be littered around their shared bedroom. Little John still believed in Father Christmas, like a baby, and spent his time playing noisily on the rug and smashing his lead soldiers together. He was nowhere near as neat and well-brought-up as Puppy, her adorable Fox-Terrier. Puppy was Emily’s best friend and followed her around everywhere, his tongue hanging out as if he were trying to smile. Father said he was a silly dog, but Emily paid no attention. Her nanny opened the bedroom door and asked if they were ready, for it was time to go. John looked up from his train and babbled giddily. Puppy ran in circles around him, wagging his tail, and Emily ran after him trying to put his leash on. Then Emily fixed her hair in the mirror, as a real lady does. She put a pin in her hair and buttoned up her coat. “Ready to go, miss?”
The children had stepped out onto the snowy streets when Emily gasped, “Puppy!” It wasn’t like her to leave her dog behind. Outside, Londoners were scurrying back and forth in the late afternoon, eager to return to the warmth of their homes. It would soon be rush hour, and the gaping mouths of the Underground stations were filling up. Everywhere was busy on the day before Christmas, with so many things to do. There were cards bearing messages of sympathy, friendship or thanks to be dropped in letterboxes (“It’s always nicer to get a card on the day…”), and of course there was Christmas pudding to buy. The stodgy puddings with their mysterious ingredients had been made weeks ago and left to soak in liquor until the big day. Tomorrow, the Queen would address her loyal subjects over the radio, sending them her best wishes for the New Year. Dinner parties were being planned, and Christmas crackers being bought. The Christmas sales were on, and the streets of London were packed with children running from toy store to toy store.
Emily wanted her nanny to hurry up, as Hamley’s would soon be closing its doors. What really worried her was not finding the toy she wanted. It was always the same dilemma: having to pick one meant leaving the rest behind. Emily pondered her options. What did she really want? “If I were you, I’d pick out a lovely doll,” her nanny said. Emily shook her head. She wanted something special, something befitting a well-behaved young lady like herself. A doll was out of the question; all that dressing and undressing, pretending to scold it and speaking to it when she thought no-one was listening…what was nanny thinking? Emily was too old for those sorts of things. Outside Hamley’s, the biggest toy shop in the world, a policeman was struggling to keep the teenagers outside. “Stop that pushing, this isn’t a bleeding football stadium!” The list for Santa was long, and families were taking their time and picking out the loveliest toys; masks for playing dress-up, or those beautiful teddy bears arranged in long rows, children gazing at them in wonder. It was a magical time, alive with tradition. Emily’s governess eyed the queue outside the store: “We’ll have to queue up like everyone else,” she announced.
Emily looked in the window as they waited. The display scene was beautifully detailed, like the stage of a theatre. There were huge papier-maché models of little men riding toboggans, hillsides flanked by green firs, wood cabins lit by fires, elves perched on cotton clouds and Father Christmas watching over it all, waving his arms. Emily couldn’t wait to go inside, but she still didn’t know what she wanted. Her nanny ran her hand through her hair and asked her, “How about a piggy bank for your pocket money?” Certainly not, thought Emily. After all, her father the banker only ever talked about money — why would she bring another bank home?
Inside the shop, Emily quickly scurried away from her nanny. She was a poor advisor and did not seem to understand the choice Emily was facing. From now on, only Puppy was permitted to give his opinion. The little dog ran straight for a huge shelf filled with books. What a wonderful idea! Emily saw before her a book bound in emerald green with gold-leaf pages. On the cover page, she read: “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”. What could this be? But as she was leafing through the book and admiring its engravings, Puppy disappeared into the shelf. “Puppy! Puppy!” Emily called after him before disappearing herself.
Alan Alfredo Geday