The Christmas Miracle (a short story)

The Christmas Miracle (a short story)

by Sheri Grutz

One day Mary's father came home to the farm and told her that in the back of the wagon was a cheerful surprise. Mary put her book down and ran outside into the nearly spring afternoon.

“Father, what is it, what's the surprise?”

“Go see for yourself.” He was hauling in bags of seed.

Mary ran out to the front of the yard, and there, laying perfectly and staring up at her was a baby lamb.

“Oh father, a lamb, a true blooded lamb!”

“You can have it. You'll have to make a little bedding just inside the fense to keep it close, and also, it will take milk from a bottle until it gets full grown.” Her father had an early burn on his face and neck, and she wondered how far he had to go to get this lamb.

“That's fine, I can do that. It's so soft, and pure white. A little angel, this lamb.”

“It will be a good companion.”

Mary brought an old blanket out of the barn, and laid it down then through hay and straw on top of it, then let the lamb smell and find his spot. Her mother prepared a bottle of cow's milk, and Mary was shocked how easily this little lamb sucked from the nipple. She would talk to the lamb, pet it, and walk with it a little ways through the young fields. It became a great joy.

“Good morning, Mary, your lamb has gotten out. Look outside, it's under your bedroom window.”

“Oh, well, I suppose we've become unseparable.”

She got into her school dress, and gently walked her lamb back into the field. Then she fed him, petted it, then walked her way to school. The first class of the day was English, Mary's favorite subject, since she loved talking about books. Tommy was day dreaming again, staring out the window, when he suddenly said, “Mary, look, it's your lamb!”

Mary was dumb founded, how could her little lamb know where she was, and be able to find her.

“So that's your stupid, lamb, huh?”

“he's not stupid. Look at how smart he is to find me.”

“Students, please. Mary, you can be excused to take your lamb home.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Mary tried not to be too hard on her little lamb, but told him into his perked up ears,

“Now listen little lamb, you cannot follow me everywhere I go.” The lamb seemed to understand, but still he licked her hand.

Mary started reading books out loud to her lamb, and he would gently fall into sleep. Summer was the best and Mary noticed the lamb started eating thistles and flowers and grass. Soon he would be full grown. When Mary swam in the creek with her best girl friends, the lamb went with, waiting patiently on the side, smiling.

“Father, I do believe my little lamb is full grown now.”

“Hmm, yes. We can try it with vegetables, and maye some hay.”

“I think he would like that.”

Fall was the busiest time of year, when the fields needed to be harvested, and all the vegetables in and canned. Mary wasn't able to spend as much time with her lamb, but he always loved seeing her. Winter came quickly, and Mary made a stall for her lamb beside the horses. He seemed to enjoy the company.

Then one day after church, her father was talking with the black smith in town, someone that Mary had heard killed dogs that came on his land. She was pretty sure she didn't like this man. On the wagon ride home, her father said to Mary, “They want your lamb for the live nativity scene at Christmas.”

“Why my lamb, father?”

“Yours is the best one in town, pure white, and very tame.”

“I don't trust that man, father.” They clanked on down the frozen ground, and Mary felt a few flurries hit her face.

“Everything will be fine. Your little lamb will be perfect.”

“Alright, father.”

On Christmas Eve, Mr. Collins came to the farm to get Mary's lamb. The lamb had already been told by Mary what was about to happen. He let out some sounds when Mr. Collins easily lifted him in the back of his wagon.

“It's all for a good cause, Mary. Merry Christmas.”

“Be good to him.”

When Mary and her parents went into town to the church, they saw the nativity scene, and they saw something they could hardly believe. The cow suddenly fell over dead on top of Mary's little lamb.

“Father, No!”

They rushed to the scene where Joseph and Mary were struggling to pull out the lamb from under the cow. Mary started helping, tears streaming down her face. Her lamb was badly injured, but didn't die, and Mary's father carried him gently to their wagon.

“you know what happens when an animal has a broken leg, don't ya?”

“He'll recover, you'll see. I'll nurse him back to health.”

“Hmm, Mr. Collins said he'd give top dollar for lamb meat.”

“Father! Don't talk like that.”

“I can get you another lamb with the money.”

“I don't want another lamb, I want this one.”

“We'll see what the vet has to say.”

The vet came the day after Christmas, even driving through the falling snow. He knew all about Mary's little lamb since his kids had told him about it following Mary everywhere she goes.

“He's going to be alright, Mary. It's just a fracture, it's not broken.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” Mary threw her arms around him suddenly and quickly, and he let out a little laugh.

“I'm going to give him a shot for the pain.”

“Alright. I've been cleaning the library, I've got savings.”

“You can put it on credit, Mary. Have a good new year's.”

“yes, you too.”

Mary petted her lamb, and sat with him singing Christmas songs into his perked pink ears. This truly was a Christmas miracle.