Author's Note: This is Group Writing Project 5 with requirements: any genre, 1500 words or less, takes place during a major holiday between November 1 and January 2, and includes a (not necessarily material) gift.

Middle of the Night

	He awoke with a start.  What was that noise?  He opened his eyes
cautiously.  Suddenly, his thoughts were in a whirlwind.  Where was he? 
He pushed himself up into a sitting position and fearfully took in the
unfamiliar surroundings.  "Mama?" he called weakly.
	No response.  Where were his parents?  He crawled out of the huge
bed and landed with a thump on the carpeted floor, which was much further
from the bed than what he was used to at home.  He slowly approached the
closed door, listening carefully before opening it quietly.
	He stepped outside, his eyes darting around the huge hallway.  He
slowly walked towards one end, passing numerous doors.  Were his parents
in one of these rooms?  If so, which one?  If not, where were they?  As he
reached the wide staircase, he heard a crash somewhere below.
	Wide-eyed, he hurried downstairs to see what it was, only to
collide with another figure.  Both landed on the floor.  "Ouch!"
	He rubbed his head, collecting his thoughts, as he stared at the
girl in front of him.  His eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness.  She wore
pajamas and furry slippers.  Which one was she?  The two girls looked
identical to him.  He stared at her, searching for a clue.
	She knew what was on his mind.  "I'm Mandy," she told him.
	He nodded.  "Hi," he said softly.
	"Hi," she replied.  "Did you hear that noise?" she asked.
	Pete Orlando nodded.  It was the noise that had woken him up in
the first place. He was scared of being alone in a strange place, but now
that he remembered where he was, he felt much better.  Plus he was not
alone anymore; his cousin was with him.  "What was it?" he asked.
	"I think it's someone playing Santa Claus," Amanda Lynch said.
	"You don't believe in Santa Claus?" Pete asked warily.  He was
nine years old already.  Of course he knew better.  But Amanda was only
seven. He knew from talking with his cousins Larry and Terry that they
were suppose to play dumb in front of the girls when it came to this.
	"Get real," Amanda said.  "Look at the gifts marked from Santa. 
They're written in the same handwriting as the ones from my parents."
	Pete smiled.  "That was smart of you to figure it out," he said.
	Amanda rolled her eyes.  "Girls are just as smart as boys," she
said.  She wrinkled her nose.  "Who do you think it is?  Harrison?"
	"I don't know," Pete admitted.  "Let's peek into the living room."
	"That's just what I was gonna do when you ran into me!" Amanda
exclaimed.  She giggled softly.
	Pete grinned.  The two cousins stood and hurried off into the
living room. Underneath the lighted tree were lots and lots of presents,
most of which had not been there when they were sent to bed at a quarter
after midnight. "Wow!" he said.  "There's so much stuff here!"
	"Let's hide and see if anyone comes in with anything more," Amanda
suggested.  "Then we will catch them in the act."
	The cousins ducked behind an overstuffed chair, sitting so that
each could peek out one side and see the tree.  They sat in silence for a
bit.  "There's already a lot of presents," Pete commented softly.  "Maybe
that's it for this Christmas."
	"Maybe," Amanda said thoughtfully.  "Wait."  Her dark brown eyes
darted around the room.  "The cookies are gone!" 
	"Cookies?" Pete asked.
	Amanda nodded.  "Mom and Dad put cookies out for Santa Claus," she
said.  "And milk too.  I wonder who really ate and drank them." 
	"If the food is gone, then the person is too," Pete said. 
	"Right," Amanda said.  She stood up from behind the couch, shook
her head and groaned.  "I should have gotten down here sooner." 
	"Maybe next year," Pete said, also coming out of hiding. 
	"Next year we will be down at your place," Amanda replied.  Last
Christmas had been Monty and Maria's wedding, so the entire Lynch family
had gone down to spend Christmas in Arizona.  
	This Christmas, the Orlando-Wilson family had come up to spend
Christmas with the Lynch family in Sleepyside.
	It seemed like a tradition had already been established, as there
was talk about alternating Christmas locations from now on.
	"Last year, there was no Santa," Pete said. 
	"Last year, Mom and Dad said Santa came early because of the
wedding," Amanda replied.  "But I know that they just got the gifts
early."  She stared at the tree and all the presents piled underneath. 
"It's weird," she said slowly. 
	"What is?" Pete asked.
	Amanda shrugged.  "I mean, gifts are nice," she said, gesturing to
the large pile.  "But do you know what I really want for Christmas?"
	"What?" Pete asked.
	Amanda faced him.  "Snow," she said.
	"Snow?" Pete asked tentatively.  He had read about snow in
stories, and seen pictures on postcards, but he had never experienced it.
	"Yeah," Amanda said.  "Don't you want a white Christmas?"
	"I don't know," Pete said.  "Is it good?"
	"You've never had a white Christmas?" Amanda asked.  "You never
got to play in the snow on Christmas morning after opening your presents?"
	Pete shook his head.  "It doesn't get that cold in Arizona," he
said.  "Not normally.  I've never seen snow."
	"Never?" Amanda asked incredulously.  "Then you have to."  She
grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the window. "Let's find a wishing
star.  If we both wish for a white Christmas, we might just get it.  And
wouldn't that be the best gift of all?"
	"That would be neat," Pete agreed.  "But it's so dark out.  How
can you find a wishing star?  I can't even find the moon." 
	"Maybe it's hiding behind the clouds," Amanda said.  She sat down
on the large windowsill and pressed her nose against the window.
	Pete sat down across from her.  "What time is it?" he asked.
	Amanda turned and spied the clock on the mantel above the
fireplace.  "Three twenty-five," she said.
	Pete nodded.  "I'm tired," he admitted.
	"Me too," Amanda said.  She scooted backwards, leaning against the
soft pillows arranged against the window.  "Let's just try making a wish." 
	"Okay," Pete agreed, also scooting backwards on his side of the
window to lean against some pillows. "I wish for a white Christmas."
	"I wish for a white Christmas too," Amanda said.
	The two kids stared out the window, hoping for signs of snow. 
However, their exhaustion took over.  Before long, both were fast asleep. 



	Patricia Lynch smiled as she caught sight of the two figures.
Kids.  Give them big comfortable beds to sleep in and what do they do?
Curl up in front of the living room window. It was good they were dressed
warmly and the heat had been turned on high.
	She approached the window and shook the figure on the left. 
"Mandy, wake up," she told her daughter. 
	"Mum?" Amanda said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.  "Is it morning
already?" she asked, pushing her black hair off her face.
	"Yes, it is.  What are you doing down here?  I thought I had
tucked you into bed," Mrs. Lynch said.  "Were you spying on Santa Claus?" 
She stepped away from the window.  She regarded her nephew, wondering if
she should wake him or wait for her sister-in-law to do so. 
	"I missed him," Amanda mumbled, her hands dropping to her sides. 
"I heard a noise and came down to look for Santa, but..." She trailed off
as she opened her eyes.  "It's snowing!" she exclaimed. 
	"Yes, it is," Mrs. Lynch replied.  "When your sister and brothers
wake up, you can open your presents and then go out and play in the snow." 
	But Amanda was not listening.  Instead, she jumped up and shook
her cousin.  "Pete!  Pete!  It worked!  We got our gift!  Look!"
	Pete groggily opened his eyes.  His words might not have been kind
if he had not looked out the window first.  "It's snowing!" he gasped.
	"Yes!" Amanda cheered, bouncing.  "We got a white Christmas!  We
got a white Christmas!"

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