The Shopkeeper’s Wish
‘Wish Star, Wish Star,
Brightly shine
Grant tonight
This wish of mine.
Bring me friends to share this day
Chase my loneliness away.’
‘Mr Bonn would make a lovely Santa’ Lisette said. ‘He was always so kind to us when he had his sweetshop.’
Mrs Porfitt nodded slowly. Her hands went to the soft velvet still lying on her worktable. A plan was beginning to form in her mind. They still had a few hours before the concert. If she worked quickly she could just about manage it.
‘Lisette,’ she said, ‘find the old wool rug that used to lie in the hall, the white fluffy one. Bring it back here quickly. Tonight we are going to make a Santa Claus outfit.
Mrs Porfitt’s needle flew across the velvet as she cut and stitched and shaped until she had a red pair of trousers and a red coat with a long hood trimmed with white fur. It was perfect.
Mrs Pofitt bundled up the decorations for the Mayor’s party and bustled Lisette into the hall to ring the Mayor to come and collect them. Then she wound her warm woolen cape around her and went across the road to Mr Bonn’s house.
Mr Bonn was in his kitchen, stirring a hot drink. He had decided to listen to the carols on the radio and sit in the window seat so he could watch for the families coming back from the party and wave a Christmas greeting at them.
‘Mrs Porfitt,’ he cried, as he opened the door to find his old friend on the doorstep. ‘Merry Christmas indeed. Are you going to the Mayor’s party?’
‘Yes, dear Mr Bonn,’ Mrs Porfitt said. ‘And I hope that you will join me.’
And she held out the red velvet Santa suit.
Sarah Todd Taylor 