Jane E M Atkinson - Anna & Bella and the Lost Charm

It looks so magical! I exclaim.

Through the window, fluffy snowflakes are falling from the sky.

Its definitely going to be a white Christmas, Dad says, picking me up and spinning us around.

Put me down! I giggle. Youre going to make me sick.

Whats going on in here, Anna? my mom asks. Shes standing in the doorway with my younger sister, Bella. Both of them are grinning.

Dad puts me down, and I point out the window. Were excited because its snowing. Can Bella and I go outside to play? Please?

Well, Mom says, her eyes twinkling, only if Dad and I can come with you.

Of course! I exclaim.

Absolutely! Bella cries.

The four of us link arms and walk towards the kitchen.

Today is December 24th. Theres only one more sleep until Christmas. My family and I are in Brookside, visiting our nana and gramps for the holidays. They live in a cozy cottage by a river.

I just love being here, Bella sighs as we walk down the hallway.

Me too, I say in agreement.

This is the first time weve travelled to Brookside for Christmas. We usually visit my nana and gramps during the summer.

Bella and I just love our summer visits. We build sand castles on the beach, go swimming in the pool, and spend hours on the special swings Gramps built for us.

In the summer, we always drive to Nana and Grampss house. But for this visit, we flewin an airplane.

The reason I need to explain how we flew here is because for the last four months, Bella and I have been travelling to a magical land called Flower.

In Flower, one of our favourite things to do is fly around with our fairy friends, Tulip and Lily. We also love to play ocean tag with Kate and Maria, our mermaid friends. And when were not with our fairy or mermaid friends, were with Princess Keira and her puppy, Pogo.

As we enter the kitchen, Nana smiles at us. I notice shes wearing her strawberry apron.

Last year, when Nana turned 60, she received a lot of nice presents. But her favourite gifts were the ones we made for her.

Bella and I made her a necklace, and our mom made her the strawberry apron. Nana told us our gifts were extra special because we made them just for her.

Mmm, it smells really good in here, I comment. What are you baking?

Before Nana can answer, Bella starts jumping up and down. I see carrots! I see carrots! she exclaims. Nana is baking carrot cake!

We all start to laugh. Bella really loves Nanas carrot cake.

The cake will be ready for supper, Nana informs us.

Perfect, Dad says. We were just on our way outside to play in the snow.

What a grand idea, Gramps says.

I spin around, not realizing he was in the kitchen, too.

Gramps is sitting in his favourite chair, working on a crossword puzzle.

As soon as Nana takes the cake out of the oven, well come outside and join you, Gramps adds.

The more the merrier! I say happily.

Lets make snow angels, Mom suggests. She plops down in the snow and starts moving her arms and legs. Bella and I flop down on either side of her and do the same thing.

Dad picks up a handful of snow, makes a snowball, and tosses it at Mom.

Hey, youre in big trouble, mister! Mom shouts, as the snowball hits her pants. Dad grins, then turns and runs away.

Mom pulls Bella and me close. Your dad thinks he can hide from us, but were too smart, she says quietly. She points to a large oak tree. Dads hat is clearly sticking out from behind the trunk.

Bella, you go to the right, Mom whispers. Anna, you go to the left. And Ill sneak up from behind.

The three of us grab some snow and slowly creep towards Dad. When he sees us, he tries to run away, but were too fast. We cover him with snow. Dad falls to the ground laughing. Bella and I pile on top of him.

Very sneaky, girls! Nana exclaims.

I whip my head around. I had no idea that Gramps and Nana were watching us from the path.

As Dad brushes the snow off of his pants, he asks, Do you want to build a snow family?

Yes! Bella and I say in unison. We look at each other and grin. Were in for some good luck today.

The six of us get to work on the snowballs. Dad and Gramps roll the bottom balls. Nana and Mom roll the middle balls. And Bella and I roll the heads.

After we stack the snowballs on top of each other, we step back to admire our work.

Ill get some carrots for their noses, Nana offers.

Dad and I will find branches for their arms, Mom says.

Ill grab some old hats and clothes from the basement, Gramps adds.

And Bella and I will get rocks for their eyes and mouths, I say.

Dad claps his hands together. Good plan, everyone. Lets meet back here in ten minutes.

Mom, Dad, Nana, and Gramps leave to search for their items. Bella and I look around the snowy yard.

All I see is snow, Bella observes. Where are we going to find rocks?

Hmm, I dont know, I reply. The snow is pretty deep by our treehouse and playground. And we cant go to the river without Mom or Dad.

What about the garden path? Bella asks.

I glance at the snow-covered path and nod my head. Thats probably the best spot to look.

We walk over to the path and start to dig in the snow. After a few minutes, Bella says, Hey, Anna, take a look at this. She points to a shiny green pebble.

That colour would be perfect for your snowmans eyes, I say, admiring the sparkly pebble. Hopefully we can find another one, and maybe a few blue pebbles for my eyes.

Bella tries to pick up the pebble, but it doesnt budge. Its frozen into the path.

I pull off a mitten and try to pry the pebble out of the snow, but its really stuck. I try a few more times, but when my fingers begin to tingle from the cold, I jam them back into my warm mitten.

As I stand up, a wave of dizziness washes over me. For a moment, Im confused. Why am I so dizzy?

Then the answer pops into my head. Sparkly green pebble. Tingly fingers. Dizziness. The pretty green pebble isnt a pebble at all. Its actually a shiny, green Flower gem! A gem that I just touched.

I grab Bella and wrap my arms around her. Hold on tight! Were going to Flower! I cry.

The next thing I know, Bella and I are zooming down a multi-coloured green slide. Flashes of olive, emerald, pear, and forest green whiz past us. Theres another shade of green in the slide, but Ive never seen that shade of green before.

We zip around one final corner, then shoot out the end of the slide. We land in a soft pile of hay.