|
THE CENTRE - 24/12/1971
|
Sweeper |
Already checked corridor 2. Nothing there/. |
Sweeper 1 |
Anything at all?/ |
Sweeper 2 |
Where is he? |
Sydney |
Find him. Come on! Let’s go! |
|
A street in Baltimore - Present
|
Elf |
Well, I guess Mama wont be kissing Santa Claus this year. |
Detective Guerra |
Just tell me what you saw. |
Elf |
Hey, I’m just a elf. I do what I’m told. You know? Be jolly? Besides I haven’t seen the big guy since the party last night. |
Detective Guerra |
Oh yeah? |
Elf |
When are you gonna shovel him out? |
Detective Guerra |
Soon enough, the meat wagon just got here. |
Elf |
Don’t you mean the meat sleigh? |
Detective Guerra |
Ho ho ho. |
Fugimora |
Hey. |
Detective Guerra |
Evenin’. |
Fugimora |
Okay, got a live one. |
Jarod |
A live one? |
Fugimora |
It’s a joke. Snow blowers must have buried him. |
Jarod |
Is that… Santa Claus? |
Fugimora |
Yeah, the red hat’s a dead give away. Anybody got a shovel? |
Jarod |
No. But I’ve got the gift wrap. |
|
Coroner's Office - Baltimore
|
Fugimora |
Thanks Gus. Dr Drake? These just came in from the mayor’s office. |
Drake |
Same gift as last year? |
Fugimora |
Smells like it. |
Drake |
Oh, well, ’tis the season Fugimora. Pass ’em out. We’ll see who survives this year. |
Fugimora |
Yes ma’am. |
Drake |
Uh, so how’s the new guy doin’? |
Fugimora |
A lot better than Santa. Drinking on the job? |
Jarod |
Actually, this was from the scene. |
Fugimora |
Dr Jarod Marley? Meet Dr Lisabeth Drake, our chief coroner. |
Jarod |
Hello. |
Drake |
Hi, you finished with St Nick? |
Jarod |
Yes I am. |
Drake |
Detective Guerra. Gee, you’re right on time. Now can we do this? |
Fugimora |
Victim is not Kriss Kringle as we first suspected, but a Theodore Hargrove, 58, stockbroker, played Santa at one hell of a Christmas party downtown. Go ahead Doctor. |
Jarod |
He died of a combination of factors, mainly a heart attack. |
Drake |
Kim, I thought we were going with exposure. |
Jarod |
Well, that was my first instinct, but further examination revealed the truth. |
Detective Guerra |
Heart attack makes sense. Folks at the office part said St Nick was doin’ on hell of a lambada last night. |
Jarod |
I don’t know who Lambada is, but yes, lividity was affected by the cold. But the blood distribution in the leg muscles would suggest he was doing strenuous acts. |
Detective Guerra |
What about time of death? |
Drake |
No way. We can’t pull that off in this weather. |
Jarod |
Actually that’s where this came in. The eggnog was hard when we found it, but it wasn’t completely frozen through. Mainly because Mr Hargrove had quite a bit of brandy in it. |
Detective Guerra |
Oh, there’s a shocker. |
Jarod |
The milk had time to curdle. So I compared the bacteria levels in the cup with that of the sample that fell on the snow. And I deduced that Mr Hargrove succumbed to his heart attack somewhere between 1:45 and 2 am. My guess would be 1:48-ish. |
Drake |
I ask for an autopsy, he gives me eggnog. |
Fugimora |
Yep? Okay. Dr Drake? The delegation from the mayor’s office is here. |
Drake |
Damn! They’re early. We’re done here. |
Jarod |
Career anxiety? |
Detective Guerra |
Oh, you haven’t met the mayor. |
Fugimora |
But, hey, he gives killer Christmas presents, and I mean… killer. |
Detective Guerra |
No, not again. |
Jarod |
Is this for me? |
Fugimora |
Geez, Jarod, don’t tell me you never got a Christmas present before. |
Jarod |
Not in a very long time. Thank you. A pastry with candied cherries? |
Detective Guerra |
It’s fruitcake. |
Jarod |
A cake with fruit baked right in. Thank you, this has to be delicious. |
PA |
Records department, please call the third floor. |
Detective Guerra |
Should we tell him? |
Fugimora |
Let him discover it. |
Detective Guerra |
Yeah. |
Jarod |
Mnnn. |
|
DSA |
Sydney (to the camera the to Jarod)
|
Jarod has been moved to his room, as always, I begin my Christmas hiatus tomorrow. I’ll be in Mount Pleasant at the usual number. It is the Christmas season, but the Tower deems it best to insulate Jarod from the trappings of popular culture. Jarod, I’ll be gone for the week and I wanted to say goodbye. |
Young Jarod |
Why do you go away every year when it turns cold outside? |
Sydney |
Business Jarod, that’s all. If you can keep a secret, I brought you a little something. A gift. |
Young Jarod |
A gift? This is snow. |
Sydney |
Yes, remember, tell no one I gave this to you. |
Young Jarod |
Take me outside Sydney, to see the real snow. |
Sydney |
I can’t Jarod. |
Young Jarod |
But I want to see if for myself. |
Sydney |
Enjoy this snow. And I will see you again soon. Okay? |
|
Another street - Baltimore
|
Kid |
I got you! |
Kid 1 |
Aahh! |
Kid |
Let’s get out of here. |
|
Coroner's Office - Baltimore
|
Fugimora |
Two kids found her buried in the snow a couple hours ago. |
Jarod |
Now, that’s criminal. |
Drake |
Vagrant. After you thaw her out, check for needle marks. My prelim is overdose. |
Jarod |
I wonder who she is. |
Drake |
We’ll never know. LGL, bag her and tag her. And next time, please, don’t make me wait. |
Jarod |
LGL? |
Detective Guerra |
Little girl lost. No witness, no ID. |
Jarod |
Her family must be worried sick, wondering where she is. |
Detective Guerra |
That’s the tragic part. She’s probably a runaway. We get them all the time. Nothin’ to go on, so she becomes a case number. Like all the rest. |
Fugimora |
Are you okay? |
Jarod |
No. |
|
The Centre - Blue Cove - Delaware
|
Sydney |
Fascinating hmmm? Only one twin is wired, but they both feel the shock. |
Miss Parker |
I don’t even wanna know. Cleanup crew just came in from Cleveland. |
Sydney |
Any luck? |
Miss Parker |
Jarod’s last life in a box. You’re the shrink, maybe you can figure out their meaning. |
Sydney |
Jarod’s trying to tell me something. |
Miss Parker |
Makes a great greeting card, but face facts Syd. At this rate, you boy won’t be home for the holidays. |
Sydney |
Maybe not, but he’ll contact me, he has to. |
Miss Parker |
Well, it’s Christmas. |
Sydney |
I worry about him. Out there this time of the year. |
Miss Parker |
Relax. He’s probably holed up in Whoville experiencing the Grinch for the first time. |
|
The street where Christmas George died - Baltimore
|
Jarod |
Would you like some? It’s called fruitcake. |
Harry |
Fruitcake? I’m not that homeless. What, are you writing a book? |
Jarod |
Um, no, not… not exactly. You miss him, don’t you? |
Harry |
Who? |
Jarod |
George, Christmas George. |
Harry |
You knew George? |
Jarod |
I feel like I did. |
Harry |
George was all the family I had. Well, he was all the family a lot of people had. |
Jarod |
The children at the shelter miss him. |
Harry |
Yeah, foster kids, runaways, they knew the real George. Oh, everybody thought he was a bum because he didn’t have a home, and panhandled to get by. But he took all that money, and one day a year he made sure they had presents and a special meal. Every Christmas Eve, he’d dress as Santa and read to those kids all night long. |
Jarod |
That’s why they called him Christmas George. |
Harry |
Yeah. When George was alive they all had family, for at least one day. Christmas doesn’t count for squat without family son. |
Jarod |
No. I’m beginning to realise that. |
|
Saint Catherine's Center - Baltimore
|
Nun |
Oh, there you are Jarod. I just wanted to thank you for all the work you’ve done this season. Without Christmas George, it hasn’t been the same. |
Jarod |
Oh, I’m happy to help. |
Nun |
For a happy man, you look perplexed. |
Jarod |
Well, the truth is, I am. Have you read this? |
Nun |
The Night Before Christmas? It’s a classic. |
Jarod |
It’s very good, but I’m a little confused about something. Now, if Santa Claus were to deliver a present to every child on Earth, he’d have to visit 830 homes a second. Which would mean his reindeer would have to travel about 700 miles per second and he’d have 1/1000th of a second to park the sleigh, to crawl down the chimney, to pass out the presents and to eat cookies and milk. And for a middle-aged, overweight man, that’s quite a feat. |
Nun |
Santa works in mysterious ways. |
Jarod |
But it’s so fantastical, why would anybody believe it? |
Nun |
It’s Christmas Jarod, anything’s possible. |
Jarod |
Oh. Angel, they’re getting ready to string some popcorn. Don’t you want to help? Don’t you want to talk to Santa? |
Angel |
He’s not Santa. |
Jarod |
Is something wrong? |
Angel |
Is Christmas George coming back? |
Jarod |
No, no he isn’t. |
Angel |
Why not? |
Jarod |
Christmas George died. Do you know what that means? |
Angel |
We won’t ever see him again. |
Jarod |
Well, that’s true, and then again, it isn’t. Could I ask you something? Why did you like Christmas George? |
Angel |
Well, he was nice. And he made sure the kids always had something under the tree on Christmas. |
Jarod |
So, what you’re saying is that he had a spirit, a feeling, that made you feel good. Well, as long as you have that feeling, Christmas George is gonna be right here. |
Angel |
So every time it’s Christmas, I can think about George and he’ll be here? |
Jarod |
Every time. |
Angel |
Can I help? |
Boy |
Sure, come on. |
|
Coroner's Office - Baltimore
|
Fugimora |
Geez, Jarod, you run 137 tests. Any luck on the LGL? |
Jarod |
That’s not her name. |
Fugimora |
I didn’t mean anything. |
Jarod |
She should have a real name. Her family should know. Especially at this time of the year. |
Fugimora |
You’re not gonna give up are you? |
|
|
Radio |
And we’ve got more Christmas hits coming your way, so snuggle up by the fire with that special someone and enjoy the holiday season. |
|
Miss Parker's Home - Blue Cove - Delaware
|
Miss Parker |
What? |
Mr Parker |
It’s me. I’m having a holiday gathering at the club. It wouldn’t be the same without my favourite girl. |
Miss Parker |
I’ll be there. |
Mr Parker |
Very well, Christmas Eve at 7. European associates will attend. Be prompt. |
Miss Parker |
Of course Daddy. Merry Christ…. |
|
Coroner's office - Baltimore
|
Jarod |
Gunshot wound to the gill? |
Fugimora |
Not a patient. Lunch. |
Jarod |
Aren’t you a little young for poison fish? |
Fugimora |
Puffer fish is only poison before it’s prepared. |
Jarod |
Kim, fugu toxin is 500 times stronger than cyanide. |
Fugimora |
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But when it’s done right, all you get are tingly toes and a great buzz. Christmas dinner around her, my fugu’s a tradition. They boys in the morgue love it. And it goes great with cranberries. |
Jarod |
I’ll stick with fruitcake. |
Fugimora |
And relax, my uncle was a master fugu chef in Tokyo. |
Jarod |
Was? |
Fugimora |
He’s retired. |
Jarod |
Oh good, well I’m glad to hear that. Uh, would you help me with this? |
Fugimora |
Man, did you spill a whole mug? |
Jarod |
Well, actually, I spilled a whole pot. |
Fugimora |
I’ll get you a duplicate. |
Jarod |
Oh, no, no, no. That’s okay. Just show me where the old files are. |
|
Rescue Services Tower - Baltimore
|
Woman |
It should take a few seconds to start working. Yes, I’ve already dispatched the ambulance. |
Man |
Ma’am, ma’am, no. An overflowing toilet is not a 911 call. Ma’am would you please hang up and call a plumber. |
Woman 2 |
Okay, you need to… induce vomiting. Yes, uh, no, your finger will be fine. |
Jarod |
Yes. |
Hodges |
It’s not working, it’s not working. |
Jarod |
Your son is going to be fine Mr Hodges, if you just listen carefully. |
Hodges |
Okay. |
Jarod |
Now, remember, clear the airway and tilt his head back. |
Hodges |
Right, tilt his head back. |
Jarod |
Now, back to the breathing. |
Hodges |
Okay. Okay. |
Jarod |
Now, continue the up and down motion on his chest. |
Hodges |
Okay, five count? |
Jarod |
Yes. |
Hodges |
Oh my God! He’s breathing! My son is breathing! |
Jarod |
That’s fantastic Mr Hodges. |
Hodges |
They’re here! The ambulance just got here. |
Jarod |
You see? That wasn’t so difficult. Merry Christmas. |
Hodges |
Thank you so much, thank you. |
|
|
|
Tape |
911 Operator |
911 Operator. |
Harry |
Hello, my name’s Harry. I’m calling from the corner of Lawson and Hill. My friend… Oh, God, my friend George is…. |
911 Operator |
Tell me what the problem is sir. |
Harry |
They ran George down. You gotta get somebody down here. Lawson and Hill. Right in front of the children’s shelter. Hurry, you gotta hurry. |
911 Operator |
I’m calling it in sir. Is anyone else hurt? |
Harry |
No, they just hit him and they left. I didn’t see no car. |
|
The street where Christmas George died - Baltimore
|
Jarod |
This is where it happened? |
Harry |
Where I found him. They just left George there to die. |
Jarod |
They? |
Harry |
I don’t know, crash woke me up. I didn’t see it. |
Jarod |
I’m sorry. |
Harry |
I never left his side. Never, not until the coroner showed up. |
Jarod |
The coroner? Not the police? |
Harry |
Better directions I guess. You know, he held my hand and, and we got to say goodbye. |
Jarod |
You mean he didn’t die instantly? |
Harry |
Ah, hell no! He was a fighter. Coroner tried to save him. Gave George a shot and everything but… didn’t help. I never knew coroners carried doctor bags. |
Jarod |
Neither did I. |
Harry |
She did what she could, I guess, but by the time the cops got here, she told them George had passed. |
Jarod |
She? Was she alone? |
Harry |
Yep. |
Jarod |
And she had red hair. |
Harry |
Uh, yeah. How’d you know? |
|
Coroner's Office - Baltimore
|
PA |
Any available assistance to the IV Unit. |
Drake |
Why haven’t you shipped the LGL? We need slab space for the holidays. |
Jarod |
I found some stress fractures in her legs. |
Drake |
Forget about it. We’ve done our due diligence. Finish up the paperwork and send her along. |
Jarod |
I understand. |
Drake |
By the way, new guy works Christmas Eve. Don’t worry about it. Last year was so slow we broke out a bottle of Christmas cheer. Too bad I wont be here to share a toast. |
Jarod |
Well, you never know Doctor. Christmas has its way of bringing people together. |
|
|
Jarod |
Our Jane Doe’s real name is Gabrielle. Gabrielle Ryan. She’s from Nashton. She would have been 18 next month. |
Detective Guerra |
How did you do this? |
Jarod |
Lower fractures to the medial malleoli. |
Detective Guerra |
Media who? |
Jarod |
Bad ankles. From compression impacts. That, and she had callous patterns on her hands like this. Parallel bars were her specialty. Will you tell her family right away? |
Detective Guerra |
Count on it. Hey, good work Jarod. See you around. |
|
The Centre - Sydney's Office - Blue Cove - Delaware
|
Miss Parker |
Face it, Sydney. It’s almost Christmas. He’s not going to call. I see you’re clearing out for your usual holiday hiatus so here. |
Sydney |
A Christmas present? From you? |
Miss Parker |
Don’t go hanging mistletoe. See you after the first. |
Sydney |
And a merry Christmas to you too, Miss Parker. |
|
Coroner's Office - Baltimore
|
Jarod |
Kim. |
Fugimora |
Hey. |
Jarod |
Hi, I was going over last year’s duty roster and I see that you were working on Christmas Eve. |
Fugimora |
I was the rookie last year. That means this year, you get to wait up for Santa. |
Jarod |
I don’t mind working the holiday. The truth is, I’ve never really had Christmas Eve off. I wanted to ask you about the autopsies that were performed that night. |
Fugimora |
Shoot. |
Jarod |
According to the files, there were only two. A homeless hit and run victim named Christmas George and an 80 year old woman named Edwina Morris. Do you remember them? |
Fugimora |
I remember the Morris woman. Dead ringer for Grandma Walton, only fat. But I wasn’t really involved in the hit and run. |
Jarod |
I thought you were the only one on duty that night. |
Fugimora |
I was until Drake came in with the hit and run. She did that autopsy. |
Jarod |
The chief coroner came in on Christmas Eve to perform a homeless man? |
Fugimora |
With karma like hers, she probably not that popular on the party circuit if you know what I’m sayin’. |
Jarod |
The other body, Edwina Morris. Was she a pysch patient? |
Fugimora |
No. Just a very large grandmother of six who died of natural causes. Why? |
Jarod |
According to the toxicology report there were traces of phenotripticol in her blood. |
Fugimora |
Phenotripticol? |
Jarod |
Yes. |
Fugimora |
Isn’t that used to subdue patients during psychotic episodes? |
Jarod |
And in stronger doses, it induces a state of paralysis where the patient is conscious, but rendered immobile. Dead, but not dead. |
Fugimora |
Oh, my God. Please don’t tell me that I performed and autopsy on someone who was alive and conscious! |
Jarod |
No, no. You didn’t. |
Fugimora |
Well, this couldn’t have happened. Someone must have messed up the toxicology reports. |
Jarod |
Or switched them, on purpose. |
|
|
|
DSA |
Young Jarod |
You’re Miss Parker aren’t you? |
Young Miss Parker |
I didn’t know anyone was here. Please don’t tell anyone I was here. |
Young Jarod |
No, wait. Why did you come? |
Young Miss Parker |
My mom let’s me see the rabbits when on one’s here. I want one, but my father wont let me have pets at home. |
Young Jarod |
We’ve been studying them. There are three sets of twins. Now watch. They’ve never been together before. But somehow, the ones that are genetically identical just seem to find each other. Like something inside them draws them together, see? They’re soft. |
|
A street in front of the coroner's office - Baltimore
|
Homeless Man |
Excuse me, can you sp…. |
Drake |
Not my neighbourhood. Oh my God. Didn’t you see me? Jarod! |
Jarod |
I’m okay, I’m okay. It was just a, a little scratch. |
Drake |
Are you okay? |
Jarod |
I’m fine. Come on. |
Drake |
I, I can help you out with that. |
Jarod |
You certainly come prepared. |
Drake |
Our patients may be dead, but we’re still doctors, right? |
Jarod |
I suppose. |
Drake |
I always keep it on hand. You never know when somebody might need one of us. |
Jarod |
You never know. |
|
|
|
DSA |
Sydney |
Why, Jarod, I thought they’d taken you back to your room. |
Young Jarod |
What are those Sydney? |
Sydney |
They’re another project I’m working on. |
Secretary |
Your car is ready to take you to the Mount Pleasant home. |
Sydney |
Yes, thank you. Tell them to wait. |
Young Jarod |
You will come back, wont you Sydney? |
Sydney |
I always come back, Jarod. Don’t I? |
Secretary |
Your car is ready to take you to the Mount Pleasant home. |
Sydney |
Yes, thank you. |
Secretary |
….. take you to the Mount Pleasant home. |
|
The Centre - Sydney's office - Blue Cove - Delaware - Present Day
|
Secretary |
Your car is ready to take you to the Mount Pleasant Home. |
Sydney |
I’ll be right there. |
|
Jarod's lair - Baltimore
|
Jarod (phone)
|
Last Minute Gifts? I need a last minute gift. |
Jarod (phone)
|
Dr Fugimora? Well, I hate the be the bearer of bad tidings, but you’re going to need to come to work today. Something terrible has happened. I’ll explain everything when you get in there. |
|
Dr Drake's car - Baltimore
|
Jarod |
Don’t you love Christmas? It’s so Christmassy. |
Drake |
Jarod, I thought you were working today. |
Jarod |
I am. But I wanted to give you a little something. |
Drake |
For me? |
Jarod |
Mn-hmmm. Open it. |
Drake |
Fruitcake. This actually smells good. |
Jarod |
I was so impressed with the mayor’s gift, I tried baking one myself and I want you to be the first to taste it. |
Drake |
Mnnn? |
Jarod |
Oh, no thank you. |
Drake |
Mnnn. Mnnn! It’s actually good. So, um, are you gonna see your family for the holidays? |
Jarod |
I don’t think that’s going to be possible this year. Are you okay? |
Drake |
I…. feel a little… My God! |
Jarod |
Dr Drake? Let me help you. |
Drake |
My stomach, my God! What was in that cake? |
Jarod |
I went to great pains making that cake. It couldn’t have possibly been the….. |
Drake |
What? |
Jarod |
Uh-oh. |
Drake |
What? |
Jarod |
Well, Fugimora has been teaching me how to prepare puffer fish. And I was practicing when I was making the fruitcake. And some of it might have accidentally slipped into the batter. |
Drake |
Puffer fish? |
Jarod |
I’m afraid so. |
Drake |
You idiot! You poisoned me! |
Jarod |
I’m sorry. |
Drake |
Call 911. |
Jarod |
Okay. Uh, I can’t. |
Drake |
Jarod, what are you doing? |
Jarod |
I can’t call 911. |
Drake |
Are you crazy? |
Jarod |
No, but I am thorough. If I call 911, they’d be able to help you. But they could hurt me. |
Drake |
What? |
Jarod |
They would come out, the would see that you were sick and they would realise that I accidentally poisoned you. And that could cost me my career. |
Drake |
You can’t do this. You can’t do this. |
|
Recording |
911 Operator |
Tell me what the problem is sir. |
Harry |
They ran George down. You gotta get somebody down her. Lawson and Hill. Right in front of the children’s shelter. Hurry. You gotta hurry. |
911 Operator |
I’m calling it in sir, is anyone else hurt? |
Harry |
No, they just hit him and left. |
|
|
Jarod |
You’re a coroner. Your business is dead people. Even when you’re the one who kills them. Right, Doctor? Did you have a little too much to drink at last year’s Christmas party? Can you imagine how Christmas George must have felt when you hit him with your car and left him in the snow? He went into the alley to recover and you heard over your police scanner that he was still alive. You couldn’t have that could you? That could hurt your precious career. So you went back to the scene before the police got there. Now, you didn’t have anything in your bag that would actually kill him, but you did have something that would paralyse him. He was conscious of everything that was happening to him but he looked dead to the police. He was just a homeless man. You figured no one would miss him right? But like you always say, bag ’em and tag ’em. |
Drake |
No, don’t do that. I’m not really dead. |
Jarod |
Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m not really a coroner. But everybody thinks I am. So I’m just going to declare you dead. And they can finish you off on the slab. Just like you finished off George. Merry Christmas. |
|
Coroner's Office - Baltimore
|
Fugimora |
Wow, I never got to work on a boss before. We’ll start cutting after lunch. Who wants puffer fish? |
Jarod |
The effects of the phenotripticol should wear off in a few hours. She’s gonna wake up with a wicked case of diarrhea from the fruitcake. |
Fugimora |
Merry Christmas Jarod. |
Jarod |
Merry Christmas. |
|
Detective Guerra's Home - Baltimore
|
Harry |
Merry Christmas. He said to give you this. |
Detective Guerra |
He who? |
|
Coroner's Office - Baltimore
|
Timothy Ryan |
Excuse me, Dr Marley? |
Jarod |
Yes? |
Timothy Ryan |
I’m, Timothy, Timothy Ryan. |
Jarod |
Gabrielle’s brother. |
Timothy Ryan |
I just wanted to say, well, this detective said you identified her. Went the extra mile he said. |
Jarod |
I’m sorry that it took so long. And I’m sorry that you had to find out at this time. |
Timothy Ryan |
I’m not. Imagine wondering a lifetime if someone you love is out there or not. Thank you for saving my family that hell. Thank you. |
|
Miss Parker's Home - Blue Cove - Delaware
|
Miss Parker |
Hello. Daddy, hello. I was just getting ready. I understand. No. We’ll do it next year. Merry Christmas. |
|
Mount Pleasant Home
|
Nurse |
He’s ready now. You know, I admire you, Sydney. For 30 years, he just lies there and yet you’ve never missed a Christmas. |
Sydney |
It’s all I can do. He’s the only family I have. |
Nurse |
What about your son? |
Sydney |
My son? |
Nurse |
Yes, Jarod. |
Sydney |
Jarod was here? |
Nurse |
He stayed just long enough to leave the gift. I don’t know what he said to him but when he placed that in his hand, I swear I thought I saw your brother smile. |
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Saint Catherine's Center - Baltimore
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Jarod |
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads. And Mama in her kerchief, and I in my cap, had just settled down for a long winter’s nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. When what to my wondering eye should appear but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. With a little old driver, so lively and quick. I knew in a moment it must be St Nick. And he whistled and shouted and called them by name. Now, Dasher. Now Dancer. Now Prancer and Vixen. On Comet, on Cupid. On Donner and Blitzen. He sprang to his sleigh to his team gave a whistle and away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night. |
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Jarod |
Did you hear that? |
Angel |
What? |
Jarod |
From the other room. Could it be…… |
Children |
Santa! |
Angel |
Let’s go in the other room. Under the tree! |
Angel |
A present for me? |
Nun |
I wonder who it’s from? Let’s see what you got. What’s it say? |
Angel |
Friends make Christmas special. To Angel from Christmas George. |