The Paper Bag Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page A

one more job for you this evening. There are two children who didn’t come see me tonight. They just stayed by themselves in their rooms. We need to go give them a red paper and a candy cane, too, so they don’t feel left out. Aaron, I’ll take you with me to meet the first one, then Mo, you’ll come with me to meet the other. The next time you boys come back I expect you to retrieve their lists and help them out in any way you can. Okay?”
    We both agreed.
    Dr. Ringle and Aaron moved to the nearest door, knocked a few times, and then vanished as the door closed behind them. I could hear the sounds of chatter from where I stood but couldn’t make out any of the particulars.
    After a few minutes Dr. Ringle left the two boys alone to get to know each another. Rolling out in his wheelchair, he led me to a closed room at the far end of the hallway. In comparison to the other doors, this one was noticeably plain. The only thing of interest was a name tag that read, “Katrina Barlow, Age 9,” below which hung a crayon-scribbled paper with the words, “E.D.—12/79.”
    Dr. Ringle tapped gently several times before clearing his throat to speak. “Katrina? Ho, ho, ho. It’s Santa Claus. May I come in? I’ve brought an elf with me.”
    “No Dr. Ringle! Don’t come in!” shouted a girl’s voice through the door. “I don’t want any visitors now.”
    “But Kat, it’s only me and my elf. We’ll just be a wee minute.” There was no reply. For a few seconds there was no sound at all, and then I heard some soft ruffling noises followed by some shuffling and squeaks. Dr. Ringle was smiling at me.
    “She’s getting ready for us,” he whispered. “I think she’s going to let us in.”
    “I can
hear
you Dr. Ringle! What makes you think I’m gonna let you in?”
    “Well, I don’t know. But it would be an awful tragedy if you didn’t get to meet my elf. He’s quite a sight you know.” Dr. Ringle was still grinning. A few more moments of silence followed.
    “Okay,” came the reply at last. “Come in—but only for a minute.”
    Dr. Ringle twisted the doorknob and pushed the heavy door slowly open, and then he rolled his blinking wheelchair through the doorway. I followed close behind, unsure of what to expect. The only light in the room came from a dim table lamp in the corner near the bed.
    Through the shadows that draped the small space in melancholy, I saw that this room was void of holiday decorations. There were no Christmas wreathes on the walls or garland around the bed rails, no ribbons or holly hanging from the ceiling, and no Christmas tree on the windowsill.
    In contrast to her sterile surroundings, Katrina herself was an unforgettable sight. Toilet paper had been looped methodically around her limbs and torso like a half finished mummy such that streaks of her bright red pajamas were visible beneath the white wrapping. The only part of her body not bound in toilet tissue was her head, which was completely hidden beneath a white paper bag. A hole for the mouth had been cut out along with two eye holes, through which I could see that she was watching me intently, examining every inch of my colorful outfit.
    “Hello Katrina, don’t you look lovely tonight,” said Dr. Ringle sincerely as he moved to her side. The rubber wheels of his chair squeaked to a halt. “How are you feeling?”
    I’m sure she heard his words, but Katrina did not respond. Instead she continued to focus all of her attention on me. It was several unnerving moments before she said anything, but when she did speak it was not in response to Dr. Ringle’s questions.
    “So what did they have to pay you to wear
that
?” she asked. I couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious but hoped it wasn’t the latter.
    “Uh . . . nothing,” I said lamely. “How about you? Why are you wrapped up in toilet paper? It’s Christmas, not Halloween.”
    “You mean you can’t tell? I just . . .” she choked. “I wanted to look like a candy