It was Christmas morning and Cindy was the first one up. She listened carefully - she didn't want to sneak downstairs and surprise Santa! That would be horrible! No sound. Nothing downstairs, nothing on the rooftop. The only sound she could faintly hear was her daddy snoring in his bed. How mommy puts up with that, Cindy had no clue.
As quietly as she could, she slipped out of her bed and peeked down the hall. There was a faint light coming up the stairs but it probably was just the lights of the Christmas tree. She tiptoed down the stairs and looked into the living room. The tree was dazzling! all the lights twinkling, the icicles waving in the air, the decorations sparkling. Heaps of presents under the tree, each box wrapped in a different paper! Santa had been here already! She looked to the plate that held a cookie, a carrot and beside it, a glass of milk. The milk was gone, there were crumbs on the plate, and no carrot in sight!
But there was a glow that didn't come from the tree.
Carefully looking into the corner, she could make out a glow that looked like a little door. A door about 1/2 as high as she was. A door?
I've never seen a door there before. Especially one so little! she thought to herself. She went over to the door and tentatively knocked on it. She could even make out a tiny door knob!
"Hello?" she whispered before knocking again.
"Who's there?" came a tiny voice from behind the door.
"My name is Cindy, who are you? And what are you doing in my house?" she asked.
The tiny door knob turned and out stepped ... a tiny little man. He was no taller than her cat, Garfield, who had quietly taken position behind her, intently watching this strange creature. He had on a big pointy red hat with a tiny jingle bell on the end. His shirt was blue and he had a brown belt around his waist. His brown ants buckled under the knee and on his feet were the cutest red shoes with a silver buckle that she had ever seen! But the most imposing aspect of his appearance was a huge, fuzzy beard that came to his knees! She peered at him intently and Garfield stepped closer. "Are you an elf?" she asked.
"Oh, Cindy! I am a nisse, and not a very good one, I fear," the little man shook his head.
"What do you mean?" Cindy asked.
"I am one of Santa's special helpers and I get to go with him every Christmas Eve to deliver presents. I help him with his job, placing the presents and doing whatever he needs. This year, when he came to your place, your monster over there scared me half to death and Santa left without me," the little man moaned.
Garfield was looking at him suspiciously.
"But, how did you find this door? I've never seen it here before!" Cindy queried.
"Oh, this. The door was here, but it was a mouse hole ... I just made it larger and added a door."
"Larger? But no mouse hole needs a door and a door knob," Cindy asked.
"That is true, young miss," the little man responded. "But your monster has big claws and I had to protect myself someway, so I added the door with the door knob to keep him out."
Suddenly, it was if Garfield recognized the little man. The hair on is back went up, he arched his back and hissed a second before he pounced on the little man. Quick as a whistle, the little man jumped back behind the door and closed it an instant before the cat body-slammed him to the floor.
"No!" Cindy whispered loudly and grabbed Garfield. "Please, little man! Please come back! I have so much to ask you! I don't even know your name!"
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