Amy's Magic Christmas (youngsters:adventure, 21065 words)
Author: JoeD	Added: Jun 22 2007	Views/Reads: 15308/8570	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Amy Clayton is a ten year old with a heart of gold. She wants her family to have a joyous Christmas, but it doesn't seem like they will this year due to Amy's father having lost his job. Being the oldest of three children, Amy sets out to try to do s

Joe DeMonte                                                             
              20,789 words 1586 Heather Drive #102                      
                                          98 pages Yuba City, CA 95993 
tele: 530-822-7724 e-mail: saffojoe@hotmail.com 

AMY'S  MAGIC  CHRISTMAS 

by 

Joe  DeMonte 

Snowflakes began to fall from the gray sky above Amy Clayton, just as
she was about to enter the downtown mall.  She was glad she had decided 
to wear her jacket with the hood today.  It would probably be snowing 
heavily by the time she finished her business here and was ready to 
head for home.  Once inside the mall, she took refuge away from the 
numerous holiday shoppers and stuck her right hand into the pocket of 
her jacket.  She withdrew the small news ad and viewed it again. Helper 
wanted for holiday season.  Part time only.  4 to 6 week days, 9-6 
Saturdays and Sundays.  Must be neat, courteous and reliable. Apply in 
person at Jensen's Toy Shoppe in the downtown mall. Amy slipped the 
news ad back in her pocket, brushed a few wet snow spots from her 
jacket, then looked around.  She spotted the Jensen Toy Shoppe on the 
tier to her left.  With a slight feeling of fear, she nonetheless 
gathered up all the strength she could muster, and headed for the 
escalator that would take her to the upper tier.  It was no wonder Amy 
was experiencing just a little bit of fear, perhaps mixed with some 
anxiety and apprehension.  After all, she was only ten years of age, 
and this would be her first try at applying for a job. She exited the 
escalator, almost bumping into an older woman, whose hands were filled 
with shopping bags.  After excusing herself, she headed with unsure 
feet to the toy shoppe.  The shoppe was crowded and, for a moment, Amy 
almost forgot why she was there, as her brilliant blue eyes scanned all 
the wonderful new toys the shoppe offered for sale. She was looking 
longingly at a beautiful stuffed animal when a dark haired sales lady 
approached her from behind. “Can I help you?” the lady spoke out. Amy 
turned and looked at her, and tried to smile. “That's one of our finest 
bears,”  the lady said.  “And he is only twenty-five dollars.  Shall I 
wrap it up for you, young lady?“ “Oh, no, ”  Amy murmured, a bit 
nervously.  “I was just looking at him.  He is nice though, but I am 
not here to buy anything.“ “Oh?”  came the saleslady's response. “So, 
you are just window shopping, is that it?“ “Uh, no, ” Amy replied 
awkwardly.  “I'm not doing that either.  I'm here about the job.“ “The 
job?”  the lady said, looking puzzled. “Yes,”  Amy said quickly.  “The 
helper's job.  Is it already taken?” Then Amy withdrew the now crumpled 
news ad from her jacket pocket and handed it to the woman.  The woman 
read it quickly, then looked down and smiled at Amy. “How old are you, 
dear?”  the sales lady asked her politely. “Ten,”  Amy said truthfully. 
The woman smiled again. “Well, you are much too young, I'm afraid,”  
she explained in a soothing voice.  “You see, state laws forbid us from 
hiring anyone under the age of sixteen.“ “But I'm a good worker,”  Amy 
told her. “My teacher, Mrs. Evans, says I am the best worker in her 
class, and I help my mom at home, too.  I can do lots of things.  I can 
clean, sweep, do dishes, and lots of other things.  Sometimes, I even 
help my mom with cooking meals.“ “I'm sure you do, dear,”  the 
saleslady said, admiring this young girl's attitude and determination.  
“And I'll bet  you would make a truly fine and capable employee, but 
the law is very clear on that sort of thing.  You wouldn't want to get 
us, or yourself, in any trouble, would you?“ “Oh, no,”  Amy stated 
honestly.  “I wouldn't want to do that.  I just want a job.  You see, 
my dad lost his job at the insurance company where he worked, and my 
mom has to stay home because I have a new baby sister that she has to 
take care of.  I have a smaller brother, too, but he's seven now, and 
not so much trouble any more. I thought if I could get a job, like 
after school and on weekends, I could help my mom and dad pay some 
bills, and maybe we could even have a nice Christmas this year.“ “Well, 
that certainly is very admirable and unselfish of you, but we just 
could not hire you because of your age, you see?“ “I -- I guess so, ” 
Amy responded, a look of sorrow crossing her pretty face.  “I didn't 
know there was any law against working.” “If you come back and see us 
when you are sixteen, I am sure we could find a spot here for you,“  
the woman told her sympathetically. The woman extended her hand and Amy 
shook it. “I'm sorry we can't hire you, ” she told Amy.  “and I hope 
things work out for you and your family.  Everyone should be able to 
have a nice Christmas.“ “That's what I think, too, ”  Amy said. “That's 


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