08 Dec Holiday Hero

IT’S BACK! SUSANNA HILL’S ANNUAL HOLIDAY STORY CONTEST! 

We all know that children’s stories shouldn’t be long, especially when holiday treats are scattered all around! What child wants to listen to a long drawn out story when visions of sugar plums are dancing in his head?  OK, I don’t really even know what a sugar plum is, but in my house, it would be cookies and potato latkes. But I digress. Susanna gave us a word limit of 250 words or fewer (Get it, 250…Dec. 25?)  And shockingly enough, I did it!

Susanna has asked us to post our stories on our blogs. Now, I’m a rule follower (sometimes), however, I’m feeling pretty insecure about all of this. But we’re all friends, right? RIGHT?! I can’t hear you!

So here goes mine. It’s all about a girl, a dog, cinnamon cookies, and a wayward menorah. I hope you enjoy it!

HANUKKAH HERO

By Ellen Leventhal

The Menorah was missing, and Ellie was too.

The sun, it was setting, with day almost through.

What happened to Ellie? We hope she’s alright!

And where’s the menorah? We need candlelight!

We looked all around, in and out of each room,

till Augie, our dog whiffed a kind of perfume.

It smelled just like Ellie, his very best girl.

He yipped, and he yapped, did a twirl and a whirl.

(In cakes and in cookies, and even French toast,

it’s cinnamon spice that our Ellie loves most.)

Augs led us around, up and down the back stairs,

over dollies and puppets and little stuffed bears.

And then with a bound and a bounce and a roar,

Augie butted and bulldozed and burst through the door.

And that’s when we saw all the candles so tall

in a pretty menorah against the back wall.

“Ellie!” we cried, “You gave us a fright!”

She answered, “I planned a surprise for tonight.

I didn’t light candles, so I haven’t been burned,

but I practiced and practiced, and guess what I learned?”

Then sweet little Ellie sang prayers loud and clear,

for singing is part of Hanukkah cheer.

We fluffed Augie’s fur since he found our sweet Ellie,

and then he licked cookie crumbs right off her belly!

She giggled and wiggled and hugged her dear doggie.

Who knew that we’d have a hero named Augie?