a christmas miracle

one

The tiny bell above the door had been ringing non-stop all day as customers rushed in and out of the store, buying last-minute gifts for friends and family. Charlie was kept on his toes throughout the day, running back and forth from the register to the back room, giving advice and recommendations to the many thousands of customers.

He was grateful to finally turn the little sign to 'closed' in the window at 5pm and set about his usual evening tasks of straightening out displays and making sure everything was in order.

A sharp tap at the door made him jump and he turned to see a tall, desperate looking man stood in the doorway, one hand raised in a friendly wave, the other hand holding tight to the hand of a little girl.

"I'm so sorry, we're closed. We don't open until after Christmas." Charlie opened the door a fraction to speak to the man.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I really meant to get here earlier. But, well, you know how things can be this time of year. I really just need one thing. I know exactly where it is, I won't take more than two minutes." The man asked, his eyes wide and pleading. Beside him, the little girl was shivering, and Charlie couldn't help but cave.

"All right." He stood aside and pulled the door open to let them in. "What are you looking for?"

"Last time I was here, I saw the most beautiful copy of Peter Pan. Élodie just loves that story, and I want to give it to her for Christmas." The man explained in a low voice, presumably so that the little girl didn't hear. Not that she would have. She was too busy inspecting the sparkling Christmas tree by the window.

"Oh. I know the one you're talking about." Charlie said with a smile. "It's been quite popular this year. I think we still have a few copies left."

"Oh, thank you." The man smiled and hurried further into the store in search of the book while Charlie reluctantly started up the register again. Luckily, it didn't take long, so he stood behind the counter, waiting for the man to come back with the book.

His daughter was still examining every inch of the Christmas display, currently watching the little train going around and around. Charlie smiled, loving the pure, innocent joy in the little girl's eyes. He'd always wanted kids of his own but was yet to find someone to have them with. Instead, he lived vicariously through his friends who had kids and watched the kids who came into the store.

"It's not there." Charlie jumped a little at the sound of the man's voice nearby.

"I'm sorry?"

"It doesn't seem to be on the shelf. I've looked through all the books in that section, and it's not there."

Charlie frowned, "Oh. Hold on, let me see if it's in the system. It's been so busy that it's hard to mentally keep a tally on how many of each book we sell."

"Thank you." It took a few moments for the program to complete it's search but when it did, Charlie sighed.

"I'm so sorry. It looks like we've sold out of that edition." The man's hopeful expression faded into resignation.

"Oh. Okay. Thank you anyway. Thank you for letting us in after closing, I really appreciate it."

Charlie didn't know what to say, just watching as the man turned to his daughter, taking her hand and speaking to her softly in another language that Charlie couldn't make out. The little girl smiled up at her father and turned away from the Christmas display. They were just about out the door, the girl waving adorably at Charlie when he had a thought.

"Wait!"

"Hm?" The man looked over at him, a questioning expression on his face.

"I can't make any promises that it will arrive before Christmas. But I can order a copy for you."