Molly's Gift

There in the district of Mayonder...
   Lived an old man named Mr. Grundy. He was a grumpy old man that had been living in the district for over thirty years, but had never socialised with anyone before. However, no one has ever even tried to speak with him either, just him and his beautiful garden of "rainbow" flowers.
   "Mr. Grundy! Mr. Grundy! What do you want for your Christmas?" Molly asked her fellow old neighbor.
   "You little rascal! Don't get rude. Don't you know I hate Christmas!" Mr. Grundy said in an angry tone.
   "But why Mr. Grundy?" Molly asked. "Christmas is the time for caring, sharing, and most of all love."
   "Well I don't love, I don't share, and most of all I don't care about you. Now move from my gate. Move!" Mr. Grundy said as he became angrier. But Molly had already "seeped" through the gate and was now in Mr. Grundy's yard.
   "Hmmmm, aaah. What beautiful flowers these are?" Molly said with a jolly smile, as she bent over and began smelling the flowers. "They smell so sweet, so sweet like their owner."
   Now Mr. Grundy was on the verge of verbally attacking her but as Molly began to compliment the flowers, the memories ran wild in Mr. Grundy's head. He then went inside his house for a picture while Molly played outside with the flowers.
   "Little girl," Mr. Grundy called, in a surprisingly softer and gentler tone. "Come here."
   "I'm coming Mr. Grundy," Molly replied. "Wowww. Who's that beautiful, little girl?" Molly asked as she made a glimpse at the picture of a black girl holding a blue paper wrapped gift, tied with a blue and yellow ribbon.
   "She's my daughter, her name is Molly," Mr. Grundy said, "You remind me so much of her. But...now..." Mr. Grundy couldn't continued as tears flowed freely down his wrinkled cheeks.
   "Oh Mr. Grundy," Molly said, as she flung an arm around him. "What happened to her ?"
   "She's dead," Mr. Grundy said as he took a deep breath.
   "Oh, oh," Molly said, as her happy face suddenly turned sad.
   "I remembered the wonderful times we spent together, preparing for christmas. At christmas eve we'd walk around and sing carols at everyone's home and give others gifts. Oh those were the times, times when we'd unwrap those gifts on christmas day and take pictures but unfortunately these were the last gift I received from her," Mr. Grundy said. "You see in this blue gift were the seeds of these flowers. On this day, christmas day in the year of 1978 after receiving this gift, we were just about to go to the movie when I reversed the car and I...I hit her and by the time I managed to bring her to the hospital, the doctors pronounced her dead. That day I didn't know what to do. It drove me so mad that by the next year I moved to live in this district and that christmas became the last christmas I celebrated."
   "I guess everything happens for a reason but I know she wouldn't want you to be like this," Molly said as tears fell from her eyes onto Mr. Grundy's hands.
   "Molly! Molly!" Molly's mother called from next door.
   "Coming mom!" Molly answered. "And oh, Mr. Grundy, my name is Molly too."
   Mr. Grundy became so surprise, but happy as he smiled and Molly laughed. They both hugged each other then Molly ran off.
   "Merry christmas Mr. Grundy!" Molly yelled.
   "Merry christmas Molly!" Mr. Grundy replied.

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Copyright: All rights reserved to Ajani Campbell