...my little sister Sarah and I opened
our presents. When it looked
as if everything had been
unwrapped, Sara found one
last small box behind the tree.
It had my name on it. Inside
was the silver bell ! There was
a note: "Found this on the seat
of my sleigh. Fix that hole in
your pocket." Signed, "Mr. C."
I shook the bell. It made the
most beautiful sound my sister
and I had ever heard.
But my mother said, "Oh,
that's too bad."
"Yes," said my father, "it's
broken."
When I'd shaken the bell,
my parents had not heard a
sound.
At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years
passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas
that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown
old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.
Chris Van Allsburg
The Polar Express
Photo: Peter Bowers