www.storymania.com
Storymania Logo

 

 

Short Stories




Eskimo Kisses by Katie Barnhill A heart-wrenching story of a young woman reflecting the memories of her deceased father after her... [1,596 words]
About Man Against The Idea by Horacio Aguilar Naively told and settled story which refers to the dangers of collective Idea overco... [340 words]
Like A Parallel Cross by Neil Southern A dark tale [3,026 words]
The Challenge by Armand Waksberg Who said nothing can go faster than light [1,257 words]
Zone One by Atef Ayadi The awakening conceives knowledge, knowledge structures enlightenment, and enlightenment leads to diso... [2,169 words]
Wild Women by Kate Kerrison A true story of four girls and a man who thought he was George Clooney [601 words]
What The Night Brings by Richard W McLin A young woman is subjected to the night and her own paranoia. What could possibly happen ... [898 words]
What Can't We Say Thank You Jesus by Jeaette Harris I think we should thank you Jesus. [255 words]
There Is No Hell by Yashi Duckie Just a short little "monologue" thing... [209 words]
The Survivors by Jessi People, they start off the same. But they slowly become different to each other. One group is The... [529 words]
The Smell by Vincent Lini A possible explanation to that often asked question: What's that smell? [173 words]
The Second Greatest Show On Earth by Alexei Chamakov The stories of Wolfboy, a Chinese acrobat, the bearded lady, and the circus k... [2,495 words]
The Revenge Of Baba Yaga by Nik Siromah Its January 10, 2007 and I ran out of wrapping paper. This good website was so kind to... [1,399 words]
The P0wer 0f Change by Jessi A story about friendship, magic and some of lifes pains. [507 words]
The Boat Of Iago by Tim A Campbell A body found on a boating trip changes the lives of the main character. [3,094 words]
Stranger by Belinda Love Erotic piece of fiction spurred by a bet with a mate, he said I would never write and publish one [603 words]
Soccer by Bernadette (Some Call Me Soccer is a great game. So read about it and see. [728 words]
Shopping by T J Rintoull She went shopping - he was left home alone... [501 words]
Scars Of Yester Years by Rajeevs Rajeev A short story about nostalgia on teenage crush. [2,423 words]
Quite Harmless You See by Randall Barfield Then Peter had the oddest feeling. He’d never been afraid of the dark before. To him, ... [723 words]
Pure Is Love by Jessi A story about two people, love, and lifes complications. [405 words]
Product Of A Deranged Imagination by Acquiesce Smith, from Belfast, has Asperger's Syndrome. Read, as he describes his imagi... [385 words]
Ned's Dream by David L Hardin - [1,265 words]
My Most Embarrassing Moment by Trevor Turner My Most Embarrassing Moment… By: Trevor Turner My family was planning a trip to ... [184 words]
My Long Long Journey by Rzemieniecki - [905 words]
My First Visit To Stonehenge by Acquiesce Join me, as I recount my first visit to Stonehenge, with railguns and C-4 thrown i... [470 words]
My Cousin Lois by Kate Kerrison A story about my favourite cousin [606 words]
Morty The Homicidal Bear And The Shadow Of Rainbow Land by Richard W McLin An adult themed kids story about a world of stuffed ani... [1,901 words]
Midgets by Tamsin Butler Silly thing written about somthing my sister said [114 words]
Life-It Will Go With Or Without You by Jessi - [89 words]
Life At Peach Hills-Introduction by Rhi A tale about two girls and two horses. (im still working on it) [358 words]
Left Behind by Jessi About how people want to be the same and not seen as different. [76 words]
James Benedetti's Daughter by Randall Barfield A surprise visit. [861 words]
In The Outside Cold by Randall Barfield - [440 words]
I'm Sorry, Mom by Larissa Marie Smith - [669 words]
Harold by Acquiesce Follow the funny life of Harold as he gets fired, gets dead and gets to live in India. [1,836 words]
For Gods Sake by Buxton - [3,948 words]
Flipped by Jessi Sometimes life is just so confusing [121 words]
Far-Off Distance by Mandi Butkovich -Ed struggles with feelings and realizes his feelings may be shared. [5,138 words]
Exclusion by Valerie Gawron Young woman learns not to trust what she is told. [5,402 words]
Don't Feed The Ants by Brian Stamile A struggling author finds help in an unlikely place, and it comes back to haunt him. [2,045 words]
Donkeys And Ice Cream by Kate Kerrison Holidays as a child in woolacombe in devon [548 words]
Disappearing Dossett by Dy Myers The story of my cousins disappeance and the mayhem of our family during the time. And for ... [1,718 words]
Daddy, Can You Hear Me? by Randall Barfield What would you do in this situation? [511 words]
Are Diamonds A Girls Best Friend by Kate Kerrison A few thoughts on friendship [490 words]
Anger Of The Heart by Valerie Gawron A brother's deceit causes a couple great pain. [2,686 words]
Angel Eyes by Emma Akuffo Margot was devatated when she lost her husband in a tragic road accident on the same day her daughte... [5,741 words]
A Matter Of Timing, Frankly by Randall Barfield - [736 words]
3 Days In Gravewood by Richard W McLin A man comes to the sandy town of Gravewood to find the one reponsible for the death of his ... [7,415 words]
The Meeting by Rahul Prabhakar A story about love and the pain that comes with it, of being together and sharing happiness with th... [690 words]
Rainy Christmas Eve by Randall Barfield "How bad is it?" he managed to ask with great physical and psychological effort... [755 words]
Ghosts Of The Highway by Kitty Kat - [294 words]
Nanobots by Jeffrey L Henager An army of microscopic assassins gets turned on their creator [3,702 words]
Venista by Jessica O'reilly The great battle of Venista, a war that left the Venistan people lost, broken and torn between good and... [5,284 words]
Ufo? - Are They Our Enemies Or Are They Our Friends? by Amarjit Bhambra The best time to experience these unusal flying saucers ar... [747 words]
To Soon The End by Jordan Holetzky About a man who was too late accepting God, and though we don't know what is going to happen at... [326 words]
The Street Kids by Stephanie Lynch Just a story about how life seems to have a will of its own. [929 words]
The Street Kids-Tyler by Stephanie Lynch Just a story about how life seems to have a will of its own [929 words]
The Marriage Of A Noble Woman by Mandi Butkovich Sequel to The Heart of a Noble Woman [450 words]
The Lunch Table by Mandi Butkovich One day at the lunch table.... [484 words]
The Love Letter by Jordan Holetzky For the one I lost...... [182 words]
The Lady In The Forest by Sasu She awakens in the forest at 4am. Why? [1,658 words]
The Kitchen by Whynot Ican The price of serving. [838 words]
The Christmas Present
The Boy With A Silly Hat by Rosa Lee Gallimore - [793 words]
That Night by Mandi Butkovich A man has a dream about a rather disturbing night. [735 words]
Some Mirrors Never Lie by Darcy K Metz - [2,406 words]
Shattered Glass by Kyle J Douglas Fantasy-adventure story about a Guardsman sworn to protect his king at all costs. [1,590 words]
Saved by Jordan Holetzky Basically about a little girl taking Jesus as her Savior. [332 words]
Ruin by Johan Keylay A teacher accused. [7,000 words]
Rock, Paper, Scissors by Paul B Kramer What's better than work? [970 words]
Open Door by Johan Keylay Home Invasion [5,950 words]
Noir - Sadistic (1) by Nathan Weaver Noir styled first-person narrative. A man beaten, recalls how he came to where he is and d... [690 words]
Nasty Note by Ashwini Ahuja When you grow ambitious without resources and ignore cultural values. Then it happens what had happe... [15,190 words]
Melting by Johan Keylay As the title suggests. [239 words]
Killing Time by Kyle J Douglas Adventure-comedy story about two guys who accidentally kill Time himself, and must restore order t... [3,472 words]
Killing Time Chapter 2 by Kyle J Douglas Adventure-comedy story about two guys who accidentally kill Time himself and must restor... [719 words]
I've Seen Too Many Movies by Kevin R Hamilton A story about an encounter I had at work. [403 words]
Fire From The Sky by Travis Kelland This is of a dream I had. [1,620 words]
Edge Of Sanity by Brueske Short psychological thriller about an insane man. [1,490 words]
Day 23 by Christine Varela An excerpt from a journal of a mentally disturbed young woman committed to a mental institution with bip... [1,699 words]
Christmas Joy. by Jeaette H I think Christmas means different thinks to different people [987 words]
Casualty Of Infidelity by Johan Keylay Jeff suspects his wife is cheating on him. [3,612 words]
Buon Natale by Leonardo V A man brightens the lives of orphans while harboring dark memories from the madness of Nazi occupie... [4,419 words]
Awakening Admist The Civil War by Dr Dan L Edmunds Edd The story of an abused child and his journey to renewal through building a relat... [728 words]
An Absurdity by Johan Keylay It IS absurd, the woman is crazy. [2,434 words]
Amnesia by Ellys Parker A man wakes in a quite house with no memory of why he's there or how he got there to begin with. All he... [3,862 words]
All It Takes Is Four-Part 1 by Lily This is just the begining of my story.. its about four kids who have a power unimag... [638 words]
Ali­ve by Kimball Just a little story I wrote when I was bored one night [606 words]
After The Trailers by Me - [376 words]
A Hangover In My Office Chair by Darcy K Metz Not sure if this is a purely interior monologue. Or it could be the narrator writ... [1,322 words]

Go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 [16] 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
TITLE (EDIT)
The Christmas Present
DESCRIPTION
-
[926 words]
AUTHOR
Riot
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I write as often as I can make myself. Hopefully, it will lead me somewhere someday.
[April 2007]
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
JustCallMeSuperman@gmail.com
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (13)
Ashley (Short Stories) - [180 words]
Catching Stars (Short Stories) - [185 words]
Hunger Pains (Short Stories) "She was fat..." [495 words]
Losing The Sun (Short Stories) A story of a suicide and its reprecussions. [1,288 words]
Midnight Ride (Poetry) - [52 words]
Samantha Jane (Short Stories) - [465 words]
The Literary Cold War (Non-Fiction) - [714 words]
The Little Fisherman (Short Stories) - [652 words]
The Old Woman, The Little Girl (Poetry) - [80 words]
The Sob Story (Short Stories) Alchohol does not equate responsibility. [1,116 words]
The Teen Girl Suicide Story (Short Stories) This is satire. Keep that in mind. [575 words]
Travels (Non-Fiction) - [257 words]
Zestfully Clean (Poetry) - [47 words]
The Christmas Present
Riot

The little boy made his way home against the biting wind that cut his face. His tiny boot prints stretched into the darkness behind him as the snow fell, seemingly bent on covering everything and erasing it from memory, leaving the earth clean and white. It had grown dark and the only light came from the street lamps that stood like soldiers along the sidewalk, spilling their light in golden circles around them. Occasionally the little boy would pass under one of these lights, and for a brief moment he felt he was safe from the numbing cold and the thick, pervasive darkness. But the feeling lingered only briefly before he was thrust again into the shadows, leaving his respite behind.

The little boy followed the sidewalk beneath his feet, passing one darkened house after another. With all of the lights out and the inhabitants asleep for the night, the houses were devoid of life, and the almost hungry look they had made the little boy turn his head, lest they see him staring and decide to consume him.

So the little boy walked on, his head down and his hands in his pockets, and before long the ground beneath him became illuminated. He looked up to see that there was, in fact, one building with its lights still on. The little boy saw with a mix of excitement and dismay that it was a toy store. Sharp pangs of longing gripped him as he gazed transfixed through the store’s windows. He approached the door with the intent to go inside, but as he stood on the snow covered steps, he noticed a sign hung on the knob that told him the store was closed. Not surprised, but with a heavy heart yet, the little boy turned and stepped back onto the sidewalk. He gave the store a final mournful look, and that’s when he noticed the brown paper bag on the ground near the door.

After a moment of deliberation, the boy scanned the street around him went over to the bag. He squatted down to get a look inside, and what he saw caught his breath. He reached inside and delicately withdrew the object, anxious that someone was watching him but excited nonetheless.

It was a porcelain angel, its wings made with real feathers, and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. To the smallest detail the angel had been crafted, and the little boy stood there in the snow letting his eyes take in every one. He noticed first the angel’s impossibly blue eyes that sat like gemstones in her serene expression, and mused that color like that couldn’t exist in a world like his. The angel’s hair had been made with the utmost care, and it cascaded down her back in waves of gold. The little boy ran his shaking fingers through it and was taken by how soft it was. Finally, he saw that the angel had been given a smile. It was full of an immense sadness as well as joy, as if the weight of the world rested behind it, and the little boy’s heart began to pound in his chest. He had found something amazing here, and he couldn’t wait to take it home. He could no longer feel the chill of the night air around him, and he felt as though he may burst as he thought of the look on his mother’s face when he showed it to her. He’d never gotten his mother a Christmas present before, and the thought of giving her something so amazing brought tears to the little boy’s eyes.

The little boy was jolted out of his fantasy, however, by the sound of the door opening in front of him. An elderly man emerged from the building and examined the street. Then he noticed him the boy there with the angel in his arms. He frowned heavily, and when he did the little boy knew that he would not be giving his mother a Christmas present after all.

“Young man,” he said with an effort, “that doesn’t belong to you. Now put it back in the bag and hand it here. Should kick myself for leaving it out here in the first place.”

The little boy could hardly hide his disappointment as he did what he was told. He gently placed the angel back into the bag and gave it to the old man, knowing that he could easily take the bag and run had he wanted to. But the angel wasn’t his, and he knew that to take it meant someone else would be denied.

“Thank you, son,” said the old man, patting him on the shoulder. “Now get home before you freeze to death.

The little boy stood for a long while outside the toy store after the old man had gone back inside, numbed more by an enormous sense of loss than by the cold. With a sigh, he began walking again, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from the store as possible. But even as he did, the image of the angel circled his mind. He had held perfection in his hands, and now it was gone. She was someone else’s after all, and you can’t take what doesn’t belong to you.

Despite this thought, the little boy bemoaned how unfair it all was. Like a rigged game, he thought. Maybe it was a game, but the boy wished that he would win at least once. That’s all he wanted.

 

READER'S REVIEWS (2)
DISCLAIMER: STORYMANIA DOES NOT PROVIDE AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWS. ALL REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY NON-ASSOCIATED VISITORS, REGARDLESS OF THE WAY THEY CALL THEMSELVES.

"Nice little story, to make one realise that there are a lot of children who miss out on the fun of having Xmas present. Some children cannot afford them. " -- Amy, London, UK.
"Nice little story, to make one realise that there are a lot of children who miss out on the fun of having Xmas present. Some children cannot afford them. " -- Amy, London, UK.

TO DELETE UNWANTED REVIEWS CLICK HERE! (SELECT "MANAGE TITLE REVIEWS" ACTION)

Submit Your Review for The Christmas Present
Required fields are marked with (*).
Your e-mail address will not be displayed.

Your Name*     E-mail*

City     State/Province     Country

Your Review (please be constructive!)*


Please Enter Code*:

Submit Your Rating for The Christmas Present

Worst     1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10     Best

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2006 Riot
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
December 2006
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2307
 

Copyright © 1998-2001 Storymania Technologies Limited. All Rights Reserved.