The Fire Engine

Jimmy loved his toy fire engine; it was his prized possession at the moment. It wasn’t so big that he couldn’t take it with him where ever he went, or too small that he couldn’t put his action figures in it. His birthday was two weeks ago, and it was the only thing he’d asked for.

The doorbell rang, but he didn’t move. He was in the middle of rescuing Princess Leia from the Great Adventures castle. He’d turned the entire living room in a city, and now he got to make things happen. This was where the fun was. He tried to get his mom to let him light a fire, but she refused, handing him a flashlight with orange plastic over the light to make it look like it was on fire.

“Hello, Ms. Jenks. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Andrews family on the corner are having a tough time making ends meets. We are trying to make sure they have a nice Christmas and are looking for donations.”

“I’d be glad to help. What are they in need of?” She stepped into the living room and let Danny, their neighbor inside.

Jimmy sat motionless listening to the adults talk about Timmy’s family. He was a year younger than Jimmy, and didn’t have a lot of friends. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to not a present on Christmas morning.

“Clothes, food, and toys for the children,” Danny said noticing Jimmy. “Wow, nice set up you’ve got there.”

Jimmy nodded as his mother stepped away.

“Timmy isn’t going get any presents?” Jimmy asked.

“Well, I’m working on making sure he does.”

Jimmy held onto his fire truck, and then stood.

He walked over to Danny and held out his toy. “Give him this.”

WC:300