Konrad and the Christmas Painting: Artworld, #2

By Sandra R Andersson

Christmas is only a couple of weeks away. Ms. Gundersen is in love, Philip is polite and helpful, and the world seems to be on a tilt-a-whirl when Konrad tries to readjust to reality after his visit to the Artworld. When his mother cancels Christmas, Konrad decides to try for a Christmas miracle to get her back in the Christmas spirit. He’s prepared to do whatever it takes to save Christmas, even work alongside Philip in order to make money for the perfect Christmas present for his mom.

When a greedy man steals the sunglasses to try and rob the Artworld of all its riches, Konrad is forced to step outside of his comfort zone - and into a shallow pond - to try and save his new painted friends and the Artworld from destruction. Can he get the sunglasses back and will he be able to get the Christmas that he's been longing for, all year long?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wordbuilder
• Release date: Dec 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386237068

Book preview

Chapter 1

Christmas Is Canceled

I don’t think that I’m up for Christmas this year, Mom said, and Konrad snapped out of his daydream.

What? he said and looked up from his soggy cereal. What do you mean?

Mom looked at him. Her eyes were tired. They often were lately. I mean exactly what I say. I’ve not been well these past few months, and I’m getting exhausted just thinking about Christmas. I honestly can’t cope with all the fuss.

Konrad stared at his mother and then at Sia who sat on the other side of the table with her nose in her phone. Had she heard what Mom said? It didn’t look like it.

So, what do you mean? he said again. No Christmas? At all? The thought made him feel slightly hollow inside. No Christmas. He couldn’t imagine what that would be like.

Of course, there will be Christmas, Mom said. Just not with all that fuss. And it’ll be just us. Here. At home. I don’t have the energy for Uncle Jonas and the Monsters. Not this year. I’m sorry, Konrad.

Konrad stared at his mother and then at Sia again. Why didn’t she say anything? His sister looked up from her phone, at last, but just to give her mother a quick glance. Dad has asked if I wanted to spend Christmas with him and Cassie and the new baby. I said yes. That’s okay, right?

The hollow feeling in Konrad’s stomach immediately doubled. No Christmas and no Sia. What was this?

Mom nodded. She reached over the breakfast table and patted Sia on the arm. Of course, honey. I’ve spoken to him already. It’s all arranged.

Konrad dropped his spoon in the cereal bowl and sank down on his chair. All arranged. This was not something that was up for discussion. He didn’t get a say. Everything was already decided. Christmas was canceled. He looked back and forth between his mother and his older sister. Mom looked relieved. Sia was back on her phone again. Even though their small kitchen was so cramped that there was barely enough room for the table and their three chairs, he felt completely alone. Again. He had felt like that a lot lately, but over the last couple of days he’d thought that things were starting to turn around for him. Well, he’d obviously been wrong.

He turned slightly in his chair and stared out the window. It was still dark outside, and he could see the glowing lights in all the windows in the house across the street. There were usually some electric Christmas lights here in their kitchen window as well, but not this year. He hadn’t thought about that, but Christmas was only a couple of weeks away and there was not a decoration to be seen in the entire apartment. That was unusual. His mom was usually one of the first to bring the box with Christmas decorations down from the attic and put a ceramic Santa or some glitter on everything that stood still long enough. Mom loved glitter and sparkles.

He could see a vague reflection of his mother in the window. She wasn’t sparkling now, he realized with a pang. She was wearing a headscarf, a dull gray one, tied at the back of her head. She always wore that lately, even at home. She had been sick; he knew that. Some strange sickness with a weird name. Alope-something. It made her hair fall out. It wasn’t dangerous, at least that’s what she had said when she told him. It just looked strange. It made her look strange. Not quite like his mother. And it made her self-conscious about her appearance. She didn’t like to go outside, had stopped going to French class and stopped going to the gym. All she did was work and stay at home.

And now she didn’t even want to celebrate Christmas. Konrad sighed and stared at the advent lights across the street until they went blurry. How could you not celebrate Christmas? Sure, his cousins were a bit of a handful, but he had been looking forward to spending the holidays with them. Uncle Jonas always crammed his house with relatives and friends of all ages, which made the Monsters over-excited and noisy, but that was what Christmas should be like. Too much food, too much people, too much noise, too much fun. If there was such a thing.

Since his venture into the Artworld a couple of days ago, Konrad had been feeling a bit down, but knowing that Christmas was around the corner had been a comfort to him. Now, what was he supposed to look forward to? The winter solstice? Well, whoopee …

Then it hit him. Today at school, Philip would be exposed for stealing the cashbox from Mr. Oscar’s desk. His nemesis was finally going to get what he deserved. He felt a little bit bad about feeling so good about someone being humiliated like that, but Philip had it coming. And it was Konrad who had exposed him. He was the hero in this story, the one who had saved the fifth-graders’ class trip. Oh, not that anyone would ever know about that. But he would know.

A warm sense of pride started to spread through his chest. He had done the right thing. Even though he’d been scared and worried and lost and confused, he’d managed to do the right thing, and all sorts of good things had happened as a result. Surely, a boy who could do all those things could manage to save Christmas? He just had to think of a way. But first, he would enjoy seeing Philip suffer the same way that Philip had made him suffer more times than he cared to remember. This was going to be good.

He hurried up and rinsed his cereal bowl before putting it in the sink. This was the new and improved Konrad, who did things without being told. Before his mom had time to remind him, he hurried into the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he got back out, Sia was in the hallway, putting on her shoes. She looked surprised at the wide grin on his face.

What’s the matter, little guy? she asked. I thought you were upset about what Mom said, but you look almost happy about it.

Konrad shrugged but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t exactly explain to her that he knew what was going to happen when they got to school. It would take forever and she wouldn’t believe him anyway.

So, are you okay with it? The Christmas thing?

He shrugged again. No, of course he wasn’t. It was madness. Whoever heard of not celebrating Christmas? How could he be okay with that? And he couldn’t explain that he needed Christmas, especially this year, since he wasn’t sure that he’d made the right decision coming back from the Artworld. He had been feeling strangely disconnected from his everyday life lately, even from his mom. He had hoped that Christmas would cheer him up and remind him of how good life could be out here in the real world. Now that wasn’t going to happen.

Do you want me to tell my dad that I’m not coming?

Konrad stared at her, surprised by her offer. Yes, it hurt a little that she was going to spend Christmas with her dad and her new half-brother. Konrad didn’t have a dad, at least not one who wanted anything to do with him, but he could easily understand how much it meant to Sia to be a part of her dad’s new family. Even if that meant that Konrad’s own family was decimated now and again. Even at Christmas. No, he said and tried to sound as if he really meant it. No, of course not.

You and Mom will have a great Christmas here at home. Don’t you think? Just you and her? Won’t that be nice? Sia looked at him with her head slightly tilted to the side and Konrad knew what she wanted him to say.

He felt his head move in a nod. Yes, he lied. It will be great. I’m sure it will.

Chapter 2

Just Desserts

When Konrad arrived at the school, he could feel an excited anticipation bubbling up inside of him. This was going to be so great. Everyone would be so upset, and he and Caspar would be the only ones that knew what had really happened. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Philip’s face.

But when he came into the schoolyard, it looked just the way it always did on a Monday morning. Kids were hanging around in clusters, talking, catching up. Some of the smaller ones were playing on the jungle gym. What was happening? Why wasn’t anyone talking about Philip?

Konrad looked around, but he couldn’t see Philip anywhere. His gang was over by the bike shed, just talking, ignoring the smaller kids now that Philip wasn’t there to egg them on. But Philip was conspicuously missing. Strange.

Perhaps he’d been expelled! Oh, that would be great! This school would be such a nice place without Philip, and now that Ms. Gundersen was nice and wasn’t going to be spying on the kids anymore … School was going to be great. Konrad said goodbye to Sia and hurried toward the door. He had to find Caspar.

Caspar was nowhere to be seen, but when Konrad was putting his bag in his locker, he came out of the bathroom across the hall. He walked up to a couple of his new friends from the soccer team and Konrad’s stomach dropped. Was it too much to hope for that things would have changed between them, after what had happened on Friday night? Apparently.

But then Caspar glanced up and when he spotted Konrad, his whole face lit up. He said something to his friends, patted one of them on the shoulder and then came over to Konrad.

Hey, Konrad, he said. Did you hear? The stolen money has been found. It was on the principal’s desk on Saturday morning, when he came in to start the search of the student lockers. Mr. Oscar called all the parents in the fifth grade over the weekend. They’re going on their class trip, after all. Frey is over the moon. He leaned close so that no one else would hear what he had to say. I thought you said that you put the cashbox in Philip’s locker, he said under his breath.

Konrad nodded. I did, he muttered. That was weird. Then he remembered. Ms. Gundersen … She said something about having to go to work on Saturday, just as I was getting out of the taxi. He felt his heart sink. But why would she want to help Philip get away with what he did? He had been looking forward to seeing Philip squirm. Instead, the stupid bully would be going on a fun class trip with the rest of his class. That wasn’t much of a punishment.

Have you seen Philip today? asked Caspar.

Konrad shook his head.