Charlie, the Christmas Camel: A Christmas Story to Remember

By Joshua Allen and Carol Katrana

It's December 21st, with just 3 more days until the Christmas Pageant, and Anna Morgan is about to have her busy life turned upside down as she meets a runaway camel, named Charlie. Soon they are planning his entry into the pageant and before they know it, their schemes lead to mishaps happenin', and mistruths being told. Everyone involved with the pageant is in for a big surprise. Charlie and Anna experience funny moments, tender moments, trusting moments, all enveloped by love, forgiveness and acceptance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477277096

Joshua Allen

He is a loving father of three children, two step children and with a wonderful wife. He has always enjoyed story telling with a special message of "good" as his children grew up. The most satisfying feeling is when the children would ask for the story be told again and again. He knew that an educational message on the true value of diversity could be told in an entertaining way for children to understand, learn and appreciate.

Book preview

Charlie,

the

Christmas Camel

titlepage.tif

A Christmas Story to Remember

By Carol Katrana

Illustrated by: Joshua Allen

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AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2012 Carol Katrana. All rights reserved.

Illustrated by: Joshua Allen

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/28/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-7710-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-7709-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012918569

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 Anna’s Surprise

Chapter 2 Miss Sarah’s Angels

Chapter 3 The Making of a Manger

Chapter 4 Charlie’s Dilemma

Chapter 5 Camels in a Tizzy

Chapter 6 Star Light, Star Bright

Chapter 7 Camping Out

Chapter 8 Friends and Neighbors

Chapter 9 The Truth Comes Out

Chapter 10 Miss Daisy’s Diner

Chapter 11 Missing

Chapter 12 The Timpani Orchestra

Chapter 13 Sir Milton Leads

Chapter 14 Nighttime Descends

Chapter 15 Pandemonium

Chapter 16 Mama and Papa’s Discovery

Chapter 17 Breakfast with Charlie

Chapter 18 The Hiding Place

Chapter 19 The Camel Keeper’s Answer

Chapter 20 A Place Called Home

Chapter 21 Down South Visitin’

Chapter 22 Camel Commotion

Chapter 23 Charlie Steps Out

Chapter 24 Let the Pageant Begin

Chapter 25 Act II

Chapter 26 Wonder of Wonders

Epilogue

In Memory of

William Powell Milligan

&

Dedicated to four of his great-granddaughters,

Libby, Lauren, Nicole and Kim

Oh how he’d have loved telling you his stories.

Prologue

The young girl was turning six. It was her birthday and as it was now a family tradition; the time had come to tell her the story. Her grandmother held her hand and walked her into the room.

The old man had just finished off a late breakfast and took a sip of strong, black coffee as he watched them enter the door. Sittin’ in his easy chair, he then removed his specs. He’d been waitin’ to pass on the story before taking his mid-day rest.

Now seated in his lap, his great-granddaughter waited as his eyes trailed off in the distance. And soaking in the warmth from the fireplace, he gave a grin and opened his mouth to speak.

The legend ’round these parts says back in the hollers there was a camel and a little girl. But what I’m fixin’ to tell you is no legend. It’s all true. We have to go all the way back to the beginnin’, that twenty-first day in December.

And the child nestled in beside the one she knew as Great Gran’papa and he began to weave his tale.

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Chapter 1

Anna’s Surprise

It was 1954 and the snow had not yet made its way south. The days were cold though and they were short as darkness came in early.

In the town of Tattenhall, lived a family named the Morgans, Mama, Papa, and Anna. Surrounded by rolling hills, they lived on the outskirts of town at the end of Rocky Ridge Road. The family farm house carried a wide front porch and its white two-story frame stood at attention underneath the green tin roof. Smoke curled into ribbons as it rose from the Morgan’s tall chimney and the trees were bare, exceptin’ the pine trees, whose needles rustled in the winter wind. Yes indeed, it was now Christmastime.

Beside the house, across the dusty driveway, sat a weathered barn, where the wood had turned gray from ageing and the metal roof showed signs of rust. This year the Morgan’s barn had been selected by the locals of Tattenhall to be the site of the annual Christmas pageant. This year the production would be about the nativity and preparations were in full swing as the pageant was drawing near.

Mama Morgan loved to bake and on this cloudy morning she was busy in the kitchen baking gingerbread cookies. She hummed at the kitchen sink as she washed up metal mixing bowls and placed them into the kitchen cabinets. Wearing her favorite lime green apron with red cherries on front, her auburn hair outlined her kind round face and her blue eyes twinkled beneath her wavy bangs as she sniffed the air and took in the yummy smells surrounding her. When the kitchen timer buzzed she knew it was time to pull the cookies out of the oven and dusting her hands on her apron, she glanced at the clock above the stove. It was 9:45 and in fifteen minutes Miss Sarah Tipton would be arriving.

Sarah was the grade school’s music teacher and it was her job to oversee the younger children who would be singin’ in the Christmas pageant. Out of respect, she like all the women in Tattenhall were given the title of Miss, so she was known to all as Miss Sarah. She had spiked red hair, wore bright red glasses and because she was petite, she always wore spiked heels. She looked intimidatin’ and she walked with quick short steps, as if she was always in a hurry. She was also very strict about being on time and Mama knew when Miss Sarah arrived; there would be no pleasin’ her if Anna was not in her spot.

Using two mitts to protect her hands, Mama pulled the gingerbread cookies out of the oven. As she placed them on a cooling rack, she began to look around the kitchen and out the window toward the barn; but Anna was nowhere to be seen. Straightening her apron, as she walked through the house, Mama called, Anna, where are you? Come here, this minute. It’s time for you to dress in your angel costume. Miss Sarah and the angel choir will be here soon to rehearse the choir’s music for the pageant. Anna, Anna, where are you?

But Anna did not answer, because she was behind the weathered barn where she had been pickin’ berries from the holly bushes. And at this moment, she was standing very still. For having walked from behind a row of pine trees and now standing five feet in front of her was a camel, a camel with no humps.

Anna, age six, was dressed in her white sweatshirt and blue overalls and her heavy jacket remained unzipped so she could stuff her new collection of berries into her pockets. With freckles sprinkled across her nose, she stared through big blue eyes as her brown pigtails fell into ringlets behind her fuzzy white earmuffs. She studied the camel and unable to determine what it was, she wiggled her fingers inside her gloves and beckoned the unexpected animal toward her.

Come here little one and let me pet your head. Are you lost?

About the size of a pony, the small animal, who could talk, walked forward.

I am Charlie, the Camel. Can you help me? I’m a runaway and now I’m lost. I’m in trouble and I need a place to hide.

Anna blinked her eyes in surprise.

But are you really a camel? Why can you talk? Where are your humps?

Upon hearing the questions, Charlie’s head drooped, I don’t know why I can talk and my humps have disappeared because I’m worried about what to do. But, most certainly, I’m a camel, a hungry camel, and a camel who’s all alone, and then he began to sniffle.

Anna rubbed her knees, thinkin’ this was all very strange and exciting, and she watched Charlie paw the ground as he waited for her to answer his plea for help. At the same time Mama came out of the kitchen and standing on the back porch, she called again, Anna, it’s time for your choir practice. Come to the house at once.

With no time to think things through, Anna gasped, Oh my, that’s my Mama callin’ for me! I’ve gotta go! It’s time for the angel choir and me to sing with Miss Sarah. Here, move by these evergreen bushes over here; they don’t have stickers like the holly bushes do. We’ll make this our secret meetin’ place and when I come back, we’ll figure out what needs to be done. I’m pretty sure I can help you.

Charlie bobbled his head.

Thank you! Thank you ever so much! I’m in a real fix. Did your Mama call you Anna? Is that your name? Thanks some more. I can’t thank you enough.

As Charlie continued to thank Anna, she interrupted, Your welcome Charlie and yes my name is Anna. Now listen, Mama baked gingerbread cookies this morning. Since you’re hungry, I’ll bring you some later; but for now, I have to skedaddle.

Charlie watched Anna run toward the house and mulled over her words. What had she said? She had to go to angel choir practice? He’d heard about angels and thought they were supposed to have wings and halos. As he pondered the mystery of angels his stomach rumbled reminding him of Anna’s other words, the words about bringing him cookies. He wondered if Mama’s cookies were anything like his biscuits and he tried to imagine what