forest grew dimmer and dimmer.

      As she started to run, the snow whirled in white mists around her. The wind whistled through the branches and moaned high up in the tree tops. It caught Holly’s cloak and wrapped it around her head, making her think that some ghostly hand was plucking at her and trying to keep her in this terrible place.

      She ran faster and faster, her arms clutching the bundle of berries, her head bent against the wind, and her feet tripping over rocks and stumps hidden in the snow. She breathed heavily and in spite of the biting wind she felt her head grow hotter and hotter. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would burst through her ribs.

      "I can’t see anything," she sobbed, "It’s getting darker and darker. I can’t lift my feet and the trees are falling on me. "OH!" she shrieked aloud as her terrified eyes saw a huge form looming at her through the clouds of snow. She closed her eyes and fell in a faint, face down in front of Nicholas and Vixen.

      When she next opened her eyes she was in the wood carver’s cottage with her mother holding her in her arms and Nicholas’ kind face looking anxiously down on her.

      "Where are my flowers?" was her first question. "I went into the dark forest alone to get them for you. Where are they?"

      Nicholas put the red berries and branches in her arms. "Here they are my dear. Did you bring them for me?"

      "Yes Nicholas, and I was afraid, but I’ll never be again, I know that now."

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6a

         With a noisy whoosh, twenty children were off and the race continued over the frozen creek, through patches where they had to carry their sleds, zigzagging between trees and then the long hard pull up the hill behind the Squire’s house. Nicholas could only see one boy in front of him just as the big pine tree came into view. His mind was on how much he needed that new sled for his Christmas deliveries. Nicholas flew along so fast that for a moment he thought he would sail right through the tree splitting it in two, but just in time he steered his sled to one side and jumped off. When he pulled off his woolly hat, he could hear the shouts and cheers from the villagers. He had won the race. It was like a dream come true.

      All the children pulled Nicholas home on his new sled and each mother and father that they passed, waved and smiled proudly, as happy as if it was their own child that had won the race.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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