Gifts For Emmy

 

          “Hey, Emmy,” said Jessie one day that fall, “let’s put our coats on and walk down to see what’s in the mailbox!” Walking to the mailbox, down the long drive, with her father, was one of Emmy’s favorite things to do.

          “Yes! Can Honda come?” said Emmy happily, running to the low hook in the hall where she could get her own coat.
          “Of course, Honda can come.  He is our dog, and he must come with us,” said Jessie with an agreeable smile. Together they put on coats and hats because it was getting chilly in the shadows on those fall days.
          Aunt Sarah had called the house and warned ahead of time that a package was coming for Emmy. But she didn’t tell what it was, so they all had to wonder together. Beth hoped that it was something practical.
          Outside, it was beautiful, like a painting, with a glowing sky, mysterious shadows, and rich fall colors. A little wind fiddled softly with the dead corn stalks. The air was immediate. Fresh. Cold. Soon there would be frost in those shadows.
          Man and child, accompanied by half-grown dog walked slowly down the driveway taking time to look at everything. Yellow leaves were scattered loosely on the ground. A crow spoke to them briefly, then flew off. Emmy kicked up some dust. Honda ran away and then ran back. They could smell wood smoke from some neighbor a long way away.
          The Chee’s old place had one of those big rural mailboxes that can accommodate a largish package. When Jessie pulled it open they saw some letter mail and a box with Emmy’s name printed on it. She was not able to read her name yet, but Jessie told her it was her name when he showed it to her.
          Emmy was able to carry her package part way back up to the house, but then she got tired and gave it to her father who stuck it under his arm as they made their way back up.
          Inside, Beth and Julia waited for the mail and the rest of the family. Coats were hung up neatly. Honda took his usual spot by Julia’s chair and Emmy waited impatiently. Billy wound himself around her feet where she stood expectantly.
          Finally, Jessie sat down on the sofa and cut the box open with his pocket knife. Inside were two tiny Navajo style velvet dresses. One was red with rich multicolored embroidery.  The other was deep blue with some silver designs. There was also a hand knitted dark blue sweater in about a size six, so that it would fit for several years. Apparently Aunt Sarah had skill in knitting, which surprised even her mother. Women with no daughters of their own often long for a little girl to dress up.
          Emmy was thrilled. She modeled both dresses, then chose the red one to wear for the day, with the sweater, which was a lovely cardigan with a lot of surface texture and bone buttons.
          “Emmy, we must write a nice letter to Aunt Sarah together,” said Beth. “These are very fine gifts! We must thank her.” “OK,” said Emmy.
          “You look just like me when I was little, Emmy,” said Julia. “Let’s go outside where there is room, and I will show you a little dance my friends and I used to do together long ago!”
          Outside, Julia took Emmy’s hand so that they could stand side by side, and she showed her how to do a simple little progression of steps. They practiced for quite a while, until they were able to do the steps in unison. Emmy’s cheeks were pink, and her eyes were bright. Julia took a little rest, leaning on her cane for a few minutes.
          Emmy thought she should go show the hens her new outfit. She ran over to their fence, and she showed them the dance steps she had just learned. The hens watched but didn’t seem very impressed.
          While she was absorbed with her dancing she was being watched from above. High in a tree, bare of its leaves, a white raven turned her eye downward.  In her beak she carried a pretty blue thing.  It was the very same pretty thing that she had found here months before. She sensed a complete story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. She was pleased.

          She floated silently down to the child, just barely moving her great white wings as she drifted. She landed with a little thump, for she was a large bird, right in front of Emmy. When Emmy stopped dancing to watch her, the bird laid the pretty thing at her feet. She looked intently at the child, produced a few knocking sounds, and took off. In a moment it was as if she had never been there at all.
          Of course, Emmy picked it up. She thought it was very pretty too. It was silver with a large oval of turquoise laid into it. The turquoise stone appear to hold a tiny landscape.
          She walked back to Aunt Julia and said, “a big white bird gave it to me Auntie! Look! So pretty! Look!”
          Julia took the earring into her small dry brown hand. She was silent and tears came to her eyes, for she remembered it very well indeed. It was her own dear treasure, given to her by her mother, who was given it by her mother. It had been a gift from her mother, when she married John Chee. How it was lost she never knew.
          “Emmy let’s go show your mommy and daddy your earring. I have another one just like it, honey.  I think that you should have them both  when you are a little older, perhaps when you are married!”
          First Emmy climbed the two steps and ran in the doorway, then Julia followed slowly with her cane. Remembering that a white raven had been her grandmother's spirit animal, she was filled with gladness and her heart was thankful.

The whole shebang so far; They haven't taken my phone yet.docx