Toy Soldier and Rubber Band Man’s Christmas

Jeffrey Otersen

Description

A middle aged man named Bill participates in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Bill is hit with a wave of nostalgia when he walks past an old toy store where he once played when he was a kid. He sees his favorite toy, A Toy Soldier named Winston. Bill gets the best Christmas gift when he is reunited with people that were very dear to him when he was a child, making it the best Christmas ever.

Sujets

• Christmas
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 21 décembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669860440
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Copyright © 2023 by Jeffrey Otersen. 831526

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including

photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval

system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either

are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and

any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is

entirely coincidental.

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

ISBN:

Softcover

978-1-6698-6045-7

EBook

978-1-6698-6044-0

Rev. date: 12/21/2022
I would like to thank my family for always listening to my stories and giving me advice. Thanks to my son Brennen Otersen for his thoughts, ideas and opinions. Thanks to my wife Theresa Otersen for typing the story and Halah Miller for her advice and editing of the story. This is a special story to me as I once had a special toy that had a lot of sentimental value.
T he dazzling streets of New York City sparkle with freshly fallen snow and shimmering lights hanging high from the tall light poles on the morning of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. The holiday spirit fills the air as marching bands play Christmas melodies. An early thirties couple stroll through the crowded streets, watching in amazement as floats take flight, soaring high into the city’s skyline in the early morning.

Bill and Jenny admire all the storefronts decorated for Christmas while walking down Fifth Avenue when suddenly Bill stops dead in his tracks to gaze into the window of an old Toy Store. Bill is hit with a wave of nostalgia, shocked by what he sees. “I can’t believe he still works here!” exclaims Bill.
“Who-who?” asks Jenny anxiously.
“There you go again, sounding like an owl!” jokes Bill while chuckling.
Jenny blushes and gives Bill a light shove. “Bill, quit clowning around! The suspense is killing me! Who and what are you talking about?” questions Jenny.
“Mr. Pallati, the owner of that Toy Store!” answers Bill, sounding amazed.
“How in the world do you know the owner of the oldest Toy Store in the center of New York City?” asks Jenny curiously.
Bill, overtaken with awe, pauses for a moment while reminiscing. “Ah! I have so many fond memories here,” Bill blurts excitedly as he begins to explain.
“I was just a youngin back then. I believe I was about ten years old when I first came here after school to poke around one day. This shop was full of the coolest toys I’d ever seen. But, almost immediately I was drawn to this wooden Toy Soldier in a fancy old British style box.
I was fascinated, it was the neatest toy! It stood about seven inches tall, dressed in a red military coat, black pants, and a corky English guard hat that looked like an oversized Q-tip. I always imagined he was alive, firing gum drops from his musket across the store.”
“Wow! You had quite an imagination,” comments Jenny.
Bill nods, “I did! Sometimes I even convinced myself he was alive. Well, he was alive, to me. Anyways, I made sure to keep him hidden well behind the other toys on the shelf, so he wouldn’t get sold. He was the only one left. My heart always pounded on the journey to the Toy Store fearing that he would be sold - gone forever! Then, one day Mr. Pallati noticed me throwing gum drops at the Toy Soldier pretending we were at war. He was really flattered that I came to the Toy Store so often and asked me if I wanted to play with the Toy Soldier. I was ecstatic, but I couldn’t get a word out. I just nodded my head repeatedly. Mr. Pallati then reached up to the high shelf and began to tear open the package. He handed me the Toy Soldier with a big smile. He said whenever I wanted to play with the Toy Soldier, he would be tucked away in a drawer next to the cash register, promising me he would never sell it. From that day on, I played with him every day after school and sometimes on the weekends too. I had a blast!”