Chapter 1 - A Bedtime Story

 

 “Emma! Ethan! You'd better get in here fast if you still want a story before bed.”

This wasn’t the first time their father had to get after them about being ready for bed on time, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last time either. Emma and Ethan were normal kids, which meant they always seemed to move in slow motion when it came time to brush their teeth, get their pajamas on, and get ready for bed. These days, they seemed to be a little better about doing what they were told though, as Christmas was less than a week away. 

“I’m ready, Dad,” Ethan said with a sly grin on his face as he came running down the hallway and into the living room. “I beat you, Emma! I win!”

‘It’s not a race, Ethan,” his dad reminded him with a slight smile on his face. Ethan’s father was a pretty competitive person himself, and he remembered saying the same thing to his younger sister on more than one occasion when he was about Ethan’s age.

“I’m ready too, Dad,” Emma stated as she slowly walked into the room. She didn’t want to let her little brother think that she cared one bit about his getting ready for story time before her. She and Ethan crawled up onto the couch on either side of their dad and snuggled in for their nightly tradition. “Can I pick the story for tonight? How about another adventure of Choco Bear and the Magical Forest?” Emma loved when her dad would make up ridiculous stories about her favorite stuffed animal, Choco Bear.

“Ooohhh! How about reading us a superhero comic tonight, Dad?” Ethan knew that was his dad’s weak spot. His dad had been collecting comics since he was about Ethan’s age.

“Sorry guys,” their dad exclaimed. “It’s getting close to Christmas Day, so I thought I’d read a Christmas story to you tonight.”

“Aww, Dad,” Ethan sighed. “I’ve heard the Christmas story enough this year.”

“Ethan’s right, Dad,” Emma chimed in. “We’ve been talking about the true story of Christmas at school and at Sunday school. If you include practice for the church Christmas program, it sometimes feels like we hear that story all day long.”

“Well, you can never hear the Christmas story enough,” their dad reminded them, “but the one I had in mind for tonight is a new story that neither of you have ever heard before.”

Ethan and Emma were both confused. “A new Christmas story?” Emma said with a puzzled look on her face. “I thought I had heard them all by now.”

Dad got a big smile on his face as he asked his kids, “Are you ready to hear the story of Imhotep, the first pet of Baby Jesus?”


Next: Cats in the Bible?

Location: Lincoln, NE, USA

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