***
Cassie entered through the kitchen door and a whiff of hot chocolate overwhelmed her. “Oh, where is that wonderful smell coming from?”
Geri ran up to her giggling and grabbed her hand. “Come on, the hot chocolate and pumpkin pie is in the living room. Where were you? I was afraid you didn’t get a name.”
“Yes, I did get a name, but I can’t tell you.”
“I know that. I’m not a kid anymore.” Then Geri smiled. “Can you give me a hint?”
“No! But I’ll give you a clue.”
“Yes . . . yes, please. Is it someone in this house?”
“Hey, that’s not a clue, that’s a question. But that’s all you get.”
“Oh, Cassie, I’m sorry. I just get so excited. Please give me a clue.”
“It’s no one in this house.”
“Aw, that’s no help.”
Cassie couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on, Geri, let’s get some pie.”
The whole family was in the living room, singing Christmas songs, with Chris trying his best to play his guitar.
“Chris, can you explain something for me?”
“Sure, but you’ve got to give me a little more info.”
“Well, it’s about the deckers. Skye and I sneaked out the attic window at Sara’s house, when everything was being decorated. I know it was foolish, but we wanted to see who was throwing paint on the windows. I assumed they were deckers, since you mentioned them on Raking Day.”
“Oh, yeah, you remembered that?”
“Yes, of course, I always remember everything you say to me. We were on the roof, and Skye nearly slipped off. Good grief, I’m glad I caught her. Then suddenly there were two strange people with huge eyes, hanging on the edge of the roof. We didn’t know who they were, but we were definitely intrigued to find out who they were.”
“Cassie, that’s a little dangerous, but I know some kids who slipped off their roofs, but the deckers are so fast, they always catch them. I did that when I was young, just for fun. Mom had a fit.”
“So, who are the deckers? When they helped us down from the roof, they both cringed a little and their eyes lit up. One of them started to say something about us, but he stopped. It was strange, but I loved being there. I’ll never forget them.”
“I’m glad you met them. Was Ralphy there?”
“Yes, he was so cute, especially the way he talked. The other one was Trimpet, and he wasn’t going to decorate Sara’s house, since we were there.”
“I guess they have their own rules, but did they finish?”
“Yeah, they finished, since Carol Jean was there. She seemed very comfortable with the deckers.”
“Don’t you know? Ralphy’s Carol Jean’s brother.”
“Yes, but they don’t look a thing a like.” Cassie said.
“Her dad is a decker, but he can camouflage himself. He has his tricks, just like all the other deckers. His mother seems to be ashamed of him, at least that’s how she acts.”
“Oh, that’s sad. I think they’re wonderful.”
“Well, Ralphy doesn’t really live with his folks. He normally stays in the glen, with the other deckers, but at Christmas, his dad insists on his being home.”
“So, I assume Carol Jean is a decker, too?”
“She doesn’t have many decker genes, but you should see how fast she can run. She can also stretch a times. It’s fascinating.”
“Wow, I didn’t know that about her, but I kind of suspected.”
“She is a little self-conscience about herself, so don’t make a big deal about it.”
“Gosh, Chris, I’d never say anything to hurt her. She’s one of my best friends.”
The fireplace was roaring and each family member found their own part of the room to wrap their wishing well gift. The nametags were faced down, so no one knew who the recipients were. Once they were finished, Justin put in a call and placed all the gifts into a plastic tub and placed it on the sidewalk in front of the house.
Now they have to wait until Christmas Eve.