Challenge No.14
Take the words firecracker, sad, antacid, 72, and courtroom.
Write a scene or story that includes all of the words.
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It was Christmas Eve, and the anticipation level at the Iyanola Home for Children was high; would the Christmas Bandit visit this year? Rachel was new to the orphanage and so the ever-increasing excitement was new to her.
That day all the last-minute things were getting done. It was midmorning and they were decorating the main hall, when Liv, one of the staff arrived.
"So sorry to be late I got a call from Magistrate Jonas and I had to report to the courtroom."
"What happened?" Emily the Administrators asked.
"We got another one," Liv said. "Sad little thing, eighteen months old."
Upon her announcement, everyone stopped to look at the tyke. "Awwww." The staff all cooed.
"That makes it seventy-two. Imagine seventy-two children in the home for Christmas. Do you think the Christmas Bandit will make his quota this year?" Judy was worried, she popped an antacid.
"Christmas Bandit? Who's that?" Rachel asked.
"That's what the children call him," Emily replied. "No one knows who he is. But for the past ten years, when we wake up on Christmas Day, there are presents for every child under the tree. No one is missed every child gets."
"But we have gifts." Rachel pointed out.
"Not enough. If the Christmas Bandit doesn't come through, then the older teens won't get but the tiny tots will."
"But why Bandit and not Santa?" Rachel was confused.
"Mainly because he breaks in." Liv laughed at Rachel's reaction to the revelation. "To be fair, at the beginning he broke in. Now we leave the front door open."
"Anyone ever sees him? Do we even know it's a him?" Rachel asked.
"I've seen him, it's a him alright, and he's no Santa," Judy assured them.
"Not Santa? So, you know who the Christmas Bandit is?" Rachel waited for the answer.
"Not Santa. No, I don't know who. Because he was dressed as Papa Djab." Judy admitted.
"I looked it up," Emily said. "Papa Djab goes all the way back to the days of slavery when the enslaved Africans made fun of Santa by dressing up in a version of him. The white people had no clue it was a form of disrespect and the black people didn't tell*."
"I have to process the baby," Liv announced.
"I'll come with you," Emily said and the two women left.
The remaining two were soon joined by the handyman. "Miss Judy, there's only one big firecracker left from Jounen Creole. You still want to use it?"
"Thanks, Thad, if we have small ones then we can use them all."
"One big and lots of small. You think the Christmas Bandit will come?"
"I sure hope so, Thad."
Christmas Day came and sure enough, there were seventy-two gifts under the tree.
"I don't know how he does it. I just don't know." Emily shook her head and popped an antacid.
"We'll just accept and say Christmas Bandit strikes again," Rachel suggested.
© 14 March 2022
* True tale.
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