Christmas Wishes Read Free Page B

let’s listen while I play a recording of it. Follow the words on the screen, and when you get the hang of the melody, join in.” She clicked the icon on her presentation slide, cuing the music. Some of the older girls started singing along, but the slower tempo made several of the younger students restless. As the song came to an end, she noted only a handful of students were singing.
    “ Isn’t that a pretty song?”
    One of the first graders raised her hand. “It’s okay, but I don’t know the words.”
    “ I didn’t think most of you would,” Sophie replied. “So that’s why I put the words on the screen. Did you have trouble seeing it?”
    “ I can see it, but I can’t read it,” the girl answered.
    “ Why not?”
    “ I haven’t learned those words yet.”
    Oops. Note to self. First graders are still learning to read. Back to the drawing board.
    “Miss Sophie, can I sit down now?” Jordan asked from his corner.
    She checked her watch. Four minutes had gone by. Close enough. “Sure. Just be careful—”
    Footsteps thundered from both corners as the boys raced toward the chairs. Unfortunately they both targeted the same chair and crashed into each other, headfirst. The crack had Sophie gasping in horror. To make matters worse, Joshua ’s head hit the seat of the chair on his way down.
    The boys, however, didn ’t share her horror. They both sat on the floor, holding their heads, wearing identical grins. “That was funny!” One of them laughed. But then the laughter turned into a howl of pain. “Owie,” he wailed. As he cried, a steam of red ran out of the side of his mouth.
    Visions of concussions and lawsuits leapt into Sophie ’s mind. She needed to have them looked at, preferably by someone who could hold them down. She took out her cell phone to call an ambulance then thought again. A blaring ambulance might scare the rest of the kids. She opened the door to see Harriet Eckman, the church secretary, walking by.
    “ Harriet, I think we’re going to need a doctor. Or maybe an ambulance. I’m not sure.”
    Harriet ’s eyes widened, but she remained remarkably calm. “What happened, dear?”
    “ Jordan and Josh Longton ran headfirst into each other—”
    She didn ’t need to say anything else. The Longton twins and their antics were well known in Zutphen. Harriet nodded knowingly. “Of course. Doc VanEss just walked in. I’ll get him to look at them.” She took two steps then turned back. “And another pair of hands to hold them down while he looks.” The lady disappeared into the office. A few seconds later, her voice rang out over the intercom, requesting Doc VanEss to come to the choir room.
    Sophie took a deep breath and steeled herself for the next part of the rehearsal. How had she lost control? She ’d never had it, of course. Then she noted the silence. No one spoke, not even the gossipy third grade girls. Even the twins sat in stunned silence from their spots on the floor.
    “ Okay, kids, let’s try the next song. I hope you like this one a little better.” She clicked over to the next screen, which featured a song with a Latin beat. Before she could cue up the music, the door opened, and Doc VanEss entered, along with another man. The doctor was a jovial gentleman who greeted Sophie with a smile, but the tall man with him wore a stern expression. Milton Longton was the twins’ grandfather. He was also the president of the consistory, and the man had no qualms about sharing his disappointment in his grandsons. “Jordan and Joshua, you need to come with us right now.”
    Both boys obeyed wordlessly.
    Without the twins there, the rest of the rehearsal went smoothly. Sophie made a note of which songs worked and which ones didn’t. Unfortunately the Won’t Work list far outnumbered the Will Work one.
    She was just about to dismiss the students when a thunderous crash echoed through the church. Sophie wondered if she needed to get the kids outside to safety, and she