Mary Cunningham is the author of the popular adventure/fantasy middle-grade series for girls, Cynthia's Attic. The series features two best friends who travel back and forth in time through a magic trunk hidden in the attic of Cynthia's old house. I just had the pleasure of reviewing the fourth and latest book, The Magician's Castle. You may read my review here.
Now, right in time for the holidays,Cunningham has penned a charming short story featuring the two 12-year old time travelers: "Christmas With Daisy."
It's 1964, Christmas Eve, in Cynthia's old house. Gus and Cynthia are helping decorate the tree while waiting for the visit of a mysterious great-aunt whom everyone refers to as 'Crazy Daisy.' When she finally makes her entrance into the house, the girls are in shock. The old woman's face is a marred mask, her clothes practically rags, and she emanates nothing but loneliness and sadness. As the girls soon learn from Cynthia's mother, Daisy is the way she is due to a terrible accident she had back in 1914, when she was a little girl. On that sad night, Christmas Eve, Daisy got too close to the fireplace and her nightgown caught fire, giving the young girl second-degree burns and disfiguring her face permanently.
Gus and Cynthia feel very sorry for Daisy, who doesn't even join them at the dinner table that night.
Later on, the girls go to sleep and they both have the same mysterious dream: they travel back in time to 1914 and witness Daisy's terrible accident. This time, however, they're able to offer little Daisy advice and in doing so change the course of her destiny.
When the girls awake, they're not sure whether all has been a dream or not. After all, they didn't use the magic trunk to travel to the past. But then, how can both have the same dream? The girls are even more surprised when they see Daisy on Christmas Day... for she's like an entirely different person!
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