Marcia woke up, spluttering from having water thrown in her face a few hours later. She had been having a lovely dream where her best friend Kim had taken her shoe shopping at Tesco’s, of all places, but just before Kim had paid at least £50 for Marcia’s new boots, Kim had turned on her and thrown a bucket of water on her face.

“Ah, what are you doing?” Marcia shouted popping up on her sofa with a bewildered look.

“Get up!” June put down the cup of water, from which she had splashed Marcia with a few drops. “Honestly it was just a dead bird; any one would think you’d seen death.” Marcia looked at June confused as to why Kim wasn’t there waiting with a pair of new boots. Then she remembered what had happened.

“Oh June, did you throw it away?” Marcia glanced around furtively trying to spot the tree and dead bird, but she was also trying not to look as though she was looking for it so she looked a bit weird bobbing her head back and forth.

“I kept the tree, we can have a burial ceremony for the bird later though. But you have to help me dig the grave in the garden.”

“ What? You kept the what? And you want me to what?” Marcia gasped out loudly.

“Stop being theatrical Marcia, yes I kept the tree. In fact it is actually a nice tree, when you don’t look at the bird.” June walked out of the living room and into the kitchen where their mother, Ruby, was there at the sink, cutting apples. Marcia trailed in after her, her mouth slightly open.

“You have to throw it away, I don’t want the tree. Don’t you see someone is trying to threaten me.” Marcia announced loudly to her sister and to her mother who was concentrating on cutting the apple in perfect quarters. Which is actually not quite possible especially as the apple is a round shape and has a tendency to roll around if not held down properly.

“What’s threatening you dear?” Ruby asked exasperated after cutting one of the quarters slightly bigger than the other for the twentieth time. She had cut at least four already and none of them were even remotely perfect.

“Someone, I don’t know who though.” Marcia replied. “But I will find out who it is and when I do I’ll…well I don’t know what I’ll do but when I do I’ll have done it.” She finished with a triumphant look. June and Ruby glanced at each other, not sure whether to ask Marcia to repeat herself or just nod and agree. They chose to nod and agree with her.

“Well, your someone did leave you a note, here.” June handed her the note that she had picked up from inside the box. Marcia read it.

“It’s like…they’re sending me gifts to upset me or something. That’s a bit weird isn’t it? I mean what have I ever done to someone to make them hate me so much?” Marcia read the note, then re-read it again just to make sure. June contemplated telling her about her theory of it being Jim, but decided to let her suffer for a bit.

June shrugged her shoulders, “Well, maybe someone is just pulling a prank. I mean it’s the first of December, right? So maybe some idiot decides to pull pranks on the first day of the month and this month you were the unlucky one.” Marcia nodded as if this could actually make sense and that there really was an idiot who did this kind of thing.

“Well whoever they are, they’re just being childish and stupid. Of course it has to be a onetime thing. Well tomorrow is Sunday so obviously I’m not going to get any mail.” June and Ruby raised an eyebrow at each other but still didn’t say anything.

What kind of daughter am I raising? Ruby thought worriedly as she sliced into another apple.

* * *

On the 2nd December, it was actually warmer than it was the day before. The sun was shining brightly but that didn’t mean it was warm, it just looked warm and if anyone was silly enough to walk out in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans got a nasty shock from the coldness that seeped into their bones and sent goose-bumps up their arms.

Around 11 o’Clock the door to number 25 White Lane rang again, and a sleepy looking Ruby with curls in her hair, opened the door. In front of the door was another box, this one was smaller than the one there yesterday, it was made out of cardboard and it even had a few holes around the outside. Ruby picked it up and looked at the gift tag attached to it. To Marcia, from ? Ruby shrugged and brought the box inside. It moved slightly and she nearly dropped it in surprise.

“Marcia, you’ve got something.” Ruby called upstairs after she had put the box down on the table with caution. She didn’t dare open it. Marcia rolled out of bed, she had been enjoying another nice dream where she had everyone at her beck and call twenty four seven (can this girl be any more self centred?) She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, June was already there reading the gift tag.

“It’s another gift.” Marcia just looked at the box.
“I don’t want to open it, there might be a dead rat inside or something else dead.” She muttered eyeing the box warily as if it might come alive and jump at her at any second.

“I don’t think its dead. Look there’s holes in the box; that must mean the thing’s alive.” Before Marcia could do anything, well she couldn’t really because June was sitting next to the box, she pulled the lid off.

“Aw, look, they’re baby turtles.” June cooed. Marcia who had been hovering over June’s shoulder pushed past her to get a closer look.

“You’re right. There’s two of them. Oh there’s even another note inside. Maybe the person is apologising for what they sent me yesterday.” Marcia reached inside the box with her right hand. “Ouch!” She quickly pulled her hand out again and attached to her forefinger and fourth finger were the two little turtles. They had firmly clamped their sharp teeth onto her fingers and were refusing to let go, despite Marcia’s efforts to shake them off. With one final shake the turtles let go and landed on their backs on the kitchen floor. The quickly retreated into their shells and then stayed inside. June had taken the note out of the box.

“On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two snapping turtles.” June thought about this for a moment then brightened. “Oh I get it, in the original rhyme it’s two turtle doves, but you got two snapping turtles! Oh that’s awesome.” June was smiling at having figured out the reason why Marcia got two turtles; she immediately stopped smiling when she saw Marcia glaring at her while rubbing her two sore fingers.

“Yeah, that’s just great.”

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