Summary:  It’s Christmas time for those on the Ponderosa… with their own Little Drummer Boy celebration.

Rating:  K  (470 words)

 

(Un)Silent Night

 

PA RUM PUM PLONG! Ben Cartwright woke with a start. An Indian attack? An earthquake? The roof coming down? He listened for a moment. It came again, this time even louder and longer. RUM PUM PUM PUM PLOING BANG! With a sigh Ben fell back into the cushions. No Indians, no earthquake, no roof, but – Little Joe! For a moment Ben considered to get up and put an end to the noise immediately, but decided against it. No wonder his youngest son couldn’t sleep in these nights before Christmas. And after all – it was the season to be jolly. With his pillow over his head he tried to go to sleep again.

Next door Adam was awake, too. Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, his little brother’s nighttime activities didn’t disturb him. He was sitting in the comfortable chair in his room, tuning his old guitar. Adam’s thoughts wandered to his new, better instrument in Boston, where it waited for him now. And to the college books he should be studying to catch up for the break. Next month back east he’d have to work hard to make up for the lost time. But was it really lost? RUM PUM PUM PUM PLOING BANG! Adam smiled. It had been Little Joe’s ‘Please come home for Christmas’ scribbled at the bottom of the last letter from his family that had triggered his decision to return to the Ponderosa for a while. Adam did not regret this decision for one moment.

In the opposite room Hoss was sound asleep, a big smile on his face. Maybe he was dreaming of Frosty, the snowman that he, Adam and Little Joe had built in the yard in the afternoon. Or of the Christmas cookies, he had snitched from Hop Sing’s kitchen and shared with his two brothers afterwards. Most likely he was dreaming of the big Christmas tree downstairs. This year his Pa had declared him in charge of the tree: proudly Hoss had chosen the biggest tree he could find, felled it and hauled it home on his own. Later the whole family decorated it together and now it was the most beautiful Christmas tree ever, at least in the boy’s opinion. RUM PUM PUM PUM PLOING BANG! Hoss turned around in his sleep. His snoring joined the sounds of the night.

In his room the little drummer boy finally got tired. He put down the wooden spoons and the old pot he had borrowed from Hop Sing’s kitchen  and nestled in his blanket with an impish smile. Hopefully Santa took the hint that Little Joe wanted a drum for Christmas…

~The End

Written in response to Rider’s 2013 Christmas Challenge.