Bark!
The Herald Angels Sing
Now didn’t seem like the best time for Max to tell Mandy that a goat had
eaten her director’s notes. Not while she was yelling about the animals
that were missing from the garage.
The only trace of the goats and sheep was a bowl of sheep kibble on the floor. The garage’s side door hung open, and the animals were gone. Mandy needed them for tonight’s pageant at the church!
Mandy pointed at Max and his best friend, Harold. “They did it on purpose, Mom. Max didn’t want to be in my Christmas pageant, so he ruined it.”
“Maxwell John Mason.” There was a pause. “Harold Mark DeAngeli.” Mom’s voice was stern as she put a comforting arm around Mandy. “What do you have to say for yourselves?”
Harold looked at Max. Max looked at Daisy. Daisy thumped her tail on the cement floor and barked.
“It was an accident,” Max said. “We didn’t leave the door open on purpose.”
“My whole pageant is ruined!” Mandy wailed. “It won’t be the same without real animals.” She ran from the garage.
“Oh, Max,” Mom said sadly, “you know how much this pageant means to your sister.” Mom sighed. “I’ll call animal control, but I doubt they’ll be able to round up the escapees in time for the pageant.”
Daisy sampled the sheep kibble.
“I have to go get into my choir robe,” Harold blurted out. He wasn’t used to being in trouble.
Max felt bad. He remembered the day Mandy had asked him to be in the pageant. He didn’t want to, but Mom had made him say yes. The Nativity happened so long ago. It was hard to get excited about it.
Daisy crowded against Max’s legs, whining. Max bent down and scratched her muzzle. “What is it, girl?” Max whispered. Daisy put a paw on his knee, ready to follow him anywhere.
She gave him an idea.
Max hurried into the house with Daisy at his heels. He rushed to the phone and called everyone he could think of who had a part in the pageant. Shepherds. Wise men. Angels. The innkeeper. Even the innkeeper’s wife.
“It’s time to leave for the church,” Mom called.
“I’m not ready yet,” Max yelled back, brushing Daisy’s shaggy coat. “I’ll take the shortcut through the field. You guys go ahead.”
Max kept brushing. Daisy had to look good tonight.
By the time Max arrived at the church, candles were flickering and the smell of fresh pine filled the air. The pageant was ready to begin. Mandy stood behind the pews, looking glum.
The first carol vibrated from the organ. Voices rose to the rafters. “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie. . . .”
And so it came to pass that the shepherds herded themselves down the aisle without any sheep.
But they weren’t alone.
One shepherd led his terrier, who looked an awful lot like a lamb. Another carried a bowl of goldfish. A third followed her gerbil, running in a clear plastic ball on the floor. A fourth led his Saint Bernard and carried his Siamese cat.
The wise men, too, brought beasts—a bright green iguana on the shoulder of one king, a greyhound walking beside the second, and a rabbit nestled in the arms of the third.
A donkey, the one animal that had been in someone else’s garage, snorted and shifted nervously as it saw the kings coming with their pets.
Even the angels brought animals. One had a kitten that was playing with the angel’s tinsel halo. Another brought a golden retriever whose shiny coat matched the angels’ wings. A third brought a black mutt whose muzzle was so gray that he looked like a wise old prophet.
The innkeeper had a bulldog. The innkeeper’s wife brought her Yorkie.
Max looked at his sister. Her eyes were wide with surprise.
The congregation was singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful” when Max himself walked to the front with Daisy. He wasn’t wearing a costume, but it didn’t matter. Max knew now why the faithful in the song felt joyful and triumphant. This was how he would have visited Baby Jesus—with Daisy by his side. Somehow, the Nativity didn’t feel like such a long-ago story anymore.
Daisy sniffed the straw in the manger and offered her paw to the laughing baby.
The children’s choir sang “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The dogs howled along as the organ notes swelled. Max could see his sister smiling.
“Fear not,” called the head angel, trying to be heard over the noise, “for I bring you tidings of great joy.”
At that moment, Max felt he knew what Christmas was really about. It was those tidings of great joy, still as real as ever.
He could feel them now, as Daisy barked and Harold DeAngeli sang.
