The Bow That Ticked — Every night in the wrapping loft, Larkin measured ribbon by armfuls, zip-zip-zip, and tried to tie Santa’s last bow before the cocoa bell rang. Read the full story →
Every night in the wrapping loft, Larkin measured ribbon by armfuls, zip-zip-zip, and tried to tie Santa’s last bow before the cocoa bell rang. He loved the smell of pine garland and warm wood shavings, but his fingers always itched to peek into odd corners.
Until one night, the red spool on his wrist went tick-tick-tick. Because of that, Larkin chased the sound under the table, past the drumsticks, and into a nest of curled ribbon. Because of that, the spool bounced, unwound, and tugged Santa’s half-finished bow straight toward a plain square parcel no one had touched.
“Hold the loop!” Larkin shouted, and Santa caught it with a laugh. The ribbon tightened, the parcel lid popped, and out sprang a tiny brass compass spinning with peppermint-scented sparks. At last Santa set it on the sleigh map; every needle pointed to one house that had slipped off the route. Next time you spot the curling ribbon near the drum, can you hear it tick-tick-tick?
