Page 4 - Sophie's Christmas With Teddy & Mouse

Sophie's Tale
On the morning of her birthday Sophie woke early out of a deep sleep. It was still dark outside.
Sophie's birthday is the day before Christmas and she looks forward to this special time every year.
She heard a soft tap on her window, tap tap, tap-tap.
She listened quietly to the sound while tucked under her warm blankets.
It had been snowing for days. A huge pile of snow lay on the path, past the old cottage where Sophie lived with her mum, dad, brother Sam and a dark, orange striped cat with thick fur and green eyes, called Little Fox.
The branches of the old apple trees were snow white, as if sprinkled with powdered sugar. In the trees hung a garland of peanuts for the birds and the robins uttered down to peck at them.
The birds reminded Sophie of her favourite book she had lost in the forest. It contained lovely drawings of little red robins and the white branches of ancient apple trees decorated with twinkling coloured lights.
Robins are Sophie's favourite birds, because of the beautiful red colour on their breasts. Thousands of Christmas lights sparkled in the small pine tree her parents planted when Sophie was born.
As she thought about her birthday Sophie felt a familiar tickle in her stomach and, a little nervous, she jumped out of bed.
Tap tap, tap-tap. She heard the sound again and quickly to hearing in the old cottage."climbed back into her warm bed. "What a strange noise," she said, her eyes wide. "It sounds different to what I’m used
From the bathroom she heard her dad walk back and forth muttering to himself, then he smothered his face with foam and shaved carefully.
From the kitchen she heard her mother humming a well known tune, the sweetest of Christmas songs. The coffee pot simmered and she smelled the fresh baked bread from the kitchen. 'Perhaps it's Christmas bread,' she thought hopefully, 'with sweet fruit and nuts in it.’
Her little brother Sam was awake too. He ran to the living room in his stocking feet to marvel at the presents under the Christmas tree, presents hidden inside glittering paper with big coloured bows wrapped around them.