“The envelopes sit on the top of the shelf,
and each is inscribed with the name of an elf.
The challenge is simple, to sew and to stuff
a dozen brown teddy bears filled full of fluff.
The first one to finish,” said Santa Claus, “wins.
At the sound of my sleigh bells, the contest begins!”
As soon as he signaled, assembly commenced,
except with Cassandra (as Santa Claus sensed).
She wielded her needle with purpose and flair
but never inserted it into a bear,
while other elves easily crafted with thread.
(As Santa suggested, they’d practiced ahead.
“I didn’t see value in such an endeavor;
there’s more to explore for a pixie so clever.”)
She slyly kept count of the projects completed.
At ten bears apiece she thought, “Action is needed.”
“Dear Elfmates, excuse me, a personal matter
behooves me to run and attend to my bladder.”
In minutes Cassandra came running and screaming,
“The bathroom is flooding; the toilets are teeming.”
Everyone rushed to attend to the mess–
(except for Cassandra who praised her success),
then came back to notice their stores had diminished.
Before they could protest, Cassandra said, “Finished!”
By touching his nose Santa calmed down the crew.
“We must give Cassandra the credit she’s due.
Now open this envelope bearing your name.
They’re longing to hear the reward you will claim.”
“Your prize,” read Cassandra while wiping a tear,
“is to clean out the stalls in the barn for a year.”
And you are encouraged to enter!! Susanna has yet again hosted another fabulous contest with lots of prizes. Write a 250 word (or less) holiday story about a contest. The story should be written for children 12 and under.
Colleen Murphy's Blog 
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