A long time ago, on Christmas Eve, there was a little girl named Sasha who lived in Yakutsk, Russia with her single mother. They were poor, so they didn't have any meals for Christmas.
“Sasha, change your clothes. We’re going somewhere.” her mother said, putting clothes in a bag.
“But Mother, the weather is so cold and it’s snowing outside. Where are we going?” Sasha asked her mother.
“Just get dressed, Sasha. Listen to me.” her mother said. So Sasha put on her most beautiful clothes, the ones that were undamaged and clean.
They walked along the snowy path, snow falling all around them.
“Mother, where are we?” Sasha asked her mother.
“Just walk, Sasha. We’re close to our destination.” her mother answered.
“I’m getting tired.” Sasha complained, but her mother ignored her.
They walked until they reached a big house. Sasha’s mother knocked on the door, and someone opened it from inside. It was an old lady.
“Come inside.” the old lady said happily.
Sasha and her mother came inside and saw a beautiful and warm house. It looked completely different from their own.
She saw a little girl who looked younger than her playing, and the little girl asked Sasha to play with her. Sasha agreed.
While Sasha and her new friend played, her mother and the old lady talked. Later, her mother came to her and whispered something.
“Sasha, just behave yourself here and don’t stress them, okay?” her mother whispered.
“Where are you going?” Sasha asked.
“I’ll be right back.” her mother said, kissing Sasha’s forehead and leaving.
“Just be quick, okay?” Sasha shouted so her mother could hear her, with a smile on her face.
Hours passed, but her mother still hadn’t come back, and Sasha started to worry.
“Grandma, is my mother going to come back?” Sasha asked the old lady.
“Just wait, Sasha. She’ll come back soon, but now you have to sleep.” the old lady replied happily.
Sasha went to the bed, and the old lady left the room. Sasha tried to sleep, but she couldn’t because of her mother. She noticed the bag her mother had been holding earlier, so she opened it. She found that the bag was full of her clothes and toys, and then she found a letter from her mother. She burst into tears when she read the letter. That’s when she realized that her mother was giving her to another family to have a better life.
In the snowy path, with cold snow falling, she went outside to find her way back to her mother, but she couldn’t find the right way. She walked until she felt cold and tired, and she sat down under a leafless tree.
Her eyes started to close, but she still forced them open to wait for her mother to return. As her eyes were about to close, she saw her mother.
“Mother, you came back.” she said tiredly and happily.
“Mother, let’s go home. I don’t want to be here anymore.” she said.
Her mother took Sasha’s hand and they walked. Sasha felt warm and energetic as she held her mother's hand.
As the big clock rang, the little girl sitting under the leafless tree froze with a happy smile on her lips.
THE END
