The Biscuit Jar by Sarah Purdue

It had been Heather’s last link with her gran, and now it was gone . . .

THERE was a loud crash followed by a bang. Heather dropped the armful of washing and made a dash for the kitchen.

She skidded to a halt and spied Danny, who stood as far away from the smashed biscuit jar as he possibly could.

Once she was sure he was unhurt, she took a deep breath and counted to ten, looking from him to the shattered pieces of what had, until moments ago, been her granny’s Christmas biscuit jar.

“Danny!” Heather said, trying not to shout. “What have I told you about asking for a biscuit?”

Her son’s small face crumpled and his lower lip quivered.

“It wasn’t me!” Danny said, sounding indignant enough for Heather to believe him.

That was, if she could think of any other plausible reason for the jar to have thrown itself off the kitchen worktop.

“Then how did this happen?” Heather fixed her son with a stare. “Did it grow legs and jump off?”

His lips quivered again, but this time it looked as if he were trying hard to suppress a giggle.

That was another thing he did when he was in trouble.

Usually it made Heather smile, too, but she was finding it hard in the face of the loss of her most treasured reminder of her Italian grandma.

She walked over to her son and kneeled down so that she was eye-level with him.

“Danny, do you remember how we talked about how important it is always to tell the truth?”

Danny nodded, his eyes fixed on his feet. Gently, she lifted his chin so that she could look him in the eye.

Heather knew it had been an accident, but she also knew that this was an important lesson.

“Remember how Mummy said it is important to tell the truth, even if you think you are going to get into trouble?”

Danny nodded again and a tear slid down his cheek.

“I’m sorry, Mummy!” He flung his little body into her arms. “I didn’t mean it!”

She scooped him up and rubbed his back as sobs made him shake.

When the sobs had subsided she placed him gently on a kitchen chair.

“Danny, I need to hear you say it. Did you knock Nonie’s Christmas jar on to the floor?”

For a moment Heather wondered if her son was about to deny it, but then his small voice sounded in the quiet kitchen.

“Yes, Mummy. Maybe Daddy can fix it?” he added hopefully.

Heather knew that was unlikely; parts of the old ceramic jar had shattered into slivers that would need to be swept up.

But she couldn’t bring herself to tell Danny that.

“He might be able to. I’ll collect up all the bits and we’ll ask him when he gets in.”

Danny tried out a smile and Heather joined him.

“And what will you do from now on if you would like a biscuit?” Heather asked, walking him around the pile of broken pottery on the floor.

“Ask you, Mummy.” “Good boy. Now, you go back to your colouring. I’m going to pick up all the bits and then get started on the tea. Daddy should be home soon.”

Heather watched as Danny toddled off into the lounge before turning back to the mess in the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, love, but I think it’s beyond repair,” Kevin said as he inspected the cardboard box with what remained of Nonie’s biscuit jar.

“I know,” Heather said with a sigh. “I just didn’t want to tell Danny. It was an accident.”

“He shouldn’t have been climbing on the side in the first place,” Kevin said, sounding cross, though Heather knew it was just because he was upset for her.

“Your mum said you were just as bad at Danny’s age,” Heather reminded him and they both smiled.

“Still, it’s a shame.”

“It is, but Danny apologised and I don’t want to make a big thing out of it.”

Kevin nodded but he looked thoughtful.

“I’ll do bed and bath tonight.” He wandered out of the kitchen.

It was the Saturday before Christmas and Kevin had taken Danny for a run around the park.

Now that he had broken up for his first Christmas holidays, Danny was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement and Kevin had suggested that he run off some of that pent-up energy.

Heather welcomed Kevin’s suggestion.

It had given her a few hours to finish off her last-minute Christmas preparations.

She had even managed to wrap all of Danny’s Christmas presents and put them back into the top box of her wardrobe.

When she finally heard Kevin’s key in the door she was at the

kitchen table drinking a cup of hot chocolate. “Perfect timing, boys!” she called out as she heard them take their shoes off in the hall. “Anyone for hot chocolate?”

“Me, me, me!” Danny squealed and Heather laughed before getting some milk out of the fridge and filling up the pan on the stove.

“How was the park?” Heather asked, not directing her question at anyone in particular as she added teaspoons of hot chocolate to each mug and stirred.

When her question was met by silence she turned around.

“Cat got your tongue?” Heather teased Danny before she took in the look on her son’s face.

He looked panicked and like he was going to cry. Before she could say anything he ran from the room and she could hear his footsteps thunder upstairs.

“What on earth was that about?” Heather asked Kevin.

Kevin looked like he had more of an idea than Heather did.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” he said, turning for the door. “We’ll be back for our hot chocolate before it gets cold.”

All Heather could do was stand and stare as her husband beat a hasty retreat after their son.

When neither Kevin nor Danny had put in an appearance after five minutes, Heather decided to take their drinks to them.

For one thing, they were in danger of getting cold, and for another, she wanted to know what on earth was going on.

With a mug in each hand she walked up the stairs and paused outside Danny’s bedroom door.

“But Mummy said we always have to tell the truth!” Danny’s voice wobbled through the door.

“This is different, champ. It’s a secret. A surprise. Remember we talked about how secrets aren’t the same as lying?”

Judging by the silence that followed, it was clear to Heather that Danny had not quite grasped the concept.

“We can’t tell Mummy where we’ve been or we will ruin the surprise.”

Heather smiled, even though her husband couldn’t see her.

He was a great dad, always so patient, but she could hear in his voice that he was getting a little desperate.

“OK, kiddo. How about we tell Mummy where we were this afternoon? Would that make things better?”

Kevin appeared at the door with Danny in his arms.

Heather stepped back so that Kevin could walk out and the pair exchanged glances.

Kevin didn’t need Heather to tell him she had overheard. He could tell from the way she smiled reassuringly at him.

“Mummy,” Danny said solemnly, “we didn’t go to the park.”

Heather could feel her son watching her closely for signs that she was cross, and so she smiled and shrugged.

“That’s OK, honey. You and Daddy can do anything you like when it’s boy time. You know that.”

Kevin looked hopeful and Heather knew he was wondering if her surprise might just be able to stay that way.

“We went to a special place where they let you make things,” Danny said casually, his eyes still fixed on her.

“That sounds lovely. But, Danny, you don’t need to tell me, if it’s a surprise.”

“But you said I have to tell the truth, always,” Danny said, a small frown creasing his face.

“Well, that’s true,” Kevin said. “In most cases, but not when it is about something nice, like a surprise.”

“What’s the difference?” Danny said, looking from his dad to his mum.

Heather exchanged another look with Kevin. It was a good question, and one she wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Do I only have to tell the truth if you ask me?” Danny asked and he sounded a little hopeful.

“Not quite.” Kevin gave him a squeeze. “It’s important to tell the truth if you have done something wrong.”

“Or if you are worried about something,” Heather added, looking carefully at her son, who seemed to be considering what they had said.

“So, if I’m in trouble or scared,” Danny said seriously, and both his parents smiled at him. “But not if we have made Mummy a Christmas biscuit pot.”

Kevin closed his eyes briefly and Heather smiled at her son and nodded.

“That is something that is OK to keep secret.”

Danny nodded and then his eyes went wide as he realised he had let the cat out of the bag.

“Oh, no!” he wailed and turned his face, burying it into his dad’s shoulder.

Kevin and Heather grinned at each other over Danny’s head.

“It’s fine, Dan. It doesn’t matter. Mummy will still be surprised, won’t you Mummy?” Kevin said, looking at Heather meaningfully.

She nodded hastily. “Of course I will. For one thing, I have no idea what it’s going to look like!”

Heather gave her husband’s arm a reassuring squeeze and tried to catch Danny’s eye, but his face was still hidden.

“If you think about it, it’s just like the Christmas list you wrote for Santa Claus,” Heather said, the idea suddenly coming to her.

She crossed her fingers and hoped that it would work.

Danny shifted a little in his dad’s arms, although whether it was because he understood what Heather was trying to say, or just a four-year-old’s reaction to his favourite older man in a red suit, she couldn’t be sure.

“You wrote a letter to Santa telling him what you would like him to bring you for Christmas, didn’t you?”

Danny turned his curious face to her and nodded.

“But you don’t know which of the things on your list he’s going to bring, do you?”

Danny shook his head again.

“Well, then, you and Daddy are my Father Christmas.”

Danny looked confused, but hopeful.

“What do you mean?” “Well, I was very lucky. I didn’t need to write a list as you and Daddy were so clever.

“The two of you were able to work out exactly what I wanted all by yourselves.”

Danny nodded and began to look a little less upset.

“So, just like you, I don’t know exactly what I’m getting.

“I mean, you could have made me an alien spaceship biscuit pot,” Heather said and was relieved to hear Danny let out a giggle.

“We didn’t do that!” Danny said.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but his dad shushed him.

“It’s a secret, remember?”

Danny nodded solemnly. “It’s a secret, Mummy. You’ll have to wait till Christmas Day, just like me.”

“Just like you,” Heather said with a smile. “And I’m sure it will be a brilliant surprise.” ■

Danny had to learn to tell the truth if he did something wrong

Heather would enjoy the “surprise” when it came, she knew