The Twelve Little Cakes by Dominika Dery Read Free Book Online

while the swans clacked their beaks in anger. The commotion grew so loud that Barry decided to get in on the act. He was a good-natured dog, but he also knew how big and powerful he was, and when he decided to bark, it could be quite frightening. He towered above my sister and me as he stood on his hind legs and barked at the ducks.
    â€œSit, Barry!” I said. “ Sedni! Sedni, Barry! Shhh!”
    Barry looked down at me and began to lick my face. He stopped barking, but continued to lean on the railing and look out across the river as though he was contemplating the mysteries of life.
    When we had finished throwing bread to the swans, Klara looked at her watch and announced that it was time to go home. The sky had turned dark as we walked back through the town, and the street lamps snapped on with a buzzing sound. We zigzagged up the hill, exhaling clouds of steam and stamping our boots to keep our toes warm.
    There was a Christmas tree in a window overlooking the path, lit up and glowing through the frost-encrusted glass.
    â€œOh, no!” I cried. “The Baby Jesus is here already!”
    I grabbed Barry’s leash and tried to make him run through the snow, but he wasn’t very interested in running. Neither was my sister. They both continued to plod up the hill, and I was very upset by the time we got home. I was sure that we had missed the Baby Jesus. I dashed inside the front door and kicked off my boots, and then my heart began to pound with excitement as I heard the sound of a bell ringing downstairs. I raced down to the kitchen, then back up to the living room and into my parents’ bedroom, where I found myself standing in front of the most wonderful tree. The room smelled of pine needles and potpourri, and it was dark except for the Christmas lights and candles. “Silent Night” crackled softly from the radio, and I was so overwhelmed I almost burst into tears. Then my parents switched on the lights. “Vesele Vanoce!”
    â€œMerry Christmas!” I ran to the window. “Thank you, Baby Jesus! Thank you for such a lovely tree!”
    The sky outside the window had just turned black, and I waved at the stars and vowed that I would thank the Baby Jesus properly next year. My mother cleared a space in front of the tree and we all sat down to open our presents. Each package was wrapped in colorful paper and was tied with a ribbon with a little name tag attached. I knelt in front of the gingerbread “Bethlehem” my mother made every year, and wondered what the Baby Jesus had brought me. I couldn’t read yet, so I handed all the interesting-looking packages to my sister and asked if they were mine.
    â€œThis one! What does this one say?” I demanded, pointing to the biggest box in the pile.
    â€œIt says . . . Dominika!” Klara smiled.
    She placed the big present in front of me, and I untied the ribbon and tore the box open.
    â€œIt’s a pair of skis!” I squealed. “The Baby Jesus has brought me my very own pair of skis!”
    The short yellow skis were unbelievably nice. They were decorated with two little rows of cartoon ducks, and even came with a pair of matching ski poles. I ran and put on my shoes, and then strapped myself into the skis and spent the rest of the evening walking around the house in them.
    â€œI can ski!” I called out. “Look! I’m good at it already!”
    I tried to steer myself with the poles, but it wasn’t very easy. The skis kept getting tangled up and I kept falling on my bum until my mum and dad took me by the hands and swung me off the ground. They carried me between them and I skied through the air into the living room, where the table was set with our best plates and glasses.
    â€œHere’s the Christmas carp,” my mother said, uncovering a tray she had brought from the kitchen. “It’s very tasty, but be careful, it’s full of bones.”
    She put a piece of fried carp