Mischief Makers: Creepy Crawly Christmas

“Agggghhhh!” screamed Glitter as Nim dangled a rubber snake above her head.

“What are you doing with that-that thing Nim?”

“This? It’s just a harmless toy, no need to be frightened.”

Nim and Glitter had come to a new understanding after talking about the true meaning of Christmas the night before, but that did not mean that Nim was going to tread lightly around her.

Glitter shuddered as she looked at the disgusting toy.

“Glitter, are you afraid of snakes?” he asked.

“Pah! Of course not. Why would I be afraid of something so much smaller than me? Why it would–AGGGGHHHH!”

Nim giggled. “You are! You are afraid of snakes! This one isn’t even real and it has you shaking.”

“So?” Glitter huffed. “Everyone has a fear. Even you.”

“Ha! I’m not afraid of anything.”

To Glitter, that sounded like a challenge.

Over the next hour Glitter tried scaring Nim with all manner of creepy crawlies. The boys had a bag of very realistic-looking rubber bugs and she pulled every one of them out but Nim only laughed.

“I told you, I’m not afraid of anything. Now, we really should get down to business and set up for the morning. The boys will be up in a few hours.”

“Fine, I give up,” she said throwing a big, hairy and scary looking rubber spider in the air.

Nim froze. His normally pink and rosy face turned to a sickly gray and his eyes bulged.

Glitter watched his reaction with growing excitement and then pretended she hadn’t seen a thing.

“Should we go set up?” she finally asked.

Glitter wandered to the fireplace where bows and ribbons from the previous night still lay in a pile.

“Nim?”

“Hmm?” replied Nim as he sorted through the ribbons and bows.

“How do you feel about hanging from the light fixture by the front door?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I think we should decorate the front door with lights and snowmen and trees and angels and hearts and–“.

“Ok, ok,” laughed Nim.

“Great! Why don’t you take that ribbon and start weaving it through the light fixture while I start decorating the door.”

Nim, like all scout elves, loved to decorate for Christmas. In fact, he loved it so much that he often got carried away.

Glitter, knowing this from the Scout Elf Relations class she took in Reindeer School, gave him all the ribbon and bows she could find in the house hoping he would do just that.

She watched Nim circle the light fixture, faster and faster becoming hopelessly tangled in a web of his own making.

“Uh…Glitter?” Nim said when he finally stopped spinning. “I seem to have tangled myself up…could you help me?”

Glitter did not respond.

“Glitter? Where are you?”

“Right here!” came a breathless voice. “I had to go get something for the…decorations.”

“Ok, well, could you help me get untangled?”

“Yep, just give me a few minutes to finish up here.”

Glitter worked quickly. She attached a long green pipecleaner to the rubber spider and hung it from the light fixture behind Nim.

“Are you almost done Glitter? I’m starting to get a kink in my neck,” said Nim as he spun around to face her.

“Glitter! Wha–oh dear.”

Nim stared at the rubber spider dangling from it’s pipecleaner web.

“Glitter?” said Nim.

“Yes Nim?” said Glitter.

“I am afraid of one thing.”

“Really?” asked Glitter, all innocence. “What on earth could you be afraid of?”

“I am afraid that you will pay for this tomorrow.”

Kindness Task
Do an act of service for someone.

Nim’s Joke
What do you get if you cross an apple and a Christmas tree?
Pineapple

Selfie