The Tale of Priscilla Piper
Today, dear Invisible Friends, I thought I’d share a tale from my book, The Twelve Tales of Christmas.
It is the tale of Priscilla Piper, a girl who despises her unusual name and wants a new one for Christmas.
If you like this tale, check out the rest of my book here or on Amazon.com.
Enjoy!
“Dear Santa,” a small hand carefully wrote on lined notebook paper. “I don’t want any presents this year. I don’t want any dolls, I don’t want any stuffed animals, and I certainly don’t want any dresses. All I want Santa, is a new name.”
After pausing to check her work, the small hand continued to scribble. “You see Santa, my name is nice and everything, but I get made fun of for it. I think I get made fun of because it’s so different. Even my dumb baby sister, Danielle, has a normal name. If I had a normal name, something like Diane or Anne, no one could make fun of me.”
“So, Santa,” she wrote, “All I want for Christmas is a new name. I’ve been very good this year. I didn’t punch Bobby the Pig when he smeared peanut butter in my hair, and I didn’t get (too) mad at my baby sister when she tore up my favorite book. I think I deserve a new name for all that. Thanks Santa. Love, Priscilla Piper.”
Priscilla Piper looked over her letter carefully, then shoved it into an envelope. She walked out to the front of her house and dropped the envelope into the mailbox. Nodding in satisfaction, she trotted back into the house and stared at the calendar. A whole week until Christmas. This was going to be a long wait.
By just looking at her, you would have thought Priscilla Piper was an ordinary child. She had brown hair that reached her shoulders and brown eyes. She had precisely five freckles on her nose, and one on her cheek. Her mother had worried that Priscilla would fade into the background, so she had named her “Priscilla Petunia Piper.”
“It’s such a lovely name,” her mother had gushed. “You will always be noticed with that name! You’ll be a star!”
“You didn’t name Danielle a weird name!” Priscilla retorted. “She’s named normally.”
“That’s because you’re the star, baby,” her mom would say, kissing her and squeezing her tight as she squirmed. She never pointed out her husband had demanded Danielle be named after his grandmother. But Priscilla knew it anyway.
Priscilla didn’t want to be a star, and she certainly didn’t want to be noticed. She just wanted to be ordinary.
The next night, Priscilla woke up to a large thump in the living room. She sleepily strode out in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes. When she walked into the living room, she stared in shock.
“Santa?” she whispered incredulously. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, Priscilla, I got your letter,” Santa said, his blue eyes twinkling in the glow of the firelight. “And I must say, I’m a bit concerned.”
Priscilla bit her lip and rubbed her socked foot on the floor. “Ok, so I may have shot rubber bands and Bobby the Pig when he smeared peanut butter in my hair,” she admitted. “But I never punched him.”
Santa laughed, a great belly laugh that made the ornaments on the tree twinkle and swirl. “No dear, not that. I’m concerned that you want to change your name.”
“Santa, my name gets me made fun of,” Priscilla protested. “I just want to be ordinary.”
“I’m not sure you do,” Santa began, squatting down on the ottoman in front of the fireplace. “Most people spend their entire lives trying to be different and trying to be noticed. You’ve been Priscilla for eight years. I’m worried you’ll miss a lot of things once you go back to an ordinary name.”
“Well, I’d still be me,” Priscilla protested, beginning to feel a bit nervous. “It’s just a name after all. I’m not the problem. My name is.”
“Names are very important,” Santa said. “They’re part of our identity. They’re part of what makes us who we are.”
“Well then, why do women change their names when they get married?” Priscilla countered. “Then they would lose their identity.”
“That’s true, in a way,” Santa said. “But it’s not their first name. First names are very different. It’s your calling card, your label. There’s a difference between having a different name and just having a nickname. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather try a nickname?”
“No,” Priscilla said, ignoring the tiny twitch in her stomach. “I’m sure.”
“Ok,” Santa said resolutely. “I’m not entirely convinced. I’ll give you until Christmas Eve to make up your mind. Then, all you have to do is put a letter in your stocking telling me what you want. After Christmas Eve, your name will stay the same forever.”
“Forever?” Priscilla gulped. She hadn’t quite thought about forever. She was thinking until high school perhaps. Surely high school was much better than fourth grade.
“Forever,” Santa said.
Priscilla squenched up her face and thought. “You’re not going to do one of those things where you have an angel show me what my life would be like as Diane, are you?” she asked. “Like in that movie? Or one of those things where I change my name and it’s like I was never Priscilla at all, and everything is different?”
“No,” Santa gave another belly laugh. “It doesn’t work that way. Just introduce yourself as Diane, if that’s the name you want, and see what happens.”
“Oh,” Priscilla said. She looked thoughtful as she fingered her sleeve. “Thank you Santa.”
Santa winked at her. “I’ll see you on Christmas Eve,” he grinned. “Make sure you make a decision by then!” And with a wink, he was gone.
To be continued next week….
Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we have a tasty new recipe of Christmas Cookies, and Friday we have a new Dallas Jean Lee! Then we have another Christmas ornament confession and next week, it’s Christmas Week at the Pond!!! All Christmas, all the time! Hooray!
December 16th, 2009 at 2:27 am
Like Priscilla, I can’t wait until Christmas Eve. Are you going to keep us in suspense until our actual Christmas Eve Duckie?
Oh BTW I met some Texans the other day and I was so excited to hear all about Texas
December 16th, 2009 at 2:37 am
I love your stories. You write so well. I probably said that already.
Priscilla is a nice name though.
December 16th, 2009 at 4:51 am
So well written, as always!
Sigh, I wish I’d been named differently – if only I’d learned my lesson while young like Priscilla.
December 16th, 2009 at 4:53 am
Interesting story-I can’t wait to hear how it turns out.
December 16th, 2009 at 4:54 am
Love it– I always felt that way about my last name (maiden). can’t wait to hear what happens…
December 16th, 2009 at 5:21 am
I hated my name when I was young too. These were the days before there were so many other Natashas. Nobody could pronounce it and I certainly couldn’t spell it.
I can relate to this story!
December 16th, 2009 at 5:37 am
What a cutie idea for a story!! Great beginning!!
December 16th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Love it! I NEVER use my first name, and very few friends call me Channnon, so I can’t wait to read the rest of the story.
December 16th, 2009 at 6:04 am
First I wanted to thank you for your visit, I always welcome them. Next time you stop by , maybe sign my Followers List.
And the next thing, I really enjoyed your story, you see my name is Priscilla and I always HATED that name. My uncle named me after a movie star that he was in love wth in his teen age years. Priscilla Lane was her name. I hated my name so much that I did change it to Chris. So better sounding than Priss. 
Merry Christmas,
Chris
December 16th, 2009 at 6:52 am
……..so lovely……..very inviting to by your beautiful christmas book!!!!!!!
have a wonderful time!
elvira
December 16th, 2009 at 7:17 am
i am very tempted ….can’t wait to hear more..
December 16th, 2009 at 7:20 am
HOw cool is it that you are a proper author and you can buy your books on amazon??? Fab!
December 16th, 2009 at 7:22 am
Another great story, I cannot wait to see how this unfolds!
December 16th, 2009 at 7:23 am
Very cute story!
December 16th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Oh, I so adore Christmas stories; especially when they’re written by you. This is no exception. I think that little Priscilla Piper is my new hero!!
December 16th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Oh dear. Such a common complaint too. I will never complain about my name because I heard the alternative choices years ago and they were so much worse. I was lucky.
Priscilla is too, she’ll figure it out.
December 16th, 2009 at 8:55 am
I went through a phase where I hated my name and demanded to be called “Sarah.” I’m loving this story!
December 16th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Come on! I thought I was reading the whole story!!!! I can’t wait to see what happened next!!! Ok. I guess I’ll have to wait for that. Miranda, you are so talented! Happy holidays!
December 16th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Surely, I’ve enjoyed the Ball: I wrote a comment on it yesterday!
And today I like your well written story!
December 16th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Lovely writing, darling!
Thanks for stopping by Couture Carrie!
xoxox,
CC
December 16th, 2009 at 11:02 am
How exciting.. I wonder if she really will change her name…
A St. Lucia next year at your pond sounds delightful!
December 16th, 2009 at 11:16 am
What a perfect beginning. I’ll be back to see what happens next.
December 16th, 2009 at 11:22 am
I’m hooked. Waiting to see what happens now.
December 16th, 2009 at 11:32 am
hmmmm womderous… Think i will peek back from time to time…
*calps*
December 16th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Another amazing story, Duckie, I wonder what she will decide .
hugs
December 16th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I love this story Duckie. Looking forward to your Christmas cookies tomorrow.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
When I was 5 I fell in love iwth the name Priscilla and totally wanted that to be my name.
Kind of funny how names come to mean something. I didn’t change my ridiculous last name when I married because I felt that changing every legal document (driver’s license, SS#, passport,etc.) that appled to me felt like chaning my whole identity. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be me anymore.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I love your stories, you are so creative! I can’t see where this one ends up!
December 16th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Yay, a new story! Lol, I hated my name as a kid too!
December 16th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Oh lovely!
So glad I found you from SITS.
December 16th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
She needs to stay a Priscilla
December 16th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Can you believe it’s been a year since we met here and our little foul fell in love? Too funny!
December 16th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
What a cute story! I can’t wait to see what name she picks!
December 17th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Sweet! A bloggy friend of mine told me that she bought your 12 Tales of Christmas…yay!!
December 17th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
This is very, very cute. I always wanted to change my name too.
But forever????? Hmmmm.
December 17th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Like owl and the other critters I am rather partial to a sugar cookie! Re what I heard about Texas, it was that Austin was definitely an up and coming area for food and that there is a BBQ place that is the ultimate BBQ place with huge BBQs grilling all sorts of BBQd goodies! And oh and everything is deep fried
December 17th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Looking forward to receiving my order—I wish I wish I wish I had asked you to “autograph” the book for my grandgirlies! Next time!
December 18th, 2009 at 12:46 am
Ohhh Duckie, I’ve always loved this story of yours. You’re just the best! No package yet, but there’s still time! Love you loads! xxoo