Sophie was clearing the table after lunch, when she heard a sound outside the window. She peered through the frosty glass, but could hardly see what was outside.
‘I hope more snow hasn’t fallen on the tracks,’ she prayed.
She wore her boots and tied a scarf around her head. She buttoned up her coat and went out of the house.
It was still snowing outside. A chilly wind was blowing down the hills.
Sophie ran to the tracks. An enormous sack was lying there. She carefully undid the string and looked inside. Her eyes grew wide
The sack was full of some charming toys!
Smart tin soldiers, elegant rocking horses, teddy bears with sailor caps and blue bows, pretty dolls in long dresses made of frill, shiny silver rattles, animals carved out of wood, toy ships with sails, model trains, brightly painted blocks, doll’s tea sets, tiny carousels, drum sets, monkeys made of socks, and even a tinkling music box!
Sophie rubbed her eyes. She had never seen so many toys together before.
‘What beautiful toys!’ she said. ‘I wonder where this sack came from? And I wonder whom the toys belong to?’
‘I know where the sack came from,’ a squirrel chattered, rolling a nut out of a tree. ‘I saw it fall down the hills.’
‘The Seven Hills of Christmas?’ Sophie asked, surprised. ‘That means the sack must belong to Father Christmas! Who else would have a sack full of toys right before Christmas Day?’
She stood up and lifted the sack with all her might.
‘I must take these toys back to Father Christmas at once,’ Sophie said. ‘Or else, the children they are meant for will be very disappointed when they wake up and don’t see any presents on Christmas Day.’
‘But no one has climbed the hills before,’ the squirrel told Sophie. ‘And no one knows if Father Christmas really lives on them.’
‘I will try,’ Sophie said. ‘I will climb the hills and look for him. And I will try my best.’
She said ‘goodbye’ to the squirrel and began walking towards the seven hills, carrying the enormous sack on her little back.