Prologue:

"C'mon Gordie , don't be a pussy , you can do this!" Gordon LaChance told himself as he kneeled in front of the toilet in the up stairs bathroom.

"Gordon? Are you all right in there?" His mother called from the other side of the door.

"Now Gordie C'mon!" He screamed in his head "No I think I'm..."

He started to call out to his mother, before he finished his sentence he closed his eyes , took a deep breath , and plunged his middle finger down his throat as far as it would go. The result was an instantaneous wretching followed by a flood of orange colored vomit. He noted with satisfaction the loud , messy , and unmistakable sound it made.

"Gordon , what's wrong? Are you sick?" His mother nearly screeched.

"Yeah mom , It's pretty bad." he called back , adding some fake vomiting noises for effect.

He emerged from the bathroom looking paler and thinner than he had when he entered it , he walked unsteadily to his room and lying down on his bed moaned a few times for good measure.

"I think I have that stomach virus that's been going around." he told his mother weakly.

He made a show of looking at the clock and got up out of bed quickly,

though with exaggerated difficulty.

"It's ten , we're supposed to leave for Denver in half and hour." he said stumbling over his shoes on the way to get his jacket.

"Oh no mister , you are going nowhere in your condition!" his mother responded , gently forcing him back into bed. "Now , your father and I will just skip Aunt Madge's this year , you're far too sick to go anywhere."

"No!" Gordie exclaimed.

His mother raised an eyebrow as if to say "excuse me?"

"I mean , you guys should go , you only get to see your sister once a year." He said , recovering his tone of saintly suffering. "And you already told her you'd be there , who else does she have over the holidays?" He implored.

"That's true Gordon , but we simply can't leave you in this condition!"

"I talked to from the drug store , he said this bug

only lasts a few days and you just have to sweat it out, ...near a trash can of course." He waited to see the reaction this would cause.

"Well , I don't know , you just threw up once , maybe it was only something you ate."

"Yeah maybe , but think what would happen if I threw up in the car , or on your new dress!" Gordie's mother paused to consider this new and troubling possibility.

"Well.."

"Oh gosh!" Gordie covered his mouth and ran for the bathroom. His mother heard him throw up again and decided it was time to discuss this with her husband and see what he had to say about leaving their sick child home alone a few days before Christmas eve.

The Lachance's green station wagon pulled out of the drive way at ten thirty ,right on schedule , while Gordie watched , smiling from the window.