DECEMBER 5 SUNDAY

The reharsals for the show were in full swing. The cast and crew were currently having a lunch break. Sirius sat at the grand piano tweaking a ballad. As soon as the crafts people were done with the baby prop, he was going to summon the cast and crew.

Mac, one of the crafts people, came into the chamber of drama practice, carrying a butternut pumpkin with a face.

"We worked really hard on that," she said, giving it to Sirius.

"So be caref-"

Splat.

Sirius had already dropped the butternut pumpkin. A house elf appeared in a crack with a mop and bucket. Mac left to find a new butternut pumpkin. After some ten minutes, she was back with a new butternut pumpkin.

"Here is your new butternut pumpkin," she said, and then she was gone again.

Sirius was more careful with the second butternut pumpkin.

"Maybe we should put that someplace safe," said James. "To protect it from sabotage."

"It's a pumpkin."

"I know, but somebody might still want to sabotage it to keep it from achieving its divine purpose. The divine purpose being a prop baby Jesus in a queer nativity."

"Wise words. I shall place it here under the piano stool."
Roy and Phil came into the chamber of drama practice room, fighting.

"Typical you, hogging all the hair flare!" said Roy.

"The hair flare was meant for me, Roy. I'm the angel."

"It's all always meant for you, isn't it! You always get everything! What about me, huh? What about me!"
Then he began to pull Phil's hair. Phil, being quite annoyed, began to pull Roy's hair.

"I wish my team was this civil," said James.

"Then why do you make the weakest players fight each other in the compost heap?" Sirius asked.

"It's to teach them to not be the weakest player in a way that protects the hole in the ozone layer."

They watched Roy and Phil pummel each other blue.

"I sure wonder what they're fighting over!" said James.

"Hair flare. Weren't you listening? By the way... Um, where's the pumpkin?"

Sirius looked under the piano stool, and so did James. Peter did so, too.

"It's not there!" said Peter.

"I'm sure a prop person just wanted to fix it," said James.

Mac was back. This time she brought a large piece of cardboard and a goose.

"Phil. I thought I'd get you fitted for some angel wings now."

"Mac where's the pumpkin?" Sirius asked.

Since Phil was in a busy fight with Roy, Mac offered to go and make a new pumpkin from papier mache.

"I don't want a papier mache pumpkin!" Sirius muttered and went to have a cigarette by the window. Maybe it was that pesky moon, messing up everyone's mood.

"You know what else would work?" said Peter. "A shoe in a blanket!"
"Explain."

"You take a shoe-"
"Not you."

"The point is," said James, "that some git stole our punky. He needs to be punished."

"Or she."

"Or they."