It was dark when they finally got home and his parents got busy in the kitchen preparing a buffet supper. His Aunt Margaret and Uncle Bill would be there shortly. Many of their neighbors usually showed up, too. Alfred went to his room to try to find a present for Agnes. Elsie and the sheep were running around on the dresser. The angel light glittered and music filled the room. Alfred asked, “Do you think I should check the woods one more time tonight?” Elsie and the sheep nodded vigorously and he felt someone take him by the elbow and lead him down the stairs, through the kitchen without his parents noticing him, and out the back door. Bright stars illuminated a glistening, snowy path, leading him a little beyond his fort. The huge cedar tree he often darted under when it was raining seemed to have a light shining on it. Alfred approached, listening. His heart leapt when he saw the nativity scene beneath its boughs. At least it looked like a nativity scene. He knelt in the snow for a closer look. There was a stable of sorts situated in a hollow in a huge boulder. Tiny sheep, cows, donkeys, goats and even a horse were gathered around, some sleeping, some eating and some gazing at the sky. “It’s perfect, except for the people,” he thought.