Every year the townsfolk of Santa’s Village hold a contest. The village is full of gnomes, and each family purchases their own to take home after the celebration.
Each gnome is different; some are decorated with bells or other festive items. One particular gnome was almost three feet tall and made to resemble an old man in a red outfit. He had a long gray beard tied in the back with a bow, and his hair was made of small branches. His hat had an extra-long brim to cover his face.
This gnome became very special to one family when their two-year old son died unexpectedly on Christmas day the previous year. They didn’t go out to buy a new gnome, but instead kept the man that had comforted them through their grief.
This year was the twelfth Christmas since their son’s death, and they only placed the old gnome out during this time of year. They attached a small piece of plywood to his back for stability when he was leaned against the wall; they wanted to make sure he would not fall over.
This family had a daughter born on the same day their son died, and she would be turning two years old on Christmas Day this year. They decided that it was time to bring out her very own gnome. Her mother told the story of ‘The Long Gnome’ to explain to the girl that he was magic, and would watch over her while they were busy.
They were not sure why this gnome had touched their lives so much in such a short time, but the daughter seemed to enjoy listening to the story and meeting him.
The family pulled out their old friend and leaned him up against a wall; the mother told the little girl to give him a hug and let him know her name.
The daughter seemed startled by all of this, but gave the gnome a quick peck on the cheek before cuddling up with her parents. They laughed together at their fondness for such an odd gnome.
Later that evening, when they all went to bed, the daughter was put into her own bed for the first time. Her parents were proud that she seemed content with this and kissed her goodnight. They left a small nightlight on, and pulled the door almost closed behind them as they left.
Around two o’clock in the morning the girl woke up; she had been startled by a nightmare and wanted to come in with her parents. The door was shut, so she walked over to the gnome and asked him to let her in. He remained silent, but his eyes lit up when he saw the doorknob turn from inside the room.
The little girl pulled the door open and ran into her parent’s room, thinking the gnome had helped her. She jumped into bed with them and went back to sleep in a flash, but her parents were a bit more startled by this behavior.
The next morning they asked why she suddenly was afraid of being alone at night and if anything else unusual had happened. The little girl thought about it for a minute and then asked if she could show her mother something.
Her parents agreed, and the girl picked up the gnome off of its leaning spot by the wall. She held it in both hands as she said, “Thank you Long Gnome for watching over me last night.”
The old man had a tear roll down his cheek as he silently watched over his newest friend.
The little girl took the gnome, along with her parents’ permission, to bed each night from that point on. The parents were reassured by this, and for eleven years they assumed she was showing her gratitude for being so attentive during what must have been a terrifying moment in her life.
On the girl’s twenty-first birthday her parents decided it was time to explain the story of ‘The Long Gnome’ as a way to explain her strange attachment to an inanimate object. She had been sleeping with him from the night she was born, and they believed this might have been the reason for their daughter’s odd behavior.
When they told her about the gnome’s magic capability, she told them that he actually had said goodbye to her when she turned twenty-one. She explained that every night after she turned in for bed he would come into her room and wish her sweet dreams. This continued until one night he kissed her goodnight; this was his way of silently letting the girl know that it was time to grow up.
She thought her parents were confused for thinking he was magic, and that she had simply outgrown him, but this Christmas would be the last time she ever used him as a teddy bear.
They moved the gnome to the side of their house with other old relics, including an old wicker playpen turned into a flower pot. He still sat there, watching over the young woman as she went on with her life.
She would visit him often as she grew older, and each time he seemed to look a bit more worn down from age and weathering. The gnome always made sure to smile for his friend when they visited, and she liked to think he was genuinely happy to see her.
When the little girl saw it sitting there on the side of the house one day, she knew what had to be done. She picked him up and kissed him on his wooden cheek before taking him inside and placing him gently on a pedestal in her living room.
She would sit and talk with him at night when she was home from work, and would tell him about her day. She also would go on walks to visit her neighbors, taking the gnome’s hand as they went down the street.
He looked much older now than he had even a year ago, but he still sat patiently as he waited for his friend to come and talk with him. When she wasn’t home he sat watching television or reading a book, but he always listened for her at night as she climbed the stairs up to her apartment.
Years passed as they grew older together; the girl’s parents had now passed away and gone on to whatever was waiting for them after death. The little girl’s life was full of friends and work that she loved, but without fail each night she welcomed the gnome into her home.
She really did feel bad for him sometimes, since he had to be there when she wasn’t. But he always simply smiled at her when she asked if he wanted to go outside while she was gone.
The gnome’s beard had now turned gray, and his eyes were covered in a film of dust. The girl had moved on with her friends to more social gatherings, leaving the lonely old relic by himself each night.
He walked over to the window one afternoon after spending an entire week all alone watching an old movie for the fifth time. He looked down at the street and saw a young boy with his friends playing stick ball. He watched as the boys took turns running home after hitting the ball, and he wondered if this was what childhood felt like.
The gnome had never known what it felt like to play as a child; he had been sitting there watching over that girl since before he had even been born. He wondered if she was thinking about him, or if she had forgotten all about the sentient gnome sitting on her now-vacant dresser.
That night as the girl came home from work, she found that the gnome’s eyes were shut; his smile permanently frozen in time by dust and age.
The girl took a piece of paper and wrote a note, setting it on the gnome’s wooden knee with a pen beside it. She placed him underneath her Christmas tree, where he would sit as an ornament from now on.
Before she went to bed that night, she sat down in front of the gnome and cried for hours. She thought about all the years they had spent together, and about how sad she would be on Christmas every year without him.
As she wondered what life had in store for her now, a little piece of white hair fell from his face and landed on the note he was resting against. It read: “To my dearest friend, thank you for everything. May your life continue to be full of magic.”
And that night she went to bed knowing that one day the gnome would watch over someone else with the same love he had shown her when they were younger.
And in return, when she grew old and passed away, the little girl would watch over him just as patiently with the same smile he had always shown her.
The End.
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