Just One Present

A short story about temptation - for kids.

I wrote this story for my own children to help them understand about temptation, and why they must control it.

It was Daisy’s 12th birthday. She had been planning her birthday for the past six months. Her mum was given a birthday list months ago, her dad had to agree to her best friend and Daisy being chauffeured to the cinema, dinner and then the arcades. As far as Daisy was concerned, her birthday was the biggest and best by far.

As Daisy lay awake in her bed, she rolled over to check the time on her digital clock.

11:09pm.

The house was quiet; everyone was in bed. Daisy knew her parents had already taken her mountain of presents downstairs because she had heard the rustling of birthday paper.

Lying in her bed and looking up at the ceiling, she could make out the ceiling light.

“Ooo! I really want to open a present,” Daisy thought to herself.

She heard a voice on her left shoulder.

“You should open a present. You deserve it, you’ve been a good girl,” the voice said.

“No, you shouldn’t,” said the voice on the right shoulder. “Your mum and dad would be angry.”

“Oh! Don’t listen to that. Your parents won’t mind. It’s your birthday, besides they are YOUR presents. They belong to you.”

“Yes. That’s right. They do belong to me. They are mine. Therefore, I can do what I like.”

The angel on the right shoulder shook her head, but the devil on the left shoulder jumped for joy.

“That’s it, go on. It’s only one present.”

Daisy climbed out of bed and slowly made her way downstairs to the lounge, knowing where the presents were.

“Don’t do it. Please stop!” the angel cried, but Daisy ignored the voice. Instead, she reasoned her actions were okay.

“They won’t mind. It’s MY birthday.”

As Daisy slowly crept into the lounge, she pushed the door closed so as not to be disturbed. Then she flicked the light on. Her eyes lit up and her mouth opened wide as she gasped.

“Daisy! Don’t do this. You’ll get into big trouble with your parents, on your birthday.

Come on, just go back to bed. Don’t ruin it,” the angel pleaded.

“What am I doing? This is so naughty. I’ll just go back to bed. I don’t want to ruin my birthday,” reasoned Daisy.

“Come on, Daisy,” the devil said. “You’ll be fine. It’s your birthday and your presents.

Besides, it’s only one. Go on,” the devil encouraged. “You’ll be fine.”

Daisy hesitated. She paused for a moment.

“It’s only one,” urged the devil.

“It’s only one,” repeated Daisy.

And with that, she stormed forward towards the presents. The angel shouted loudly in her ear, “Don’t do it!”

Daisy swiped her right shoulder and the angel was pushed away, leaving the devil to point and roll around on her shoulder in laughter.

Daisy went straight to a good-sized present. It was solid and a cuboid shape. She pulled off the wrapping paper to reveal a brand-new 3D stereo player. Just what she’d asked for.

Suddenly, guilt set in and Daisy began to feel afraid, what had she done? She’d disobeyed her parents and not listened to the angel who was trying to protect her.

“I need to wrap it back up. What have I done?”

The angel was back on the right shoulder.

“It’s okay, we can fix this. Just go and get some tape.”

But Daisy didn’t know where the tape would be. It was too late at night to be searching the house.

“Come on, Daisy. Don’t be stupid. It’s only one present. Just explain in the morning to your parents. They won’t mind. You know what they’ll say: ‘It’s okay, Daisy. You could have opened them all. We wouldn’t mind. They are YOUR presents.’”

The angel yelled, “Your parents would not say that! Don’t listen to that voice.”

“Open all the presents. It’s YOUR birthday and they are YOUR presents.”

Daisy paused again.

“It is my birthday and they are my presents.”

With that, Daisy ripped open all her presents, every single one of them.

Suddenly, the door pushed open. It was Daisy’s mum and dad. Their eyes were bleary, but their mouths wide open as they gasped.

“Daisy! What have you done?” Mum cried out.

“I’m sorry, Mum.” Daisy bowed her head in shame.

“Sorry is not good enough. You’ve gone behind our backs. Why did you do this?” Dad yelled, as he rubbed his eyes.

“It’s my birthday, and my presents.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean to say you take them. You should have waited to be given them,” said Mum.

“I know,” Daisy said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it.”

“No. You shouldn’t have. Go to bed now,” said Dad.

Daisy started crying. The devil was laughing and pointing this time at Daisy.

“Haha! You’re in trouble. You’re in trouble.”

Then the angel flew over to the devil and kept his mouth shut for a while.

“Come on, Daisy. It will be okay. Let’s go back to bed,” said the angel, comforting her.

“Come on, Daisy. Back to bed,” whispered Mum, taking Daisy upstairs.

“I’m really sorry,” Daisy cried into her mum’s shoulder as she sat on her bed. “I was just so excited.”

“I know you were,” Mum said, putting her arm around her. “But being tempted isn't the same as doing something wrong. You could have chosen to stay in bed. You even knew you should.”

Daisy nodded.

“But the more you listened to the voice telling you it was okay, the easier it became to believe it.”

“It kept saying, ‘It’s only one,’” Daisy whispered.

“And was it only one?” Mum asked.

Daisy shook her head.

“No.”

“That’s the trouble with temptation,” Mum said. “It often starts with something very small. Just one. Nobody will know. It doesn’t really matter. But deep down, you usually know when something isn't right. That's the voice you need to listen to.”

“I’m sorry, Mum.”

“I know you are.”

Mum kissed Daisy goodnight and tucked the covers around her.

“Now get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day.”

Daisy fell asleep, but when morning came, she was afraid to get out of bed. Mum and Dad would still be angry, and she had ruined her own birthday.

Then there was a knock at her bedroom door.

Daisy pulled the covers up beneath her chin.

The door slowly opened.

There stood Mum, Dad and her younger brother Paul, and all three of them were smiling.

Paul was holding a present.

A wrapped present.

Daisy sat up.

Behind him, Mum and Dad were carrying more. Every present Daisy had opened the night before had been wrapped again.

“All my presents!” Daisy gasped.

Dad smiled. “We thought we'd give you another chance to enjoy your birthday properly.”

Daisy scrambled out of bed and threw her arms around them.

“Happy Birthday, Daisy!” they all cheered.

And this time, Daisy waited until the present was placed into her hands before she opened it.