Once upon a time, four sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March lived together with their mother in a cozy little town in New England. Meg, the eldest, was beautiful and lively. Jo, the second sister, was a tomboy and wanted to become a writer. Beth, the third, was shy, gentle and kind. Amy, the youngest, was the prettiest of all and could get away with almost anything. Their neighbours called them the Little Women.
One day, a soldier came to their door. He wanted to take their father away to the army to fight the Civil War. “I have your draft notice, Sir. Please get ready to leave.” The girls were very upset and started crying. “Don’t cry girls; I will be back before you know it!” said the father.
After their father had gone to war, hardship descended on the family. Without their father, they couldn’t get enough money to buy food for themselves. Their mother worked but didn’t get enough to support the family. They didn’t know how they would make it until their father’s return.
One day, a letter arrived from the battlefield. It said that their father had been wounded in the battle and was now in the hospital.
Their mother was very upset and as she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, “I have to be there to take care of your father, but where can we get money for the train ticket?” Jo was the toughest of the sisters and she believed that she would find a way. “It will be all right, mother. I will find the money,” uttered she.
When Jo finally returned home, everyone was shocked to see that all her beautiful hair was gone. With a big smile on her face, Jo handed the money to her mother and said, “Mom, you see; I found some money, like I promised. I speak the truth.”
“Jo! Where did you get so much money? Tell me at once.”
Jo said, “I sold some of my hair.”
In front of her family, Jo pretended that everything was fine, but that night when she went to bed, she couldn’t help crying. Meg tried to console her. The sisters embraced tenderly with tears in their eyes.
Their mother left and the sisters had to take care of themselves and do household chores.
One day, Beth fell ill. She had high fever and was shaking all over. Her sisters took very good care of her. “How are you feeling, Beth? I’m sorry that I was mean before,” said Amy.
Despite her sisters’ love and care, Beth grew from bad to worse.
“Jo, we need a doctor. Will you be able to find his house?” uttered Meg.
“Yes, it’s the one with the big tree,” replied Jo.
“That’s right. Please bring him as soon as possible.”
“All right! I will be back soon,” Jo told.
A terrible snowstorm raged and howled outside, but Jo knew that she had to get the doctor, come what may. Finally, the doctor arrived. He examined Beth closely and gave his diagnosis, “She has scarlet fever. Keep the fever down and she will be better soon.” The sisters were relieved that Beth was going to be fine, but they had another worry. The doctor couldn’t understand why they still looked so concerned. “Don’t fret girls; Beth will be OK as soon as the fever disappears.”
“We are very glad to hear that; but I’m afraid we have no money to pay for your visit,” said Meg.
“That’s not a problem. I will ask your parents when they return. How about that?” the doctor said.
The sisters heaved a sigh of relief. After the doctor’s visit, the sisters took even better care of Beth, hoping to make her well soon. Unfortunately, Beth was unhappy because she missed her mother. At that moment, their mother walked through the door. The sisters were overjoyed and ran into her arms.
“My daughters, how are you?” mother said.
Beth was also very happy to have her mother back.
“Mother, is father coming home soon?” stated Meg.
“The war is almost over. Your father has hurt his leg, but he is already getting better and missing you all very much! I hope he will be with us soon. So don’t worry, Meg. Everything will be all right.”
“We miss father so much!” all sisters told.
“I know dear. You have been so brave, taking care of one another,” mother said.
Christmas Eve came, and the sisters hung their stockings above the fireplace, waiting for presents. They were very poor, but they were happy to be together.
The mother watched her daughters feeling worried and a little sad. It was almost Christmas, but she knew they didn’t have enough money for presents or a holiday feast. ‘This is going to be a sad and lonely Christmas,’ she thought. That night, as the sisters lay down to sleep, each dreamt of the present she wanted most. Meg wanted to fall in love with a dashing young man. Jo dreamt of a beautiful dress. Beth dreamt of a piano and Amy imagined a delicious frosted cake.
Christmas morning came. And the sisters were disappointed to discover there were no presents under the tree. They didn’t even have any food for breakfast. Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door. Amy ran to the door to see. The door swung open and there stood their father.
“How have you been, my princesses?” father said.
Having their father back safe and sound was the best Christmas present the Little Women could ever have imagined.
