: A beggar, an orphaned boy, falls on a Christmas tree to Christ. In the morning they find his little corpse.

Boy with pen

In front of the Christmas tree and on the Christmas tree, the narrator constantly sees a little boy “with a pen” - this is the name of those who beg for alms. These little beggars come from dysfunctional families, and their future is as bleak as the present of their parents - drunkenness, theft, an unhappy family, and eternally hungry children.

Christ boy at the Christmas tree

A little boy, about six years old, wakes up in a damp and cold basement. He is very hungry and is trying to wake a sick mother. He does not succeed, because his mother died, but the boy still does not understand what death is. He is only surprised by her mother’s cold and still face.

Without getting it, he goes out into the street. Wandering around the city, the boy looks out the windows, in one he sees a girl dancing with a boy, in the other - four mistresses who give pies to everyone who comes. The boy also entered their house. One of the mistresses hastily pokes him a pretty penny and opens the door herself. A frightened boy drops a coin and runs away.

He stumbles upon a crowd of people watching a puppet show that he really likes. But soon an older boy beats him. The baby is forced to run away.

Having run into the gateway, he settles down for firewood. He becomes warm and good. The boy hears a voice inviting to the Christmas tree. He sees a magnificent Christmas tree and many joyful boys and girls. He himself rejoices and enjoys being next to them. These are the same children as he, who died at an early age for various reasons (some froze, others suffocated).

In the morning, the janitors find the body of a frozen little boy, a little later they find the body of his mother, who died a little earlier.