Open Writing

“And now a final news item.” Announced the television news reader. “A satellite will break up in the skies over Australia tonight and there may be some parts of it fall to earth. No significant damage is expected but it is suggested you stay indoors if you live in the North East of Victoria. That’s all for this evening….We at the news desk, wish you all a very happy Christmas… Good Evening.” She smiled.

“No damage eh?” Toby’s Dad grinned. “It won’t be too good if it lands in our living room, will it?”

“Oh. I hope no one gets hurt.” Toby’s Mum frowned. She worried about things like that. “Time for bed Toby.” She smiled. “It’s Christmas Eve, Santa is coming!”

“Yay!” Toby yelled with excitement. “I’m going to see him tonight. He can’t sneak down tonight! The sky is clear and I’m going to watch ALL night.” He raced off to his bedroom with Barney his dog close behind.

*****************

The cicadas were making a loud chorus in the trees outside. Everyone knew that signalled it was going to be a hot Christmas Day.

By the light of the moon and stars owls, foxes, possums, wombats and all the night animals who lived on the farms and the in the forest were busy getting their food.

Santa and the reindeer flying down the coast after a busy time in Sydney loved watching the moonlight flash across the farm dams. Two black swans, who hadn’t been watching where they were going, almost fell out of the sky with surprise as Santa whooshed passed. “Hellooooo.” He called to them.

A couple of cheeky pelicans tried to race the sleigh for a while but gave up. Santa laughed and waved goodbye to them.

A quick landing and flash around and all Canberra’s presents were delivered. Then they took care of all the towns and places along the shimmering Murray River as it snaked it way down from the mountains to the plains.

Soon they passed over Mt Hotham where the snow had all melted and Santa called. “There’s Mt Buffalo! Goodness we are making good time tonight everyone!”

Santa lay back and waved to a jet plane as they flashed past. “Ho.Ho.Ho. They can’t catch us can they Rudolf?” He laughed and patted his stomach.

Rudolph snorted almost blowing the light in his nose out. He wished Santa would get some new gadgets for the sleigh, but it was true. No one could fly as fast as they could.

**************

Up higher than Santa and the sleigh, just as the newsreader had said, a satellite stopped working. It thumped, clunked, banged and tock, tock, tocked…..toooooocked and then nothing. It began to fall. Down, down, down, .faster, and faster and faster until it was screaming through the air! Bits fell off. Others bits burned up. Down, down it went. There was going to be a disaster!

“What’s that thing up there?” Santa pointed at the bright object flying toward them.

“Huh?” Rudolph looked up. “Oh! Oh! Oh my goodness! Everybody swerve!” Yelled Rudolph. But it was too late!

CRASH! THUMP! WALLOP! BANG! CCCCCCRUNCH!

“OUCH!! OOOOOH! AAAAaaaa..aa..ah.” Yelled Santa. As the reindeer, the sleigh, all the presents for everyone and Santa, turned heads over bottoms and CRASHED!

**************

In his house, Toby had been lying on his stomach looking out his bedroom window. A frog croaked and a couple of mosquitos whined. He had watched for Santa every year and never seen him, but he was going to see him tonight!

“Wow. Look at that falling star!” He hugged Barney who lay beside him on the bed. They watched the bright star with the fiery tail light up the sky. Suddenly there was an ENORMOUS flash and the bright light was gone.

Toby kept watching. He felt a funny feeling. A scary kind of feeling in his stomach and his legs. He thought he had seen something in the light. It seemed to be in the sky above the forest not too far away. But he wasn’t sure. He wondered if he should tell his Mum and Dad. “No…. I… won’t.” He patted Barney who was asleep.

Nothing more happened. Toby became very sleepy and soon he was dreaming of Christmas Day.

***************

In the forest meanwhile, Santa lay amongst some bushes but he was very, very still. An owl hooted at the sight of the reindeer all tangled up in their harness and some stuck in the bushes with their legs poking up in the air or buried under piles of broken toys and dented parcels.

Rudolph freed himself and after tripping over some parcels, turned his nose up as bright as he could get it so he could see better and find Santa amongst all the stuff. He found him on top of a big pile of toys. First he nudged him, then he blew in his ear, then he poked him. No, Santa wouldn’t wake up. By the light from his nose, Rudolph could see Santa had a big bump on his head.

“Nothing for it.” He thought. “Tomorrow is Christmas Day and it is going to be hot. Santa in his big red suit will roast and we have to get our deliveries done! I have to get help.”

After getting the other reindeer untangled, he left them to guard Santa while he set off to find a farm. He had seen the reflection of a dam as they passed over and he knew there should have been a bike delivered in this area. A dam meant a house was nearby. It would be dawn in a few hours and they still had so much work to do. What a predicament!!!!

Rudolph walked and walked. His feet hurt from the hard stony ground and he sooooo wanted a drink! He was near the dam but he knew that Christmas and Santa depended on him, so he bravely kept going.

***************

It wasn’t quite dawn. Toby and woken up very early and sneaked out to check under the Christmas tree.

Toby couldn’t believe what he saw. Because what he saw was NOTHING!

NOTHING! THERE WAS NOTHING UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE!

His head down and trying not to cry he dragged hit feet along out to the back door and plopped his bottom down on the step. He felt sooooo sad and disappointed and just a little bit cross too. He had desperately wanted a new bike like his friend Jake’s. He knew his letter to Santa had been posted. He had written it in his best handwriting and watched when his Mum put it in the post box in town! He thought he had been really good this year too. Some of the others kids in his class had been much naughtier than him sometimes!

He had not only missed seeing Santa, Santa had missed HIM! What a horrible horrible, horrible Christmas!

Looking down the dusty driveway in the dim light of the early dawn he thought he saw a skinny cow trotting up toward the house. As the animal came nearer, Barney gave a low growl. Toby squinted trying to see it better. “What’s that?” He asked Barney who had left the step and was walking in a wide slow circle around the back of the big cow which was still coming slowly up the track.

Barney looked a bit scared but acted bravely. He seemed ready to nip the heels of the strange animal with the enormous horns. It was a weird cow. Its nose glowed just like a brake light! The look he was giving the animal seemed to say.” Just let him try something rough, I’ll would fix you!” He growled again.

“Mum Dad.” Toby called “Come here quickly!” He called louder.

The cow looked steadily into Toby’s eyes.

Rudolph knew that if anyone could understand what he wanted, this boy could. Children his age were special.

Toby could see the animal was trying to tell him something. But what?

A sleepy Mum and Dad were standing staring.

“Where in the blazes did he come from?” Dad was asking

All of a sudden Toby understood. He pointed excitedly.

“His nose…..Look at his nose! It’s red! It glows!” He jumped up more excited than he had ever been in his life. “It’s Rudolph Mum. It’s Rudolph Dad!”

“Heavens.” Mum’s hands flew to her face.

“By crikey Toby. If you’re right, then where is Santa?” He winked at Mum. No one had been awake long enough to listen to the radio or television yet to-day in their house.

“That’s why there aren’t any presents.” Shouted Toby. He knew his Dad had strange ideas about Santa and Christmas. He thought sometimes his Dad didn’t even believe in Santa. But here was the proof, right in front of them. He remembered the flash, the scary feeling in his stomach.

“Santa’s had an accident! I saw it! There was this shooting star and it flashed…..brilliant it was…. That’s what I saw. It must have been the satellite breaking up. It was Santa and the sleigh.” He clutched his Dad’s arm “We have to do something. He must be out there!” He pointed at the mountains and panted, trying to catch his breath after saying so much in one breath.

“He must be hurt!!!” He turned again to the animal “Are you Rudolph?”

Rudolph wiggled his eyebrows and stamped his foot “Smart kid.” He thought. “You tell them boy!”

Dad turned to Mum opening his eyes very wide. “He wants me to get on the ‘phone and call the emergency S.E.S to rescue Santa after he has been shot out of the sky by a bit of space junk! They’ll think I’m nuts!”

Mum looked from the reindeer to the boy, then to Dad. “It’s a reindeer standing there, dear. One with a big shining nose.” She put her hand on his shoulder.” Can you think of any other reason why he should be standing at our door?”

Dad looked at Rudolph, who winked at Dad and swung his head toward the gate.

“Pleeeeeeease Dad.” Toby pleaded

Even Barney was sitting with his head hanging to one side.

“I’ll never live this one down.” Dad grumbled. He turned to go indoors to make what he was sure, would be the most embarrassing ‘phone call of his life.

**************

In all parts of Australia, other children had woken up to find Santa had not come.

Some were trying to be brave, some were yelling at their unhappy parents, some were snivelling and crying and others were stomping about and putting on the most awful tantrums.

The first news reports announcing Santa’s disappearance had been made and everyone was concerned about the Christmas that hadn’t come.

Word spread across the country and then soon across the world that Santa was lost in the Australian bush.

*********************

Back at the farm Dad was telling the family to, “Hop in the truck!”, as he picked up his keys and hat from the chair near the door.

“Now, which way Rudolph?” He asked the reindeer, who by now Toby had given an enormous drink and waited patiently beside the steps.

“I can’t believe I just said that.” Dad muttered to himself.

Rudolph feeling better from the drink trotted quickly in front of dad’s old truck which blew black smoke and stinky fumes out the back. He was glad not to be walking behind it. The sleigh with its tinkling bells and silent travel was so much nicer.

Of course because the sleigh was such an old one without homing devices and radios and all the new things that modern vehicles have in them, it would be much harder to find.

The sun was up now and Rudolph could feel the heat. His feet hurt but he knew Santa and the other reindeers would also be getting hot. They came from the North Pole. They weren’t used to the heat.

Toby and the family saw that Rudolph was limping. “ He’s not used to the hard ground.” Toby’s Mum flicked at the flies.” And he’s finding the flies irritating too.”

“Everyone finds them irritating.” Dad scoffed.

Toby didn’t care about the flies. He was enjoying himself.

“What a big country this is.” Thought Rudolph as he plodded along. Cockatoos and parrots flew ahead helping him find his way and the Kookaburra’s laughed making Rudolph jump with fright. They were just telling all the birds to let the other reindeers know they were coming.

The sky by now was a brilliant blue and the smell in the air reminded him of something Mrs Claus used when she caught a cold.

****************

Toby’s Dad had called the S.E.S and now a helicopter came in sight and hovered over the small group. It then flew ahead, the pilots hoping to catch a glimpse of the missing sleigh.

The pilot buzzed around Mt Buffalo with its flat rocky sides and on over a smaller ridge of hills. The wind from the helicopter blades made a small object dislodge from a tree and it flew up and stuck to the windscreen. It had writing on it which read. ‘To Robert, with lots of love’ Mum & Dad and lots of XXXXXXX’s after it.

“What’s that?” The pilot pointed to a whirling fury object flying past the window.

“That’s a teddy bear!” His mate shouted above the roar of the engine.

As they flew lower, they could see wrapping paper, dolls and toys of all types, bicycles, surfboards, colouring books and painting kits, lots and lots of socks, jocks and knickers, all hanging from trees and bushes.

***********

The swirling whirlwind of presents made it easier for Toby and his family and poor relieved Rudolph to find the sleigh.

A VERY hot and bothered Santa was sitting up and carefully feeling a big bump on his head.

The helicopter pilot, his mate and Dad gently lifted Santa into the machine and took him back to the farm.

Rudolf who by now was VERY tired, agreed to get into the tray of the truck and ride back to the farm. He wished he could hold his nose so he didn’t have to smell it but decided it was better than walking. But never as good as pulling the sleigh.

Mum and Toby and Rudolf drove back as fast as they could with Rudolph bumping along in the back. He was glad none of his friends at the North Pole could see him. It was VERY embarrassing.

. When they arrived, Mum Santa had already had a drink and awash so she put an ice pack on his bruises, special stuff on his cuts and a couple of plasters on his grazed nose.

After an enormous helping of Mum’s special Christmas pudding, he settled back into Toby’s bed and was soon snoring.

Toby nearly burst he was so proud to see Santa in his bed fast asleep with his fluffy snow white beard, now clean and brushed, rippling each time he snored.

**********

While Santa slept, the S.E.S volunteers and Dad repaired the sleigh. The reindeer all rested in the shade of the eucalyptus trees near the dam and the children patted and fussed over them. People came to see what all the fuss was about on the farm and were soon working hard picking up and re-wrapping all the parcels that could be salvaged. Any of the damaged ones had a small I.O.U put in them from Santa which said he would make up for it next year.

They all worked as hard and as fast as they could making jokes about being Santa’s little helpers. Some even thought it was the best Christmas they could ever remember!

It was still early in the day so it wasn’t too late for Christmas to arrive for some people.

**************

“Hold still.” The flash went and Dad and Toby had a picture taken for the next day’s newspaper. The television crews just missed getting pictures of Santa and the sleigh as it took off again whooshing away like lightning into the sky.

“If it hadn’t happened to us, I’d have sworn it was a hoax.” Dad sighed as he leant back in the couch that evening.

On their mantelpiece, in pride of place, stood a lovely photo of Toby, Santa, Dad, Mum, Barney and the hero of it all, Rudolph.

XXXXXXXXX

Liz devoted all money raised by selling this story, which also appeared as a CD, towards voluntary emergency organisations. She wrote it following the Australian bush fires in 2003 which devastated thousands of square miles of mountain country. Many people lived under a pall of smoke which blotted out the sun for weeks and weeks, and left their homes and furnishings stinking for even longer.

http://elizabeththompsonmywrite.blogspot.com/