Writing for Fun
December 2017
Mistletoe - Bob Wendelkin
Scarlett sat looking at the screen when all of a sudden the face of Father Christmas came on the screen.
‘Oh, Scarlett, I’m in desperate trouble, all my Christmas arrangements have been destroyed by that Leprechaun,’ said Father Christmas with tears streaming down his face into his white beard.
‘I’m not sure that I still believe in Santa,’ replied Scarlett as she looked at the screen.
‘That’s quite right, as people get older I try to encourage them to think that I don’t exist, if they did I would have the likes of David Attenborough hunting for me. Already I’ve had to move from the North Pole because of global warming, my life is difficult as it is without more problems caused by grown ups,’ replied Santa.
‘Well tell me what the problem is and why you have to call on my help,’ asked Scarlett.
‘I won’t be able to take the Christmas presents to the children as all my reindeer are unwell,’ said Father Christmas as he once more started to cry.
‘How did that happen? You always have them looked after by a vet don’t you?’ said Scarlett.
‘I didn’t this year as I needed to save money so I had this Leprechaun visit me a few days ago and he gave all my reindeer an injection. He said to protect them but after he had given them their jab. He started a very unpleasant laugh then told me that he had given them all Deer Flu and they will all be unwell over Christmas, so rubbing his hands he said all the children of the world will not get their presents this year. What am I to do. I can’t let the children down,’ said Father Christmas as he once more burst into tears.
‘I better come and see you straight away. Can you send me my transport,’ replied Scarlett.
‘I knew you would come so I’ve already sent him, he should be on your lawn.’
Scarlett looked out of the window and sure enough in the centre of the lawn stood a rocking horse. Scarlett knew the horse well as over the past few years she had travelled the world with him. Putting on her warm hat and coat, as she knew that it can be very cold in the far north, Scarlett made her way out of the house and climbed onto the rocking horse. As soon as she did the horse began to change from just a wooden horse and changed into Pegasus the winged horse of history.
‘To Father Christmas,’ said Scarlett into his ear.
The horse sprang into the air and like the wind began to fly faster and faster towards the north and Father Christmas.
Almost within minutes Pegasus was circling down to Father Christmas’s home. At his door he stood with Mother Christmas, both in tears.
‘Oh you’ve come thank you,’ said Father Christmas as he helped Scarlett off the horse.
‘Come let me see the reindeer,’ said Scarlett in a most business-like manner.
Father Christmas took Scarlett into the stables where the reindeer were housed. What Scarlett saw made her feel so upset because all Father Christmas’s reindeer looked so unwell.
Scarlett went up to Dasher, Prancer and Dancer. ‘You look so unwell do you think you will be well enough to draw Father Christmas’s sleigh tonight?’
‘I don’t think we are well enough but because of the children we will try,’ said Dancer.
‘I don’t think you are well enough,’ said Scarlett.
Turning to Father Christmas Scarlett asked, ‘Are there any reindeer locally who can replace your reindeer this year?’
‘No that wicked Leprechaun has given Deer Flu to all the reindeer. There are no replacements,’ said Father Christmas once more breaking in to tears.
A plan began to form in Scarlett’s mind.
‘I want you to get your Elves to make tie-on Reindeer Horns. I have to go back to England so I’ll need to use Pegasus again. Also I want you to get your sleigh packed with all the toys for the children. I’ll be back before you know it, but I’ll need to borrow your magic wand.’
Scarlett could see that she needed to take control as Father Christmas was far too upset to be of use until this matter was sorted out. They went back to Pegasus and once more Scarlett climbed on his back and once more whispered into Pegasus’s ear and the horse sprang into the air and they set off to the New Forest where Scarlett knew wild horses lived.
From her lofty view Scarlett could see where the horses were feeding in the forest.
‘There Pegasus take me down to where they are feeding but go slowly as we don’t want to frighten them,’ whispered Scarlett.
Down they went and they landed gently in the field with the horses. Scarlett got off Pegasus and went over to the horse who looked like he was the leader of the group.
‘What do you want?’ asked the horse in quite a gruff voice.
‘Father Christmas needs your help or the children of the world will not get any toys this year,’ said Scarlett in a most persuasive voice.
‘Good, we don’t like children as they often chase us and throw stones at us for no reason but to torment us,’ replied the horse.
‘I know that there are bad children but I also know that there are lots of good children in the world who are so poor that it is only the presents from Santa they will ever get. Please for their sake help me to help Father Christmas,’ said Scarlett.
‘What do you want us to do?’ asked the Horse.
‘Well an evil Leprechaun has given Deer flu to all the reindeer and they are so ill that they cannot pull Father Christmas’s sleigh tonight. I want you to come with me to Father Christmas’s home and then dress as reindeer and pull his sleigh,’ replied Scarlett.
‘Okay, if we agree how do we get to his home, he lives miles away, and we can’t fly. Can we?’ said the Horse.
‘I have the power to make you able to fly, if you all agree.’
The herd of horses all gathered around their spokes-horse and finally they agreed to help Father Christmas.
‘It’s been agreed we will help him, how do we get there?’ asked the horse.
‘That’s easy,’ said Scarlett as she waved Father Christmas’s wand.
As she did so the horses who volunteered to help began to grow wings. They just couldn’t believe what was happening to them. Then one tried to flap his wings and he took off from the ground.
‘This is wonderful,’ he neighed as he flew around the field.
The other horses with wings followed the first horse and very soon eight horses were flying around the field, they all seemed to be enjoying the fun.
‘Come on down there is work to be done, if you don’t I’ll wave this wand again,’ shouted Scarlett.
The horses could see that Scarlett was serious and they obeyed her orders and came down to the ground.
‘Now say your goodbyes to your friends and then get in line behind Pegasus and I and then off we go to Father Christmas,’ commanded Scarlett.
The group flew north to Santa’s grotto and very soon they circled down to where Father Christmas was waiting. His sleigh was packed with presents for the children who were on the other side of the world where the dateline was changing from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.
‘We have a very busy 24 hours as we follow the dateline round the world delivering the presents to the children,’ said Father Christmas.
Father Christmas’s elves came out from the grotto with tie-on Reindeer horns for the horses, so that if they were seen the people would believe that they had seen reindeer. The horses were hitched to Father Christmas’s sleigh.
To the horses Father Christmas said ‘When this delivery is over I will grant everyone a very special wish. I will make sure that you are always warm, well fed, healthy and most of all always very happy and contented. Now let’s go!’
Over his shoulder he shouted to Scarlett, ‘I will always think of you and love you, Scarlett you are so very special to me and all the people who know you. God Bless.’
The horses all gave a little jump and they all flew up into the sky to find the longitude from the North Pole that led to the date line, then south to the children.
Oh well I might as well go home thought Scarlett to herself. At that moment Mother Christmas came up to Scarlett and put her arms around her.
‘You don’t know how much worry you have taken off his shoulders. I thought at one moment that he was going to, never mind, you sorted out the problem, because you thought about it and found an answer,’ said Mother Christmas.
‘Come on Pegasus take me home.’
The two soared into the air and very soon Pegasus was circling down to Scarlett’s home. Scarlett got off the horse and gave him a lovely hug around his neck, Pegasus nuzzled Scarlett and returned to the sky.
Scarlett made her way back to the house where she looked through the window where she saw her Mummy kissing Santa Claus underneath the Mistletoe. Scarlett knew that wasn’t Father Christmas but her daddy dressed up, she knew that the real Father Christmas was looking after the children of the world.