Dragons Save Christmas
By David Stevens
Part 1 (2013)
It was one of those
days where the wind was whistling across the arid snow-field. The call of the
winter was building, but none of that mattered as the old man swung his huge
feet out of his bed. He stood up and stretched, then with still slightly blurry
eyes (too much eggnog last night) he reached out and picked up his trousers. He
stepped lithely into them for a man of his great age. Next he pulled on his
jacket adding a thick belt, and then bending and squinting, he looked down to
find his black boots. His white beard as always stood out perfectly, framing
his smiling happy face.
He was awake,
alert and had things, far too many things to do this morning. First though he
had animals to pat and talk to as well as feed, or there would be complaints. The
reindeer had arrived as they always did and in plenty of time for the big day, it
was to them that he strolled whistling a jolly tune, a smile fixed firmly on
his face.
As he approached
the first of the reindeer stalls a loud barking cough filled the air, followed
swiftly by a heart rending sneeze. Santa, the old man, halted; concern blooming
in his thoughts as he listened hard. The sneeze was repeated and others joined
in. The reindeer were ill and by the sound of it they were suffering badly with
colds and barking coughs. Oh dear, it was going to be Christmas-eve in just a
few short hours! The busiest time of the year for him and without the reindeer
to pull the sled for him. Christmas was in danger of being cancelled for the
first time in many long centuries!
Santa opened the
first door and looked in. Rudolf with his nose so red, looked up at Santa with
his eyes filled with moisture and his nose flickering as he breathed. He was
looking pathetic, standing on wobbly legs, shivering as though he was cold.
Santa halted, he looked again and then he called for help.
“Help!” He
screamed, “The reindeer are ill! Help,” he called attracting the attention of
every elf in the building. Toys froze in mid-air, paintbrushes stopped in mid-stroke,
the business of Christmas halted with Santa’s call.
Elves poured from
every doorway, all running as fast as they could towards the source of the cry
for help. Santa stood aside letting the elves see. One pushed forward through
the gathering. He held the magic bag the one used to make do and mend when an elf
cut himself, or had gotten a little tipsy on the eggnog, or had overdone the
Christmas cake. He looked at the befuddled reindeer and shook his head. He looked
at Santa and said clearly so all could hear.
“That’s one sick reindeer
and he will be that way for the next three days!”
He shook his head
again and departed knowing that he could do nothing to help any of them. Santa
watched as his last hope for Christmas walked away, shoulders slumped, dragging
his magic bag of useless remedies behind him.
Christmas could
not be cancelled Santa thought, to do so was unthinkable. He looked around at
the elves, all of whom had reached the conclusion that without reindeer how was
Santa going to deliver all the nice children’s presents?
Santa sat alone in
his office looking out of the window at the falling snow, searching for an
answer. He looked at the desk and a tiny voice said something just discernable
into his left ear - a fairy had spoken. Santa reached out knowing that what he
was about to do was a first for him, but also that he had no choice, there was
only one thing he could do if he was going to save Christmas. He dialled a number
from memory and waited. He knew it would take time for the person he was
ringing to answer, if they answered at all. For the next three minutes Santa
listened to the dialling tone, it rang and it rang and then finally a voice
said, “Hello.”
“David is that you?
It’s Santa and I need your help!”
Santa told David
everything. He told him about Rudolf and the other reindeer, and about the
presents, the sleigh, the sky and the snow, and finally he told him that if he
could not come up with an answer then Christmas would have to be cancelled this
year!
David listened -
he thought quickly, which he had a habit of doing. He then cut across Santa
telling him to listen. David was in full-on bossy mode and Santa got the shock
of his life, because he had never heard David in such a firestorm of ideas. The
end result was that Santa was told to do nothing and David would get back to
him very soon, but he was to carry on as normal. David told Santa not to worry
it would be alright - he could and would sort it out. Then to Santa’s
annoyance David hung up on him, leaving him as confused as he had been at the
start, but at least he had some hope now. If David could do what he said he
would and save Christmas, then Santa could relax, but the question that
continually rang through his mind was, ‘could he, could David save Christmas?’
In a large house
in the Midlands of England a telephone connection burned with voices, shortly a
computer connection added to the electric use, and at the same time a red
dragon of immense proportion reared up filling the office window with its head.
Robert the young dragon had arrived. He listened, nodded and agreed. David’s
plan was now underway. An hour later all around the world creatures rarely seen
took to their wings. The dragons had heard the call and had answered. They
would save Christmas if it was at all possible.
Farloft stepped
out into the daylight his wings spread wide as he launched himself into the air
heading North. Soon he met Alv flitting through the clouds, then a griffin
cross called Yogoloth joined them. Soon the sky was filled with the beating of
dragon wings.
The last strap had
been tightened by cook, who had only come out to give David a flask of coffee,
held in a check patterned duffel bag and filled with some thick cut chicken
sandwiches she had made, when she had heard of the disaster for Christmas that David
was attempting to avoid. Robert the dragon spread his wings wide. He looked
back over his shoulder, twisting his head so he could see his passenger.
A puff of oily smoke
filling the air as he said, “Hold on we are taking off.”
With that the red
dragon’s wings beat down hard, pushing him and David sitting on his back in his
wheelchair high into the air.
One quick circuit
of the house and grounds, a flash of fire to say good bye to those waving up at
him and Robert headed North towards Santa’s home. Four hours later the ground
beneath his wings looked white, the snow was blowing in the wind, but there before
him rising from the ground was a large candy striped pole with a red flashing
light at its top. Robert circled low descending close to the pole, he was mightily
glad that Her Ladyship had given both him and David a nice thick warm scarf to
wear against the cold. The ground closed and with a rather inelegant slip and slide
he landed. What was revealed to his dragon eyes stunned him. Robert saw a sight
he had never expected to see in his life - a true gathering of dragons - thirty-six
dragons and all different in aspect or colour, but all of them there to save
Christmas if they could.
Farloft and Alv
stepped forward rubbing muzzles with Robert the latest arrival, as a cheery
voice boomed out “Welcome,” into the driving snow. Santa was standing there
waiting for them to arrive.
It would take four
dragons to pull the sleigh. It would not be as fast as the reindeer, but Santa
had allowed for that. The other thirty-three would fly along side and replace those
that needed replacing when they got tired. They worked out a rota which in the
end required David’s input, as all of the dragons wanted to show that they were
at least as good as the sneezing reindeer. Next the sleigh was loaded, which as
magic was used took very little time or room up, which was a good thing as David
was going along for the ride and that meant a quick modification to the sleigh;
taking the form of removing a chair so David’s wheelchair could slot in next to
Santa.
The hot chocolate
and cookie machine was filled and Santa looked on in amazement. He then boarded
the sleigh picking up the whip as he always did intending to crack it above the
reindeer heads. David reached out taking it gently from him and dropping it
over the side.
“These are dragons
Santa, they might not take too kindly to any sort of whip.”
Santa nodded he
had not thought, so he said, “Dragons roll…” and roll they did.
Dragons do not accelerate
gently they more leap into the air and flap hard to gain height, which was a
novel experience for Santa; as was pulling a sleigh in harness for the dragons.
All around the
sleigh the beating of dragon wings filled the air. David reached out for a mug
of Santa’s special hot chocolate. He was proud of his friends and their dragons,
and thankfully Christmas was on the way to being saved by them all …
To be continued.
Merry Christmas one & all…
Dragons Save Christmas
By David Stevens
Part 2 (2014)
“Up, up and away,”
shouted out Santa.
Before him
stretched a line of four assorted dragons, whilst many others surrounded his
sleigh waiting to depart. A gathering of mythical creatures, which had been
drawn together by David Stevens from all over the world, and every one of them
there to help Santa save Christmas. The grin on Santa’s face as he looked at
the mighty wings and scales as they unfolded could light up the whole of the
North Pole. As one the wings drove down then up as the claws attached to powerful
feet dug into the smooth compacted ice. The sleigh moved forward, not in the
smooth even way it would if Santa’s reindeer were doing the pulling, but
forward in a jerking, yanking, hop skip and a jump kind of way.
Santa was standing
up in his sleigh, cheering the dragons on as they accelerated over the ice of
the North Pole. Shortly the first dragon, a mighty creature called Farloft,
launched upward into the sky and the other three harnessed dragons swiftly
followed suit - as the dragons pulled Santa’s sleigh from the cold ice into the
sky and away. Santa was air-born. Christmas was on the way to being saved, and
all because he had called David Stevens, the mage, in desperation when he had
discovered that the reindeer were too ill to fly. From the ground cheers of joy
echoed up into the crisp wintry sky as the elves waved them off.
Ahead waited the world,
ahead waited children eagerly trying to remain awake so that they might see Santa
Clause arrive with his special gifts. Little did those children know that as Santa
landed his sleigh on their home’s roves magic would disperse, so that no matter
how hard any child might fight to remain awake, they would fail as a magical
sleep and lovely dreams pervaded their thoughts. Santa is never seen, that is
how it should be, that is how it has always been, and that is how it will
always be according to Santa himself, when David had asked him about the possibility
of a child being awake.
Delivery followed
delivery as the sleigh drawn through the air by dragons, not reindeer, headed
to the sun and a new day - Christmas day. Santa had a route he followed, a route
that everyone knew well, a route that the military around the world recognised.
His sleigh had been tracked ever since the first radar system had been
developed. The watchers watched, cheering him on knowing it was him. His speed
through the air confirmed any doubt.
*****
Located deep
beneath the ground in Wisconsin America, is a top secret instillation placed
there to monitor everything that flies near to or over America.
“Sir!”
“Yes corporal.”
“I have a bogey
sir. It’s coming in over the ocean at six thousand feet.”
“That will be
Santa Clause. Ignore him. He is just doing his normal Christmas Eve
deliveries.”
“Sir it’s moving
too slow and flying too low. I have tracked Santa a few times and he moves much
faster and much higher than this.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes Sir. Certain.”
“Scramble
interceptors let’s take a look at it.”
At the touch of a
button the data was fed to the nearest interceptor squadron and a minute and a
half later two fighter jets exploded into the sky, climbing fast. On their radar
a target appeared. A target they swung wide around so as to be able to approach
it from the rear.
*****
Santa was sitting
next to David, the reins loosely held in his hands. All around him the beat of
dragon wings filled the air. In front of him pulling for all they were worth
the dragons flew. David reached forward pulling the bright red leaver with a
green Christmas bauble at its top, causing the thickest, richest, hot chocolate
to ever be found anywhere to dribble into Santa’s mug. The one that had ‘Merry
Christmas’ emblazoned in red around its body. David handed the mug to Santa,
then sitting back a little to get comfortable and pulling up the thick rug he
had been given, he like Santa sipped at his own luxurious drink.
“Do you think we
will be able to complete the objective?” he asked Santa.
“It will be close.
The dragons are not as fast as my reindeer, but they are doing a terrific job
so far.”
From up front a
lone voice filled the air. A deep resonating voice, Farloft’s voice, which
thundered out ‘Ten green bottles hanging on a wall,’ other voices joined in and
soon the clouds echo to the riotous singing of 35 or so assorted dragons, none
of whom can hold a key.
Santa smiled,
adding to his statement, “And they are a lot noisier as well!”
David laughed
enjoying the sound of success and wondering what all the children would say if
they knew that dragons were delivering Santa and his presents, not his normal
reindeer. Poor Rudolf with his nose so red from a cold, David thought.
*****
A huge dragon
named Alv looked over his shoulder as the wing tip of a blue green dragoness lightly
touched him. She was staring behind her looking a little concerned. Alv looked
further around and then he saw why, two grey streaks were flying fast towards
them. He called out to some of his companions and as one they pealed off away
from Santa and the sled, circling up through the clouds and around, gaining the
rear of the approaching craft. The first the pilots knew off the change in the
situation was when one of them found that his cockpit had developed a face
looking in at him. A blue tinged face with large teeth all lined up. Dragons do
not appear on radar…
The pilot jerked
in shock and called out into his radio attracting the attention of his
companion, who was in the process of realising that he could not change
direction as six dragons had boxed his plane in. A head appeared next to his cockpit,
the long neck of the creature allowing the dragon to fly above the much slowed
jet whilst leaning down to inspect the occupant. The pilot smiled nervously. He
had recognised the sled and the large man in red who was standing up waving
cheerily at him. He waved back, which seemed to please the rather too close
dragon, who peeled away slightly before flying past the plane and settling in
behind the sleigh.
He looked back at
the pilot he had scared and grinned a cheeky grin as both planes peeled away,
heading back to base and at the same time confirming that the intruder was
friendly. Though, it would be right to say that both pilots wondered if the ground
crews would believe them, when they told them that Santa’s sleigh was not being
pulled by the expected reindeer, but by four large dragons. If they believed
that then they might believe that it was also flying in the company of thirty
or so more of the mythical creatures and that Santa had a man in a wheelchair
sitting next to him.
“That was interesting,”
exclaimed David, as he turned his head away from watching the fast departing
fighter jets.
“It certainly was,”
boomed out Alv, as he moved up to the head of the line to replace Farloft as
lead dragon. Other dragons did likewise freeing up the first wave of sleigh
pulling dragons for a well deserved rest on the wing.
*****
They had delivered
many presents and each time Santa had departed the sleigh alone having
delivered them and returned, and they had moved on. So what was so different about
this house David wondered? David had a map with their progress marked on it so
he could visualise what they were doing. They had covered the first half of America Canada Zealand and then all of Europe . Now as David looked forward beyond the flying
dragons he could see the white cliffs of Dover
“I think you will
want to see this one David and besides I need your help.”
David looked up
seeing the cheery face and nodded looking down at his wheelchair, which somehow
levitated up and out of the sleigh to land beside Santa Clause. Then the world
turned black and sooty and next David found himself in a child’s bedroom.
Judging by the pretty pictures and pink all over the place it was a girl’s room,
a young girl’s room. Santa opened his magical black sack and extracted a
rocking horse, which he placed at the foot of the bed. The child slept on
totally unaware of their presence.
“Why did you need
me Santa,” David asked?
“This young lady
is special. She lost her father last year and her mother is a police woman who
works all the hours she can just to maintain the roof over their heads. She has
done far more than any child could ever be expected to do. She has adapted and
turned her loss into a promise of a future. The reason why I think you should
be here is because she wants to be a writer. She tells some very special
stories all about fairies and magic, and I was wondering if she might not
deserve some encouragement. What do you think David?”
“What do you have
in mind?”
“I was looking at
this rocking horse and wondering if…”
“Yes I think you
might be right.”
David produced his
wand and waved it over the rocking horse as Santa watched. When he put it away
a sprinkling of stars hung over the wood. These faded leaving behind some glittering
dust, which settled on the horse and its saddle. The horse moved, wings opened
out and stretched. The ponies carved neck extended. The hooves became claws and
the polished painted wood became covered in bright purple scales. The rocking
horse had become a dragon, a small dragon, perfectly designed for a small girl
to ride and one that would grow as she grew.
Santa nodded his
head pleased by what he saw as the dragon once more became a rocking horse, but
now locked within the body of that toy lived an entity that could be called
upon to carry the rider into the world of magic and mystery.
One day soon David
expected to look out of his office window and see a smiling young girl, sitting
astride of a delightful dragon, having popped in for tea. Cook would have a fit
with another dragon to feed, but she would be delighted with another child
around the place on occasions. As for Robert, David’s young red dragon, he
would just love the company to play with.
“Perfect,
absolutely perfect…” said Santa looking at the sleeping girl. David extracted
and cast his wand once more and watched as the girl turned over in her sleep. Now
she would be dreaming about becoming a dragon riding maiden setting out on
grand adventures. Soon those dreams would become reality for her. Then there
would be no shortage of stories for her to write, and a great future awaited
her as a dragon rider and writer.
“Time to leave, there
is still a very long way to go,” Santa said, as the world turned black and
sooty once more.
Once back aboard
Santa’s sleigh, with Santa again at the helm, the dragons pushed forward
lifting the sleigh from the roof, eager to be about saving Christmas. David
looked down as the sleigh turned an airborne circle to see a patio door slide
open and a young woman step through it, looking up. She did not seem surprised
to see the sleigh as she lifted her arm high and waved at them. David waved
back knowing that he was looking at the mother of the young girl and another
person with the belief in the lands of fairy that was required to see magic as
it really is.
Santa’s laugh
boomed out, “Merry Christmas!” as the dragons once more began to sing. All
around them wings beat at the air and still she waved. One day David knew he
would meet her and her daughter, perhaps not together, but he would meet them.
For now they had Christmas to help save and many more presents to deliver.
To be continued.
Merry
Christmas one & all…
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