My first short story for small kids…illustrations: Vivaan, title courtesy: Arsh K.
Chapter I:
When: Sometime last year, after Christmas.
Where: Santa’s Residence, North Pole.
Santa was very tired. Slumped in his armchair, he took a long sip of hot chocolate from his favorite mug, and sighed. A slow fire simmered in the fireplace. Warm and cozy as the room was, it failed to lift Santa’s spirits. It was snowing heavily outside; Santa’s reindeers were huddled up in the stable, weary from their trek delivering toys and smiles to children all over.
Santa took another sip and called out to his favorite elf, “Arthur, can you please refill my chocolate?”
A tiny elf, dressed in green, hobbled from the kitchen with a kettle in hand, up to Santa’s chair and cast an unhappy look at him.
“Santa”, began the elf, “I am not sure how we do it every year. I mean think about it, it’s nothing short of a miracle! Getting all those toys to children in far corners of the world. Even with the number of elves we have, I am positive we will not be able to do it next year.”
Santa snapped as Arthur was filling his mug, “Arthur, we have been doing it for years, and we will continue to do it for years.”
A visibly irritated Arthur countered, “But how? Each year the number of kids just keep on increasing. Next year they are supposed to be twice as many.”
Santa took a long sip, the foamy chocolate lapping his mustaches as his mind whirred. And then suddenly, an idea hit him. His eyes lit up, a smile formed on his lips and he exclaimed, “Why Arthur! I know how!”
Chapter II
When: Early January, current year.
Where: Ganesha Residence, Mount Kailash.
Ganesha was in a grumpy mood. He had been like that since December. All Indian festivals were over, there were no more ladoos or modaks on the offering, and he was bored or rather felt left out.
He called out to his ride, “Mooshak, where are you? Come here.”
A big mouse scurried out of nowhere and stopped in front of him. Ganesha jumped in the air, swinging his trunk over his head and landed on top of it.
Sliding down to mount, he shouted, “All right Mooshak, let’s go and find something to eat. And tread slowly, I don’t want to fall again. Thankfully it’s not windy today.”
As if on cue, the wind started blowing and howling into Ganesha’s big ears. Ganesha raised his eyebrows, and asked in a stern voice to no one in particular, “What is it?”
A whisper came from the wind, “O Elephant God, Saint Nicholas from North Pole wants to speak to you.”
“Really? I wonder what he wants? OK, put him through.”
A loud coarse voice boomed over the wind, “This is Saint Nicholas. How are you doing, Ganesha?”
Ganesha, reluctant to drop his mood, snapped, “I am doing rather awful, things have been slow since December.”
Santa jeered back, “Of course they are. It’s been quite the opposite for me. I am really overwhelmed during December, not a minute to lie down and rest. But, let me not bore you with that. I have a proposal for you…probably we can help out each other.”
Ganesha, eyebrows raised for the second time, wiggled his long ears and said, “Go ahead. I am all ears.”
Chapter III
When: Dec 24th, current year.
Where: Somewhere in Sugar Land, Houston TX.
Light snow was falling, capping rooftops across the sleepy town. A big mouse carrying a big figure on its back, scurried up a house to the roof and stopped next to the chimney. The figure hopped off the mouse and hauled itself up the chimney.
The mouse whispered, “Be careful. Remember Santa mentioned how he was stuck in a chimney once. You should not have agreed to help him, this is a daunting task.”
“Mooshak, be quiet”, growled an exasperated Ganesha. Dressed in red velvety robes, with a stocking cap on his head, he was Santa personified, and raring to go. He announced to Mooshak, “I am looking forward to the cookies and milk waiting for us. And all the smiles on kids’ faces when they get their gifts. As is there is nothing to do in India this time of the year.”
Mood pepped up, he picked up a gift from the bag tied around Mooshak’s belly and disappeared in the chimney. He tumbled down at a breakneck speed, crashed through the fireplace grate and fell at the base of a lit Christmas tree. Jumping quickly to his feet, Ganesha brushed off black soot from his face and clothes, and placed the gift under the tree. Right next to the tree, on the side table a few cookies were laid out with a glass of milk. Ganesha’s eyes lit up, and he gobbled the cookies and milk…all in a go. As he put the glass down, he became aware of a presence in the room. A small boy, dressed in pajamas, stood on the last step of the stairwell, having just come down, awakened by the commotion.
Wide eyed, the boy asked, “Who are you?”
“Err, I am Santa’s helper”, blurted Ganesha.
“Wow! Are you related to Yoda, by any chance? You have long ears just like him. Can I take a picture?”
“Picture? Pic…pic…picture…. No! No pictures. Of course not, no one should know that I was here. Promise me that you will not tell anyone, and keep this a secret.”
The boy nodded and before he could open his mouth to ask anything, Ganesha scampered across the room, and darted up the chimney. The bedazzled boy was left wondering whether he had indeed seen an elephant headed figure dressed in Santa’s outfit or had he been dreaming.
Epilogue
When: December 31st this year
Where: Santa’s Residence, North Pole.
Santa and his friends: Gods and associates from all over the world were huddled up in the living room. A fire burned and crackled in the fireplace, brightening and warming up the room. A TV was playing news in the nearest corner.
Santa raised a mug of hot chocolate, and said, “Thank you friends for helping out this Christmas and making it smooth and memorable for us all.”
Ganesha smiled. Apart from the close shave he had with the human child, rest of his deliveries had been without any mishaps or incidents. He and Mooshak had got tons of cookies and milk, and he felt happy about delivering toys to kids. He rubbed his big tummy with the palm of his hand in satisfaction. He now loved Christmas.
Ganesha responded, “Thank you Santa for giving us all the opportunity…….and the cookies….and the milk!!”
Just then the news announcer on TV said, “And now President Thump is on air to defend his policy on banning outsourcing.”
Ganesha’s knit his eyebrows and asked, “What is outsourcing?’
Santa smiled, ”When the jobs in a region or country are no longer done there, but are sent to be done to another country it is called outsourcing. Thump wants to stop it, he wants all work to be done here.”
Meanwhile on the TV, a bushy man was shouting and pouting, “…and say no to Outsourcing. If not, we will be outsourcing every damn job. Wait and watch, soon they will outsource Christmas…”
Ganapati raised his eyebrows…as Santa quipped, “Ho! Ho! Ho!”
Truth Speaks... 