Chapter 5:  Joyeux Noel
 
   "Your wolf friend seems like a nice fellow..."  Santa stated, as they
began their journey south into Canada.
   "He is our best friend in the whole world!"  Sammi exclaimed in her
little, baby voice.
   "Yeah,"  Rosie offered.  "We changed his mind about holding the
black-footed ferrets hostage!"
   "Yes,"  Wiggles added.  "Perhaps we should let you read a copy of the
book that we wrote with our Father about the whole adventure?"
   "Yeah,"  Shiva declared.  "When you take us home in the morning make
sure that you remind us to give you one!"
   "Wow,"  Santa replied.  "It must be some story..."
   "You bet!"  Maxie answered.
   "Here we are,"  Santa said as they flew into the Canadian landscape.
Let us go to this town here first."  They landed in a small suburban village
with a handful of homes all clumped together.  Their delivery of packages
went smoothly, until in one of the last houses, they met the person who
lived there.
   "Good day!"  The man declared, a bit taken back by the sudden
appearance of a plump man with a huge, salt-and-pepper beard, and five tiny,
fuzzy, giggling critters coming down his chimney.  "Can I help you?"
   "What are you supposed to?"  Maxie asked the stranger, who was dressed
in a bright, scarlet jacket with a black collar, a large hat, and long,
black boots.
   "Yeah,"  Rosie whispered to Shiva.  "I thought that it was Christmas,
NOT Halloween...tee hee hee!"
   "That was a good one, Rosie!"  Shiva chuckled under her breath.
   "I am an officer of the Canadian Royal Mounted Police!"  The man replied.
   "A Mounty!"  Santa offered.  "We are pleased to make your aquantance,
sir!"  Santa handed him an armful of gifts.
   "Oui,"  The officer began.  "Are Santa Claus, I presume!"
   "Correct!"  Santa responded, shaking the Mounty's hand.
   "Joyeux Noel!"  The man stated.
   "What did he say?"  Maxie asked.
   "I think he said 'The joke's on you!'"  Rosie replied.
   "No,"  Wiggles suggested.  "I'm pretty sure he meant 'Merry Christmas,'
you goofball Rosie!"
   "Shut up, Wiggles!"  Rosie fumed.
   "How do you celebrate Christmas in Canada?"  Sammi kindly asked the man.
   "Well,"  The officer began.  "Much the same way that they do in the
United States.  We have decorations on our pine trees, Midnight Mass,
presents, and laughing children!  Did you think that we were any different?"
   "I guess not..."  Sammi replied, thinking about what he had said.
"Woah!"  She exclaimed with sudden realization.  "You aren't much different
than us then!"
   "Oui!"  The Mounty declared.  "I am not an alien from outer space or
anything, if that is what you mean!"
   "You don't look green to me!"  Shiva stated, giggling at the thought.
   "I get green sometimes when I have a tummy ache..."  Maxie offered.
   "That's because you always break into the raisin jar at home and you
eat and eat till you burst!"  Rosie added.
   "Let's go, girls!"  Santa hurried them.  "The night won't stay young
for all of eternity!"
   "Joyeux Noel!"  The Mounty said to them as they climbed back up the
chimney.
   "Joyeux Noel!"  Sammi answered.
 
     (to be continued, see http://home.aol.com/wildsidepu for the rest of
the story!)
[Posted in FML issue 1770]