OLIVE, the ORPHAN REINDEER

Copyright Michael Christie 1997

(Ages: For all those who believe in Christmas)

By

Michael Christie

E-mail: mchris@direct.ca

CHAPTER 1

Wolves

The storm in the Barrens raged around the little reindeer with a nose like an olive.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

She’d lost her mother and father and brothers and sisters.

The night wind shrieked. The snowflakes stung her eyes.

"Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?"

But no one could hear.

And now — danger! — wolves.

She could smell them. They were close. Maybe they got my family, she thought, and want me too.

So the little reindeer ran as fast as she could.

In the fierce storm she didn’t know where she was going. She just knew she had to get away.

The wolves chased her, but she soon left them far behind.

Even when she no longer picked up their scent, she ran and ran.

Finally she came to the North Pole.

 

 

CHAPTER 2

Santa And Mrs. Claus

 

Gasping for breath, she found herself in front of Santa and Mrs. Claus’s house. Night here was calm and peaceful.

She saw them arm in arm on their doorstep. They were looking at the stars.

Santa Claus laughed when he saw the tired little reindeer.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Look, my dear. A reindeer with an olive for a nose! Goodness! Welcome to the North Pole, little one."

Mrs. Claus smiled. "Well, aren’t you just the cutest thing though! We’ll have to call you Olive. Right, Santa?" Santa nodded. "Do you like cookies, Olive?"

"I don’t know, ma’am," she said.

"Well, try this," said Mrs. Claus. She gave Olive a cookie. "It’s raisin and oatmeal fresh from my bakery."

Olive found it tasty. While she nibbled on it, Mrs. Claus tied a blue bow on her head.

"There, Olive!" Mrs. Claus said, giving her a big hug. "You just needed a mite sprucing up."

"I hope you can stay a while, Olive," said Santa.

Olive felt she'd never see her family again. She was an orphan. So she decided to make the North Pole her home.

 

 

CHAPTER 3

Olive’s Jobs

 

As the years passed and she got bigger, Olive became one of the best skaters among the spare reindeer. She always won the friendly races against them at Candy Cane Pond.

Olive also had important jobs to do during the Christmas season.

She looked through the magic telescope to see which boys and girls were naughty or nice, and reported their names to Number One, the chief elf.

She hauled boxes of presents to Santa Claus’s sleigh on the runway.

She delivered muffins from Mrs. Claus’s bakery to the hospital.

In the toy factory she checked for broken toys coming off a line in Quality Control.

She liked these jobs, but the job Olive wanted more than anything was to be on Santa’s team.

Will I be picked some day? she wondered.

Continues----->