Written BY: Ashley Zapot

Edited by: Theresa Zapot

Illustrated by:

Financed by: Benito Zapot

Starring Grandpa Stark as Grandpa Santa, Grandma Stark as Grandma, and Joey Majewicz as Julio

Grandpa always told the best stories. Julio (that's me) loved to snuggle up on his lap and listen to tales about how Grandpa fought in World War II, played left field for the Detroit Tigers, worked for NASA, traveled all the way around the world and met lots of famous people. But today, he’d promised a special story, one about the time he met a very famous person, one from way, way, way up north.

“It was two years ago. It was the coldest yet the most important day of my life, ” said Grandpa.

His deep, warm voice hypnotized me. I imagined everything he said in my head. “So I went to your Uncle David’s house to go skiing. But there was a huge blizzard. It’s what cost me my teeth,” he says pulling out his dentures and smiling his gummy smile. “Anyway, it was getting darker and colder and your uncle couldn’t have a fire because of Old Smoky, his bird.  And he had to have the electric turned off because of Sparky, the cat.

I’ll explain. Smoky is a Maya bird, he got his name because he got lit on fire. He‘s got one wing shorter then the other and landed himself right into the fire. I found it hilarious -- but Smoky didn’t.

And Sparky got his name cause he was electrocuted. He started out mindin’ his own business but, well, you’ve heard the old saying curiosity killed the cat?

Well it didn’t exactly kill him, just gave him a little—well actually a big—shock“. Gramps chuckled, “that cat jolted up like a rocket on the fourth of July!"

"Anyway I was huddled under four king sized quilts, just trying to keep warm when I heard this loud thud coming from the ceiling. It sounded like a heard of angry cattle were stampeding across the roof."

I sat there in my little alcove of blankets and pillows. Your uncle was sound asleep in his own little cocoon of comforters and hadn’t even stirred. Sparky streaked across the room, his eyes bugged wide and his hair standing on end, and dove under the couch, but the bird, that one he just stood stock still, as if frozen in place. His eyes staring straight into the cold empty fireplace, his head cocked to one side as if he feared it would suddenly come to life.

Then soot began dropping ominously from the opening, followed by a billowing black cloud, a heavy thump, thump, thump, and a crazy looking fat man wearing a red suit and large white beard. He was laughing like a maniac, clutching his big round belly, until he realized he wasn’t alone. That stopped him real quick.

“Was it Santa“?!? I yelled, interrupting Grandpa’s story.

Grandpa looked at my expression of pleasure and underlying faith on my face and smiled approvingly before continuing. “Right. Anyway, he was fat just like me, his cheeks were rosy and pink, he must have been freezing cold, just like I was. His beard was big and thick and long and white just like mine was before...” he made a face and grouched, “Grandma made me shave it all off.”

Huffing a little he continued. “He had dark twinkling eyes like mine, and he loved cookies just like me. Anyway he was funny and as we talked he didn’t seem quite as loony any more. We talked about the North Pole and about the reindeer. Mostly we talked about what it’s like to be Santa. What would be expected of someone who may want to take on the responsibility and how he wished he could keep going forever but his old body just couldn’t keep this kind of schedule forever. What with the packing and carrying of packages and climbing around on roof tops and stuff, he was just about at his limits when he happened to slide David’s chimney.“

“Wait!” I yelled excitedly, I’d figured out what Gramps was trying to tell me. I bounced up in down in my seat excitedly...

 “You’re Santa!” I yelled.

“That is right,” Grandpa said, his eyes twinkling merrily, “you are one smart boy, I’ll tell you that,” he patted my head fondly.

“Yep, but I need you to help me. I’m getting too old to be Santa, and I want you to be, well, you know... him.“

My mouth dropped open wide and my eyes bugged out wider then Sparky’s after his encounter with the light socket.

Gramps said I would first need to look like him. He sent me to his closet and there, folded in a neat little pile at the very back, was a large, over sized red coat with matching pants and shirt. As I put them on he started throwing pillows at me.

“What am I supposed to do with these?” I ask.

“Stuff your clothes and then put on these here boots and when you’re done with that tell me where to find the glue in this house.“

“Here,” I said, warily handing him the hot glue gun, only to be sent off to find the cotton balls and the glitter.

“Found them,” I said rummaging through a drawer and pulling out the supplies. “What do you want with the glue gun?”

Finally I was ready, but ready for what? I wasn’t so sure anymore. But I wasn’t about to let everyone down.

“Now,” said Grandpa, “to the roof.”

I follow him to the roof, surprised at how fast Grandpa was able to get up there. Even though it was only one story, and there was lots of snow to break my fall, if I fell off… it was still very scary.

“So,” Gramps says, “I had to get you all dressed up so the reindeer will think that you’re me. And you’re gonna have to remember all the reindeer’s names. Now there’s Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen. Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and of course, Rudolph."

"Now repeat it, you have 2 minutes to remember it. If you don’t call them by name, they won’t listen.“

“But how do I get the reindeer?” I ask dropping the heavy bag of toys I’d been dragging.

“Jump off the roof of course.”

“Ahhh, excuse me?”

“Jump off the roof.”  Grandpa shook his head as if he disapproved of my hesitation. “When you jump you have to believe and just have faith. Now step up to the edge, close your eyes…”

I closed my eyes real tight, my heart pounding in my chest. I forced my stiff legs to bend and then I heard a loud voice say, “Stop, you forgot your magic scarf!”

After 15 minutes of digging through the closet I finally found the scarf and then I was back on that high roof again.

Grandpa Santa tied the scarf tightly around my neck, “you really wouldn’t have wanted to forget this,” he said… “Splat!” he yelled, slapping his hands together to show me what would have happened without it.

“Now jump!” he said, urging me toward the edge.

I looked down and swallowed hard. It was dark outside, really dark, and the ground looked a long, long way down. I tried to force my legs to bend but they wouldn’t obey. I wanted to jump but I was too scared, too chicken to do it.

Hot tears slipped down my frozen cheeks. I couldn’t do it. There would be no Christmas because of me. I turned around and walked past Grandpa, keeping my head down to avoid seeing the disappointment in his eyes. I heard him following slowly behind me and quietly slink back into his rocking chair.

“Ah well,” he said, breaking the silence, “maybe in a year or two…”

Grandma got home about an hour later. “Did you give Grandpa his pills?” she asked.

“No, I forgot,” I said, walking off to the kitchen to find them. Grandma followed me cautiously. She always seems to know when I’ve had a bad day.

“Oh dear, you can’t forget to give him his pills. Whenever he forgets to take them he starts to imagine himself to be Santa Claus. Just the other day the neighbor boy was over here and Grandpa convinced him to jump off the roof. Poor thing nearly broke his neck. Why if he hadn't rolled off the snow drift and into the grass…”

I walked slowly back to the front room, my mouth wide open. Grandpa smiled at me and waved, his eyes twinkling merrily. “See you tomorrow, Julio.”

I continued out to the door, silent with shock. I walked over to where my mom was waiting patiently for me in the car. However, just as I was leaving, I heard a soft low whisper, “I must have forgotten to give the last kid the magic scarf.”

The End…