Dreamtime Stories: Life & Adventure Of Santa, Ch 3, Pt 2

Come join me please for CH 3 in Part 2 ...Manhood. in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, the wonderful author of the Wizard of Oz stories from the early 1900s. This reading of the book, slightly adapted, tells the delightful story of how a baby, found in the deep forest, grew up to be the beloved fellow who brings toys and joy the world over to children.

In tonight's story, we find Claus whittling away in his home to pass the long winter nights and creating toys, which the Rhyls help him paint to look more lifelike. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do. Dreamtime Stories with Jacqui is the perfect soothing way to get sleepy for bedtime. Stories for all who are children and children at heart.

So just pull your blankets up to your chin, fluff up your pillow, and come along on this little adventure story of Santa Claus.

Transcript

Good evening and welcome to Dreamtime Stories with Jackie.

Thank you so much for coming by.

I am so glad you're here as we continue the wonderful adventures of Santa Claus.

It's so much fun reading this story and finding out how this author thinks Santa Claus came to be and how he got to make all the toys that he made for children all over the world.

I hope you're enjoying it like I am.

So snuggle down in your bed and get everything just right as we continue with Santa's toy making.

In chapter 2 he learned to make his first toy.

It was a cat and it was based on the image of the kitty that lived with him,

Blinky.

And now in chapter 3 he's going to make them look even more lifelike.

Chapter 3,

How the Rills Colored the Toys.

A hush lay on the laughing valley now.

Snow covered it like a white spread and pillows of downy flakes drifted before the dwelling where Claus sat feeding the blaze of his fire.

The brook gurgled on beneath a heavy sheet of ice and all living plants and insects nestled close to Mother Earth to keep warm.

The face of the moon was hid by dark clouds and the wind,

Delighting in the wintry sport,

Pushed and whirled the snowflakes in so many directions that they could get no chance to fall to the ground.

Claus heard the wind whistling and shrieking in its play and thanked the good nooks again for his comfortable shelter.

Blinky washed her face lazily and stared at the coals in the fire with a look of perfect contentment.

The toy cat sat opposite the real one and gazed straight ahead as toy cats should.

Suddenly Claus heard a noise that sounded different from the voice of the wind.

It was more like a wail of suffering.

He stood up and listened again but the wind,

Growing boisterous,

Shook the door and rattled the windows to distract his attention.

He waited until the wind was tired and then,

Still listening,

He heard once more the shrill cry of distress.

Quickly he drew on his coat,

Pulled his cap over his eyes and opened the door.

The wind dashed in and scattered the embers over the hearth,

At the same time blowing Blinky's fur so furiously that she crept under the table to escape.

Then the door was closed and Claus was outside,

Peering anxiously into the darkness.

The wind laughed and scolded and tried to push him over but he stood firm.

The helpless snowflakes stumbled against his eyes and dimmed his sight but he rubbed them away and looked again.

Snow was everywhere,

White and glittering.

It covered the earth and filled the air.

The cry was not repeated.

Claus turned to go back into the house but the wind caught him unawares and he stumbled and fell across a snowdrift.

His hand plunged into the drift and touched something that was not snow.

This he seized and pulled it gently toward him and found it to be a child.

The next moment he lifted it into his arms and carried it into the house.

The wind followed him through the door but Claus shut it out quickly.

He laid the rescued child on the hearth and brushing away the snow he discovered it to be Weakham,

A little boy who lived in a house beyond the valley.

Claus wrapped a warm blanket around the little one and rubbed the frost from its limbs.

Before long the child opened his eyes and seeing where he was smiled happily.

Claus warmed some milk and fed it to the boy slowly while the cat looked on with some curiosity.

Finally the little one curled up in his friend's arms sighed and fell asleep and Claus filled with gladness that he had found the wanderer held him closely while he slumbered.

The wind,

Finding no more mischief to do,

Climbed the hill and swept on toward the north.

This gave the weary snowflakes time to settle down to earth and the valley became still again.

The boy,

Having slept well in the arms of his friend,

Opened his eyes and sat up.

Then,

As a child will,

He looked around the room and saw all that it contained.

Your cat is a nice cat,

Claus,

He said.

Let me hold it,

But Puss objected and ran away.

The other cat won't run,

Claus continued the boy.

Let me hold that one.

Claus placed the toy in his arms and the boy held it lovingly and kissed the tips of its wooden ears.

How did you get lost in the storm,

Wickham?

Asked Claus.

I started to walk to my auntie's house and lost my way,

Answered Wickham.

Were you frightened?

It was very cold,

Said Wickham,

And the snow got in my eyes so I could not see.

Then I kept on till I fell in the snow,

Without really knowing where I was,

And the wind blew the flakes over me and covered me up.

Claus gently stroked his head and the boy looked up at him and smiled.

I'm all right now,

Said Wickham.

Yes,

Replied Claus happily.

Now I will put you in my warm bed and you will sleep until morning,

Then I will carry you back to your mother.

May the cat sleep with me?

Asked the boy.

Yes,

If you wish it to,

Answered Claus.

It's a nice cat,

Wickham said,

Smiling as Claus tucked the blankets around him and presently the little one fell asleep with the wooden toy in his arms.

When morning came the Sun claimed the Laughing Valley and flooded it with its rays,

So Claus prepared to take the lost child back to its mother.

May I keep the cat,

Claus?

Asked Wickham.

It's nicer than real cats.

It doesn't run away or scratch or bite.

May I keep it,

Please?

Oh yes,

Indeed,

Answered Claus,

Pleased that the toy he had made could give such pleasure to the child.

So he wrapped the boy and the wooden cat in a warm cloak,

Perching the bundle upon his own broad shoulders,

And then he tramped through the snow and the drifts of the valley and walked across the plain beyond to the poor cottage where Wickham's mother lived.

See,

Mama?

Cried the boy as soon as they entered.

I've got a cat!

The good woman wept tears of joy over the rescue of her darling and thanked Claus many times for his kind act,

So he carried a warm and happy heart back to his home in the valley.

That night he said to Puss,

I believe the children will love the wooden cats almost as well as the real ones,

And they can't hurt them by pulling their tails and ears.

I will make another one.

So this was the beginning of his great work.

The next cat was even better than the first one he made.

While Claus sat whittling,

The yellow rill came in to make him a visit,

And so pleased was he with the man's skill that he ran away and brought several of his fellow rills.

There sat the red rill,

The black rill,

The green rill,

And the blue rill,

And the yellow rill in a circle on the floor while Claus whittled and whistled and the wooden cat grew into shape.

If it could be made the same color as the real cat,

No one would know the difference,

Said the yellow rill thoughtfully.

The little ones maybe would not know the difference,

Replied Claus,

Pleased with the idea.

I will bring you some of the red that I color my roses and tulips with,

Cried the red rill,

And then you can make the cat's lips and tongue red.

I will bring some of the green that I color my grasses and leaves with,

Said the green rill,

And then you can color the cat's eyes green.

They will need a bit of yellow also,

Remarked the yellow rill.

I must fetch some of the yellow that I use to color my buttercups and goldenrods with.

The real cat is black,

Said the black rill.

I will bring some of the black that I use to color the eyes of my pansies with,

And then you can paint your wooden cat black.

I see you have a blue ribbon around Blinky's neck,

Said the blue rill.

I will get some of the color that I use to paint bluebells and forget-me-nots with,

And then you can carve a wooden ribbon on the toy cat's neck and paint it blue.

So the rills disappeared,

And by the time Claus had finished carving out the form of the cat,

They were all back with the paints and brushes.

They asked Blinky to sit upon the table that Claus might paint the toy cat just the right color,

And when the work was done,

The rills declared it was exactly as good as a live cat,

That is,

To all appearances.

Blinky seemed a little offended by all the attention bestowed upon the toy.

She walked to the corner of the hearth and sat down with a dignified air.

But Claus was delighted,

And as soon as morning came,

He started out and tramped through the snow,

Across the valley and the plain,

Until he came to a village.

There,

In a poor hut near the walls of the beautiful palace,

Upon a wretched cot lay a little girl moaning with pain.

Claus approached the child and kissed her and comforted her,

And then he drew the toy cat from beneath his coat,

Where he had hidden it,

And placed it in her arms.

Ah,

How well he felt himself,

Repaid for his labor and his long walk,

When he saw that little one's eyes grow bright with pleasure.

She hugged the kitty tight to her breast,

As if it had been a precious gem,

And would not let it go for a single moment.

The she fell into a sweet,

Refreshing sleep.

Ah,

Claus laughed and whistled and sang all the way home.

Never had he been so happy as he was on that day.

When he entered his house,

He found Shagra,

The lioness,

Awaiting him.

Since his babyhood,

Shagra had loved Claus,

And while he dwelt in the forest,

She had often come to visit him at Nassil's bower.

After Claus had gone to live in the Laughing Valley,

Shagra became lonely,

And now she had braved the snow drifts,

Which all lions do not like,

To see him once more.

Shagra was getting old,

And her teeth were beginning to fall out,

And the hairs that tipped her ears and tail had changed from tawny yellow to white.

Claus found her lying on his hearth,

And he put his arms around the neck of the lioness and hugged her lovingly.

The cat had retired into a far corner.

She did not want to associate with a lioness.

Claus told his old friend about the cats he had made,

And how much pleasure they had given Wickham,

The little boy,

And the sick girl.

Shagra did not know much about children,

But she was interested in Claus's new labors,

And she said,

These images seem to me very attractive.

Suppose now that I am here you make the image of a lioness,

The queen of all the beasts.

Then indeed your children will be happy and safe at the same time.

Oh,

Claus thought this was a good suggestion,

So he got out a piece of wood and sharpened his knife while Shagra crouched upon the hearth at his feet.

With much care he carved the head in the likeness of the lioness,

Even to the two fierce teeth that curved over her lower lip and the deep frowning lines above her wide open eyes.

When it was finished,

He said,

Oh,

You have a terrible look,

Shagra.

Well,

Then the image is like me,

She answered,

For I am indeed terrible to all who are not my friends.

Claus now carved out the body,

With Shagra's long tail trailing behind it.

The image of the crouching lioness was very lifelike.

Oh,

It pleases me,

Said Shagra,

Yawning and stretching her body gracefully.

She said,

Now I will watch while you paint.

He brought the paints the reels had given him from the cupboard and colored the image to resemble the real Shagra.

The lioness placed her big padded paws upon the edge of the table and raised herself while she carefully examined the toy that was in her likeness.

Oh,

Yes,

Indeed,

You are skillful,

She said proudly.

The children will like this so much,

I'm sure.

Then snarling at Blinky,

Who arched her back in terror and whined fearfully,

She walked away toward the forest home with stately strides.

Oh,

That was a wonderful chapter.

I'm so happy that you're here.

Now drift off into dreamland and come back soon for chapter four in the life and adventures of Santa Claus.

Good night now.

Many hugs.