Oliver's Story
This story was written by Sandy at Phoenixknits to accompany the Oliver Reindeer knitting pattern and has kindly been proofread by Yvette Pirie, so if you find any spelling misteaks, blame her :o) Copyright Phoenixknits 2012 Please do not copy or reproduce this story Thank you It was December 23rd and Santa's little elves were still busy wrapping up the last of the presents and packing them into sacks on the sleigh. Expert little hands carefully arranged all the parcels as they knew Santa would only have time to make one trip tomorrow night. He had to visit every little boy and girl in the world, so the elves could not afford to leave even one out. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Oliver, Donner and Blitzen, Santa's reindeer, were standing patiently while Santa took off their harnesses. He gave each one a delicious carrot, and with a proud voice told them "Well done, boys and girls. Tomorrow it's the real thing. You have all practiced very hard and I have every faith we will get to every little child in time for Christmas morning. So off you all go and get a good night sleep; it's going to be a big day tomorrow." The reindeer trotted off nattering excitedly. Santa walked toward his cottage, waving at the busy little elves as he went. Standing by Santa's front door was Rudolf with a hopeful look on his face. Santa stopped and scratched the reindeer's head lovingly, "Perhaps next year, Rudolf, you can fly with us. I'm so proud of you. Don't think I haven't seen you flying along behind us on all our training rides. Now you get off home, you look so cold your nose has turned red." Rudolf sadly hung his head low and slowly disappeared around the side of the cottage and out of sight. Santa shook his head and went indoors to where Mrs. Claus was waiting with a big mug of hot chocolate. Prancer, Comet, Dancer, Cupid and Vixen went to the hot springs to soak their aching hooves, while Dasher, Donner and Blitzen headed for the hay barn and greedily munched away on the sweet hay. Oliver had dashed straight off at a gallop before anyone had a chance to ask him where he was going. Oliver was glad they had not had the chance, as he wanted to keep what he was doing a secret.
It was now getting very dark and Oliver was picking his way carefully between the trees in the snow-covered forest outside the village. Deeper and deeper into the forest he went. It was getting darker and darker and Oliver was just a little bit afraid. When a tawny owl hooted loudly a few feet away from him, he jumped with fright hitting his antler on a low branch. Oliver quickened his pace since he was almost at his destination. Through the trees he could see a dim light. The nearer he got the brighter it glowed, and finally, after his hour long journey, he came upon a little cottage with welcoming lights shining from every window. Oliver tapped on the door with one of his antlers and there was a loud crack. Oliver looked down and there on the doorstep was one of the prongs of his antler. "Oh, no" wailed Oliver as the door swung open and a little grey haired old lady stood before him. "Oh precious, what have you gone and done?" she asked."Come on in quickly and we will try to fix the prong back on." She stood aside and Oliver trotted into the cottage. The old lady picked up the broken prong and carried it inside, closing the door behind her. Oliver hurried over to the big open fire with crackling logs, and shook himself, causing the fire to hiss as the little flakes of snow in his fur showered the flames. The old lady rummaged about in a cupboard and came out with a large pot with 'glue' scrawled onto a label on the front. Taking up a paintbrush several hairs short of being complete, she set about fixing Oliver's antler prong back in place."All fixed." she said, after several minutes of prodding and poking. “There is a little bit of a crack still showing," she said, “but I'm sure we can disguise that somehow. Now, my dear" she continued, drawing up a chair beside Oliver who had flopped onto a mat in front of the fire, “are you really sure you want to go through with this?" "Oh, yes" replied Oliver turning his head to look up at the old lady. “"I have to! Someone is going to be picked head reindeer to pull Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve and it has to be me! We are all just as good as each other at flying and pulling, so I must make myself the most handsome of all so I will stand out. " "Oh well, if you are really sure" the old lady said while rising from her chair. She then walked off into the corner of the room where she started to rattle around some mysterious looking pots. The wind was blowing fiercely outside the cottage and the little sign above the door saying "Lapland's Best Hairdresser" was swinging backwards and forwards above the door at a great speed. Three hours had passed since Oliver had stepped through that door with his broken antler and now, here he stood, admiring himself in the long mirror. He had pretty baubles hanging from one ear which helped to disguise the crack where his broken prong had been glued back on and a wonderful festive wreath around his neck sparkling in the firelight with all its wonderful trimmings. But what made his eye widen until they almost popped out of his head with excitement were his legs, once a drab old reindeer brown, now a most wondrous array of white, green and red stripes dyed and bleached to perfection! He shook with excitement and in a low whisper he said, "I am soooo handsome! Look, aren't I the most handsome reindeer you have ever seen?"
He rubbed his cheek with warm affection against the old lady's face. She smiled at the happy reindeer saying, "You had better be getting on your way young Oliver; it is has gone Midnight. It is Christmas Eve already and you do not want to be late for Santa's big journey." Oliver gave the old lady a grateful lick on the face and headed out of the cottage into the dark and blustery night. The snow, which had been already been quite deep when Oliver arrived, had now been blown into large drifts all around. The strong wind was driving the falling snow this way and that so that it was as if there were a white blanket in front of him. After ten minutes of walking Oliver was lost! He blinked into the wind and snow to see if he could see a sign of the lights from the cottage but saw nothing but white. On and on he went, fighting against the wind and snow. The little baubles on his ear jangled quietly giving him little comfort because Oliver felt very alone for the first time in his life. He got more and more tired, and was cold and hungry until, at last, he could go on no further. Poor Oliver had almost bumped into a very large tree that he had not seen through the blinding snow. He lay down at the bottom of the tree tight up against the trunk. He was so tired he thought he would never feel awake again, so he closed his eyes, hoping the wind and snow would pass over soon and before he knew it he was fast asleep.
Oliver opened his eyes and blinked. The sun streamed down and it took him but a few seconds to remember where he was. He was almost entirely covered in snow! Oliver stood up stiffly and shook the snow from his fur. He looked down at his legs afraid to see what the snow had done to his pretty stripes, but to his delight they looked as perfect as when he had left the old hairdresser's cottage. His spirits lifted by that discovery, he took off at a brisk pace toward what he now could see was the way back to the village. Since he was feeling very happy, he tried to whistle but remembered reindeers cannot whistle, so he clicked his tongue tunefully instead. Oliver realized it must be getting quite late now as the sun was moving quickly across the sky. There was no time to go to his home in the next village to get some hay and a few juicy carrots, and he had no time to go right into Santa's village, so he decided to wait by the crossroads for Santa to come by and he could walk with Santa to where the sleigh was kept. Oliver leaned against the fence and waited and waited.
He began to worry something had happened to Santa and his reindeer friends when suddenly he heard the sound of a sleigh! He sprang into the middle of the road, but it was only John Leather the harness maker, coming around the bend on his sleigh with his little pony Dewdrop, who was slipping and sliding in the ice and snow as she pulled it along. John Leather tugged gently on the reins bringing Dewdrop to a skidding halt. "Merry Christmas Oliver," he bellowed as he jumped down from the sleigh. "I can see by your decorations you've have been celebrating yourself already, and my, how smart you look!" he said walking around and around Oliver. “I suppose that's why Rudolf took your place at the head of the reindeer last night, eh, bit too much celebrating to fly were you?" John nudged Oliver and winked. "You better get yourself into the village. Santa has been worrying himself daft about you." John jumped back up onto his sleigh and carried on with his journey, waving back at Oliver as he went. Oliver was so confused. Merry Christmas? How could it be Christmas Day? It was only just Christmas Eve when he left the old lady's cottage. He had slept under the tree for only an hour or so - or had he? As he looked up in the sky, he saw the sun was coming up not going down! Oliver must have been so cold and so tired he did not know he had been asleep a whole day, Christmas Eve Day! He was so unhappy he thought he would never feel happy ever again and he sat down in the snow and cried. As the sun rose higher and higher on this bright Christmas morning, a very unhappy Oliver stood up, and with his head hanging down so low his festive wreath fell down over his ears, he walked ever so slowly towards Santa's village. As he made his sad way along the road, people were beginning to set off to spend the day with family and friends. Everyone who passed Oliver waved and wished him Merry Christmas and many shouted also how wonderful he looked. Some even stopped and took pictures of him! Gradually a little smile started to come to his sad face. On and on he walked his head getting higher and higher all the time, as more and more people waved, took photos of him and said how wonderful he looked. By the time Oliver reached the village, people were coming out of their cottages to cheer him and wish him a Merry Christmas and the children started to follow him down the village street dancing and laughing happily. Oliver was beginning to feel very special and now was smiling widely. But just before he turned the corner around which Santa's cottage stood, his heart sank. He had let down the one person he loved most, Santa, and he became very sad again. As he rounded the corner, Santa, Mrs. Santa, all the other reindeer and all Santa's elves were already heading towards him. His head hung lower and lower until his nose shoveled up a little pile of snow in front of him. “My handsome Oliver," shouted Santa, 'you are safe and well! A very Merry Christmas!" Santa threw his arms around Oliver and squeezed him so tight Oliver thought he would never breathe again. Together everyone walked to the big barn where preparations for a great Christmas party were under way. Oliver sat in the middle of his friends and told them everything that had happened. Rudolf, who sat right next to him, looked at him in awe. Oliver gathered up his courage and spoke to the magnificent reindeer: "Thank you Rudolf for stepping in for me so that all the children of the world got their Christmas presents. There would be very many sad children today if not for you." Rudolf's nose glowed brighter than it ever had, so much so, he thought it would catch fire and fall off. Santa winked at Oliver and Oliver understood all was well. "Right!" boomed Santa over the excited voices in the barn."Bring on the food and let the celebrations begin!" Everyone headed for the tables which were groaning with the weight of every yummy goodie you could think of. Santa walked over to Oliver with a little gift in his hand, "Here you are my handsome young man," he said unwrapping the present for him. It was a bright, shiny golden bell that Santa fixed to the bottom of the wreath on Oliver's neck. Oliver swayed his head gently and the little bell jingled sweetly. "Thank you Santa," Oliver croaked, choking back a little tear. Santa scratched him behind his ear and smiled. "I think someone else has a present for you." Santa laughed and nodded in the direction of Vixen. She was quietly waiting for Oliver with the biggest juiciest carrot he had ever seen in her mouth for him! Vixen saw he had finally noticed her and she blushed. So, next Christmas Eve when you are supposed to be asleep, but are really listening for Santa's sleigh, if you hear a jingle you will know it is Oliver at the head of the reindeers. If instead you see a slight red glow across the sky you will know this year it's Rudolf's turn.
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