The Dragon at the North Pole (14 page)
Read The Dragon at the North Pole Online
Authors: Kate Klimo
Uncle Joe said, “I think it’s kind of a nifty break
with tradition waiting until the day after Christmas to open our gifts.”
“I just don’t know where yesterday went,” Aunt Maggie said, mystified.
Daisy wagged a finger. “Too much Killer-Diller Loosey-Goosey Eggnog, Mom.”
“I didn’t have
that
much,” Aunt Maggie said.
Uncle Joe frowned. “I might need to adjust the recipe. A little more goosey and a little less loosey.”
“It’s your turn to open, Mom,” Daisy said. Hers was the last present under the tree.
Aunt Maggie unwrapped the mailing tube and pulled the paper out of the cylinder. She held the sparkling paper up to the light. “Red sparkles!” she said. “I love them. I’ll use them to line my bureau drawers.”
“Great idea, Mom,” said Daisy.
Uncle Joe said, “And I’ll use mine out in the Rock Shop, to line my specimen drawers.”
“Perfect, Poppy,” said Daisy, giving him a fond look.
In their stockings, the cousins had found the usual sensible or sentimental items: socks, toothbrushes, candy canes, chocolate oranges, brain teasers, yo-yos. For bigger gifts, Jesse had gotten a coin collector’s starter kit, a chemistry set, and stilts; Daisy had received a miniature loom, a fancy
matching hairbrush and comb, and a pogo stick.
“I’m so sorry the snow is already melted, Jesse Tiger,” said Aunt Maggie, giving him a sympathetic look.
Jesse smiled. “That’s okay, Aunt Maggie. I got enough snow yesterday to last me a lifetime. Really.”
“You have no idea,” Daisy said under her breath.
“Hey, look!” said Uncle Joe, pointing beneath the lower tree branches. “There’s one last present back there.”
Uncle Joe pulled out a large gift, crudely wrapped in old newspaper and green duct tape. He read the tag: “To Jesse Tiger and Daisy Flower, from E of L.” His eyes widened. “Very mysterious! Who’s ‘E of L’?”
Daisy was ready with an answer. “Elsa,” she said. “She’s a new girl in school.”
“Really?” said Aunt Maggie. “Where is she from?”
Daisy shrugged. “Leandra!”
“Really? I’ve never heard of it. Where’s that?” Uncle Joe asked.
Daisy frowned. “Up north. Norway, maybe? Yeah, that’s it. Norway. You know, the land of Beowulf?”
“Well, why don’t you kids open Elsa’s gift?” said Aunt Maggie.
Jesse and Daisy tore away the newspaper. They found themselves staring at a plastic scale model of a Viking warship bristling with oars, its red-and-gold-striped sail unfurled, manned by a crew of tiny plastic Viking warriors.
“This guy here might be Beowulf himself,” said Uncle Joe, picking up the action figure on the foredeck. Beneath the tiny helmet with the ox horns the figure had snow-white braids and a look of dread on his bearded face.
“Why not?” said Jesse.
“He doesn’t look so tough to me,” Daisy said.
“Say!” said Uncle Joe, returning Beowulf to the foredeck. “The detail on this ship is impressive! It looks really authentic.”
“These European toy makers,” Aunt Maggie said with an admiring shake of her head. “Santa’s workshop can’t match them for quality.”
“Hey, Jess,” said Daisy. “Check out the bowsprit.”
Instead of the goblin with the fangs, there was now a dragon with green scales and emerald-green eyes.
Uncle Joe regarded it doubtfully. “I’m not sure
how many enemies that cream puff is going to scare away,” he said.
“Oh, I think that cream puff can hold her own,” said Jesse. “Don’t you, Daise?”
Daisy grinned widely. “Totally!”
Dear Mom and Dad, Christmas in America was amazing. The good news is that it snowed! And more than just a dusting! The bad news is that it melted overnight. I hope you guys liked your gifts. Did you know that paper was one of the most ingenious inventions in the history of the world? Daisy and I got lots of neat presents, but the neatest one (next to my new Blueberry) was a model of a Viking warship. One of the crewmen even looks like Beowulf. Except that he doesn’t look very brave. In fact, he looks scared stiff. Maybe it’s the dragon carved into the bowsprit. Daisy and I are going to keep it in the barn, along with our other treasures. We’re headed up there right now to test Daisy’s new pogo stick.
Merry Christmas,
Your son in America,
Jesse Tiger
K
ATE
K
LIMO
has always believed that Santa Claus is the ultimate and, for many of us, the very first fantasy hero in our lives. When she was a child, she always stayed up late the night before Christmas to see if she could hear the ringing of sleigh bells or the rumble of reindeer’s hooves on the roof. To this day, she thinks there is something about Christmas that’s just a little bit more magical than any other day of the year.
One Christmas Day, when she was horseback riding in the park, she came upon a jolly old man in a long white beard and a fur-trimmed red suit galloping along on a white stallion strewn with sleigh bells. She hopes you will find some of that holiday magic in this latest Dragon Keepers adventure.
Kate lives in New Paltz, New York, with her husband and horses. For more information, visit
FoundaDragon.org
and
TheDragonKeepers.com
.