A cat for Santa

By Harley Hamilton

Let me tell you what happened one day in the Enchanted Forest. The Dark Fairy was up to her tricks and a kitten got lost and couldn’t remember where she lived. And so it began…

Four little kittens were outside their home looking for their mittens. The Dark Fairy came and turned into a blue butterfly. One of the kittens, a white one, began to chase the butterfly, as kittens will do.

The butterfly led the kitten to a deep, dark well. When the kitten jumped up on the well to catch the butterfly, it turned back into the Dark Fairy and startled her. She fell into the well.

The fairy laughed and flew away. The kitten was at the bottom of the well, wet and scared. She was crying, “Meow, Meow.” She had bumped her head on the way down.

It happened that day that the Sugar Plum Fairies had come to the forest to visit their sister, the Purple Fairy. They heard the kitten crying and flew to the well.

The Pink Fairy waved her wand and the kitten rose out of the well. She was now cold, wet and scared.

The Blue Fairy asked, “Who put you in the well?”

“I don’t know. I remember chasing a blue butterfly then I found myself in the well,” replied the kitten.

The Orange Fairy said, “I bet it was the Dark Fairy. She is wicked and likes to disguise herself in blue. I wish she were not our sister.”

Yes, besides the Purple Fairy, the Dark Fairy is also their sister.

The Green Fairy asked, “Where do you live?”

The kitten, still shaking from the cold, answered, “I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

The Orange fairy asked, “Would you like to live with us at the North Pole?”

The kitten said she would love to.

Off they flew to the North Pole. The kitten magically flew too. Can you guess how that happened?

The fairies would have to visit their sister another day.

When they arrived, Mrs Claus saw the kitten and said, “Oh, Santa loves kittens. He had a white kitten with green eyes when he was a little boy.”

The fairies had a quick discussion amongst themselves. What do you think they were talking about?

Then the Blue Fairy asked Mrs Claus, “Would you like to take care of the kitten?”

She replied, “Oh, Yes! Can I? Santa will be thrilled.”

The Green Fairy said, “If it is alright with her.”

The kitten looked at Mrs Claus, smiled, and said, “Yes, I would like that.” Mrs Claus was overjoyed.

When they arrived home, Santa was surprised to see Mrs Claus with a cat.

He asked, “Who might this kitten be?”

Mrs Claus replied, “She doesn’t have a name yet. I got her for you.”

Santa laughed, “Ho Ho Ho, thank you so much. I love cats. What should we call her?”

Mrs Claus suggested, “How about Iris because her eyes are the colour of the iris flower?”

Santa laughed again, “Ho Ho Ho, what a splendid name.”

Santa’s dog, Fudge, was not sure having a cat in the house was a good idea.

In a while, Iris and Fudge became best of friends. They often slept close together, not just to keep warm but because they were friends.

Iris helped around the house quite a bit. While making brownies, Mrs Claus had to keep an eye out for Jack Frost. He liked to tease her. She was often busy baking so she has Iris act as a watch cat. But…that was not always for the best. As you know, cats like to take naps. A watch cat that is asleep is not watching.

One day, Jack Frost thought it would be fun to trick Mrs Claus. First, he knocked on her house door. When she went to answer the door, he popped into the kitchen. Iris was fast asleep dreaming of chasing snowflakes. Sadly, she was not a very good watch cat.

When Mrs Claus came back, Iris had just woken up. Jack was still there but the ingredients were not. He had hidden them.

She said, “Jack, where are my …?”

But before she could finish the question Jack had disappeared laughing and said, “They are about but they are not out.” What a riddle!

Mrs Claus and Iris thought about the riddle. “If they are ‘about’, they are ‘near’. If they are ‘not out they are ‘in’,“ said Mrs Claus. Where do you think the ingredients were? In the kitchen what was ‘near’ and could have something put ‘in’.

Iris knew, right away. The ingredients were in the cabinets. She found them very quickly. Mrs Claus was very happy.

Mrs Claus did not think Jack’s joke was funny. That year he did not get any brownies. He has not pulled that trick since.

Iris was also a big help to Santa, especially on Christmas Eve. She helped him load his sleigh. She shot the gifts into his bag while he checked them off. Sometimes she missed and Santa had to duck.

When they were done, Iris stood guard with her snowball canon. Christmas Goblins tried to steal the presents before Santa could deliver them. Iris was a crack shot. Snowballs sting and a goblin had not gotten a gift yet.

After a long day of loading the bags and sleigh, it was night and time for Santa to deliver the gifts. The reindeer were hooked up to the sleigh and ready for the task ahead. The Orange Fairy was there to cast the spell to help the reindeer fly farther and faster than ever.

To hasten Santa on his trip, the North Wind blew a big gust of wind. The Man in the Moon looked on, smiling and shining brightly, lighting Santa’s way.

After a long day helping Santa and Mrs Claus, Iris was ready for a good night’s sleep.

- Total nr. of readings: 2,015 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.