Crow here. It's been nearly a year since the night I agreed to help the
old fellow from the north with some deliveries on Christmas Eve. Quite
frankly the dear gentleman was at his wits end, knowing as he did that
so many poor children needed gifts and food that night and much more
besides. He did what he could as he always does. My task was the much
less arduous one (or so I thought) of taking presents to the children of
the rich. As you well know there are far fewer of them, such a tiny
number of good rich children, in fact, that I was quite confident of
being home well before midnight.
At twilight several of his more
experienced reindeer arrived pulling a spare Santa sled and off we
tootled into winter's darkening sky. Our first stop at a gated community
provided my first inkling that this job might not be quite the doddle
I'd imagined it would be. As I slipped down the chimney I'd been happy
to see the glint of festive lights in the the hall and the living room,
but when I stepped across the grate I discovered they weren't holiday
decorations at all but motion detectors. Suddenly sirens sounded, steel
barriers dropped down to cover the windows and three snarling dogs
rushed into the room where I'd just begun to open my sack. I barely made
it back up the chimney with my trousers intact.
Having never
been one to renege on an obligation I set off with a will to the next
mansion on my list. The living room there was a grand space filled with
art and fine furniture but once again, just as I set foot on the floor,
before I could begin opening my bag, alarms sounded, a spotlight lit my
person and a nasty smelling fog filled the room with blue smoke.
Coughing and choking I scrambled back up that chimney too.
As I'd
had no success at the gated community I decided instead that we'd try
for a country house on the list. Knowing nothing about private security
systems that employ infrared cameras that read thermal heat signatures,
nor about radar detectors - both of which can detect anything larger
than a mouse up to five miles away - the reindeer and I were surprised
when portals in the roof opened and out popped a brace of cannons.
Although we attempted to signal our good intentions by ringing sleigh
bells and singing carols, we were forced to turn away when the heavy
artillery opened fire.
We made our sad way back to Santa's
workshop in dread of his disappointment. How surprised we were by his
merry laughter as he commended us for our attempts and said, 'Don't
worry boys, next year I'll let them fight it out with the Amazon
drones'.
Peace to All!
.jpeg)