She didn't stay vanished for long, though. She found herself wearing her coat and her hat and her boots and her mittens. She was outside, in the snow, and it was still snowing! She looked around, and saw that Comfy was right next to her. And next to him was an elf!
Alex had never seen an elf before, but once she saw this one, she knew it had to be an elf! It was a girl elf, and she was wearing a pointy hat, and a pointy pair of boots, with little bells on the tips! She had on a red vest and green pants, and all of her clothing was lined with fur, to keep her warm.
"Hello Alex," the elf said to her. "I've heard you're supposed to go on an adventure today. Is that right?"
Alex nodded, but the elf was in a hurry, and kept speaking. "Okay, good, we need you to go out and help us find some Christmas spirit. Or maybe spirits. But I know you need some drawing paper, and some colored pencils, and, of course, some glue. Here you go!" the elf said, all in one breath. The elf was holding out a small paper sack with handles on it, and Alex grabbed the handles.
"Most kids just help us scout out houses and entrances, and I have a lot of other little boys and girls to meet so goodbye!" said the elf, and then ran off, to find another child to talk to.
"I'm sorry about the elf," Comfy said. "She's very busy helping Santa build toys, and is in a big hurry."
"What did she mean, scout houses and entrances?" Alex asked. Comfy explained that Santa Claus had to find a way into every house that had children in it, so he could bring them presents.
"So, you look at houses, and you figure out how Santa would get in," he said. "And then you draw a picture, and put an arrow on it, showing Santa where he can come in. You see that house?" Comfy asked, and he pointed at a house with a big chimney. "You could draw that house, and point to the chimney. Or, if you think they might build a fire in the fireplace, you could draw an arrow to the front door, and Santa will know to knock politely on the door and ask the parents if he can come in to leave some toys."
"I don't know," Alex said. "I thought this was an adventure!"
"Well, when we go home to draw pictures, you can have some hot cocoa, and maybe even a cookie. A lot of adventures go well with cocoa and cookies," Comfy said.
Alex agreed that hot cocoa and cookies were wonderful things, but she remembered that the elf said she needed to find Christmas spirits and not just draw houses. Drawing houses with colored pencils was important too, but not as important as finding things she needed to find!
So she asked Comfy to hold her hand while she crossed the streets, and she wandered the city, looking for Christmas spirits. And after walking around for an hour, or maybe even longer, she saw something.
A man and a woman - and the woman had a little baby in their arms, and she was riding a mule!
Right there, in the middle of the city, only no one seemed to notice them. Alex looked at them, and realized that they looked lost, and awfully tired.
She pointed them out to Comfy, and asked why no one else seemed to notice. Comfy looked sad for a moment, and said that sometimes, when people were lost, and tired, and feeling alone, no one noticed. So if you notice someone who needs help, sometimes you're the only one who can help them.
That made Alex feel strange. She was just a little girl. Her mommy and daddy could find them someplace to sleep, but what could she do? She looked up at Comfy, and he said that what they needed was a manger - just a place to rest for a while, before they could continue their journey in the morning. They might be able to build one... could Alex draw one for them to build?
Alex was sure that she could! She and Comfy went over to the man and the woman and their baby, and asked them to stop for a while, while Alex and Comfy tried to make a place for them to rest. And Alex took out her paper and colored pencils, and drew a sketch of a manger - a crib for the baby, and a space for the mommy Mary and daddy Joseph. And there was a cow, and the mule and some sheep... and, of course, there was a little angel up on top.
and is not a bad guy 
.
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Date: 2009-12-24 03:39 pm (UTC)She didn't stay vanished for long, though. She found herself wearing her coat and her hat and her boots and her mittens. She was outside, in the snow, and it was still snowing! She looked around, and saw that Comfy was right next to her. And next to him was an elf!
Alex had never seen an elf before, but once she saw this one, she knew it had to be an elf! It was a girl elf, and she was wearing a pointy hat, and a pointy pair of boots, with little bells on the tips! She had on a red vest and green pants, and all of her clothing was lined with fur, to keep her warm.
"Hello Alex," the elf said to her. "I've heard you're supposed to go on an adventure today. Is that right?"
Alex nodded, but the elf was in a hurry, and kept speaking. "Okay, good, we need you to go out and help us find some Christmas spirit. Or maybe spirits. But I know you need some drawing paper, and some colored pencils, and, of course, some glue. Here you go!" the elf said, all in one breath. The elf was holding out a small paper sack with handles on it, and Alex grabbed the handles.
"Most kids just help us scout out houses and entrances, and I have a lot of other little boys and girls to meet so goodbye!" said the elf, and then ran off, to find another child to talk to.
"I'm sorry about the elf," Comfy said. "She's very busy helping Santa build toys, and is in a big hurry."
"What did she mean, scout houses and entrances?" Alex asked. Comfy explained that Santa Claus had to find a way into every house that had children in it, so he could bring them presents.
"So, you look at houses, and you figure out how Santa would get in," he said. "And then you draw a picture, and put an arrow on it, showing Santa where he can come in. You see that house?" Comfy asked, and he pointed at a house with a big chimney. "You could draw that house, and point to the chimney. Or, if you think they might build a fire in the fireplace, you could draw an arrow to the front door, and Santa will know to knock politely on the door and ask the parents if he can come in to leave some toys."
"I don't know," Alex said. "I thought this was an adventure!"
"Well, when we go home to draw pictures, you can have some hot cocoa, and maybe even a cookie. A lot of adventures go well with cocoa and cookies," Comfy said.
Alex agreed that hot cocoa and cookies were wonderful things, but she remembered that the elf said she needed to find Christmas spirits and not just draw houses. Drawing houses with colored pencils was important too, but not as important as finding things she needed to find!
So she asked Comfy to hold her hand while she crossed the streets, and she wandered the city, looking for Christmas spirits. And after walking around for an hour, or maybe even longer, she saw something.
A man and a woman - and the woman had a little baby in their arms, and she was riding a mule!
Right there, in the middle of the city, only no one seemed to notice them. Alex looked at them, and realized that they looked lost, and awfully tired.
She pointed them out to Comfy, and asked why no one else seemed to notice. Comfy looked sad for a moment, and said that sometimes, when people were lost, and tired, and feeling alone, no one noticed. So if you notice someone who needs help, sometimes you're the only one who can help them.
That made Alex feel strange. She was just a little girl. Her mommy and daddy could find them someplace to sleep, but what could she do? She looked up at Comfy, and he said that what they needed was a manger - just a place to rest for a while, before they could continue their journey in the morning. They might be able to build one... could Alex draw one for them to build?
Alex was sure that she could! She and Comfy went over to the man and the woman and their baby, and asked them to stop for a while, while Alex and Comfy tried to make a place for them to rest. And Alex took out her paper and colored pencils, and drew a sketch of a manger - a crib for the baby, and a space for the mommy Mary and daddy Joseph. And there was a cow, and the mule and some sheep... and, of course, there was a little angel up on top.