HICKORY HOG AND THE CHRISTMAS RASCAL, part 16

PART 16, December 16

The sun started to go down. The wind whipped up and began to blow through the trees. The temperature dropped down to an alarmingly cold level. Hickory Hog was lost.

He had come out on the trail of the Christmas Rascal, but hadn't been able to catch him. He thought he'd been on to him, but as the trail led further and further into the woods a conviction began to grow in him that he was deliberately being led on a wild goose chase. It all seemed perfectly hopeless.

The wind really was getting colder. He'd have to find some shelter pretty soon. It was just too cold to spend the whole night out of doors. What if it began to snow, or would it?

There was nothing to do but to keep on following the track he was on. Since the Christmas Rascal had laid it out for him, he was bound to be at the end of it somehow. He couldn't just disappear. That, though, is what he seemed to have done. The track just disappeared. Beaten or unbeaten, there was absolutely no more track to follow. Now what?

It was then that off in the distance off to his right he saw a light burning. He decided he'd better make for that. Wherever there was a light there would be someone. They could, help him out with a place to stay for the night or else some directions to safety.

Closer and closer he came. It was a porch light that he saw. He came up to it and saw a note attached to the door of the small cottage. It said, "Come in. You'll find everything you want."

Hickory opened the door. There before him was a whole array of different objects. In one corner there was a heap of old raggedy clothes. There was a pile of chrome off an old car. There was a silver setting all neatly wrapped up in a cloth so as not to scratch it. There was a pile of potatoes. In the center of the room was an object covered over with a burlap bag. He removed the bag. There before him was his missing baby Jesus from the manger scene.

He had found the Christmas Rascal's lair.

© 1989 Kevin Don Levellie