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Santa's New Sleigh © ~ A Chuckles & Buckley Adventure continues . . .

 
   Santa knew he needed to go to NORAD to try and find Tyler, so he flew as fast as he could to get some help.

  Outside Cheyenne Mountain NORAD, in the parking lot, Santa swung his leg down from the back of Comet  and made sure of his balance before walking forward. Santa brushed  some accumulated snow off of his red Santa suit and straightened up his  red Santa hat. He led Comet by his bridle and walked over to the guard  house. Two Air Force security police stood inside the guard house and  one of them was talking excitedly into the phone and pointing at Santa as  he drew closer.

     “May I help you, sir?” the guard asked.

     "Yes, I am here to see General Renuart, " smiled Santa.

     “May I see some indentification sir,” asked the guard. Santa felt his pockets with a twinkle in his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

     “It looks like I’m fresh out,” he said as his grin widened. “Why don’t you look in your pocket? Maybe it’s there,” Santa said. The guard looked puzzled, but did as Santa asked. He withdrew a laminated card and read it with widening eyes.

     “Well, I figured that it would make it easier for you to believe who I am if you found my I.D. in an unexpected place,” Santa explained.

     “Look again, ” Santa suggested. When the guard reached back into his pockets he pulled out an whole handful of I.D. cards, each with a different name that Santa is called from children all over the globe.

    At this time Major Reddish, aide to the General, had arrived to escort Santa into the Air Base. The two guards snapped to attention and saluted the Major. She returned it and told them to be at ease.

     "Hi Santa, we are so surprised to see you in person!" greeted Major Reddish. "We thought you would have contacted us through the North Pole Emergency Line, this is such a wonderful treat."

     "It is great to see you you again Stacey, it has been a long time." Santa said. "I am needing a special favor from the General to help us locate a missing elf."

     “The general has asked me to convey his delight that you have come  here for a visit Santa, but sends his regrets that he can not meet you in  person. He will meet with you once inside the mountain. He is involved  with a problem right now that needs solving. If you would follow me  inside, there is hot cocoa and a plate of warm brownies waiting."  explained Maj. Reddish.

     Santa gestured to the major that she should lead the way. “So, how are  you doing, Stacey?” Santa asked. “It’s been a long time since I last  brought you presents, but I really enjoy bringing them to your children now." Major Reddish was startled to hear the name she hadn’t used since childhood. Her parents were the only ones who called her Stacey. This brought a comforting smile of joyful knowing that Santa is always right there with her in her heart.

     The major and Santa were approaching the doors with Comet in tow. Santa pulled up to the 'NORAD Tracking Santa' parking spot and asked Comet if he wanted to stay there, come inside the mountain or go find a quiet meadow somewhere to graze. Comet opted for the meadow idea and took to the air in one graceful bound. He was the show-off of all the reindeer and did a loop with a couple of rolls once he was airborne.

     “You know, I just wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. That was amazing.” said Major Reddish.

      “He just wanted to give you a little treat; something for you to remember and tell your grandchildren about,” explained Santa.

 After passing strict security check points, Santa Claus and Major Reddish entered the NORAD control room. There were enlisted men and women everywhere moving from console to console, performing various tasks.

      On a platform behind everything was a tall imposing man wearing a sharply pressed uniform. The stars on his shoulders designated him as the general and also the man in charge. He was passing out orders crisply and those under his command were doing as he asked without any hesitation at all because they respected him and his guidance of the troops. General Gene Renuart was the commander of NORAD and took his job very seriously. Nothing flew in the skies above the earth, including Santa, without the General knowing about it first.

    Big display screens in the front of the room were all lit up showing  different locations around the Earth. The pool in front of the Taj Mahal in  Agra, India was a putrid looking brown instead of its usual pristine blue.  Some brown substance was clinging to the lattice-like iron work of the  Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. The Coliseum in Rome, Italy seemed to have  the same brown goo plastered all over it. There were other places around  the globe that had the same exact problem.

   General Renuart was analyzing reports coming in from all over the world about this amazing, mysterious, smelly mess. Teams of investigators were on the scene, gathering samples of the substance and, in every case, the substance tested out to be harmless, organic decayed vegetable material. This didn’t account for the reason it smelled so bad, and every test suggested that the substance and its origin were unknown. This vegetable material didn’t grow on Earth. Santa watched all the activity with growing concern, because of course, he knew where it came from. Oh, not exactly where, but certainly how it got to all the places it was being found.

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