Rosco the Rascal's Christmas Magic - A Short Story for Christmas

December Magic Chapter Two

Photo courtesy of  Pixabay - royalty free images

Chapter Two

Glancing around the kitchen, Rosco slipped out through his doggie door into the frosty night. He'd have a good view of whoever was on the roof from the far edge of the backyard, if he could only get there without being seen. He had to get a glimpse of Santa. Keep it quiet.

Soon he made it to the outer edge of the backyard, and turned to look up at the house. He gasped.

For there, perched on the roof, sat a large, beautiful, red sleigh! It seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Now, that's what I call a sleigh, Mom.

But no one was up there—no jolly old man in a red suit, not one reindeer—just the sleigh.

But this had to mean that Santa Claus was here! So, where could he be? And where were the reindeer?

Rosco thought maybe he could get a better view from the other side, on the street—so he crept quietly back across the damp lawn and out toward the driveway. Maybe I'll get a lick of that reindeer food while I'm at it. Like most dogs, Rosco was always hungry for a snack.

Once again, he was in for a surprise. Not only were there no reindeer on the other side of the house, but the reindeer food on the driveway was all gone! Not one red or green sugar crystal was left to sparkle in the moonlight. The reindeer must've already eaten it! But, how had they eaten it so quickly, without being noticed? And where were they now?

He strolled carefully out onto the sidewalk, noticing the pale moon in the dark sky. He sniffed about, carefully searching for traces of the reindeer. They couldn't have gotten far, could they have? Although, Mandy did say they could fly...

Just then Rosco heard a loud clunk on the rooftop, followed by some jingling bells, like the sound that the horses had made on the wagon ride. He heard an animal whinny and stomp its hoof. He thought he saw the tips of antlers moving about on the other side of the roof.

Ah ha!

His chance had come! He turned and sprinted across the driveway toward the backyard.

Unfortunately, he forgot about the slippery pavement. His paws made contact with a wide frozen puddle.

Zip! Flop!

Rosco sailed across the ice! Slipping and sliding, he finally smacked the cold, hard, dry concrete with the full force of his weight.

Stars seemed to spin about his head as he lay staring up into space. Ouch! I should've seen that coming.

Maybe there was still time to get a look at Santa and his reindeer, but he'd have to hurry. I'd better be more careful, though. He scrambled to his feet and dashed behind the house.

But in the backyard, everything was silent—not a reindeer in sight. His jaw dropped open as he gazed up at the roof.

Even the sleigh was gone!

But it was just there a few moments ago!

Rosco scanned the bushes and the backyard. He raced across the grass and sniffed. He listened, but nothing about this made any sense. Santa and the reindeer were gone—just plain gone.

Rosco sighed, lowered his head, and shuffled back to the house.

How had one jolly old man and nine very large, four-legged creatures managed to get by him? It was a puzzle—a complicated, head-scratching puzzle.