MsCharlotte's Stuff: Christmas

Chapter 8: The Donkey

"Run for your life!" shouted Claus, as he raced down the far side of the mountain.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" sputtered Tweedleknees, leaping after Claus. He lurched over a rock and went slipping, sprawling, tumbling head over heals until he came to a stop standing on his head with both legs wrapped around a tree.

Opening his upside-down eyes he saw the head of the giant looming over the top of the mountain. The giant grinned.

"Help!" bellowed Tweedleknees.

Claus turned and saw the giant reaching to snatch the elf in his large fist. His heart pounding, Claus unshouldered the bow the elves had given him to kill the Pigwidgen. He shot the magic arrow into the heart of the giant.

The earth shook and the mountain tottered when the great giant fell. Tweedleknees leaped to his feet and slid down the mountainside to Claus. "You've done it!" he cried admiringly. "You've killed a giant!"

"Yes," said Claus gravely. "But I've used the magic arrow and it cannot be used again."

"Pooh!" exclaimed Tweedleknees. "You've three more weapons. There's no need to worry."

Then he and Claus continued on their way. The farther north they went the colder the wind blew. One day they met a witch huddled by the side of the road.

"Good day," said Claus. "Can you tell me please if this is the way to the place where the Pigwidgen dwells?"

"I'll tell you nothing," rasped the witch.

"Aren't you cold sitting there?" demanded Tweedleknees.

"Fie on you!" snapped the witch and she covered her head with her cloak.

Claus and Tweedleknees went on their way. They had not gone far when Tweedleknees said angrily, "She can't talk to me that way. I'm going back and tell her a thing or two."

He ran back to the witch and tapped her on her shoulder. The witch withdrew her head from the cloak and Tweedleknees said, "You were very rude just now. You should apologize."

The witch's eyes flashed green and purple lights. Her face was chinless and her nose was like a tea kettle spout turned upside down.

"It could be," said Tweedleknees huffily, "that if you acted nicer you would look nicer."

The witch rose in wrath. She reached under her cloak and drew out a handful of powder. She blew the powder in Tweedleknees' face and muttered, "that's for being a butinsky!"

Tweedleknees threw his hands over his face. He felt his jaw dropping and his teeth jutting over his lips and his ears growing long and hairy. In a moment he was turned into a donkey and the witch had disappeared.

Claus had continued on his way. He was astonished when a donkey came up behind him and nudged his shoulder.

Claus looked around for Tweedleknees but there was no sign of the elf. "Tweedleknees!" he shouted. "Look what's here!"

The donkey threw back his great long head and brayed mournfully.

"What can be the matter?" wondered Claus.

The donkey pawed the snow with his hoof. Claus looked down and saw he had stamped out two words: "It's me."

"Who?" cried Claus in confusion. And then he groaned. "Oh, no," as he finally understood.