Dressed in her "All-Seeing Amber" costume, Amber was telling fortunes in the lobby of the Town Hall, using a real crystal ball. Mrs. Aliknak was seated across from Amber as Amber revealed that Mrs. Aliknak would have an "awesome" year, filled with great happiness and that something she had lost would be regained.

"Hmm," Mrs. Aliknak said, "I wonder if that means my favourite brooch or my fondness for pickled herring. I lost both last year and I'd like to have them back," she giggled.

In the theatre, the show was magical fun. Roly ate fire - as promised - and then ice cream, just to cool off, of course!

On stage, Erno successfully juggled three balls, then six, and then three juggling pins - all in time to some hip-hop music. It was very entertaining. Then, to close the first half of the show, Percival the Magnificent pushed a box containing Mrs. Claus onto the stage and proceeded to saw her in two! She was very jolly about it all, and even made a "grammar joke" about splitting clauses. Happily, Percy was successful in putting her back together again.

* * *

After intermission, as everyone was again seated, the curtains parted and a ten foot high elf strode with great deliberation onto the stage. "Good evening again ladies and gentlemen - and reindeer," said Smith. "I would now like to introduce you to a special gift - from Mrs. Claus to Santa - a gift that Santa wanted us all to share: a story."

The lights went out and the hall was dark. All was silent. Then a single white spotlight lit centre stage where a figure sat cross-legged on the floorboards.

"There was once a beautiful maiden," began a voice - clear and sweet. It was difficult to say whether the voice was actually coming from the person on stage. Not a sound was heard from the audience as the voice continued. The voice filled the room and the audience sat mesmerized by the sound of the clear strong voice. The tale was of a young girl lost to her family through tragic circumstances. Many might have actually cried aloud at the sadness of the tale, but they dared not make a sound for fear they would miss what next the voice would speak. As the voice continued the dark room seemed alive with the actions of the story. It was as if the voice were painting stories on a huge canvas across the stage. Not one person moved during the tale of loss and after - for years after - people wondered aloud if there had been more than a mere voice that night, so vivid were the images they recalled. "I remember how beautiful the girl was the night she was lost to her family," one man recalled. And Rudolph the Reindeer remembered how the stage resembled a night sky filled with the shimmering curtains of green and red aurora borealis and the stars like bright diamonds sewn to the fabric. But was it really seen on stage that night, or only in the mind's eye?

The story brought the entire hall to the brink of tears and then just as the sorrow seemed too great to bear, the tale turned and the lost girl was found and her family was happy once again. The crowd in the Town Hall felt almost as if their hearts would burst from happiness.

The tale ended. The single spotlight went out and then in the darkness slowly all began to clap until the applause was like thunder. But when the lights came up - the storyteller had vanished.

< back | email santa | colouring book | next >

copyright 2001 Make Hay Communications & Design