Santa Back at the North Pole!

If you were a loveable, but simple elf, and you were just told that you would have to drive Santa Claus' sleigh on Christmas Eve if Santa didn't make it back to the North Pole in time, what would you do?

This was the dilemma Waldo Elf was faced with. Santa had been popped away from the North Pole during a demonstration of the upgraded Appendapulator, the giant toymaking machine of the North Pole. Waldo was never sure of many things, but one thing he knew for sure, was that he was NOT the person who should be delivering presents to boys and girls on Christmas Eve.

So he pulled the lever of the Appendapulator. Sparks flew! Gears ground! Widgets fidgeted! Steam billowed up and around Waldo and the Appendapulator! There was a sound like a giant balloon popping, and then all was silent.

From inside the cloud of steam, a voice was heard: "Where the ho-ho-ho am I now?

Out of the steam stepped a slightly bedraggled Santa Claus. A great cheer went up from the elves, and as a group they all rushed to greet him, touch him, make sure he really WAS there.

All except two elves: Waldo, and Gizmo, the inventor of the Appendapulator. "Waldo," said Gizmo, "how did you do it? I had been trying for weeks to get Santa Claus back, and here you did it with just one pull of the lever. You truly are an amazing little elf!"

Waldo blushed. "Well, remember a few days back, when Mrs. Claus brought in that chicken pot pie? I was hungry, and I really, really wanted some of that pot pie."

"So when you pulled the lever that day, what you really wanted came to you!" Gizmo exclaimed. "Of course! That makes sense! And just now, you really really wanted Santa back at the North Pole, and that's what happened!"

Santa came over, and shook the hands of the two elves. "Thank you for bringing me back, boys," said Santa. "I'd like to show my appreciation a little more, but we've got work to do! Bernard! Smitty! Adamup! I need progress reports!"

And with that, Santa turned, and got on with the business of getting ready for Christmas.

Almost.

A minute later, he came back to where Gizmo and Waldo were standing. "I just want to ask one thing," he said to them, "what, exactly, was the Appendapulator supposed to do?"