WHERE DID SANTA GO?

The Elves at the North Pole were worried. Something was wrong with Santa. He and Mrs. Claus were in the United States visiting a Children's Hospital, when Santa suddenly wandered off!

"Perhaps he just needed some fresh air," said Smitty Elf.

"Maybe he wanted to buy a copy of The North Pole Times," said Toby Elf.

"Could he have wanted to see a movie?" asked Ali Elf.

"What if he wasn't feeling well?" offered Bernard Elf.

"What if he wasn't Santa?" mused Gizmo.

The other Elves looked at him with surprise.

"What do you mean?" asked Jiller. "Of course it was Santa! We sent him and Mrs. Claus off ourselves. Who else could it be?"

Gizmo coughed nervously. "Well...remember what happened just before Santa left the North Pole?" he asked. "Yup! We had a lightning strike. It hit your new invention--the Presentator!" said Smitty.

"Yes," said Gizmo. "The Presentator--which swaps things inside their boxes--was hit by lightning. And Santa was standing next to it."

"Oh Jingle Bells!" exclaimed Bernard. "and do you know who else was standing next to it?"

"Waldo!" cried the other elves in unison.

"So you think that Santa's insides were swapped with Waldos?" asked Jiller. Gizmo nodded. "So that means Santa's inside Waldo!"

"...and Waldo's at the South Pole!" cried Ali.

Could this have happened? Is Santa trapped in a little elf's body at the South Pole? Keep reading the North Pole TImes to find out!