Waldo's Lesson

Some things don't change much at the North Pole. For instance, Santa still wears the same red suit he always does, and every Christmas eve he sits in the same sleigh, pulled by the same reindeer, just like he always does. But sometimes, things change pretty fast.

Things have changed pretty quickly in Santa's study. A minute ago, Waldo was the upset Elf, and Teema was the bully. Now, Teema's crying and saying that Waldo had hurt her!

"I hurt you?" asked Waldo. "When did this happen? How did this happen? I don't remember it!"

"That's not surprising," said Santa. "I don't think you meant to hurt her, but you did, and you did it without knowing it," He turned to Teema. "This happened last week, didn't it? During the contest?"

Teema nodded. "It was during the finals of the North Pole's Got Talent contest," she said. "It was the first contest I ever entered. And I won!" she smiled at the memory, but then she became angry. "And you ruined it!"

Waldo looked confused. "What did I do?" he asked.

"Do you remember what you said during the final round?" asked Santa, gently.

Waldo thought. "Yeah. I remember I had a peanut butter-and-mackerel casserole in the oven, and I asked if the contest was ending soon."

"After that," said Santa. "What did you say to Teema?"

Waldo thought some more. Then his eyes widened. "I said she looked like her cousin Timbo in a dress," he said.

"You said I was Timbo in a dress!" said Teema. "It was the first contest I ever won, and you made fun of me!"

Now it was Waldo's turn to cry. "I'm so sorry!" he said. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! You sing like an angel!"

Teema smiled. "You really think so?"

"Yeah!" said Waldo. "And you're strong, too! I wish I was as strong as you, or could sing as well as you!"

"Waldo didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Teema," said Santa. "But I think he might have learned that what he says can hurt people's feelings."

"I also learned that a peanut butter-and-mackerel casserole sounds a lot better than it tastes," said Waldo.

"Of course it does," said Teema. "Everyone knows that flounder goes best with peanut butter!"

Santa started to laugh, but then stopped when he realized she was serious. "Yes, well, I guess the lesson learned here is..."

"I thought you cooked flounder with raspberries and horseradish," said Waldo.

Teema stood up. "You can do that, too, but only if you add green potato chips. I've got some in my refrigerator. Want to try it?"

"Sure!" said Waldo. "I'll bring some licorice cola!" And the two of them headed out of Santa's office, leaving a slightly confused Claus behind.

"...I guess the lesson learned here is: 'don't let Waldo and Teema cook your dinner for you,'" he said with a smile.

There's more adventures coming! Keep reading The North Pole Times for all the Elf news!