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One day, overnight, the world turned violet. Just about everything turned violet from the sky and ocean and mountains to the trees and animals and people and from the tallest skyscrapers to the tiniest ant. People sat around looking at one another wondering if they were dreaming. But nobody woke up and things stayed violet, all except for a single Blue Jay who hadn't changed color and stayed the brightest blue.
Being the only thing in the world that wasn't violet, he was caught and put in a cage.
People were shocked. Some were afraid and some were amazed and a few thought it funny, because along with everyone else, the President was very violet. Whole families were violet as were teachers, movie stars, doctors, nurses, gas station attendants, the Queen of England, the President of Mozambique, taxi-drivers, everybody. They went from place to place in their violet cars and buses and rode violet bikes and sat on violet furniture and ate violet food. Even Hershey's candy bars had turned all violet as had Skittles and M&M's. Girls generally thought this yucky, but some boys thought it was pretty neat.
The smartest scientists in the world gathered to figure it out. Was something wrong with people's eyes or was it a trick of nature? They did studies and tests and analyzed and evaluated and debated and wrote article after article, but couldn't explain it.
And no longer could people say they felt "blue" or were "green" with envy or had a "green" thumb. So what they said and how they said it began to change. Some people said violet was now the most important color in the world because it was everywhere. Others said that violet had no importance at all because there was too much of it. They discussed and argued, joined clubs, held debates, wrote books, and produced movies all about the issue of the importance or unimportance of the color violet.
The color of the Blue Jay became a big issue because he had such a little bit of blue and the world had such a whole lot of violet. People argued about the importance of that. Some said the Blue Jay must be a very special bird or maybe not a bird at all because he alone had kept his true color. Others said this was silly, that the Blue Jay ate bird seed and drank water and fluffed his feathers and that other than his special color he was still just a bird.
It was exactly one year to the day after the world had turned violet that people awoke to find the world had turned yellow. All except the Blue Jay.
In some ways a yellow world isn't any different than a violet world. People simply said yellow instead of violet when they talked about things. Only now the Blue Jay was more important than ever because he alone had stayed the color blue and people argued about what that meant. They lined up for miles just to take a look at him.
For the next two years, exactly on the day the world had turned violet and then yellow, it turned new colors: first orange and then pink. Still the Blue Jay stayed blue, causing ever greater disagreement -- until in the fifth year the whole world turned blue.
The first thing people asked was what about the Blue Jay. Had he stayed blue? Yes, he was still the same color. No longer were there two colors in the world, but just one -- the color blue. And because the Blue Jay was a color like everybody and everything else people began to lose interest. Now that he was neither more nor less important crowds stopped coming and one day, six months into the year that the world had turned blue, somebody let him out of his cage and he flew off looking happy to be free.
The very next morning the world regained its rainbow of colors as if nothing had ever happened. At first this was a novelty but soon people forgot the world had once been all violet. They forgot the world had once turned yellow, then orange, then pink, and then blue. They returned to saying they felt "blue" or were "green" with envy or had a "green" thumb.
But on occasion they wondered where the Blue Jay had gone and how he was doing and, most of all, if he was still the color blue and what it had all meant.
Absulum the Reindeer Elf
Absulum the Reindeer Elf worked in the reindeer barn.
He had to clean it everyday and that was rather hard
for it was such a dirty job to mop and slop and scour and scrape every corner, nook and cranny in that reindeer place.
Absulum the Reindeer Elf had to keep the reindeer groomed. He had to give them all a bath.
He had to feed them too. Cook their meals, brush their fur , and fill that barn with hay and every morning when he woke he would have to do it all over again. Absulum the Reindeer Elf played nurse and doctor too. He took care of all the reindeer if they were sick or had the flu. He fixed their sleigh, he mended their reins and if they were sad he would wipe their tears. He worked his fingers to the bone but it seemed that no one cared. Of course the elves in Santa's Workshop they were such a happy lot
singing songs all day long with that jolly happy Santa Claus.They laughed and danced from toy to toy
as if it was such fun while outside in the reindeer barn
was the Elf named Absulum. Absulum the Reindeer Elf,
when he heard that happy noise,would wish he was a Workshop Elf making Christmas toys; but a Workshop Elf is wise and tall and Absulum was not and that was why he was in that barn, well that is what he thought.
Now, it was on a Christmas Eve when this incident occurred,Santa's sleigh was flying high
there was no reason for concern until the wind came up
and the snow came down in a blinding wall of white
and all the reindeer say that it set the stage
for the tragedy that took place that night.
Through that snow the reindeer flew
with neither fear nor fright but the wind grew strong
and stronger still until a blizzard grabbed
that Christmas night.
And it shook that night, it shook the sky
and it shook that reindeer sleigh.The reindeer they could hardly see so soon they lost their way.
They were tumbling twisting turning topsy-turvy 'round and 'round.
They hit the tree tops flipped the sleigh and smashed into the ground.
The reindeer sleigh was broken it was scattered everywhere.
There were parts and pieces on the ground
over here and over there. Christmas toys torn from their wrapping, ribbons tangled in the trees
and there upon the forest floor lay Santa Claus, and all could see that he was hurt from the tragic crash
but just how bad no one would ask.For asking might be finding out an answer no one cared to know.
The reindeer gathered 'round him each one limping, scraped or cut and one by one they called his name
"Oh, Santa Claus? Get up!" But not one move did Santa make not a flicker not a sound
and every single reindeer there thought,"What will we do now?" The sky was black there was no light
no moon or shining star.The reindeer huddled close for warmth around Santa Claus who was lying there
in such a heap of sadness pines and twigs caught in his beard.Then one reindeer thought out loud
"If only Absulum was here." Then suddenly the reindeer,well they all began to chant.
"Absulum oh Absulum do you know where we're at?
Oh Absulum, Absulum please come we need you now!
Absulum, Oh Absulum," the reindeer chanted loud.
"Absulum, Absulum can you hear us call?
Absulum? Absulum? Absuuuulllllummmmmm?
Suddenly a star lit up that stormy Christmas sky
and it fell toward the Earth and landed there at Santa's side.The reindeer all stepped back
and gasped in wonder at the sight of Absulum the Reindeer Elf and the star he brought for light.
He placed that star upon a tree and it filled the Christmas sky then quickly down with reindeer 'round
he was there at Santa's side. Then on his knees the Reindeer Elf he breathed a single breath of life
into his mouth and as he did Santa opened wide his eyes."Absulum?" Said Santa Claus."Absulum, is that you?"but Absulum did not answer for there was too much work to do. He held his hand up to his mouth
and let loose the oddest scream that echoed through the forest through the mountains and ravines.
Now, that scream? It was a creature call, one he learned when he was young.It was a call that creatures answered to and caused them all to come.
And come they did from hovel, hole,from cavern, nest and tree to offer help to a Reindeer Elf who was in his hour of need. Within seconds Squirrel and Moose and Deer were there upon the scene.Raccoon, Fox and Bobcat came and every bird from every tree.And every bunny rabbit hopped and those who had to crawled to take part in the rescue of the reindeer and Santa Claus. Each part and piece of Santa's sleigh
was gathered from the wreck and brought to Absulum the Reindeer Elf who began to put the pieces back.
The reins were mangled, tangled torn,
the runners snapped in two but Absulum the Reindeer Elf knew exactly what to do. And so, while he worked on Santa's sleigh, the creatures all pitched in
to gather up the toys that were scattered by the wind.
They put the toys back in their wrapping, tied the ribbons, filled the sack.By then that sleigh was good as new so, they threw the sack in back.
Then they helped old Santa to his feet and up onto the sleigh.The reindeer they got in as well
wherever they could find a space. Then Absulum the Reindeer Elf,he called the creatures 'round.
He placed the reins upon them all and said, "We're taking Santa home".Then up into the drivers seat
that tiny elf did climb.He took the reins
and without delay commanded them to fly.Well, that sleigh took offit left the ground and headed straight into the sky being pulled by Moose and Bunny Rabbits
and creatures who weren't meant to fly.But fly they did and how or why is not an answer we need know.
You see the question most important is,"Did they get them home?" Well, yes they did.They got them home
and quickly took them in.Missus Claus fed them chicken soup then she called to Absulum.She said, "Absulum, look outside there are toys still in the sleigh.You have to get back out there and deliver them right away."
Absulum looked at Missus Claus.He knew she was in charge but, instead of following her orders
he took his reindeer to the reindeer barn.
He tended to their injuries all that night and all the next day and as for all those toys outside
well, that is where they stayed. Because Reindeer Elves
concern themselves only with what's right and when taking care of reindeer is all you know in life then you do what must be done to make sure those reindeer never come to harm and so, now you know
why Absulum works in the Reindeer Barn.
