Santa’s Best Friend by Ken Barr
Sigürd was a big happy dog that had lived with his family since he was a pup, Mama, Papa, Billy and Sarah. There was always someone to play with, good food in his bowl, and a warm place to sleep. He was always a happy pup, and he was showered with love every day by his family, and in return he showed his love for them, giving them kisses whenever he could. Life was just a continuous cycle of walks on his leash, trips to the park, car rides, and the occasional nap. Sigürd would sometimes think to himself, “Ahh, life is good!”
Sigürd was just going through his normal routine when he noticed things starting to change. His Papa had stopped leaving for work in the mornings. If he understood correctly, Papa had lost his job, which meant there was no money coming in to pay for food. At night Sigürd could hear Papa and Mama talking loud, like they did when something was wrong. He just hid under Billy’s bed, hoping things would be ok.
One night Sigürd was sitting on the bed with Billy and Sarah, and they were both crying. They could hear their Papa tell Mama, “It’s the only way, and it will be for the best”. Billy and Sarah started crying even more as Papa came into the room to get Sigürd. “Children” Papa said, “Say goodbye to Sigürd, we can’t afford to take care of him anymore, I have to take him away”.
Sarah and Billy both burst into tears and hugged Sigürd, begging their Papa not to take him. But after a tearful farewell, Papa and Sigürd walked out the door.
As they got into the car Sigürd could see that Papa had been crying too, he just didn’t want Billy and Sarah to see it. Papa hugged him and told him he loved him, and that he was sorry. He took the tags from Sigürds collar, all except the one with his name. He wanted to make sure that people would know what to call him. They drove for what seemed like hours, and Sigürd saw a familiar sight, the dog park, a place he had been playing in since he was a pup. He and Papa got out of the car and walked to the park. Papa hugged Sigürd one last time and said “I love you Sigürd, I am so sorry. This will be the best place for you to find a family that can take care of you.” And with that, Sigürds Papa walked to the car and drove off, leaving Sigürd alone for the first time in his life.
Sigürd was so scared, he ran after the car, barking so his Papa could hear, but it was no use, there was no way he could keep up with the car. He went back to the park, and cried. He cried for the Papa who had just left him, he cried for the family he was afraid he would never see again. But most of all he cried because he was scared and alone.
After a while Sigürd realized he had to figure out how he was going to live. It was getting dark, and he was getting hungry. Today had been one of those few days that no one came to the park, so there wasn’t anyone that could help. So he struck out on his own to find something to eat and a place to sleep.
His walk took him to some big buildings with people coming and going, getting food. He had seen Mama and Papa go to these kinds of places when times were better. Sigürd could smell food in a big metal container at the back of the building. People were just throwing their uneaten food into it. With all this food there must be a way to get some. He decided to sit near the container, perhaps someone would give him something to eat, if he just sat nice and was a good boy. And he was right; a man came over to him and scratched behind his ears. “Hungry Boy?” the man said. Sigürd just licked his lips, he was so hungry. The man put some food down for Sigürd, and he ate it as fast as he could. And with that, the man said “Gotta get back to work, take care boy”. The man went inside and Sigürd didn’t see him again.
So now it was time to find a place to sleep, and Sigürd was able to find a little shed to sleep in. It was drafty and cold, and all Sigürd could think about was getting home to his family, he had to find them. Rest up, he thought to himself, tomorrow I find home.
But tomorrow he didn’t find home, or the next day. It was all he could do to find something to eat and a place to sleep. There were days he couldn’t find food and went hungry. Some day’s people chased him and threw rocks. He couldn’t understand, all he wanted was to go home.
But he had to keep looking, so he wandered. Not knowing where to go he did his best. He didn’t realize it, but he was going in the wrong direction, he was going north, further and further from home. And as he went further north, there were less and less people and houses. Sigürd couldn’t understand, he thought everyplace was like home. But it was getting colder and harder to find food.
After much walking and not much food, Sigürd came upon the first house he had seen in days. He decided to go onto the front porch and see if anyone was home. So he got on the porch and barked, he barked for all he was worth. And after a few minutes, fortune smiled at him. An older man came to the door; he smiled when he saw Sigürd and opened the door fully. “Well what do we have here?” the man said. He reached down and scratched Sigürd behind his ears just like Papa had. “Best get you inside and get you something to eat” he continued.
The house was so warm and cozy; Sigürd went over and lay by the fire while the man got him something to eat. When the food was ready the man gave a whistle, and Sigürd went over to find the best smelling food he had ever smelled, and lots of it, he immediately started to gobble the food up. “Easy boy” the man said, “No one’s going to take that food from you”.
After dinner Sigürd lay by the fire and fell asleep, feeling safe for the first time in a long time. When morning came, the man gave Sigürd more food, and after breakfast the man started to tell him about the day they were going to have. “Well Sigürd, my name is Wilford Pine, and I’ve been living here most of my life. Now you seem like a fine dog, but I can barely manage myself. As much as I’d love to have you stay here with me, I just can’t manage it. But don’t worry, I won’t just turn you out, I have a friend nearby that might be able to help”. Sigürd didn’t know what the man was saying, but somehow he knew things would be all right.
The man put his coat on and called to Sigürd; they went outside and got into the man’s truck. They only drove for a short time, and Sigürd saw the fanciest building he had ever seen, there were many buildings in fact. They got out of the truck and went to the biggest building, and the man knocked on the door as though he had been here many times before. The door was opened by a friendly looking gray haired woman, who was happy to see the man. After they hugged she looked at Sigürd and said, “And who might this be?” Wilford told the woman that his name was Sigürd, and he was looking for a home for him. They were invited inside, and the woman said she would be right back. After a few minutes she came back with a tray of treats for all of them, and an older man who immediately recognized Wilford.
“What do we have here?” he asked. “Well Santa, his name is Sigürd, and he needs a home. He arrived last night, I would keep him with me, but I just can’t. I was hoping you might be able to let him stay here”.
“Well I don’t know” said Santa, “We’ve never had a dog here before”. Wilford responded, “He’s a great dog Santa, won’t you please give him a chance”. “All right Wilford”, said Santa, “I never could say no to someone in need of help”. And with that Wilford scratched Sigürds head and said, “I’ll see you soon boy” he then shook Santa’s hand and said “I’ll see you Saturday night for cards Santa”. “Get home safely Wilford” said Santa.
And that’s how it happened, Sigürd didn’t just have a home, he had a new family that loved him. Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Wilford stopped by often, and there were all sorts of people building toys and doing all sorts of magical things, and one by one, they all fell in love with Sigürd. He would help out where he could, helping with packages or carrying supplies. Every day was a new adventure and Sigürd just loved his home. And there was a special bond between Sigürd and Santa, when Sigürd barked Santa understood what he was trying to say, and he could understand Santa as well. In just a short time they had become very close, very close.
When it came time for Santa to make his trip delivering toys, he decided to ask Sigürd if he would like to come and help, Sigürd had proven himself very adept at carrying packages and helping. Besides, he would be good company on the ride. So off they went, delivering toys, Sigürd was so excited to be bringing presents to all these children.
After a few stops, Sigürd started to get the hang of things and proved himself a big help with deliveries. Santa already knew he had made the right choice. House after house, they all became a blur, until one house in particular. Sigürd recognized the place, it was his old house. That meant that Billy and Sarah were here! He went looking and in his excitement he accidentally woke them up. They were so excited to see him; they all hugged and cried, waking Mama and Papa, who also cried when they saw him. Papa held Sigürd and said “I am so very sorry Sigürd, I went back to look for you and you were gone, I am so sorry”. “Please can you stay?” But Sigürd had a new family now and couldn’t leave them. They all hugged and cried for so long finally Santa had to say something, “We really must be going, but I promise you that I will bring Sigürd with me every year to visit”.
So they said good bye, but not really goodbye, more of a see you again soon. And they did, as good as his word; Santa brought Sigürd with him every year and woke the family up when they got there. And more than that, Sigürd got to visit his old family during the year, Santa made sure. And as the years went on, and Sarah and Billy grew up and had families of their own, their children got to know Sigürd as well. You see, from that first trip on, Santa made his trip each year with Sigürd by his side. They were inseparable, the best of friends.
The Road Crew 