The Sleigh That Found Whispers — Under the blue-black pines, Noll pressed one mitten to Santa’s sleigh runner and frowned. Hmmmm, sang the wood, soft as a bee under snow. Read the full story →
Under the blue-black pines, Noll pressed one mitten to Santa’s sleigh runner and frowned. Hmmmm, sang the wood, soft as a bee under snow. He wanted silence before the mountain pass, because loose runners could wake the sleeping frost-geese. The teddy bear beside Santa gave a tiny squeak each time the sleigh rocked, but no one had packed a squeaker inside him.
Noll’s knees knocked as he climbed onto the moving sleigh. The air smelled of pine sap and cold iron. He lifted the teddy’s striped scarf, patted the seat seam, and found a silver note folded where nobody ever looked. It read, Let the sleigh whisper first, and the road will answer. “Then we listen,” Noll said.
The runners hummed again. This time the snowy path hummed back, curving safely between trees and over drifts. Ever since, Santa’s sleigh keeps a small secret song in its runners, and if you spot the teddy riding close, you may know where the first whisper was hidden under the blue-black pines.
