The Donno … Part 24

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As soon as the old man had ended his story lady and llama were able to move again.

The animal was trying to cover its ears with its hooves and singing loudly, » La, la, la, la, la, la, la… «

The young lady was jumping up and down screaming in a toneless sound throwing all kinds of things at the bath-robed man - cushions, blankets, books and brochures.

» What a bunch of nonsense! « Kylie thundered. » You are making me so angry I could tear you… «

» Wait, wait, wait! « the old man tried to cover behind a motel armchair. » Let me just tell you this…

There was a fieldsman once who went out to the hill to look after his fields. It was misty and cold, and he had much trouble to find them. At last he had them all but one; and after much searching he found that one too in a peat-hag, half drowned; so he took off his plaid, and bent down and took hold of the field's tale and he pulled! The field was heavy with water, and the fieldsman could not lift it, so he took off his coat and he pulled! But it was too much for him, so he spit on his hands, and took a good hold of the tale and he PULLED! And the tale broke! And if it had not been for that this tale would have been a great deal longer. «

» I will spit you! « the llama was trembling in fury and anger. You could almost see steam ascending from its ears. » I cannot have this! I will not have this! Out! Out! Out! «

» Wait, wait, wait! « the old man begged. » Please don't make me leave. It is so cold in the underground car park of the motel even if the lousy pool is heated. Does this whole last tale make more sense when I replace 'fieldsman' with 'shepherd', 'fields' with 'sheep' and 'tale' with 'tail'? «

» A little, « the young lady said. » But what are you doing? And why? «

» I donno, « the old man cried. » I don't know what I am doing. I don't know what to tell you and what to post in Bromford's blockblog about nothing. All I had was this rodden copy of some 'Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales'. «

The old man sat back in his chair, all shivering with emotion fishing a worn and used paperback book from the pocket of his bath-robe.

» It is all Bromford Bibble's fault. He said, tell them a story, make something up if you have to, because he himself failed to write a continuation to his own story about the little Eskimo boy Nanuk, his power animal, K'eyush, the black polar bear, and the North Pole for over two years now. He always started in October over the last two years but never came to an end. «

The old man sobbed deeply turning the book in his hands.

» And now it is Christmas Eve again and you two and all the other readers are frustrated and disappointed because the whole advent story was nothing but a stolen and mixed-up mess. «

» Bromford's blog does not have any readers but us two or three, « the llama whispered but nobody noticed it.

It was dark outside. And all of a sudden the keeper of the motel in Charlotte, North Carolina, turned on a chain of yellow light bulbs outside the motel room's window. With a short and dry cracking some hidden speaker boxes began to play a Christmas tune.

"Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright…"

» Oh, come on, « the llama sighed. » How cheesy can you get? «

» Be kind, llama, « Kylie said. » It's Christmas, a time for love and peace and everyone. «

And she gave the animal and the old bearded man in his red and white bath-robe a huge hug.

» Merry Christmas. «

she said.

» Merry Christmas to all you Folks and Fairy Tales. «

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