the man filled out some paperwork, he and Denby left the kennel and got into a car. Denby’s heart soared. Was he getting a new family? What would the new family be like? Would there be a little boy to love and play with? Maybe there would be a little girl like the one who used to live next door. She was always so kind to Denby and shared her snacks with him. Denby would be happy to have a little girl of his own.
The man drove east for more than four hours. He didn’t say a word, which made Denby feel strange and a little afraid. Was the man angry with him? The man finally stopped the car, not at a house but at an office building. Denby was led into a white room filled with medical equipment. He looked this way and that hoping that a boy or girl would appear, but none did.
The bald man and another smaller man strapped Denby down on a flat rolling bed. He struggled to get away, but the men were too strong. Denby was a good boy. He didn’t bite. He kicked and cried and barked, but he didn’t bite. He wanted to bite so much, but he knew biting was “bad” and he wanted the men to think that he was a good dog. Denby clamped his mouth shut and was good, even when the smaller man used a long needle to inject a fluid into Denby’s side.
Everything went black…
As they did every Christmas Eve, Santa and the reindeer stopped for a refreshing sip of water at Silver Springs. The rocky, high desert Nevada hills east of Lake Tahoe were quiet and still. The water from the spring was cold and clear and tasted like sky. They all looked forward to this short moment of rest.
Blitzen heard a sound in the distance. With his keen eyesight he could tell what was making the sound. He tossed his head and called out to Santa. “There’s a dog over there.”
“Where?” asked Santa.
“Due north,” said Blitzen, looking carefully. “It looks hurt.”
Santa, who had always been able to talk to animals, called out to the golden retriever, “Are you all right?”
“Yes…uh… well… I’m not sure.” The dog’s walk was wobbly, and a dirty bandage hung loose off the back of his head. He was too dizzy and confused to wonder why this strange looking man wearing a red coat was able to talk dog.
Santa and Blitzen slowly approached the wounded dog. “You’ve got quite a gash there,” said Blitzen.
Santa gently pulled the dirty bandage away from the dog’s fur and inspected the three-inch wound on the dog’s head. Sloppy stitches closed a cut that stretched from the pointiest part at the top of the dog’s head down the back towards his neck. “How did you get that cut?”
“I have a cut?” The dog could not see the wound, but now he understood why his head ached so terribly.
Santa shook his head sadly. “What are you doing here and where is your family? Are you lost?”
“I … I don’t know why I am here, nor do I know if I have a family,” the dog said, his forehead creasing. He tried to think but his brain did not seem to want to work. The dog looked as if he might fall over at any minute. Santa gave the dog a gentle pat and rubbed his chest.
“What’s your name?”
“I … well,” the dog stammered, tipping to one side. Santa steadied him gently with one strong hand. The dog thought for a moment. “I don’t know. It feels like I should, but I don’t.”
“How very strange,” Santa muttered. “What has happened to this poor fellow?” Santa looked at the dog’s collar. He could just see that a name had been stitched into the worn leather. “This says that you’re Denby.”
“Okay,” said Denby. “Then I guess I am called Denby.” For some reason he felt relieved. Knowing he had a name made him feel safer and less lost. Someone somewhere had named him, which meant that someone somewhere had cared about him.
“You shouldn’t be out here in the cold, and that wound needs to be cleaned up.” Santa pointed to his sleigh. “Since you don’t know anything about your past, I think you should come with us. We’d be glad to have you.”
“Thank you so much,” Denby said, his relief making him feel even weaker. He was so dizzy and cold, and his head hurt. “I promise I’ll be good.”
Santa smiled and he gently lifted Denby into the sleigh. Then, with a “Heigh ho!” and a flick of the reins, the reindeer leapt into the air. Denby somehow knew that this was strange, though he did not know how he knew. Something in his head told him that animals like these were not supposed to be able to fly.
“Who are you?” Denby asked.
“I’m Santa, and I am delivering presents to all the children around the world. I do this once a year on Christmas Eve. Haven’t you ever celebrated Christmas?”
“I may have, but I don’t remember,” Denby said. Not knowing anything about himself made his tummy feel funny. He tried hard to remember, but all that came to mind was the memory of a sharp, fresh, green smell. Then the image of flickering colored lights popped into his head. Did the smell and the lights have something to do with the Christmas this man was talking about?
As the reindeer pulled the sleigh into the sky, the rush of air in his ears took Denby’s mind off the pain and confusion. Santa held the reindeer reins loosely in one hand, and with the other he stroked the dirty fur on Denby’s back. Soon Santa began to tell Denby all about himself and Christmas Eve.
Hearing Santa talk made Denby feel warm inside. There was something about the man that made him feel safe. Somehow Denby knew that this man was special. Very special.
As they raced across the sky Santa described what it was like to go into people’s homes to put presents in stockings and under Christmas trees. He then went on to tell Denby all about the places that he visited. “You should have seen San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Everyone lived in tents, and someone was always up and about. Deliveries are not easy to complete when everyone isn’t asleep in their beds.”
Denby felt as if he should know something about San Francisco because the name was familiar, but his mind got fuzzy whenever he tried to focus. He gave up trying to remember. Instead, he looked around him and listened to Santa’s words.
Santa loved geography. He spoke of his favorite rivers and mountains and valleys as they sailed through the sky.
Soon Denby saw the lights of Los Angeles below. Santa landed the sleigh on top of an apartment building, wrapping the reins loosely around a hook at the front of the sleigh. He turned to look in the giant sack that filled the back of the sleigh. “This place is always a problem,” Santa said, laughing. “Pacific Street, Pacific Place and Pacific Court all meet at this point. There are some creative people in this city, but they sure don’t know how to name streets. Well, look at this. The elves got all the labeling right this year.” He sounded surprised.
Santa explained that he had five top elves that helped with everything. He called them the L-5, and Denby could tell that Santa was very proud of these elves. Santa explained that this year a number of special projects had distracted them and they hadn’t had the time to focus on Delivery Night. “I hope the rest of my deliveries are as well organized as this
