How I Came To Be Called Kriss Kringle

This story was the favorite of my youngest son. He always wanted me to write it. Now I have, too bad he cannot read it.

The shed row at a racetrack is a busy place in the daytime. People cleaning stalls, rubbing horses, etc., never a dull moment.

Nights are different when the shadows from the lights take on shapes. The sounds are horses moving about in their stalls. Gentle little whinnies and sometimes a loud snort. Not many people ever experience a night on the back stretch. Most go home, but some have no home.

That was me, living in a tack room. In between bags of feed and various pieces of equipment are several bales of hay and straw with an old blanket stretched over them. Sleeping on the bales are the most valuable of possessions; my wife and my infant son.

I have come to a decision, this the last Christmas season that I spend on the road, without a home. On Monday I will get a job. Horses are all I know, but it is not fair to ask my family to live a nomadic life. As soon as I get that job, all of this will be sold. No one wants the old mare. Even though she deserves better, she will go to the killer's. That is the hard part, after years of feeding me, she will either feed some dogs or a French man. For you see, the killer's is a butcher shop for horses.

As I said it is lonely at night here. Your imagination sees and smells things that aren't there. It must be the fact that I am hungry, but I swear I smell the smells, from my mother's kitchen. It smells like roast turkey and pumpkin pie.

Now my eyes have joined my nose in this deception. I could swear that I see Santa Claus pushing a cart. No, wait! That is Santa, I would recognize that red suit and white beard anywhere. It is Christmas morning after all.

''Happy Christmas!'' he says with a chuckle. ''You never expected me did you. If you wake your family I will share my meal with you.''

After I got my wife awake, she came out of the tack room with my infant son. She stared in disbelief.

Santa said ''If you do not mind I will share a story with the meal.''

This is the story that Santa told :

''It was back in the forties. I, like you, had a family and an old mare. We were traveling across Georgia. I know because that is what the sign said when we crossed the state line. The scenery did not change, the clay just got redder. Countryside is countryside you know.''

''Well, I was driving an old beat up pick 'em up truck, pulling an old trailer, with the race bike, tied on top. In the back of the truck were my two oldest children. My wife sat beside me nursing the baby.''

''There on a big tree was what I was looking for, a poster advertising a Fair, in big letters it said:"'

COUNTY FAIR
HORSE RACING

''We eat tonight, I told my wife.''

"My wife said ''I hope the entry fee isn't too high. we only have fifty dollars.' ''

''I told her that I'd pick a race with favorable conditions, we should get second place at least. I've gotten the old mare's good races off the sheet.''

'' 'Just don't get foolish,' she replied. ''I don't care to go to waiting tables to get out of town. I had enough of that back in Alabama.' ''

''When we reached the fair grounds I found a tree and unloaded the old mare. then I went to the racing office. There staring me in the face was an Open race, which is normally the fastest race in the fair. Damn! Did I promise not to get foolish? No, I promised to find a race where we could get at least second place. I hope my wife remembers it that way. Just look, a purse of one thousand dollars! Five hundred for first, two-fifty for second, one twenty-five for third, seventy-five for fourth. and fifty for fifth. All I need is fifth to break even.

So I paid the last fifty dollars we had and dropped the entry and papers in the box. That night it was hot tongue, grumble soup, and cold shoulder from my wife. But, Oh well, you do what you have to do and hope for the best.''

''When I got back to the truck I heard, YOU WHAT? I swear I have four kids instead of three! Can't let you out of my sight!', she exclaimed. But, I heard what she mumbled as she walked off 'I guess that is why I love him.' "

That afternoon, as I warmed up for the race, I did not see anything that could keep me from winning this race. Then a big black cloud eclipsed my sun. The biggest and finest horse I had ever seen came out on the track. Well, with that horse in the race, there will be no win for my old mare today.''

''Then the sorriest animal I ever saw came out. Its knees were all akimbo and that horse was skin and bones. Such a sight made you wonder how it could live, let alone race. The driver was an old black man. He was dressed all in red with white cuffs. a long white beard completed his appearance. Everyone began to call him Santa.''

''i was warming up my mare when he came along side me and said, 'Save some of that horse. You don't want to leave your race in the warm up laps.' That was good advice.''

''When we came up to start the race, I was alongside the black horse so I fell in to the two hole, we call it the ''garden spot'', behind him. As we went around the track, every call from the announcer ended with, 'And trailing the field is Comet.' When we turned for home, I caught sight of a brown blur followed by a red blur. It was old Santa and that sad horse of his, Comet! When that sorry horse got going, he was like water going downhill.''

''I heard a voice yelling 'Pull out and follow me.' Then I heard the announcer's voice say, 'Comet takes the lead!' The nabob driving the black horse went to the whip. It was obvious he had never used any urging with that horse before. The handsome black horse was startled by the whip, and he broke stride and stood straight up in the shafts. All of the other horses in the race passed him like he was standing still.''

''After the race, while we were walking our horses, the black man they called Santa came along side and we struck up a conversation. After we talked for a bit, he asked my name, taking out a stub of pencil and a scrap of paper and he wrote it down.''

''I didn't think anything or our conversation at the time. Then the next morning, as we were getting ready to leave, a small boy came up to me. He said, 'That N(*censored* place the derogatory term of your choosing here). told me to give this to you.' Then the boy handed me a large envelope and a harness bag.''

''The envelope contained Comet's racing papers and the winning check from the Open race, both were signed over to me. There was also a note, it said, 'If you are reading this, then I hope l am lucky, and just got rode out of town on a rail. If I was not so lucky, then I am dead. Either way I want you to have this.' The bag contained the old coat that he had worn in the race.''

''And that is how I came to be called Kriss Kringle''

''Ever since that day, on Christmas, I race a horse, and I find someone like you. I then put on this old red coat, win the race and I give the horse and the check to that deserving person.''

After we finished eating our meal, Kriss Kringle gave me a check, and the papers to his horse. As he walked away he placed his finger along side his nose and exclaimed ''Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!'' And that was the day I met Kriss Kringle.

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© 2008 hyancynthstofeedthysoul

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A sea person

Thank you for submitting this to my contest! Sorry it took so long for me to get around to reading it! :)

Great job!

v.r.
a-sea-person

Posted 15 Years Ago

Zephyr

i thought this was a really cute and inventive story. You obviously put a lot of thought into it and it turned into a really nice read. The only thing i noticed was that you said it as Kriss Kringle. I don't mean to nitpick, and i may be mistaken, but i believe it's spelled Kris. Just so you know =)

Other than that and a few very minor grammatical errors i thought the tale was fantastic. i really enjoyed it.

Posted 16 Years Ago

Celtic Cat

How sweet. Isn't it amazing how one act of kindness can restore your faith in humanity?? A great story, indeed. Now, I wonder, where are all the reviews???

Posted 16 Years Ago

1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

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Added on February 5, 2008

Author

hyancynthstofeedthysoul

middletown, OH

About

A long and eventful life I have lived one. While stationed in Germany I visited every country in free Europe and the British Isles. In the U.S. 48 of the 50 only missed Alaska and Hawaii. Have worked .. more..