poekie_whitechristmas

		One year, Augustine decided to help act out the story for the Christmas Eve party. Baby Poeka had convinced him it would be so much fun and it is very exciting to be on stage. But he was very nervous, and as the day neared, he wasn't so sure anymore that it was a good idea. He is not a Special Poekie. He never goes anywhere, afraid he may melt (it's difficult being a snowman on the coast of California), he always goes in his hibernating bag, and he had never been an actor before. When the story started, Baby Poeka had to pull him on stage. 'I don't want to go, I'm afraid. What if I forget my lines?' Baby Poeka answered, 'Augustine, you said you would do it and all the children are waiting. Don't worry, mommy will help.'
And here is the story: One Christmas Eve, just like this one, we had had a great party, just like this one, and finally everyone had left. Mommy was still cleaning up and it was taking her a very long time. It was starting to get dark, and the Poekies were impatiently waiting to go home to light real candles in the tree. Baby Poeka looked out the window, and to her surprise she saw that the world outside was white. 'Oh Augustine, look it's snowing, there's snow everywhere!' 'I want to see, I want to see,' said Augustine, 'Let's go outside, we can go sledding!' exclaimed Baby Poeka. 'I'm afraid, Baby Poeka, I never go anywhere, I'm not a Special Poekie like you, and what would mommy say?' 'Not to worry Augustine, mommy is still very busy, and I will just pull you around on my sled.' 'Okay then, but I'll bring my hibernating bag just in case it gets too warm.'
		Off they went into the white world. How quiet it was, no cars, no people, everyone was inside their glowing houses, surely sitting around their sparkling Christmas trees, eating good food. As they silently sledded along, Baby Poeka said, 'How about making a real snowman, Augustine?' 'Oh, that would be wonderful, but is there enough snow here?' 'If we go up the mountain, we will probably find more snow. How about it?' Augustine wasn't sure, but Baby Poeka assured him they would not get lost, and they could comfortably race down on the sled when they were done. Up and up the mountain she pulled the sled with Augustine on it. Finally they found a place with lots of snow. Baby Poeka's little legs were sinking deep into it.
'Let's build him here, it's flat and there's plenty of snow,' puffed Baby Poeka, out of breath from the long climb. 'But how do we make a real snowman?' asked Augustine. 'It's easy,' said Baby Poeka, 'we just pack some snow together and then we roll it around and around. Snow is like glue, it just sticks and soon it will be a big ball.' First they rolled the big tummy. Then they rolled the chest, which they both had to lift on top of the tummy, it was very heavy. Then they rolled a small ball for the head. Augustine had to lift it on top because it was too high for Baby Poeka. 'There, now we have a snowman,' she said when Augustine had secured the head. 'But he needs a face! No snowman is alive without a face,' he said knowingly. They looked for some pine cones and sticks, and made the eyes and nose and mouth.
		'Now we have a real snowman,' declared Augustine, 'Pff, I'm tired from all that work. Let's sit down on the sled for a bit. We can lean against our snowman.' When they sat down, they noticed that they were indeed very high up on the mountain, and they could see all the lights of the village and city, and the whole Bay Area. Baby Poeka sighed from wonder, 'What a beautiful place we live in, don't you think so Augustine?' 'It is really magnificent,' Augustine said, sighing too. Suddenly from behind them they hear a deep voice, 'Hmm, indeed, this is a magnificent place.' 'Oh Mister Snowman, you are alive!' exclaimed Baby Poeka. 'Yes of course I am alive,' rumbled the snowman. 'But who are you? You don't look like children.' 'We are Poekies. I am Baby Poeka and this is Augustine, our snowman.'
'Hmm, Poekies, very interesting,' and the snowman almost sang in his deep, slow voice, 'I have been born in many places. In forests, amidst the penguins, on squares in towns, with lots of children, good children, bad children, rich people, poor people, brilliant lights and sparkles everywhere. But this is a most magnificent place... Hmm, indeed I have seen much and can tell many stories, but in the end I always fade and melt away. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow.' Baby Poeka is always up for a story, and she begged the snowman to tell one. 'Hmm, which one should I tell? The penguins? Those silly penguins?' With a defiant face Baby Poeka said, 'Penguins aren't silly, at least not our Poekie penguins! Ping and Ting are very smart and kind, and Pengu is Treasurer of the Poekie Peace Party!'
'Hmm, well, these penguins were silly indeed. You see, I was standing in a snow-field minding my own business, and these penguins came around me, also minding their own business, when suddenly a loud roaring sounded, and a gigantic silver-colored bird appeared in the sky ahead of us. Of course it was nothing but a plane, but those silly penguins did not know that. They looked at it, and they kept on looking up at it as it came closer overhead. And then... Oh,' he interrupted his story as he looked up at the sky. In a grave voice, even deeper than before, 'What is this I see and feel? Rain. Hmm, oh no, this is too soon. I don't want to fade yet. Please not yet. This is such a magnificent place.' 'Oh Mister Snowman, don't melt!' Baby Poeka and Augustine said alarmed,'We want to hear the end of your story!' 'Hmm, difficult. I'm fading fast... Hmm, oh no, not yet.' Augustine hurriedly got up, 'Take my hibernating bag! It will keep you cool longer. Please Mister Snowman, don't go yet! Tell us the end of the story, please,' he begged. 'Hmm, very kind of you Augustine, to give me your hibernating bag. It feels good.' An eye started to slide down.
'Hmm, let me finish the story before I fade completely,' he continued in an ever deeper voice that already seemed to fade. 'Hmm, where was I? Oh yes, the penguins. Hmm, well you see, these silly penguins kept on looking at the plane, and ... and... I'm fading fast now... Hmm, well those penguins fell over backwards as the plane flew over... Hmm... and they fell on top of me... Hmm, and my face fell off and I faded... Hmm... I'm... fading.... no... www...' Augustine and Baby Poeka were hugging the snowman, crying, 'Don't go Mister Snowman, please stay Mister Snowman!' The other eye starting falling off. The snowman grumbled very softly, 'Hmm, I must go now... Please make me here again sometime, so I may again see this magnificent place... Good bye now...'
His mouth fell off and all they heard was the rain dripping around them. They buried their faces in the heap of snow that was still there, crying, for they really liked their snowman. When they finally looked up, they discovered that all the snow around them had disappeared. 'Now what are we going to do Baby Poeka? We can't slide home and I am going to melt too!... Oh no, where is my hibernating bag?' Augustine was besides him self. 'I should have never left home. I'm not a Special Poekie, I'm not good for this kind of thing.' Baby Poeka too was quite upset and didn't know what to do. They huddled together on their sled, soaking wet, from rain and tears.
Then, out of the sky a brilliant light came, and in front of them stood their very own Christmas angel. 'My dear Baby Poeka and Augustine, not to worry. All is well. I came because when you do a good deed on this special Christmas night, your angel comes down to visit. And you Augustine, did a very good deed tonight. You forgot your own fear and helped the snowman by giving him your hibernating bag. Augustine, you are a Very Special Poekie... Your mommy knows you are out on an adventure, and she has sent Penelope to find you. Just listen for the bells.' The angel disappeared before Augustine and Baby Poeka could say anything, and almost immediately they heard the sounds of bells. Penelope came leaping up the mountain, pulling Baby Poeka's brand-new wagon behind her. Penelope stopped in front of them, 'Quickly, get in, mommy is ready to go home, we must hurry.'

		They got in quickly, Augustine tightly wrapped in his hibernating bag, and they raced down the mountain. Mommy welcomed the back with open arms, 'My dears, I was quite worried! I'm so glad you're back safe and sound.' Baby Poeka had already recovered from the adventure and exclaimed, 'Mommy, our angel came and said that Augustine is a Very Special Poekie, because he helped our snowman before he faded!' Augustine whimpered, 'But mommy, I am not really a Very Special Poekie, because this was just a story and I never did really help the snowman, and the angel never did really come to tell me I am a Very Special Poekie.'
Mommy replied with a smile, 'My dearest Augustine, yes, you are right it is a story, but don't forget, you were very afraid and very nervous, and you didn't really want to be an actor in the story anymore. But you did it anyway. If you have that much courage to give happiness to the children, even when you are afraid, then you are truly a Very Special Poekie. Now, let's go home and light those candles in our tree.' All the Poekies smiled when they got in their bags to go home, and, remembering all the happy children's faces, Augustine's heart was filled with joy.

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Poekie Nook, name and concept, Poekie babies, patterns, drawings, text, photos, and design are all created by Sophia van der Harst. Unauthorized reproductions of the Poekie Nook designs and photos, and copying of the Poekie Nook pages is prohibited.