{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_519/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_519","id":"gutenberg_519","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/519","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's Literature","Christmas","Christmas stories","Fantasy literature","Santa Claus -- Juvenile fiction"],"text":"Produced by Dennis Amundson\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA Kidnapped Santa Claus\n\n\nby\n\nL. Frank Baum\n\n\n\nSanta Claus lives in the Laughing Valley, where stands the big,\nrambling castle in which his toys are manufactured.  His workmen,\nselected from the ryls, knooks, pixies and fairies, live with him, and\nevery one is as busy as can be from one year's end to another.\n\nIt is called the Laughing Valley because everything there is happy\nand gay.  The brook chuckles to itself as it leaps rollicking between\nits green banks; the wind whistles merrily in the trees; the sunbeams\ndance lightly over the soft grass, and the violets and wild flowers\nlook smilingly up from their green nests.  To laugh one needs to be\nhappy; to be happy one needs to be content.  And throughout the\nLaughing Valley of Santa Claus contentment reigns supreme.\n\nOn one side is the mighty Forest of Burzee.  At the other side stands\nthe huge mountain that contains the Caves of the Daemons.  And between\nthem the Valley lies smiling and peaceful.\n\nOne would thing that our good old Santa Claus, who devotes his days to\nmaking children happy, would have no enemies on all the earth; and, as\na matter of fact, for a long period of time he encountered nothing but\nlove wherever he might go.\n\nBut the Daemons who live in the mountain caves grew to hate Santa Claus\nvery much, and all for the simple reason that he made children happy.\n\nThe Caves of the Daemons are five in number.  A broad pathway leads\nup to the first cave, which is a finely arched cavern at the foot of\nthe mountain, the entrance being beautifully carved and decorated.  In\nit resides the Daemon of Selfishness.  Back of this is another cavern\ninhabited by the Daemon of Envy.  The cave of the Daemon of Hatred is\nnext in order, and through this one passes to the home of the Daemon\nof Malice--situated in a dark and fearful cave in the very heart of\nthe mountain.  I do not know what lies beyond this.  Some say there\nare terrible pitfalls leading to death and destruction, and this may\nvery well be true.  However, from each one of the four caves mentioned\nthere is a small, narrow tunnel leading to the fifth cave--a cozy\nlittle room occupied by the Daemon of Repentance.  And as the rocky\nfloors of these passages are well worn by the track of passing feet, I\njudge that many wanderers in the Caves of the Daemons have escaped\nthrough the tunnels to the abode of the Daemon of Repentance, who is\nsaid to be a pleasant sort of fellow who gladly opens for one a little\ndoor admitting you into fresh air and sunshine again.\n\nWell, these Daemons of the Caves, thinking they had great cause to\ndislike old Santa Claus, held a meeting one day to discuss the matter.\n\n\"I'm really getting lonesome,\" said the Daemon of Selfishness.  \"For\nSanta Claus distributes so many pretty Christmas gifts to all the\nchildren that they become happy and generous, through his example, and\nkeep away from my cave.\"\n\n\"I'm having the same trouble,\" rejoined the Daemon of Envy.  \"The\nlittle ones seem quite content with Santa Claus, and there are few,\nindeed, that I can coax to become envious.\"\n\n\"And that makes it bad for me!\" declared the Daemon of Hatred.  \"For\nif no children pass through the Caves of Selfishness and Envy, none\ncan get to MY cavern.\"\n\n\"Or to mine,\" added the Daemon of Malice.\n\n\"For my part,\" said the Daemon of Repentance, \"it is easily seen that\nif children do not visit your caves they have no need to visit mine;\nso that I am quite as neglected as you are.\"\n\n\"And all because of this person they call Santa Claus!\" exclaimed the\nDaemon of Envy.  \"He is simply ruining our business, and something\nmust be done at once.\"\n\nTo this they readily agreed; but what to do was another and more\ndifficult matter to settle.  They knew that Santa Claus worked all\nthrough the year at his castle in the Laughing Valley, preparing the\ngifts he was to distribute on Christmas Eve; and at first they\nresolved to try to tempt him into their caves, that they might lead\nhim on to the terrible pitfalls that ended in destruction.\n\nSo the very next day, while Santa Claus was busily at work, surrounded\nby his little band of assistants, the Daemon of Selfishness came to\nhim and said:\n\n\"These toys are wonderfully bright and pretty.  Why do you not keep\nthem for yourself?  It's a pity to give them to those noisy boys and\nfretful girls, who break and destroy them so quickly.\"\n\n\"Nonsense!\" cried the old graybeard, his bright eyes twinkling merrily\nas he turned toward the tempting Daemon.  \"The boys and girls are\nnever so noisy and fretful after receiving my presents, and if I can\nmake them happy for one day in the year I am quite content.\"\n\nSo the Daemon went back to the others, who awaited him in their caves,\nand said:\n\n\"I have failed, for Santa Claus is not at all selfish.\"\n\nThe following day the Daemon of Envy visited Santa Claus.  Said he:\n\"The toy shops are full of playthings quite as pretty as those you are\nmaking.  What a shame it is that they should interfere with your\nbusiness!  They make toys by machinery much quicker than you can make\nthem by hand; and they sell them for money, while you get nothing at\nall for your work.\"\n\nBut Santa Claus refused to be envious of the toy shops.\n\n\"I can supply the little ones but once a year--on Christmas Eve,\" he\nanswered; \"for the children are many, and I am but one.  And as my\nwork is one of love and kindness I would be ashamed to receive money\nfor my little gifts.  But throughout all the year the children must be\namused in some way, and so the toy shops are able to bring much\nhappiness to my little friends.  I like the toy shops, and am glad to\nsee them prosper.\"\n\nIn spite of the second rebuff, the Daemon of Hatred thought he would\ntry to influence Santa Claus.  So the next day he entered the busy\nworkshop and said:\n\n\"Good morning, Santa!  I have bad news for you.\"\n\n\"Then run away, like a good fellow,\" answered Santa Claus.  \"Bad news\nis something that should be kept secret and never told.\"\n\n\"You cannot escape this, however,\" declared the Daemon; \"for in the\nworld are a good many who do not believe in Santa Claus, and these you\nare bound to hate bitterly, since they have so wronged you.\"\n\n\"Stuff and rubbish!\" cried Santa.\n\n\"And there are others who resent your making children happy and who\nsneer at you and call you a foolish old rattlepate!  You are quite\nright to hate such base slanderers, and you ought to be revenged upon\nthem for their evil words.\"\n\n\"But I don't hate 'em!\" exclaimed Santa Claus positively.  \"Such\npeople do me no real harm, but merely render themselves and their\nchildren unhappy.  Poor things!  I'd much rather help them any day\nthan injure them.\"\n\nIndeed, the Daemons could not tempt old Santa Claus in any way.  On\nthe contrary, he was shrewd enough to see that their object in\nvisiting him was to make mischief and trouble, and his cheery laughter\ndisconcerted the evil ones and showed to them the folly of such an\nundertaking.  So they abandoned honeyed words and determined to use force.\n\nIt was well known that no harm can come to Santa Claus while he is in\nthe Laughing Valley, for the fairies, and ryls, and knooks all protect\nhim.  But on Christmas Eve he drives his reindeer out into the big\nworld, carrying a sleighload of toys and pretty gifts to the children;\nand this was the time and the occasion when his enemies had the best\nchance to injure him.  So the Daemons laid their plans and awaited the\narrival of Christmas Eve.\n\nThe moon shone big and white in the sky, and the snow lay crisp and\nsparkling on the ground as Santa Claus cracked his whip and sped away\nout of the Valley into the great world beyond.  The roomy sleigh was\npacked full with huge sacks of toys, and as the reindeer dashed onward\nour jolly old Santa laughed and whistled and sang for very joy.  For\nin all his merry life this was the one day in the year when he was\nhappiest--the day he lovingly bestowed the treasures of his workshop\nupon the little children.\n\nIt would be a busy night for him, he well knew.  As he whistled and\nshouted and cracked his whip again, he reviewed in mind all the towns\nand cities and farmhouses where he was expected, and figured that he\nhad just enough presents to go around and make every child happy.  The\nreindeer knew exactly what was expected of them, and dashed along so\nswiftly that their feet scarcely seemed to touch the snow-covered ground.\n\nSuddenly a strange thing happened: a rope shot through the moonlight\nand a big noose that was in the end of it settled over the arms and\nbody of Santa Claus and drew tight.  Before he could resist or even\ncry out he was jerked from the seat of the sleigh and tumbled head\nforemost into a snowbank, while the reindeer rushed onward with the\nload of toys and carried it quickly out of sight and sound.\n\nSuch a surprising experience confused old Santa for a moment, and when\nhe had collected his senses he found that the wicked Daemons had\npulled him from the snowdrift and bound him tightly with many coils of\nthe stout rope.  And then they carried the kidnapped Santa Claus away\nto their mountain, where they thrust the prisoner into a secret cave\nand chained him to the rocky wall so that he could not escape.\n\n\"Ha, ha!\" laughed the Daemons, rubbing their hands together with cruel\nglee.  \"What will the children do now?  How they will cry and scold\nand storm when they find there are no toys in their stockings and no\ngifts on their Christmas trees!  And what a lot of punishment they\nwill receive from their parents, and how they will flock to our Caves\nof Selfishness, and Envy, and Hatred, and Malice!  We have done a\nmighty clever thing, we Daemons of the Caves!\"\n\nNow it so chanced that on this Christmas Eve the good Santa Claus had\ntaken with him in his sleigh Nuter the Ryl, Peter the Knook, Kilter\nthe Pixie, and a small fairy named Wisk--his four favorite assistants.\nThese little people he had often found very useful in helping him to\ndistribute his gifts to the children, and when their master was so\nsuddenly dragged from the sleigh they were all snugly tucked\nunderneath the seat, where the sharp wind could not reach them.\n\nThe tiny immortals knew nothing of the capture of Santa Claus until\nsome time after he had disappeared.  But finally they missed his\ncheery voice, and as their master always sang or whistled on his\njourneys, the silence warned them that something was wrong.\n\nLittle Wisk stuck out his head from underneath the seat and found\nSanta Claus gone and no one to direct the flight of the reindeer.\n\n\"Whoa!\" he called out, and the deer obediently slackened speed and\ncame to a halt.\n\nPeter and Nuter and Kilter all jumped upon the seat and looked back\nover the track made by the sleigh.  But Santa Claus had been left\nmiles and miles behind.\n\n\"What shall we do?\" asked Wisk anxiously, all the mirth and mischief\nbanished from his wee face by this great calamity.\n\n\"We must go back at once and find our master,\" said Nuter the Ryl, who\nthought and spoke with much deliberation.\n\n\"No, no!\" exclaimed Peter the Knook, who, cross and crabbed though he\nwas, might always be depended upon in an emergency.  \"If we delay, or\ngo back, there will not be time to get the toys to the children before\nmorning; and that would grieve Santa Claus more than anything else.\"\n\n\"It is certain that some wicked creatures have captured him,\" added\nKilter thoughtfully, \"and their object must be to make the children\nunhappy.  So our first duty is to get the toys distributed as\ncarefully as if Santa Claus were himself present.  Afterward we\ncan search for our master and easily secure his freedom.\"\n\nThis seemed such good and sensible advice that the others at once\nresolved to adopt it.  So Peter the Knook called to the reindeer, and\nthe faithful animals again sprang forward and dashed over hill and\nvalley, through forest and plain, until they came to the houses\nwherein children lay sleeping and dreaming of the pretty gifts they\nwould find on Christmas morning.\n\nThe little immortals had set themselves a difficult task; for although\nthey had assisted Santa Claus on many of his journeys, their master\nhad always directed and guided them and told them exactly what he\nwished them to do.  But now they had to distribute the toys according\nto their own judgment, and they did not understand children as well as\ndid old Santa.  So it is no wonder they made some laughable errors.\n\nMamie Brown, who wanted a doll, got a drum instead; and a drum is of\nno use to a girl who loves dolls.  And Charlie Smith, who delights to\nromp and play out of doors, and who wanted some new rubber boots to\nkeep his feet dry, received a sewing box filled with colored worsteds\nand threads and needles, which made him so provoked that he\nthoughtlessly called our dear Santa Claus a fraud.\n\nHad there been many such mistakes the Daemons would have accomplished\ntheir evil purpose and made the children unhappy.  But the little\nfriends of the absent Santa Claus labored faithfully and intelligently\nto carry out their master's ideas, and they made fewer errors than\nmight be expected under such unusual circumstances.\n\nAnd, although they worked as swiftly as possible, day had begun to\nbreak before the toys and other presents were all distributed; so for\nthe first time in many years the reindeer trotted into the Laughing\nValley, on their return, in broad daylight, with the brilliant sun\npeeping over the edge of the forest to prove they were far behind\ntheir accustomed hours.\n\nHaving put the deer in the stable, the little folk began to wonder how\nthey might rescue their master; and they realized they must discover,\nfirst of all, what had happened to him and where he was.\n\nSo Wisk the Fairy transported himself to the bower of the Fairy Queen,\nwhich was located deep in the heart of the Forest of Burzee; and once\nthere, it did not take him long to find out all about the naughty\nDaemons and how they had kidnapped the good Santa Claus to prevent his\nmaking children happy.  The Fairy Queen also promised her assistance,\nand then, fortified by this powerful support, Wisk flew back to where\nNuter and Peter and Kilter awaited him, and the four counseled\ntogether and laid plans to rescue their master from his enemies.\n\nIt is possible that Santa Claus was not as merry as usual during the\nnight that succeeded his capture.  For although he had faith in the\njudgment of his little friends he could not avoid a certain amount of\nworry, and an anxious look would creep at times into his kind old eyes\nas he thought of the disappointment that might await his dear little\nchildren.  And the Daemons, who guarded him by turns, one after\nanother, did not neglect to taunt him with contemptuous words in his\nhelpless condition.\n\nWhen Christmas Day dawned the Daemon of Malice was guarding the\nprisoner, and his tongue was sharper than that of any of the others.\n\n\"The children are waking up, Santa!\" he cried.  \"They are waking up to\nfind their stockings empty!  Ho, ho!  How they will quarrel, and wail,\nand stamp their feet in anger!  Our caves will be full today, old\nSanta!  Our caves are sure to be full!\"\n\nBut to this, as to other like taunts, Santa Claus answered nothing.\nHe was much grieved by his capture, it is true; but his courage did\nnot forsake him.  And, finding that the prisoner would not reply to\nhis jeers, the Daemon of Malice presently went away, and sent the\nDaemon of Repentance to take his place.\n\nThis last personage was not so disagreeable as the others.  He had\ngentle and refined features, and his voice was soft and pleasant in tone.\n\n\"My brother Daemons do not trust me overmuch,\" said he, as he entered\nthe cavern; \"but it is morning, now, and the mischief is done.  You\ncannot visit the children again for another year.\"\n\n\"That is true,\" answered Santa Claus, almost cheerfully;\n\"Christmas Eve is past, and for the first time in centuries\nI have not visited my children.\"\n\n\"The little ones will be greatly disappointed,\" murmured the Daemon of\nRepentance, almost regretfully; \"but that cannot be helped now.  Their\ngrief is likely to make the children selfish and envious and hateful,\nand if they come to the Caves of the Daemons today I shall get a\nchance to lead some of them to my Cave of Repentance.\"\n\n\"Do you never repent, yourself?\" asked Santa Claus, curiously.\n\n\"Oh, yes, indeed,\" answered the Daemon.  \"I am even now repenting that\nI assisted in your capture.  Of course it is too late to remedy the\nevil that has been done; but repentance, you know, can come only after\nan evil thought or deed, for in the beginning there is nothing to\nrepent of.\"\n\n\"So I understand,\" said Santa Claus.  \"Those who avoid evil need never\nvisit your cave.\"\n\n\"As a rule, that is true,\" replied the Daemon; \"yet you, who have done\nno evil, are about to visit my cave at once; for to prove that I sincerely\nregret my share in your capture I am going to permit you to escape.\"\n\nThis speech greatly surprised the prisoner, until he reflected that it\nwas just what might be expected of the Daemon of Repentance.  The\nfellow at once busied himself untying the knots that bound Santa Claus\nand unlocking the chains that fastened him to the wall.  Then he\nled the way through a long tunnel until they both emerged in the\nCave of Repentance.\n\n\"I hope you will forgive me,\" said the Daemon pleadingly.  \"I am not\nreally a bad person, you know; and I believe I accomplish a great deal\nof good in the world.\"\n\nWith this he opened a back door that let in a flood of sunshine, and\nSanta Claus sniffed the fresh air gratefully.\n\n\"I bear no malice,\" said he to the Daemon, in a gentle voice; \"and I\nam sure the world would be a dreary place without you.  So, good\nmorning, and a Merry Christmas to you!\"\n\nWith these words he stepped out to greet the bright morning, and a\nmoment later he was trudging along, whistling softly to himself, on\nhis way to his home in the Laughing Valley.\n\nMarching over the snow toward the mountain was a vast army, made up of\nthe most curious creatures imaginable.  There were numberless knooks\nfrom the forest, as rough and crooked in appearance as the gnarled\nbranches of the trees they ministered to.  And there were dainty ryls\nfrom the fields, each one bearing the emblem of the flower or plant it\nguarded.  Behind these were many ranks of pixies, gnomes and nymphs, and\nin the rear a thousand beautiful fairies floated along in gorgeous array.\n\nThis wonderful army was led by Wisk, Peter, Nuter, and Kilter, who had\nassembled it to rescue Santa Claus from captivity and to punish the\nDaemons who had dared to take him away from his beloved children.\n\nAnd, although they looked so bright and peaceful, the little immortals\nwere armed with powers that would be very terrible to those who had\nincurred their anger.  Woe to the Daemons of the Caves if this mighty\narmy of vengeance ever met them!\n\nBut lo! coming to meet his loyal friends appeared the imposing form of\nSanta Claus, his white beard floating in the breeze and his bright\neyes sparkling with pleasure at this proof of the love and veneration\nhe had inspired in the hearts of the most powerful creatures in existence.\n\nAnd while they clustered around him and danced with glee at his safe\nreturn, he gave them earnest thanks for their support.  But Wisk, and\nNuter, and Peter, and Kilter, he embraced affectionately.\n\n\"It is useless to pursue the Daemons,\" said Santa Claus to the army.\n\"They have their place in the world, and can never be destroyed.  But\nthat is a great pity, nevertheless,\" he continued musingly.\n\nSo the fairies, and knooks, and pixies, and ryls all escorted the good\nman to his castle, and there left him to talk over the events of the\nnight with his little assistants.\n\nWisk had already rendered himself invisible and flown through the big\nworld to see how the children were getting along on this bright\nChristmas morning; and by the time he returned, Peter had finished\ntelling Santa Claus of how they had distributed the toys.\n\n\"We really did very well,\" cried the fairy, in a pleased voice; \"for I\nfound little unhappiness among the children this morning.  Still, you\nmust not get captured again, my dear master; for we might not be so\nfortunate another time in carrying out your ideas.\"\n\nHe then related the mistakes that had been made, and which he had not\ndiscovered until his tour of inspection.  And Santa Claus at once sent\nhim with rubber boots for Charlie Smith, and a doll for Mamie Brown;\nso that even those two disappointed ones became happy.\n\nAs for the wicked Daemons of the Caves, they were filled with anger\nand chagrin when they found that their clever capture of Santa Claus\nhad come to naught.  Indeed, no one on that Christmas Day appeared to\nbe at all selfish, or envious, or hateful.  And, realizing that while\nthe children's saint had so many powerful friends it was folly to\noppose him, the Daemons never again attempted to interfere with his\njourneys on Christmas Eve.","title":"A Kidnapped Santa Claus","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":3765}