Whoooovair Meets …

by Steven Tubb, ©️ 12 / 20

Normal activities in the land of Whoooovair continued. Typical for the time of year, the animals and birds looked for food to eat, to store for later and they made sure their lodgings in trees and tunnel nests were adequate for the coming winter weather. While calm seemed to be everywhere Whoooovair actually felt restless. This feeling for him was normal and every year at this time he went away for a short break from his lands and friends. The change of scenery always felt good and at the end of the break he was more than happy to return to regain the territory from the young owls who thought the land was abandoned.

Normally, and this year was no exception, Whoooovair flew away from the sun to the land of Whooooairis with whom he had been meeting up with for years. This trip Whoooovair took gave both of them a break in routine and confirmed for each the existence of the other after months of no contact. 

He enjoyed being around Whooooairis and enjoyed her practical, down-to-earth thinking. She was also very good on the wing, indeed quicker and more agile than Whoooovair who sometimes felt a bit clumsy in her presence. This time the land of Whooooairis was covered in quite deep snow in contrast to Whoooovair’s land where the snow formed a much thinner blanket on the landscape. 

Whoooovair had not intended to stay long and so after a few suns and the presence of a full moon he left to return back home flying toward the sun and his land which now had a slightly thicker blanket of snow he realized upon arrival. The first task he always undertook upon return was a quick look at his lands to make sure everything was as it should be and to be sure no trespasser had taken up residence in his absence. He was satisfied all was as it should be until just before dark covered the land when he noticed an unusual formation in the snow.

Whoooovair was quite familiar with the four legged animals with a white tail and some with branch-like growths coming from the back of their heads. He knew the tracks they left in mud or as he was seeing now, in the snow. Usually the tracks of a group of these animals were somewhat scattered and meandering, not in a straight line as he was now seeing. Even stranger though were the two track-lines one on each side of the animals’ hoof marks. He did not know what he was looking at. 

Soon dark was everywhere, although the rising moon did cast some light across the landscape. Still wondering and thinking about the tracks, Whoooovair then noticed through the branches of the trees a single very small red light, many even smaller white lights flitting about in the green trees with long needles and a few bigger white lights not moving.

Whoooovair enjoyed seeing the small flashes of white light on a warm night in the hot times of the year, but he had never seen them in the cold times with white on the ground everywhere. These lights were different too as they moved about never disappearing. The bigger white lights, although interesting, were not quite so mysterious for Whoooovair because they were not moving. Nearby these lights he did see or thought he saw some shadows moving across the snow and that certainly did catch his attention. But, most interesting for Whoooovair was the small red light he could see slowly moving and then occasionally rising quickly before falling back down. Whoooovair had no idea about what he was looking at and thought he would have to investigate to see and understand the change that had come to his land. He was feeling a bit tight in his chest now and new the only way to be rid of the feeling was to know more about the cause of his discomfort.

The unusual tracks in the snow he had seen first he now realized led directly toward the red light surrounded by all the small white lights. As he followed the tracks, now knowing they would lead him to a clearing in the forest, he began to hear wonderful sounds he could only compare to the best of bird song, but he also knew those birds had flown away to get away from the cold time. He arrived to the edge of the clearing and flew up to a convenient perch and settled down in the shadows to observe. What he saw he had never seen before. What he heard he had never heard before. He did not know how to make sense of something he did not know how to make sense of and so he began to watch. 

Then all of a sudden and before he could take in all of the scene below, he was blinded by light he was now surrounded by and at the same time felt weightless, like a feather on his back, as he had a sensation of floating and drifting down toward the snow on the ground in the clearing. He felt as if a gentle breeze had plucked him off his perch taking him down toward a thingy where the tracks ended and a lot of blurry activity was occurring. He stopped short of the ground and when the bright light drifted away found himself perched on the edge of the thingy beside a smiling and bearded two legged creature covered in red. He tried to spread his wings but could not. Then to his utter amazement and still unable to fly, the creature in red spoke to him in his language. 

Whoooovair did not often dream, but he had in the past and just now he was beginning to think this moment was very like a dream, but not a dream anything like a dream he had ever had before. Then he was hit with a ball of flying snow and he quickly realized this was no dream. Still he could not spread his wings to fly to the safety of his perch above and on the edge of the clearing.

Because he could not fly the only thought that made any sense to him was to listen and try to understand what the red and bearded two legged creature was saying to Whoooovair in Whoooovair’s language. As much as he tried to concentrate and understand Whoooovair took a while to grasp what was being said and even then he was not completely sure about what was being said. He was in a muddle, but did hear and get the gist of what the red and bearded creature said which went as follows: “Be not alarmed for I am the Dream Catcher and Gift Giver known by different names to all creatures in all the lands and I try to bring happiness and joy to all creatures this time of year especially to the young and to those who need an uplift in spirits. All of my companions you see around us help me do what I do. The reindeer call me GG. The fairies prefer to use the initials DC. The elves, well the elves can’t really make up their minds so some call me GG and others DC. Tonight we are having a break and a bit of fun. Each year we go somewhere different when most of our preparations are complete. Just good to get away from the workbench, the piles of gifts and responsibilities. One of the elves found your land, realized this space was hidden so we would not be disturbed or would not disturb anyone in our celebrations. It is perfect and before dawn we will be gone. You and your forest friends are welcome to enjoy the evening with us. The fairies love to play hide-and-seek and as you already know, the elves enjoy a good snowball game. The reindeer love to run about playing tag and jumping games. Later we will get into song and then we’ll be gone in the wink of an eye.”

Whoooovair then thought it would have been good to invite Whooooairis and as he thought his thought she flew into the space from the trees. Whoooovair did not understand how that could happen, but here she was and her sudden appearance made him very happy indeed.

Whoooovair enjoyed dodging snowballs with the elves and playing hide and seek, although the fairies always seemed to know where he was hiding. Whooooairis had a grand time riding on the antlers of the reindeer and especially enjoyed the one with the red nose. Then the songs started accompanied by little harps, whistles and drums. Rabbits, squirrels, foxes, racoons, skunks, porcupines, bats, a sleepy bear and others all joined in. It was a grand evening an evening to remember for a long time.

After a while Whoooovair noticed the music wasn’t quite so lively, the fairy lights were not quite so sparkly and some of the elves could be seen to try to hide yawns. Whoooovair also noticed the sky where morning light first started was just beginning to glow. Then of a sudden the music was over and without a word spoken the fairies and elves had joined the creature in red on his thingy that left thin tracks in the snow. The reindeer were now arranged in two lines in front of the thingy with the red nose one in front. The creature with the big white beard covered in red then waved to Whoooovair, Whooooairis and all the others as the reindeer began to rise pulling the thingy with them. Soon they were out of sight just as the creature in red had explained earlier.

One by one all the assembled forest friends disappeared including Whooooairis who Whoooovair just saw flying away through the trees. Whoooovair was alone now in the clearing. He stretched his wings out wide and gently lifted in flight returning to his day-time perch and a welcome rest.

Had this night all been a dream? Whoooovair wasn’t sure no matter how hard he tried to be sure and when he thought about the fun and happiness of the night he decided it did not matter whether the night had been a dream or not. He closed his eyes.