Tales of the North Pole

Were did Rudolph get his nose?

Everyone knows who Rudolph is and why he is famous (because of his nose). But what he always questioned was where it came from, his mother and father never could tell him. One day when he was young before Santa realized he could be useful, before all the other reindeer decided they liked his nose, way back when he felt like he had no friends and no one would ever like him, he found someone who did. Rudolph's grandmother lived a little outside of the city and some called her a hermit, but any time Rudolph or his siblings would come to visit she would get out some carrots and sit them down to tell a story. One time Rudolph and his little brother went to see her, and Alexander was picking on Rudolph about his nose. Well Granny Lynnore saw this and decided it was time she told them the story about her great grandfather that her father had told her...

"Well, well, well. Alright boys sit down it's time for ya'll to hear about my Great Granddaddy Pauloty. Now Ruddy I know you think that you are the only one to ever have a nose like that, and you have days when you just want to cut it off. But one day you'll realize the same thing Great Granddaddy did about his nose that looked just like yours."

"What?" Rudolph asked.

"Yah," Alexander sneered, "He realized that his nose made him look lame."

"Really," said Granny doubtfully, "well Alexander, why don't you listen to the story before you decide that."

"So, back then the North Pole was just a lamp post with an inn beside it. Santa Claus was still just Kris Kringle. And the Elves still lived all the way down at the South Pole. But the reindeer were here, and one of those reindeer was a little boy named Pauloty, and he had a very shiny nose. You would have understood him Ruddy. He didn't really have any friends, because the other little reindeer thought his nose was weird and made him look lame. Unfortunately the adults around him weren't much better. There were a few of them that did feel bad for him but they were too scared to step in and stop it. So, Pauloty ended feeling alone and scared.

One day the leader of the herd gathered the whole group together to tell them that a blizzard was coming. (He knew this because his knees hurt.) He went on to tell them how he had talked to the abominable snow man that ran the inn and even though all the rooms were full, Mr. Yeti had agreed to let him take the herd into the common room to wait out the storm.

Now Pauloty was not looking forward to being stuck in the same room with the kids who treated him so badly. So he tried to be quiet, hang out at the back of the crowd, and just fly under the radar. Hopefully I can just find a corner to hide in and everyone will just leave me alone, Pauloty thought as he followed the herd with his head down. Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him bring his head up.

Off to the right he saw Georgey Porgey, the meanest boy in school, leading a group of children out into the snow. Pauloty knew what Georgey was going to do, because he had done the same thing to him. He knew that Georgey was going to take the little boys to the cave that he had found as a child. And he knew that once Georgey got them there and the storm was to bad to go out he would "disappear" and watch them panic. Then when they had panicked enough he come out and save the day, and after that they would listen to him forever. (Pauloty was the exception because with his shiny nose he had seen Georgey hiding.)

Now Pauloty was a very brave boy, but it is very hard to go up against someone who has bullied you all your life. I will tell you that Great Granddaddy always said that the biggest regret in his life was how long he hesitated. I think that the important part isn't that he hesitated, but that he realized that he couldn't do nothing and went after them.

When Pauloty caught up with them Georgey was settling them down in the cave getting ready to "disappear". So Pauloty went into the cave stop this from happening again, but Georgey saw him first and he definitely had something to say about that.

"So look who it is." Georgey sneered. "Mr. Shiny Nose has come to tell us all about how dangerous it is out here and how I can't take care of ya'll. But look at how I found you this nice warm cave."

Now Pauloty thought about this, and he looked around the room. He knew that none of the kids liked him. So if he tried to take them out of here they wouldn't listen to him, but if he stayed then he could take care of them when Georgey vanished. And maybe if he stayed then Georgey wouldn't go.

So Pauloty dipped his head answered in the one way Georgey didn't expect. "I know you can care of them. I got lost in the snow and was wondering if you could please let me stay in here."

Well this surprised Georgey so much that he agreed to let Pauloty stay, then went back to getting the kids settled down. Then when he thought it was about time to disappear he had a thought. If he disappeared the kids might would panic, but then they would just ask Pauloty to help them. Glancing over at Pauloty laying there on the floor so innocently Georgey realized that he had followed them for just this reason, and he kicked himself for letting him stay. Since he couldn't carry his plan out he decided to just go to sleep.

Over in the corner Pauloty opened one eye to check on the kids and smiled to himself when he saw Georgey lay down.

It wasn't until a few hours later that the kids started shivering. It took the two older boy a little while to realize what was happening. You see, when the leader of the herd had come and talked to all of them all the boys had heard was that there was going to be a storm. That was not what the leader had said. He said blizzard. There are major differences between a snowstorm and a blizzard, and one of those differences is that it get much colder in a blizzard. It was too cold for them to stay in the cave, but it was too dark for them to find the way back.

That's when Georgey had an idea, a terrible, terrible, idea. At least in his opinion. Pauloty's nose was so bright it could show the way through the snow. Georgey didn't want to do this because if he did then Pauloty would be a hero. But as he looked around the cave at the shivering children he couldn't not say it. Because Georgey Porgey wasn't all bad, deep down he was just like any other bully. He really just wanted for people to like him and he was so terrified becoming someone that was treated like Pauloty that he became one of the bullies instead.

So Georgey walked up to Pauloty and said this. "Pauloty with your nose so bright want you lead us home tonight."

And he did, but when they got there he surprised Georgey for the second time that night. He told all the adults about how Georgey was so smart to have thought of it when he Pauloty had not, and he didn't even mention what Georgey had been planning to do.

The next week at school the boys started to pick on Pauloty just like normal, but then something amazing happened. Georgey walked up and told them to shut up, because Pauloty was his friend and no one messed with his friends. From then on the two of them were best of friends, and no one messed with Pauloty again."

With this Granny Lynnore sat back in her chair and looked at the boys sitting on her rug. "Now Georgey and Pauloty realized their mistakes have you."

"What mistake have I made?" Both the boys asked at the same time.

Granny sighed, "Well, Alexander if you keep picking on people and trying to force them to like you then you will end up with no one liking you. And Rudolph if you aren't ever ready to forgive people who have wronged you then you will end up alone.

The boys agreed to behave and Granny gave them each an apple and shooed them out the door. A few minutes later she watched as they walked away side by side, and she knew that even though they would fight again they would always be friends.