Santa and the Ice King

SYNOPSIS: After a terrible fight, Santa, Oonik and Keotuk subdued the giant polar bear and made friends with him. Now the bear is taking them to the domain of the Ice King. Santa and Oonik hope to convince the Ice King that he must end the continuous winter that threatens to starve all who live in the north.

Chapter eleven

Ice King at work

Oonik dragged the big sled from the igloo and Santa harnessed it to the now gentle polar bear. Then Santa and Oonik and Keotuk got on the sled and the polar bear started away.

At first the bear walked slowly and kept looking behind as if trying to understand what he was pulling and why. But after a while he got used to it and even began to enjoy it. He felt that he was stronger and more powerful than these creatures, after all, for he was taking them somewhere, not they taking him.

He began to run and the heavy sled sped over the ice like a pebble skimming over water.

Keotuk was very pleased to be a rider. Every now and then he leaped from the sled and ran along beside the bear to make sure everything was all right. But now even Keotuk could not keep up with the fast bear and the dog always tired and jumped back on the sled to travel in style.

On and on they went until finally the day came when Santa touched Oonik on the shoulder and shouted, "there it is!"

Oonik poked his head out of his fur hood and looked where Santa pointed. He saw a lofty castle made all of ice shimmering behind veils of whirling snow.

The castle stood on a hill and its bluish white spires towered into the sky. Gale Winds lashed around the hill, whipping at the castle walls and howling among the steepled.

"How strange it is!" shivered Oonik when they reached the castle. "Aren't you afraid?"

"I am, indeed," confessed Santa.

Even Keotuk and the polar bear when they arrived at the castle were overwhelmed by the eerie solitude. They huddled together the dog between the bear's big paws, for warmth and company.

Looking fearfully to right and left, Santa and Oonik went up the icy path and through the icy door and into the icy hall of the icy castle. They saw no sign of living creature but suddenly from some far away place above their heads came a rumbling, rattling, clattering thunder as if the whole castle was about to crash down on top of them.

His knees shaking, hardly daring to breathe, Oonik followed Santa up the winding stairs. Up and Up, round and round, they went and the higher they went the louder grew the hubbub until at last, nearly deafened, they arrived in a chamber at the top of the winding stairs and there they found the Ice King himself.

He was a giant of a king with deep-set eyes and whitewashed hair that fell over his forehead and alabaster whiskers climbing his cheeks. Ice was on his eyebrows and icicles dripped from his whiskers. As he breathed clouds of frost exploded from his nostrils.

With one hand he turned the handle of a colossal ice crusher while with the other hand he pumped an immense bellows up and down.

From the bellows came the howling winds; from the crushing came the avalanche of ice that covered the northern lands. Santa took a deep breath and shouted from the door, "do stop for moment!"

But the ice king neither heard nor saw. He worked on like one possessed as if he would never, could never stop.

Santa crossed the room and laid his hand on the Ice King's shoulder. With a startled cry the Ice King threw up his arms and whirled around.

Instantly the pandemonium ceased and the room was hushed. "Who are you!" thundered the Ice King staring at the visitors from inflamed blue eyes.

Santa swallowed hard and fell back a step. Oonik peeped fearfully from behind Santa's back. Then Santa cleared his throat and bravely said, "We're friends. Come to Call."

The Ice King's mouth fell open and he stared and stared and then, with a cry he burst into tears!

Next: The Ice King's Story.