by Karen Dodds and Jane Olsen
It was a hot,starry Christmas Eve as Robbie lay sleepily in his bare bed,in an old rambled shack in the middle of Australia's outback,waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. "You'd better be asleep in there young man.or Santa won't visit you tonight".Silence awaited Robbie's Mother."Great!He's asleep already".Then she turned away and headed towards the old battered kitchen. Time passed slowly and Robbie felt himself drifting off into a deep slumber.But the next thing,Robbie glanced over to his clock.It was a digital clock and it flashed in red numbers...12:00 Midnight!!! Suddenly,Robbie heard a noise at the far end of his bedroom.There,lo and behold,stood an old swaggie and in the moonbeams,Robbie could see the wrinkles of old age and sunburn from exposure to the DownUnder sun.He was in the shadows,slowly placing presents at the foot of Robbie's bed. "G'day!G'Day Robbie!How are you going?",asked the stranger. Robbie was speechless.His lips couldn't move at all.Robbie knew WHO the stranger was.As the stranger wobbled slowly towards Robbie.....It was SANTA CLAUS! Robbie realized it was Santa Claus or Saint Nick by the way he walked,the way he carried his sack and the way his belly wobbled like a bowl of jelly when he laughed. As Santa climbed out of Robbie's window he looked back over his shoulder and gave a loud"Ho!Ho!Ho!",into the night."Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,Robbie!"Then he hobbled into the distance where the eucalyptus trees welcomed him. The loud cackle of a kookaburra woke Robbie up the next morning. Robbie wasn't too sure if he had been dreaming.He wondered if Santa Claus was real or make-believe.There was white hair on the window sill.Robbie KNEW it was from Santa Claus' beard.There was a letter saying "Merry Christmas Robbie,and a Happy New Year!"as well as gifts.
Karen Dodds and Jane Olsen are 11 year old students from St.Mary's
Primary School.