The Polar Bear's Christmas Wish

It was Christmas Eve in the Arctic. Tonight, the Northern Lights would dance across the sky in swirls of green and purple and pink! Nanook the polar bear wanted to watch them from the very top of Ice Peak Mountain - the highest point in all the Arctic. From up there, the lights would be the most magical! "I better start climbing!" Nanook said, looking up at the tall, snowy mountain. He set off through the crispy snow, his big paws going CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH. At the bottom of the mountain, where the frozen ocean met the ice, Nanook saw Seal. But Seal looked sad. Very sad. "What's wrong?" Nanook asked, stopping. "My special Christmas garland fell through my ice hole!" Seal said, pointing down at the dark water. "It's sinking deeper and deeper. I can't reach it!" The garland had shiny shells and sparkly icicles. Seal had made it just for Christmas. Nanook looked up at the mountain. He really wanted to get to the top before the Northern Lights started! But Seal was his friend. "I can help!" Nanook said. He took a deep breath - a REALLY big breath - and dove into the icy water. SPLASH! Down, down, down he swam. The water was so cold it made his nose tingle! There! He spotted the garland floating down. Nanook grabbed it in his teeth and swam back up. "You got it!" Seal clapped his flippers together. "Thank you, Nanook!" "Want to come see the Northern Lights with me?" Nanook asked, shaking the water from his fur. "Yes!" Seal said happily. They climbed up the mountain together. Halfway up, where the wind whistled through the rocks, they found Fox. But Fox looked worried. Very worried. "What's wrong?" Nanook asked. "My den is completely snowed in!" Fox said, pointing at a big pile of snow. "All my Christmas treats are inside! I've been digging and digging, but the snow is packed too hard!" Nanook looked up at the mountain. The sky was getting darker. The Northern Lights would start soon! But Fox was his friend. "We can help!" Nanook said. Nanook dug with his big strong paws - DIG DIG DIG! Seal pushed snow with his flippers. Fox scraped with her small paws. Together, they cleared the snow away. Fox's cozy den appeared! "You did it!" Fox said, her tail wagging. "Thank you!" "Want to come see the Northern Lights with us?" Nanook asked. "Yes!" Fox said excitedly. The three friends climbed higher up the mountain. Near the top, where the wind was strongest, they found Owl in her cliff nest. But Owl looked sad. Very sad. "What's wrong?" Nanook asked. "The wind blew my Christmas star right out of my nest!" Owl said. "It's stuck on that ledge over there. I tried to fly to it, but the wind keeps pushing me back!" The star sparkled on a narrow ledge, just out of reach. Nanook looked at the mountaintop. It was so close! The sky was getting ready for the Northern Lights! But Owl was his friend. "I can reach it!" Nanook said. Carefully, carefully, he stretched his long body across to the ledge. He reached out his paw - just a little more - and grabbed the star! "My star!" Owl hooted happily. "Thank you, Nanook!" "Want to come see the Northern Lights with us?" Nanook asked. "Yes!" Owl said, tucking her star safely in her feathers. The four friends climbed the last bit of mountain together. Step by step. Friend by friend. Nanook in front, his white fur glowing in the twilight. Seal galumphing along behind. Fox trotting beside. Owl flying just above. They reached the very top just as the sky began to shimmer. And then - magic! The Northern Lights appeared! Green ribbons rippled across the sky. Purple waves danced and swirled. Pink sparkles floated like fairy dust. The colors painted the whole world in Christmas magic. "It's beautiful!" Seal whispered. "So beautiful," Fox breathed. "The most beautiful thing ever," Owl said softly. Nanook sat down in the snow, surrounded by his three friends. His heart felt warm and glowy, even in the cold Arctic air. "You know what?" Nanook said. "I came up here to see the Northern Lights." "And?" Fox asked. "And the lights are amazing," Nanook said with a big smile. "But helping you, and Seal, and Owl - and having you all here with me - that's what makes Christmas really special." Seal snuggled close. "You could have rushed to the top." "But you stopped to help each of us," Fox added. "That's what Christmas is about," Owl said wisely. "Helping friends. Being together." The Northern Lights swirled above them in waves of green and purple, like the sky was celebrating too. And Nanook learned something important that Christmas Eve: The Northern Lights were magical. But sharing them with friends? That was the BEST magic of all.