Santa here. Okay, it happened. No, it didn’t! Yes, it did!!!
Read all about it in the most sensible interlude ever: “No Way!”
Santa, signing off.
News Flash! Baby chick just hatched!
Shell: This is Shell, here, with a live report from Uncle Clay’s barn, where a serama chick has just hatched from its egg! Yes, you heard correctly, folks. We have five eggs in an incubator–
Santa: My incubator! I raised the money for it —
Shell: Santa’s incubator. Right. And our serama eggs. Five of them–
Annie: They’re so cute–
Santa: The eggs, Annie? Or the chicks. Be specific. We’re on the internet here!
Annie (hands clasped): Both–!
Shell: Anyway, seramas are the smallest of bantam chickens —
Santa: –bantams are small chickens —
Shell: — and we collected some eggs from our breeding pair–
Annie: –And stuck them in the incubator, such a cute, warm, humid place —
Santa: We put them in the incubator 19 days ago. Now they’re hatching. Right on schedule.
Shell: Anyway, the first one hatched, and has tons of energy.
Annie: — It flopped around —
Shell: –And now the peck area of another egg is turning into a line–
Annie: — the chicks just peck a line all the way around the egg to get out of one end, kind of like a zipper —
Santa: No, it’s not.
Shell: Anyway, it’s all really exciting, and we’ll get back to you with videos and pictures. Stay tuned! Shell, signing off!
Santa: Is that “egg”-Shell? Ha ha!
Shell: Out!
Superheroes In Seattle!
Santa: Wow, Shell, look at this!
Shell: What, what? You sound pretty excited.
Santa: I am! You’ll be too. Get this. So, here, Jane’s been working on this book —
Shell: —Because Of The Red Fox. Yeah, yeah, you’d think that maybe we’d know something about it!
Annie: –because we’re the main characters!
Santa: Right, right. But here’s the strange thing. While Jane’s been writing this book–
Shell: –for a really long time–
Santa (ignoring the interruption):–she’s been finding that some of it has been coming true.
Annie: Of course the story’s true!
Santa: Coming true, I said! And this is one big way that it’s coming true. You know how Uncle Paul is a superhero–
Annie: Sshh! We need to keep that a secret!
Santa: –and all the others, Ancestor Man, Otter Woman, and the rest of the folks who showed up at the Ordered Council–
Shell (impatient): Yes, yes–Animal Force.
Santa: Well, here’s the deal. There really are superheroes now in Seattle, fighting crime. They’re part of the Rain City Superhero Movement, and you can read all about them right here:
Phoenix Jones and the Rain City Superhero Movement
Shell: Wow!
Annie: See? We are real!
Santa: That’s rather a leap–
Shell: –in a single bound!
Santa: Let’s not jump to conclusions!
Shell: Why not? The alternative isn’t very attractive.
Annie: Wh-what alternative?
Shell: That we’re figments of someone’s imagination.
Santa, Annie, and Shell: Naaahhhh!
Santa (sagely): After all, life is just one big storybook anyway, right?
Shell: Very wise, oh older cousin.
Santa: Right! …. Hey, are you making fun of me?
Shell: Moi??? By the way, have I shown you myself as a superhero? Myself when I’m a bit older anyway. I created it at Hero Machine. Here it is:
Santa: Pretty fancy, Shell. But what kind of superhero name is “Veriditas”?
Shell: You know, a weird one!
Annie: I wonder what kind of superhero I’d be? Can superheroes just serve tea?
Shell: I’m sure you can be any kind of superhero you want. Serving cups of Peace tea sounds like the perfect way for you to combat crime!
Santa (choking): Mnrf, snort!
Shell: I’m serious!
Santa (recovering): Anyway — that’s all I had to share for this week. By for now, everyone!
Shell and Annie: Bye!