Writing Practice: Finding a voice: The Santa Society

And on that day something magical happened. Niclause and Klause discovered that together they had something special. If they gave something away, even if it was only to a few people, everyone wanted to buy it. And they bought more than they would need, just so that they could give it to their friends and family.

After only a few days the bakery was so busy that Niclause had to hire people to help with the selling of his goods, and with some of the baking of the more basic items. He shared his good fortune with Klaus and the two of them became partners in the bakery. Klaus, for his part was the face, and the spirit of the operation, and went around to different villages giving away spiced shortbread biscuits like the ones that made people love Niclause's cooking in the first place. People came from hundreds of miles away then, to get more of Niclause's fine baked goods.

Eventually, when asked, and if the baker was far enough away, Niclause began to sell his recipes to those who asked, if they could prove they were a baker, and if they were far enough away. When asked the secret of his success, he would always tell them the same thing: Give some away. At first they would scoff, and laugh, but they as they tried to run their own shops, they found that those who followed the advice prospered, and those that did not, fell into obscurity.

And as the years went by, both Niclause and Klaus became centers of the community, and a central part of the Winter Festival in that region. For weeks beforehand Niclause's bakery took orders and baked practically around the clock getting food ready.

Klaus meanwhile was asked to put in appearances as Saint Nick, which eventually simply changed into Saint Klaus, all over the region, hundreds of miles away. When he did he brought cookies and cakes from Niclause's bakery as gifts to children, and soon other businesses were getting into the spirit as well. Children soon began to receive not only pastries, but candies, fruits, and meat pies, as well as clothes and shoes, but probably most notably, and certainly most successfully: Toys.

However it soon became impossible for Klaus to make as many appearances as he would like, so he had to hire impersonators to go to different places and fill in for him. He required that they act as he would act, taking an interest and joy in the people there in the places they went, and he had people who would report to him on whether the Saint Klaus had been naughty or nice. When people asked how he could be in so many places so quickly he replied jokingly, "I have a team of Magic Horses that fly me from place to place."

And as even more years went by the feast became known as the Sinterklaas feast, a play on words, meaning Winter Man, but also including Sint Klaus who had taken on a central role in the holiday. Niclause in the meantime had organized many of the bakeries, clothes makers, grocers, candy makers, toy makers, and other businesses, and formed a group who, in secret, helped to provide for all those who didn't have enough, all the poor and homeless, all those who could not help themselves. They called themselves the Sinterklaas society, and every year they used the festival of Sinterklaas to help build up very large amounts of money, which they would use to help their friends and neighbors who needed it.

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That's where the story in the book ended, but Grandma always included a little more at the end, to bring them up to date.

"The Sinterklaas legend lived on long after the death of Klaus himself, and beyond Niclause too. Their children took it on, and their children, and theirs, and so on. And all the different business owners that prospered from the Sinterklaas festival continued to be a part of the Society, even when the story migrated here to America, and became know as Santa Clause, all without the help of the society.

"Then, just before World War One, the whole family followed the Santa Clause story over to America, to avoid being caught up in the war. But for several years they didn't know how they were going to continue on helping people.

"Until my Mother Issadora Klaussen found an old picture of our Great-great-grandfather, many times removed," she held up the book and tapped on the front cover, "and showed it to an advertising agency in the late 1920's. They showed it to two different artists, who each created similar versions.

"Then they licensed the likeness to a popular soft drink company, and image became so popular that the likeness began to appear everywhere... licensed by what we now call: The Santa Society. And we take the money we get from Santa, and his image, and we help people all over this country, and all over the world." She closed the book with a flourish and smiled, and the children all jumped to their feet and cheered, as everyone else applauded heartily.

Then one by one the children went and sat in Grandma's lap and gave her a hug, though many of the teenage children simply opted to lean down over the chair, without sitting in her lap.

At one point Grandma found that her right arm didn't seem to want to hold the child in her lap, and she had to hold her with her left arm instead.Then she had the strangest sensation that her left eye was sliding shut, and she couldn't seem to smile with the right side of her mouth.

But she continued to hug all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren one by one, till finally the last one had gone back to their parents.

With her left hand she motioned to her daughter Miriam to come over. She motioned for Miriam to lean down so that she could whisper in her ear, and when she did her speech was slightly slurred, because she could only talk out of the left side of her mouth.

"I'm going to need your help M- Mary- uhm Marga- eh Miriam."

Miriam looked at her in surprise and alarm. Her mother never forgot anyone's name. She started to look around for someone to help, but Grandma gripped her hand with surprising strength. "No," she told her. "I don't want to ruin the celebration for everyone. I just need you to drive me to the hospital. No ambulance, no fuss, if anyone asks, tell them my knee is hurting, same as always, and you're taking me home. Okay sweety?"

Miriam looked like she was fighting back tears, but after a moment she seemed to regain her composure, and nodded.

"Okay Mom," she said. "I understand." She smiled at her mother to show everyone that everything was fine - secret keeping and deception for noble purposes were second nature in this family - and said, "Why don't we get you to your feet then?"

Grandma nodded and got unsteadily to her feet, favoring her right side, which seemed to have only limited functionality. She could put in on the floor, and put a very minimal amount of weight on it, but that seemed to be all. So Miriam held her up on her right side, and she used her red and white striped cane on the left.

As they walked to the door of the hall, after deflecting a few concerned inquiries, Grandma said, "Um, M.. Uh- Sweety," As she slurred her words, Miriam's eyes grew a little wider with concern, but she managed to hide it. "There's something else I need you to do, as soon as you get the chance. I need to to call your son back."

"Isaak? But Mom, he left years ago. He has his own life now, and he swore he'd never come back to this one."

Grandma shook her head. "There's no one else, or I wouldn't ask. Tell him. Tell him Grandma understands, and she loves him, and wants him to be happy, but there's no one else who can do this."

"Okay Mom," said Miriam. "I know he's not going to like it, but I'll tell him."

"Good."

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Later at the hospital, where doctors were poking and prodding at her mother, and tossing around vague acronyms like CVA, Miriam pulled out her phone and called her son.