Οι άνθρωποι θέλουν διπλωματικές απαντήσεις κι εμένα δεν μ αρέσει καθόλου να είμαι ευέλικτος, είπε ο λαγός. Έτσι κι αλλιώς είχε συνηθίσει μόνος του. Ανέβηκε στη σοφίτα, πίσω από ένα μεγάλο ιστό μια παχουλής αράχνης, ήταν ένα ξύλινο σεντούκι. Παραμέρισε τον ιστό, άνοιξε το σεντούκι και βρήκε τα φυλλάδια με τα παλιά παραμύθια. Δίπλα, ήταν το παλιό ξύλινο αλογάκι, το κατέβασε στο σαλόνι, το έβαλε πλάι στο τζάκι. Άραξε στην άνετη πολυθρόνα, είχε ένα σωρό βιβλία τριγύρω του, διάλεξε ένα. Έβαλε ανάμεσα στις σελίδες του το χαρτί με το παραμύθι. Όλα τα βόλευε μέσα στο μυαλό του, εκεί τα ανακάτευε όλα, εκεί τα ανέλυε, τα ξεδιάλυνε, τα σκεφτόταν, αποφάσιζε. Κανένας δεν θα μπορούσε να το υποστηρίξει όλο αυτό παρά μόνο ο ίδιος για τον εαυτό του. Αν μοιραζόταν κάτι δικός το αισθανόταν ευθύς αμέσως υποτιμημένο. Είχε ωραία ζεστασιά σ αυτό το σπίτι, όπου τα ξύλα στη φωτιά τσιρτσίριζαν όλη μέρα κι όλη νύχτα. Οι φλόγες των κεριών που αβίαστα έκαιγαν γύρω του του θύμιζαν ιστορίες παλιές και καινούργιες, ιστορίες που ήταν ολόδικές του και που κανένας αν τις άκουγε δεν θα ένιωθε όπως αυτός αλλά καθόλου δεν τον απασχολούσε αυτό. Απλά επειδή δεν μπορούσε να τις μοιραστεί, ελλείψει καλού ακροατηρίου, δεν είχε την δυνατότητα σ αυτόν τον τομέα να εκτονωθεί.
*Έπιασε ξανά στα χέρια του το χαρτί με το παραμύθι κι άρχισε να διαβάζει αυτό
'Twas the night before Christmas,
when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now,
PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET!
on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL,
AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!
