Frankie and Otto Get Christmas Presents

A Short Story

Brrrrr. It is so cold outside. The wind is blowing hard and a few snowflakes have started falling. There is a light dusting of white starting to cover the trees and the grass. No creatures or people are stirring around. It is just way too cold outside.

It is nice and warm inside his home though. There is no wind or snow inside. There is a roaring fire in the fireplace keeping everything comfortable. Near the fireplace is a large stack of firewood so he will not have to go outside for a while. Hanging from the mantel are two stockings. The larger stocking has a ‘F’ on it and the smaller stocking has an ‘O’ on it. On top of the mantle there is an ancient mantle clock ticking away. It was made back in the 19th century. The clock mechanism has to be wound up every few days or the ticking will stop. Although the clock is so old, it still chimes the hours on the hour. This beautiful clock was passed down from his grandparents and it is his most treasured possession. The clock now says that the time is 11:45 at night. It is Christmas Eve and it is almost the magic hour – midnight.

The room is comfortable but it has only a few pieces of furniture. There is a sofa and a coffee table to the side. He sits in his comfortable recliner chair. These are the only pieces of furniture in the room. It is all that he needs. Even the sofa is not needed often as he rarely has visitors and he likes it that way.

There is a decorated Christmas tree a few feet from the fireplace. There are strings of popcorn, ornaments, and tinsel hanging on the tree. There are no lights on the tree because he does not have electricity – he decided many years ago that he didn’t need any electricity. He does fine without it. The fire in the fireplace and an old-fashioned oil lantern are the only light in the room.

The room is not very big or fancy, but it is comfortable and cozy. He likes the room just as it is. It is big enough for him since he almost never has company. All of his friends moved away many years ago. They begged him to move with them to a warmer climate but he has no desire to move away. He is comfortable and he has everything that he needs. He misses his friends but doesn't mind being alone.

He has been alone for more years than he cares to think about. No one ever comes to visit him any more. Of course, he lives way out in the woods. The path to his place is not easy to find. He had never needed to own a car. Even the Post Office and Amazon can't find him. Google never heard of him and doesn’t believe that he exists. He is alone but he likes it that way. He is getting old and he is becoming grumpy. He is sure that no one would want to be around him any more. He is getting so old that all of his joints ache. It is no wonder that he is grouchy. As long as he has firewood in the fireplace to fight the chill of his home and has food in his pantry to eat, he is happy. Without anyone to talk to other than Otto, he sometimes even has trouble remembering his own name. His name is Franklin but his friends have always called him Frankie. He is okay with not remembering his name sometimes, since he really doesn’t like it too much. He would love to have a better name, but he was stuck with what his parents gave him.

Since it is getting late he is dozing in front of the fire. He is as happy as an old grouch can be. No one is around to disturb his peace. His faithful companion, Otto, is stretched out on the floor beside him. Otto is his only companion. They both are happy and content. Did I mention that his home is a cave? How he came to live in a cave is an interesting story that we will discuss at another time. That story also involves the adventure where Otto became his companion when he rescued Otto from some men who were hunting raccoons. Those men’s dogs had actually chased Otto up into a tree. By the way, Otto is a raccoon – that is why the dogs had been chasing him. We will relate that story at another time.

Everything is quiet. Frankie is snoozing in his chair and Otto is curled up on the rug beside him. The mantle clock ringing in midnight interrupts the peaceful silence. Otto and Frankie don’t stir a muscle. They are so used to the gong of the clock sounding every hour on the hour that it doesn’t disturb them. They both keep on lightly snoring. They probably will not wake up until the next morning.

Suddenly, there is a loud rattling noise in the fireplace. Frankie awakes with a start and says, “What is that? What is going on?” At that, Otto finally snorts awake. He looks up at Frankie in puzzlement.

Frankie says, “Don’t blame me, Otto. I heard something and it woke me up.”

They both sit quietly and listen carefully. They are soon rewarded for their patience and hear some more rattling sounds coming from the fireplace.

Frankie tells Otto, “I think we may have a burglar. I can’t imagine what they are doing way out here though. We don’t have anything worth stealing.”

They both sit quietly waiting to see what will happen next. Sure enough, soon there is more rustling noises and soot beginning to fall into the fireplace. The fire is still burning but it has died down some.

Frankie whispers to Otto, “That burglar sure has a hot surprise waiting on him. Let’s sit back and watch what happens. I bet he tries to scoot back up that chimney real quick.”

More soot begins falling. There is a lot of rustling noises. The bottom of a pair of boots appears in the fireplace. There is a clicking sound coming out of the fireplace. Suddenly, the fire in the fireplace goes out and even the smoke disappears.

Frankie says, “Well, there goes the hot surprise. Let’s see who this brave intruder is!”

The shoes slowly lower and some red pants appear in the fireplace. Eventually a white-haired man with a beard is standing in the fireplace. He is covered in soot from the chimney. He seems surprised to see a raccoon lying on a rug on the floor and an old dragon sitting in an extra large recliner.

Looking puzzled, he says, “Frankie and Otto, I presume.”

Frankie asks him, “Who are you? Why did you break into my home? And why did you turn off my fire on the coldest night of the year? This cave gets awfully cold fast.”

The man just laughs and laughs. When he laughs, his large belly and his whole body shake. “Do you really not know who I am? I actually go by many different names, but you can call me Santa.”

Frankie is startled, “Santa? As in the Santa Claus person?”

“Of course! Who else would come down your chimney on Christmas Eve?”

Otto stares at Santa in confusion. He shakes his head like he cannot believe what he is seeing.

Frankie asks Santa, “Okay, if you say so. Why would Santa come to visit an old dragon?”

Santa tells him, “The names Frankie and Otto showed up on my list this year for the first time. For some reason your names have been omitted on my lists previously. There must have been some type of glitch in our computer systems. I sure didn’t expect to find an ancient dragon and a raccoon here though.”

Frankie exclaims, “Well, that explains why I have never seen you before, but why are you here this year? Since I don’t get mail service here, I am sure I didn’t send a Dear Santa letter to the North Pole!”

Santa answers him, “Like I said, your names appeared on my list for needing toys this year, so here I am. I was expecting a couple of children. I normally don’t deliver toys to dragons and raccoons. I am already here now though so I need to give you your presents. There is no need to take them back to the North Pole”

At that, Otto quickly runs up to Santa and runs up his leg. He is obviously ready for his present. Frankie laughs at this. “I guess Otto is ready. Go ahead and give us our presents so you can get on in your travels to deliver presents to all the kids around the world.”

Santa reaches back into the large bag that he had brought down the chimney with him. Frankie could not imagine how Santa had managed to get that huge bag down the chimney – magic maybe. Santa brings out a small stuffed toy raccoon and handed it to Otto. Otto quickly snatches the stuffed animal and runs back to his rug beside Frankie’s chair. He curls up tight with the toy and goes back to sleep. It is clear that he loves his Christmas present.

Santa tells Frankie, “I’m glad that Otto is happy. Now for you, my list says that you have always wanted a yo-yo.”

Frankie sniffs and answers, “Years ago I saw a little boy playing with one. It looked like he had so much fun with it. My parents, being dragons, never had money for toys. Thank you!”

Santa hands the yoyo to Frankie, “Now I must be off. There are millions of children all over the world waiting for their Christmas presents.” With that he twinkles his nose and he disappeared with his bag of toys. Far off in the distance Frankie could hear sleigh bells ringing and the whooshing sound of a large sleigh pulled by reindeer taking flight into the sky. There is also a faint sound of, “Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas and a Good Night to all!”

Frankie, feeling a little less grouchy now, says, “Wow! That was something special. Did that really happen or did I dream it?” Glancing down he noticed that he really did have a brand new yo-yo in his hand. “Now I have to figure out how to use this yo-yo since Santa forgot to leave me the instructions for it.”

Carl B. Seay
December 12, 2025