The Secret of the Sleigh Bell

Ten year old Aspen Pepin, a resident of Wapack Valley, was reported missing and presumably lost on Christmas Eve in the treacherous mountains while playing with his little dog, Oreo. Although an initial search party was organized, efforts to find him were unsuccessful due to nightfall, blizzard-like conditions and the impenetrable underbrush in the area. The search ended Christmas morning when Mr. Topher Pepin, the boy’s father, and good friend, Raulf Ludwig, found little Aspen in an area known to locals as Fiddlers Notch. When asked how he survived the brutal cold night, Aspen stated that during the night he had been visited by a stranger, a man who rode upon a sleigh pulled by what he described as a funny-looking deer. “Santa Claus,” you might think, but unlikely. The stranger, who has yet to be identified, did not offer any assistance in rescuing the boy, but only offered kind words, inspiring thoughts, and a gift-a sleigh bell. Aspen stated that after the stranger left him, friendly deer came to lie down next to him. The deer kept his body warm and a Blue rabbit kept his head warm.