Il etait une fos une petite fille de 5 ans aux longs cheveux blonds
et aux yeux bleus qui s'appelait Karine.
Elle vivait avec son papa et sa grand-maman dans une jolie petite maison
situee a quelques kilometres du village.
Le pere de Karine qui travaillait comme bucheron,
partait souvent pour 4 ou 5 jours a la fois.

Le jour de sa fete, le pere de Karine lui apporta comme present
5 jolis chatons avec lesquels elle passait toutes ses journees a s'amuser.
Elle les avait nommes Lundi, Mardi, Mercredi, Jeudi, Vendredi,
pour les jours de la semaine ou son papa etait absent.

C'etait l'hiver. Durant la semaine avant Noel,
la grand-mere de Karine tomba brusquement malade.
Avec les jours, elle devint de plus en plus faible et la veille de Noel au matin,
elle dut rester au lit pris avec une violente fievre.

Comme une sage et bonne petite fille,
Karine dit a sa grand-maman de se reposer
d'essayer de dormir et de ne pas s'inquieter car son pere
lui avait dit qu'il serait de retourvers midi la veille de noel

Karine et les chatons resterent dans la chambre
pour tenir compagnie a sa grand-maman.
Au milieu de l'apres-midi, le pere de Karine n'etait pas encore revenu
et la noirceur commencait lentement a se glisser dans la clarte du jour.
Karine s'inquietait et les 5 chatons devinrent agites comme s'ils sentaient
qu'un malheur rodait autour de la maison.

Une tempete de neige avait debute lentement vers l'heure du diner.
Elle devenait de plus menacante en laissant entendre de grands vents
et des sifflements qui faisaient craquer la maison
et battre tres fort le coeur de Karine et des 5 chatons.

Karine, prise de panique, se mit a pleurer.
"J'ai peur, j'ai peur" dit-elle. "Papa est sans doute perdu dans la tempete,
grand-maman est malade et je suis toute seule! et ce sera Noel dans quelques heures.
J'i peur, je ne veux pas rester toute seule".
Et Karine laissait tomber de gros sanglots.

"Lundi", le plus gros et le plus debrouillard des chatons prit la parole et dit:
"n'aie pas peure Karine, couche-toi pres de grand-maman.
Pour trouver ton papa nous allons demander
de l'aide a quelqu'un qui doit venir ici cette nuit".

"Qui?, Qui?" demande Karine.
Et en choeur, les 5 chatons repondirent: "Le Pere Noel!"

"Oh Mais oui, mais oui, le Pere Noel!" dit Karine, sautant de joie en essuyant ses larmes.
"Papa m'a dit que le Pere Noel se rendrait jusqu'a notre maison avec son traineau
et ses rennes la nuit de Noel. Papa me l'a promis et papa tient toujours ses promesses"

Confiante et le coeur rempli d'espoir, Karine retrouva son calme.
Elle fit une prere, et se coucha doucement pres de sa grand-maman.
En quelques secondes, elle s'endormit paisiblement.

Aussitot, les 5 chatons descendirent a la cave,
retrouver 2 ecureuils qui s'etaient installes dans un coin pour l'hiver.
Les 2 ecureuils. Superson et Etincelle trouverent tout de suite le traineau du Pere Noel,
dans un champ pres de l'eglise, cache par de gros buissons, les rennes avaient disparu.

Alors sans perdre une seconde les 2 ecureuils partirent a leur recherche.

C'est Superson qui decouvrit la mauvaise nouvelle:
les rennes avaient ete attires par de jeunes originaux de la foret voisine
et faisaient la fete, chantant et dansant comme des ecerveles
au milieu de la tempete, a l'entree de la foret

"J'ai vu le Pere Noel", dit Superson.
"Il a beaucoup de chagrin et il estaussi tres inquiet et tres enerve.
Il a besoin d'aide pour tirer son traineau s'il veut porter les cadeaux aux enfants du village
et aussi pour se rendre jusqu'a la maison de Karine".
"Alors", Etincelle repondit, "J'ai une idee"

Au bout de 5 minutes, il revint avec Grand-Noir, le chien de monsieur le Cure.
Grand-Noir qui connaissait maintenant toute l'histoire, prit la parole:
"je suis prut-etre un peu vieux, j'ai perdu un oeil dans une bataille,
mais j'ai encore une bonne reserve de force et de courage".
"Attendez-moi", dit Grand-Noir avec douceur et determination,"
je reviens dans peu de temps".

En effet, peu de temps apres,
Grand-Noir arrivait derriere l'eglise avec ses amis et aussitot, il prit la parole:
"Pour remplacer les rennes, je vous presente mes 6 amis les plus fideles".
Il y avait Leo et Mickey les chiens policiers, Baron et fido,
les Saint-Bernard et Majestic et Princesse, les deux fiers danois.

Grand Noir ajouta:
Je veux vous presenter Gros-Gros, le cheval du laitier, qui a pris sa retraite l'an dernier
et qui a decide de se joindre a nous malagre son age.
Il fournit son attelage et un grand cable qu'il a trouve dans l'ecurie
et qui nous servira a tirer le traineau
Les deux ecureuils avaient egalement rassemble
4 moutons munis de fanaux pour eclairer le chemin

Les chiens sous les conseils et les derectives de Grand Noir
avaient fabrique une espece d'attelage avec le cable.
Installes a cote du cheval, ils partirent avec le traineau.
Le Pere Noel etait tout encourage et emu par la tournure des evenemnets

Une bonne quinzaine de moineaux survolaient le traineau et en passant pres d'un ruisseau,
on vit meme des truites briser la glace,
sortir leur tete et crier avec les moineaux des mots d'encouragement.

Les 2 ecureuils Superson et Etincelle partis avant le traineau,
arriverant a la maison de Karine et resumerent la situation aux 5 chatons
qui ronronnerent de satisfaction et de joie

Le chaton Lundi alla reveiller Karine et lui dit:
"Viens a la fenetre, tu va bientot voir quelque chose de tres beau!"
Karine encore toute endormie demanda aux chatons:
"Avez-vous trouve papa? Avez-vous parle au Pere Noel? Est-ce qu'il va venir?"
La petite Karine enervee, surexcitee n'arretait plus de poser des questions.
"Allons a la fenetre" de lui dire les chatons.

Karine, en prenant precieusement dans ses petits bras les 5 chatons,
monta sur une chaise et s'installa devant la fenetre qui etait recouverte de glace.
Les 5 chatons avec leur chaude haleine ne tarderent pas a la faire fondre.
Les 2 ecureuils etaient grimpes dans les rideaux
et avaient leur petite tete bien placee dans un coin de la fenetre.

Tout a coup, on crut entendre au loin, a travers le vent
et la poudrerie comme des cloches et de la musique.
Et au meme moment sur la peitite falaise qui fasait face a la maison,
on apercut une forme qui bougeait lentement.

Il y eut un grand eclair dans le ciel,
et une grosse etoile s'alluma comme celle des Rois Mages,
et eclaira le traineau sur la falaise et le chemin qui menait a la maison.

La tempete cessa brusquement, et on entendait clairement
les cloches de l'eglise qui resonnaient 'Alleluia'.

Tout a coup au milieu du traineau ou etait debout le Pere Noel
qui envoyait la main, on apercut a ses cotes
Oh! quelle heureuse surprise, le papa de Karine.

Karine se mit a pleurer et a rire de joie: "Papa, papa"
qu'elle ne cessait de crier en caressant ses 5 petits chatons
Grand-maman ouvrit les yeux. Elle avait tout compris ce miracle de Noel
et on l'entendit murmurer: "Merci, merci mon Dieu".

Karine flottait de joie en regardant s'avancer vers elle le traineau du Pere Noel
tire par le courage, l'amour, la perseverance, la foi et l'amitie
le cortege du Pere Noel qui lui apportait le plus beau des cadeaux, son papa.
C'etait la nuit, c'etait le bonheur, c'etait l'espoir et l'amour triomphant.

Once upon a time there was a 5 year old little girl
with long blonde hair and blue eyes called Karine.
She lived with her father and her granny in a pretty little house
situated some kilometres away from the village.
Karine's father, who worked as a lumberjack,
often left home for 4 or 5 days at a time.

On her birthday, Karine's father brought her 5 pretty kitens
and she spent all her days having fun with them.
She called them Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
for the five days of the week her father was away.

It was the winter. During the week before Christmas, Karine's granny fell ill.
Day by day, she became more and more weak and the morning of Christmas Eve
she had to remain in her bed because she had an acute fever.

Like a good litle girl, Karine said to her granny that she ought to rest,
to try to sleep and not to worry because her father said he would be back
around noon the day before Christmas.

Karine and her 5 kittens stayed in the bedroom in order to keep her granny company.
In the middle of the afternoon, Karine's father still hadn't come back
and the blackness slowly began to slip into the brightness of the daylight.
Karine was worried and the 5 kittens became restless
as if they felt a misfortune prowling around the house.

A snowstorm had slowly begun around the dinnertime.
It became more and more threatening.
Some gusts of wind and some whistles lashed the house
and Karine and her 5 kittens hearts beat very hard.

Panic-stricken, Karine started to cry. "I am afraid, I am afraid", she said.
"There is no doubt, papa is lost in the storm, granny is ill and I'm all alone.
It will be Christmas in a few hours. I am afraid, I don't want to stay alone".

Monday, the biggest and the most resourceful of the kittens spoke.
"Don't be afraid Karine" he said, "get in bed close to granny.
In order to find your daddy, we will ask someone who will come here tonight for help".

"Who, who?" asked Karine.
And the 5 kittens answered together: "Santa Claus".
"Oh but yes, but yes, Santa Claus" exclaimed Karine, jumping for joy and wiping her tears.
"Daddy told me that Santa Claus will come to our house
with his sleigh and his reindeers on Christmas night.
Daddy promised me and daddy always keeps his promises."

Trusting and with her heart filled with hope, Karine calmed down.
She said a prayer and lay down close to her granny.
Seconds later she fell asleep.

Immediatley the 5 kittens went down to the cellar
to meet the 2 squirrels who were hibernating there for the winter.
The 2 squirrels, Superson and Sparky, immediatley found Santa Claus' sleigh
on the ground close to the church, hidden by some big bushes,
the reindeer had disappeared.
So without losing a second, the 2 squirrels went in search of them.

It was Superson who discovered the bad news: the reindeer had been led astray by
some young inahabitants of the neighbouring forest and were having a good time,
singing and dancing like some scatty's in the middle of the storm,
in the opening of the forest.

"I saw Santa Claus" Superson said, "He's very upset and he's also very worried & annoyed.
He needs help to draw his sleigh if he is to bring
gifts to the children of the village and to go to Karine's house.
So Sparky said "I have an idea"

Five minutes later he came back with Big-Black, the priest's dog.
Big-Black, who had been updated on the story so far, said:
I may be a bit old, I lost an eye in a battle, but I still have enough strength and courage"
With gentleness and determination, he said:
"Wait for me, I am coming back in a little while"

Indeed, a while later, Big-Black arrived behind the church with his friends and spoke up.
"In order to stand in for the reindeers, I present my 6 faithful friends to you.
There is Leo and Mickey, the police dogs, Baron and Fido, the St-Bernards,
and Majestic and Princess, the two proud Great Danes."
Big-Black also said:
"I want to present Big-Grey to you, the milman's horse, who retired last year
and who decided to join us in spite of his age.
He has supplied his team and a large rope that he found
in the stable, which will be used to draw the sleigh.
The 2 squirrels had also collected 4 sheep
equipped with lanterns in order to light the way.
With Big-Black's advice and directives, the dogs had made a sort of team with the cable.
Installed beside the horses, they left with the sleigh.
Santa Claus was encouraged and moved by the turn of events.

A good fifteen sparrows were flying over the sleigh and, passing near a stream,
they also saw some trouts breaking the ice, going out of their heads
and crying some words of encouragement to the sparrows.

The 2 squirrels, Superson and Sparky, who left before the sleigh, arrived at Karine's house
and summarized the situation to the 5 kittens
which were purring with satisfaction and joy.

The kitten called Monday went to wake Karine and said to her:
"Come to the window, you are going to see something very beautiful."
Karine was still asleep and she asked the kittens:
"Have you found daddy? Have you talked to Santa Claus? Will he come?"
The kittens said to her: "Let's just go to the window"

Karine carefully took the 5 kittens in her little arms, climbed up a chair
and settled down in front of the window which was covered with ice.
With their warm breath, the 5 kittens didn't take long to make it melt.
The 2 squirrels climbed onto the curtains and their little heads
had a good seat in the corner of the window.

In the distance, they suddenly thought they heard some bells
and some music through the wind.
And, at the same time, on the littl cliff opposite the house,
they caught sight of a slowly moving shape.

There was a big flash of lightning in the sky
and a large star lit up like the one that appeared to the three wise men.
It lit up the sleigh on the cliff and the way which led to the house.
All of a sudden, the storm ceased and they could clearly hear
the bells of the church which were resounding "Alleluia".

Suddenly in the middle of the sleigh where Santa Claus was waving his arms,
they saw by his side, oh what a surprise, Karine's father.

Karine started to cry and to laugh with joy.
She didn't stop to shout out "daddy, daddy" and to stroke her 5 little kittens.

Granny opened her eyes. She had heard everything,
she had understood this Christmas miracle
and they heard her murmur: "Thank you, thank you my God".
Karine jumped for joy watching Santa Claus' sleigh moving towards her,
drawn by courage, love, perseverance, faith and friendship.
Santa Claus' cortege brought to her the most beautiful gift, her daddy.

It was the night, it was Christmas, it was the happiness,
it was the hope and the triumphant love