Nasty Nick was delighted. It was Christmas Eve and at last his robot was finished. It was no ordinary robot — it was a robot Santa. Nasty Nick called it the Santabot.
Nasty Nick’s plan was simple. Tonight he would programme the Santabot to follow the real Santa around. But unlike the real Santa, who would leave presents, the Santabot would take them! No-one would ever suspect the Santabot in its Santa disguise!
Evening came. Lots of excited children hung their Christmas stockings up. Nasty Nick chuckled at the thought of how they would find them still empty in the morning.
Jingling sleigh bells announced Santa’s arrival. Nasty Nick flicked the switch on the control panel in his workshop and the Santabot jerked into action. Keeping a safe distance, it called at each house after Santa left and took all the presents he had just left.
“Perfect!” cackled Nasty Nick, rubbing his hands with glee. “Nothing can possibly go wrong!”
But he reckoned without Peter! Try as he could, Peter couldn’t get to sleep. When he heard Santa creep into his room, he shut his eyes tightly and snored. He listened with delight to the rustle of wrapped presents. Santa crept out and Peter peered in wonder at his bulging stocking.
“Wow!” he exclaimed, then “Yikes!” as the bedroom door opened again. He dived back under the covers but decided to peep out this time. He saw what looked like Santa enter very stiffly, march to his Christmas stocking and then suddenly swing round — and take presents out of it! Peter was horrified.
“Hey!” he thought. “What’s going on? Santa shouldn’t be doing that! Something’s up!”
As soon as the Santabot had gone, Peter leapt out of bed and slipped out of the house behind the Santabot. He began to follow but then spotted the real Santa in his sleigh next door.
“Two Santas?” gasped Peter. He looked more closely at the Santabot walking jerkily along in front of him. This Santa didn’t seem very jolly. This Santa didn’t have a sleigh. There was definitely something odd about this Santa.
“I’d better tell the proper Santa at once!” thought Peter. Keeping out of sight of the Santabot, he sneaked up to Santa. Santa was surprised to see him.
“Hello Peter!” boomed Santa. “I’ve just left your presents!”
“I know!” gabbled Peter. “But then the other Santa took them!”
“Other Santa?” echoed Santa.
“Yes, he looks just like you but walks all funny, like a robot,” explained Peter. “He’s following you around and taking the presents back out of the sacks.”
“Goodness gracious! We’ll have to stop that!” cried Santa.
“Yes! Let’s trap him,” suggested Peter. “Next time you climb out of a chimney, hide behind it. Then when the other Santa comes, I’ll help you grab him!”
“Great idea!” agreed Santa. “Hop on my sleigh and we’ll go to the next rooftop.”
Peter jumped on at once. The sleigh, pulled by Rudolph of course, shot into the air. It was a magical moment for Peter.
“Right!” said Santa when they stopped by the chimney. “Duck behind and wait for me.”
Santa hopped nimbly down the chimney with his sack. He was back up again in no time. He squatted next to Peter.
They waited. then they heard a faint clang … clang … clang as the Santabot walked up the side of the house. Clump … clump … clump, it plodded along the roof. Then creak … squeak , it lifted its left leg all ready to climb down the chimney.
“Now!” roared Santa and he and Peter leapt out and nabbed the Santabot. It kept on trying to get down the chimney so Peter grabbed its beard. To his horror, it came off in his hand, revealing a big red button with STOP on it.
“Press it!” gasped Santa, struggling with the Santabot.
Peter whacked it hard. The Santabot stopped.
“Phew!” panted Santa. “Now, what have we here?” He pulled out his spectacles and inspected the Santabot. He prodded it. He poked it. Then he said: “Well, it’s a mechanical me!”
Back in Nasty Nick’s workshop, the control panel registered that the Santabot had stopped.
“Bother!” grumbled Nasty Nick. “Now I’ve got to go out in the cold and fix it.”
He packed his tools and set off. Meanwhile, Santa and Peter were examining the Santabot.
“We need to reprogram it,” explained Peter who knew a bit about robots. “We must make it take the presents back and then get it to take us to the person that made it!”
“Absolutely!” agreed Santa. “But how?”
Peter didn’t know.
Just then, Peter caught sight of Nasty Nick approaching.
“Look!” he hissed. “Someone’s coming. And he’s carrying a toolbox — I bet he made the Santabot!”
“You’re right!” exclaimed Santa. “Quick, let’s hide again. We’ll grab this fellow too!”
Santa ordered the reindeer out of sight and Peter shoved the Santabot’s beard back into place. Then they dived behind the chimney pot.
They heard Nasty Nick muttering crossly as climbed the drainpipe to the roof. They peeped out and watched him open his toolbox. Then he paused. He looked into the Santabot’s sack.
“I’ll just open a couple of presents before I fix you,” he said to the robot.
“Oh no, you don’t!” bellowed Santa leaping out and grabbing Nasty Nick. “How dare you build a robot me and steal the children’s presents, you miserable wormy thing, you!”
Santa was furious. His face was as red as his coat. Nasty Nick trembled in fright.
“I’m sorry!” he stammered. “I only wanted a few presents. You see, no one ever gives me any!”
“Huh! You wanted all the presents,” retorted Santa. “And no one ever gives you presents because you’re so nasty!”
“I really am sorry!” sobbed Nasty Nick. “I promise not to be nasty any more.”
“Do you really and truly promise?” asked Santa, not so cross now.
“Yes, yes, yes!” nodded Nasty Nick.
“Very well, Not-So-Nasty Nick,” said Santa, letting go of him. “Make this thing of yours take the presents back at once — and then destroy it. I shall pick up the bits on my way home. Now, Peter, do you think you could give me a hand delivering the presents? I’m running late.”
Would Peter mind? Of course not — there was nothing he would rather do! The rest of the night was a whirl. Up and down chimneys Peter raced (Santa taught him how.)
Then at last they were finished. They called at Not-So-Nasty Nick’s. He handed them a box of nuts and bolts and bits and pieces. It was all that was left of the Santabot. Then Not-So-Nasty Nick gave Santa and Peter a present.
Santa smiled. “Thank you, Nick. I hope you will keep your promise to be good. Now, here’s a present for you.” Santa delved into his sack and pulled out a huge orange teddy bear.
Not-So-Nasty Nick’s mouth dropped open.
“Is this for me?” he gasped. “A present? I’ve never had a present before!” He hugged the teddy in delight.
Santa smiled again. Peter yawned.
“Come on, young man!” chuckled Santa. “Time you were back in bed!”
The dawn was just tinting the sky as Peter crept back into bed. He was delighted to see his stocking bulging with presents again. Santa tucked him in, hugged him and then disappeared into the cold winter sky.
“This,” thought Peter sleepily, “has to be the best Christmas ever — especially for Not-So-Nasty-Nick!”
And, not so very far away, Not-So-Nasty-Nick was thinking exactly the same thing!