A Hippopotamus for Christmas.
Author's note: I blame our local telephone company for creating this little plot hippo. Telus likes to use all sort of animals for their mobile phone commercials and the most recent one had a baby hippo and the song "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas." So enjoy! Ramica.
Rama came running out to greet her father as he came in the lair door with Raph, Mike had to move fast, to scoop the whirling shellback into his arms before she hit into his legs and knocked him off his feet. "Hey slow down Rama llama ding dong, you know you aren't supposed to run in the lair" Mike scolded her gently. Rama bounced in his arms, her eyes sparkling with joy and excitement, her dark hair in wild array and tangled about her turtle face. She paid little attention to her dad's reminder.
"Daddy, daddy" she bubbled anxiously, "I knows whats I wants for Christmas" she informed him, "Santa can brings me it, can't he?" she pleaded quickly.
Mike chuckled Christmas was about a month away but Rama, was old enough at four and a half to realize that not long after thanksgiving was Christmas, though for Rama Christmas still took far too long to get there.
"Well that all depends, have you been a good girl this year? Good enough to warrant a visit from Santa?"
Rama nodded her head vigourously "Yep" she affirmed.
"Oh really, what about all your sai stealing?" Mike asked innocently.
"I don't do that now. I promised." Rama stated, "I be good I no touch weapons less Sensay say so."
Raph reached across and touseled his niece's hair making it become a further jumbled mess "Aw come on Mike, Santa makes some allowances."
"Don't!" Mike barked glaring at his brother, "You sure have a big mouth Raph." He grumbled through gritted teeth.
"So what d'ya want kid?" Raph waved a hand his brother's way.
"I wants a hippypotmus" Rama replied.
"A hippopotamus for Christmas?" Raph inquired not sure that he had heard right.
Rama nodded her head eagerly "Yeah. You think Santa will brings me one. I wants a hippypotmus."
Mike tried not to laugh but the smile on his face grew wider as he took a few deep breaths to control the inner guffaws that fought to break free, "Rama do you know what a hippopotamus is?" He asked kindly soon as he gained control.
Rama bobbed her head up and down again "I knows a hippypotmus is a hippypotmus" she informed her dad.
Raph smirked " I think Don got to her Mikey, who else would have her asking for that."
"You have to be joking Raph. Don would be giving her a thourogh education on hippotamuses, or hippopotami or whatever the plural of hippopotomus happens to be" Mike replied as he packed Rama towards the living room "Master Splinter was looking after her, how much you want to bet that he had something to do with this? Probably talked her into it to get me back for something I did as a kid."
"You gotta admit Mike you did a lot as a kid" Raph agreed as he packed the few bags of groceries towards the kitchen.
" Like you didn't?" Mike retorted arching an eye ridge.
Rama was getting bored of listening to the adults talking quickly interrupted them, "Daddy cans I have a hippypotmus?" she demanded trying to get him back on track.
Mike gave a grin "Honey a hippo would eat you for dinner, they are very big and they'd never fit in the sewers."
Rama gave a negative shake of her head "Daddy be funny." She laughed.
"I'm not being funny it is the truth young lady." Mike assured her.
"Santa bring me hippypotmus." Rama stated as she squirmed to get down.
"Sure Rama, whatever" Mike replied, figuring that, perhaps, if he let it go at that, the child might forget this silly notion of having a hippopotamus. He nudged Raph before putting Rama down "Notice the ninja Master is no where around. I tell you Raph that old rat is behind this."
Mike cornered his father after their evening session, in the dojo,"Sensei do you know what Rama asked for her special request for Christmas this year?" Mike hinted.
" I have no idea my Son" Splinter replied, "She most likley saw something on TV and wants a toy from off a commercial."
"She wants a hippopotamus Master" Mike stated in a calm way giving his mentor a knowing look. "You might as well confess you got her on that kick." he accused.
Splinter's hair bristled a bit as his ears flattened against his head, his whiskers twitched as his back straightened and an indignant look came into the rat's face, " I did no such thing my son." Splinter harrumphed as he glared at Mike sharply through narrowed eyes, "Do not presume too much Michaelangelo for remember that the one who assumes makes an ass out of you amd me, and I do not care to be made into the relative of a donkey."
Mike held up both hands as he backed off, "Sorry master I didn't mean to, it's just that... well you were looking after her and when Raph and I came home she had that silly notion of wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas." Mike hurried to apologise before he really got in deep.
Meanwhile Raph held a hand over his mouth and turned his back so Mike could not see how amused he was to see Splinter bawling him out.
"I have no idea where Ramiela would come up with such an idea. However children seem to have their own understanding of such things." Splinter declared, he glanced over to see Rama staring at the wall of weapons, "Ramiela" he called gently.
Rama turned an skipped over "Yes, Master Splinter" she chirped as she bowed.
"What is it that you want for Christmas?" Splinter inquired.
"A hippypotmus." Rama answered quickly as she could.
" But what if Santa can't get a hippopotamus for you child?" Splinter suggested.
"I wants a hippypotmus for Christmas and a hippypotmus will do. I loooooooooves hippypotmuses." Rama insisted looking up at the ninja Master with large round eyes.
"What if a hippopotamus is too big to fit into Santa's sleigh?" Splinter asked curiously.
"Maybe hippypotmus can fly like Santa's deer Dasher,Dancer, Prancer, Vixen and Rudolph." Rama replied after a bit of consideration.
"What about Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen?" Raph cut in.
Rama rolled her eyes "They gots to stay home coz of the hippypotmus" She answered as if irritated at having to reply to what was clearly so obvious.
Splinter nodded, "Michaelangelo your daughter is wise beyond her years" Splinter murmured as he caressed his grandchild's cheek, "She truly knows a great deal."
"And she can find more ways of getting into trouble then anyone else I know." Mike muttered under his breath. "Rama you can't possibly want a hippopotamus and Santa can't bring it, so why not sit down and think about some other gift, one that is more reasonable that Santa can bring for you." Mike hinted.
Rama crossed her arms over her plastron "NO!" she yelled, "I wants a hippypotmus." She declared firmly.
Mike let it go for the next week or so doing his best to ignore any conversation with Rama concerning what she wanted from Santa for a special gift. It was now December tenth and Mike felt enough time had passed so that evening while tucking Rama into bed he decided to open their evening talk with what she might want from Santa.
"Rama you know Santa's sleigh is only so big, just large enough to carry one special item for every good boy and girl. Right?" Mike hinted as he sat on the foot of her bed.
Rama sat up against the pillows, pulling her blankets around her, and cuddling her stuffed Franklin turtle. Her bedroom had a bookcase and a small table with craft supplies on it where she could draw, colour, paint or glue to her hearts content, there was bright posters of cute baby animals, one of a unicorn and a dragon and one of a sea turtle. She had a toy box in one corner that was usually more empty then anything, because of the toys scatterred everywhere instead of away like they should be.
"Yes daddy" Rama agreed, "One special present from Santa and I wants a hippypotmus." She assured him.
" What if Santa can't bring you a hippopotamus perhaps you ought to ask for another special gift, just in case, so what else do you want?" Mike hinted gently.
"Nuthin' I wants a hippypotmus for Christmas" Rama insisted firmly.
Mike looked at her, shaking his head with frustration "Honey, you don't seem to understand a hippopotamus is not going be happy down here in the sewer."
"We happy down here right daddy?" Rama asked suddenly.
Mike smiled, "Of course Rama, but we have our family and it helps."
"We be hippypotmus family and he be happy too." Rama confirmed with a sure nod of her head.
Mike groaned "I'd love to know who got you on this whole hippotamus kick."
Rama beamed as she bounced up "Hippy kick like ninja?" She asked quickly.
"No, well maybe. I don't know if they kick. I know they like water and mud." Mike mumbled as he considered this question, his brow furrowed slightly.
"See Hippypotmus be happy here gots water and mud." Rama pointed out gleefully.
Mike sighed, rolling his eyes and groaning he could feel a headache coming on.
By the time there was but a few days to go Mike knew that Rama wasn't about to give up on getting her hippypotmus, so he hoped that Santa's gift would be sufficent for Rama. Of course as the big day got closer Rama grew more animated talking excitedly about all the things she could do with her hippypotmus. Nothing and noone could dissuade her from the idea either.
Don told her that a hippopotamus liked warmer weather and could not possibly live in the cold sewers. Rama insisted her hippypotmus, was special enough the cold didn't bother him.
Leo tried to convince her an animal like a hippopotamus might scare away her beloved cat Baka.
Rama laughed at that idea, Baka wasn't afraid of a hippypotmus, Baka could sit on a hippypotmus and get a ride.
On Christmas evening Rama was far too excited to sleep so Mike decided to take her for a walk through Central Park.
"I gets a hippypotmus. I gets a hippypotmus" Rama sang as she skipped around Mike.
"You will get coal, that is all you deserve" Mike muttered softly. He sighed as he watched her run about darting here or there, or practising her ninja skills by hiding in shadows, "Rama do you know what Christmas is about?"
Rama nodded, "Bout presents" She answered quickly.
"Well yeah, presents are a part of it, but it is more about family and about love, then it is about getting presents or getting the things you might want." Mike suggested. " You know Rama a very long time ago there was no Christmas, until a very special little baby was born. His mom and dad had travelled a long way and when they came to a town, there was no spare rooms to be had anywhere." Mike began.
Rama looked up listening to the story she slipped her hand in her father's "Where they go then?"
"Well they were very tired because they had travelled so far on foot, and Mary happened to be pregnant." Mike explained.
"Like's Aunt Karena." Rama butted in.
"Yes, onlyMary was going have her baby very soon. His mom ,Mary ,and his dad ,Joseph, were good people, but Joseph wasn't the true father of Mary's baby, even though Joseph decided to raise the child as if it was his. So Joseph, knowing how exhausted he was, knew Mary had to be worse so he tried to find a place for her so she could rest peacefully." Mike paused, sensing he had Rama's interest in the story, "Finally one man he asked said,as all the others had, that he had no room for them, but if they wanted they could bed down in the stable with the barn animals, the horses, sheep and cows. It wasn't the best place for a baby to be born but Mary's baby came that night, and for a crib they used a manger." Mike smiled a bit, glancing down on Rama, "That baby was born and because of it we celebrate his day of Birth Christmas, and we also celebrate his death as a man, in Easter. You know some people believe that on Christmas Eve, at midnight the animals that are in the barn are able to speak, as we do, for a very short time."
"Really, can we see if they do daddy? We can go to the kid zoo and see." Rama pleaded.
"Maybe another time Rama." Mike laughed.
"How Santa get into baby's birthday?" Rama wondered. "He bring present to baby?"
"Well not really Santa didn't come for many years after, he hasn't always been around even though he is very old." Mike allowed,not yet willing to spoil the Santa myth for his child "Santa used to always give gifts to young children, and when he got old he was granted immortality, meaning he would never die, and he could always go on bringing gifts to children which brought much joy, love and laughter into the world." Mike explained, he paused and got down on one knee, gazing into Rama's face, "Rama Mary and Joseph weren't expecting to have their child in a barn with animals, but it turned out to be just as special. Sometimes we don't get what we want but what we end up with is still special, especially if it is given with love."
Rama cuddled into her dad's arms saying nothing.
"If you don't get a hippopotamus remember that Santa gave you something special okay?"
"Okay daddy but I know he get me a hippypotmus." Rama stated frimly.
"Sure. Let's get you home to bed so Santa can come."
The next morning Rama bounced around the tree looking for the gift from Santa, or some sign she got her special gift. Mike handed her a wrapped gift "This is to Ramiela from Santa Claus." he then glanced back to hand out a few more gifts to other family members while Rama tore off the paper and into the box that held her gift, inside was a video about the hippopotamus, and a small stuffed toy of a hippopotamus. Rama scowled as she looked at the toy.
"What's that?" She asked her brow furrowed.
Karena giggled, "That is a hippopotamus Rama." She replied as she held a gift on her lap.
"No it not" Rama shook her head in denial.
"It is Rama, looks like Santa brought you a hippo for Christmas after all. I thought you said you knew what a hippopotamus was." Mike stated confused.
"I did, but I thought a hippypotmus was sumthin' else" Rama muttered.
Mike groaned,"Well I guess it is too late now to figure out what animal you were expecting and thought was a hippo."
"But daddy" Rama moaned, "Uncle Raphiel say a hippypotmus is the only gift, it sumthin special." Rama insisted.
Mike turned glowing eyes on his brother "YOU! YOU!" He roared.
"Calm down Mike rememember peace on Earth good will to men, and turtles" Raph stated as he got up ready to run for it.
"I am so going get you for this Raph" Mike raged.
Don sighed "Looks like another quiet Christmas at home" he stated as he watched Raph take off with Mike in hot pursuit.
Rama shrugged, "I guess the hippypotmus is kinda cute." she said hugging the toy.
"Oh Mike you lost the bet it wasn't Splinter who put her up to this." Raph yelled elsewhere in the lair.
The end