Arthur Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page A

Grandsanta’s turn to sputter in outrage. “Heap of … Oh, it’s funny is it?! Let me up and at ’em! I’ll show you, Robbie the Robot!”
    Grandsanta’s arms flailed as he struggled to pull himself out of his chair. He knocked the game board over with his cane, scattering pieces all over the floor.
    Mrs. Claus sighed. “Every Christmas, it’s the same thing!”
    BLEEP! Steve’s pager suddenly pierced the air with its shrill, electronic whine. Steve scrambled to check his Hoho3000. The message he found shocked him so much, Steve gasped and ran into the hall.
    Grandsanta called after him, “Oh yeah, run away now that you’re losing.”

ARTHUR FOLLOWED, WONDERING what could have upset his brother so much. Was Steve still angry about the game—or their father’s decision not to retire yet? Arthur pushed the little metal Santa into his brother’s hand. “You keep this,” Arthur said. “Then you can be Santa next time.”
    The two brothers stood in a hall lined with portraits of Santas through the centuries. Frame after frame filled with jolly, cherry-cheeked men, all the way to their father, followed by an empty space.
    Arthur assured Steve, “It’ll be you up there soon, I bet. You’ll be great!”
    Steve shivered in the draft from the open door and exclaimed in annoyance. “How many times, Arthur? It’s the North Pole! Shut the doors!”
    Arthur shrugged sheepishly. Mission Control was nearly empty.
    Steve stared at his Hoho screen, his handsome face creased with concern.
    â€œI secured the gift, sir. Gift secured!” Bryony the elf saluted proudly. Her free hand clutched a package that was obviously a small bicycle, despite its perfect wrapping. Peter stood beside her on the dock, looking exasperated with the enthusiastic elf.
    Steve moaned, “It just can’t be! The system is foolproof!”
    Bryony did not know what to say. When not on cleaning detail, she was a gift wrapper. So she added some important good news. “Present wrapping is intact, sir!”
    Peter ignored the zealous elf and agreed with his boss. “It must be an error.”
    Bryony gushed on about her exciting discovery. “I spotted the sticky tape glinting in the shadows, sir. I’m actually trained in wrapping, and I said to myself, ‘Bryony, the wrapping looks okay, thank goodness, but that present should not be lying in the …’”
    Steve interrupted impatiently. “Yes, yes, thank you.”
    Arthur, overhearing the conversation, looked over his brother’s broad shoulder. He exclaimed, “Oh no! Did someone get the wrong present? That’s awful! Whose is it?” He hated to think of any of the many children who believed in Santa being disappointed.
    Peter scanned the gift’s tag and reported, “47785BXK did NOT ‘get the wrong present.’” He typed the child identifier number into his Hoho, then added, “ … or … um, the right one.”
    Arthur gasped. “The child got … nothing? At all? No!” in his horror, he shouted, “A child’s been MISSED?!”
    Steve tried to calm his excitable brother. “Not necessarily.” He still refused to believe his advanced, modern system could be flawed. But even as he spoke, the giant Gift’s Delivered Counter clicked back from all zeroes to 000,000,001.
    Arthur shouted even louder, “A CHILD’S BEEN MI …”
    Steve interrupted, “Arthur! Do you want to wake the whole North Pole?”
    Arthur agreed, “Good idea!” He ran to the door and shouted the shocking truth even louder. “A CHILD’S BEEN MISSED!”
    â€œARTHUR!” Steve shouted in exasperation. But it was too late.
    Santa came down the hall, yawning. “Everything alright?”
    Steve admitted, “There’s been … a glitch.”
    Arthur marveled at his brother’s