Rollie Tyler carefully opened the large, battered suitcase. All of his friends were gone now, off to celebrate the Christmas holiday with their own families and/or girl or boy friends. Usually, Rick would try to get Rollie to come with him, but he had a new girl friend this year and didn't need a third wheel. The young Aussie didn't mind, not really. For one, he was used to spending the Christmas season alone. For another, he wanted the older stuntman to be happy. This one wouldn't last either, but Rick and his latest flame would be very happy for a while. Their parting would be amicable. Rollie wasn't sure how the Rickmeister did it, but he always parted amicably. Rick Forsaythe continually amazed him. Of course, sometimes Rollie Tyler got to put one over on him, so that was fair dinkum. He knew Rick would be surprised to find his Christmas present. He probably would never figure out how it had gotten into his locked suitcase in his locked apartment. That was okay too. It was good to keep Rick a little off balance and he'd improved the lock while he was at it, not that Rick would ever notice that! The Aussie smiled happily as he checked the contents. Good! Everything was in perfect condition. Now... Where would he go this year? He rocked back on his heels and grimaced. His right knee was still bruised and kneeling on the floor wasn't helping it. He quickly snapped the locks shut and stood, stretching. He picked up the suitcase and set it on the kitchen table, sitting down and staring at it. Where to go? He thought about the hospital, but that didn't appeal to him at the moment. He felt like he was entirely too well acquainted with the hospital, having made several long visits there recently with another friend, Paulie Kell, also a stuntman, who'd been injuried when that load had released too early during a stunt. Besides, they already had all sorts of plans for celebrating the season. He wanted someone who really needed him. After all, it wasn't like he was a professional or anything like that. Perhaps one of the homeless shelters? That seemed like a possibility or he could set up outside a soup kitchen. The people who ran the nearest soup kitchen devoted all of their time, effort and money to feeding the homeless. They never had extra for celebrating a holiday. Extra for them was having turkey and ham and roast beef to feed their charges and if they were lucky a present for the children. Yes, that was a good idea.

Rollie put on his new coat. It had gotten cold sooner this year and his old coat just didn't keep out the chill anymore. This one did a much better job even if it was ugly as sin. The young man smiled though. He didn't particularly care what his coat looked like at the moment, he was more interested in staying warm. And it had been extremely affordable too! His income from stuntwork had been irregular at best and he'd learned early in life to ration his money to get him through the dry spells. The holiday season was usually one such dry spell. Now though, he was getting a regular paycheck. He still couldn't believe that! He, Rollie Tyler, was apprenticed to one of the best independent special effects men in the business! Manny insisted on paying the young Aussie a regular salary, whether they were working on a paying project or not. He justified it by pointing out that Rollie spent most of his time at the workshop, learning things from him. He was working, therefore he should be paid. Rollie slipped on his warmest gloves lined with soft shearling, they were old and worn, but did the job. He pulled a stocking cap over his long, wavy, chestnut hair. The cap was a gift from Angie, Manny's daughter. She'd picked out a bright, colorful one and he felt strange wearing it. One look at Angie's bright blue eyes had made him want to wear it though. He thought he must look an odd bird with the bright cap topping off the neutral somberness of the rest of his clothes. He'd worn neutral colors, mostly black, since he'd been old enough to pick out his own. He wasn't exactly sure why. He supposed part of it had been because of the unhappiness he still felt from his mother's death, a sign of his grief. Another part was because he didn't want to attract attention, especially when he had been traveling with his dad. Dingo had done the best he could, but he wasn't cut out to be a parent. He had tried though. Unfortunately, Dingo had some unsavory acquaintances that Rollie plain didn't like one bit. He didn't want to attract their attention. They'd never tried anything, but... No, he didn't want them paying attention to him. Best to blend into the background.

The Aussie had a feeling he would be spending Christmas with Manny and Angie. They'd practically adopted him already. So, if he was going to do anything to help make things a bit brighter for others less fortunate, Christmas Eve was the day to do it. He hummed softly as he picked up the old suitcase and left his tiny apartment. He didn't care if it was 'as small as a closet' as Rick put it. It was all his, the rent paid for by his own hard earned dollars. He walked down the stairs, the sound of his heavy work boots echoing off the walls. Mrs. Brandenburg grumped at him as he went past her. He had tried to get past her reserve, but was unsuccessful so far. The elderly woman had no interest in being friends with a young man, even if he did carry out the trash and bring up the groceries. Rollie had a feeling she was still waiting for him to throw wild parties or bring a 'painted hussy' up for entertainment. Oh well, that was a battle for another day. He opened the door and walked outside into the crisp winter air. Normally, winter was gloomy with clouds hanging low over the city. Today the sun was shining brightly, if not warmly, turning the ice that had frozen to the utility poles and lines into prisms reflecting light and color everywhere. He laughed, ignoring the odd looks he attracted. He strode briskly down the street, turning the corner and walking with an easy stride. Reaching the food kitchen, he knocked gently on the door. It was opened by a silver haired matron. She listened carefully as Rollie explained what he wanted to do. She beamed at him as she gave her blessing. He followed her inside, returning shortly with two wooden crates. These were carefully positioned at the opening of the small alley next to the old building. Another trip inside and he returned with a long, thin board. This was much more awkward to move than the crates, so he stepped carefully, not wanting to knock a hole in a window or some unsuspecting bystander down. He placed it so it crossed the two crates. He got his suitcase from where he'd left it, just inside the door. Opening it, he pulled out a black cloth. This was spread over the board, covering the area to the ground. Another cloth was removed, this one much bigger. He stretched up and  nailed it to the wall on one side of the alley. He pulled it to the other side and, being careful to get it level and straight, nailed it to the building on the other side. He straightened the folds, then slipped through an opening that would be next to impossible to find if you didn't already know it was there.

Rollie knelt unseen on the other side of the cloth. He looked up at a sound and watched a woman herding two small children toward the food kitchen. All of them looked curiously at the black cloth, but they didn't see the young man. The cloth had been carefully selected to allow just this effect, allowing the person on one side to see reasonably clearly while remaining unseen. He wore a bittersweet smile, sorrow for the woman and her children tempered by the joy of the season, the gladness that someone cared enough for the kitchen to be there and the quiet happiness he felt at what he was about to do.  He began to get ready, knowing that soon the homeless would be swarming at the food kitchen. The children among them were going to be so surprised when they came out, their bellies full of good, warm, nourishing food.

"Ho, ho, ho!" The little man dressed in red, trimmed with white, laughed heartily. "Well, my dear friends, we must hasten. There are more children to see!"

The children froze and stared in delight at the small Santa. One of them tugged at his mother's long skirt. "Is that Santa?"

"Yes, Johnny. That's Santa." She followed her son timidly to watch the puppet Santa petting his reindeer.

"Oh Santa! We're sorry! It's so dreadfully hot! I don't think we can fly another foot." The voice was soft and shy. The smallest children were positive it was the reindeer he was petting who said those words.

"Oh dear! My poor friends, I wish I had Camel from Arabia. He would not mind this heat. What to do? What to do?" His reindeer were suited for colder climates, he had alternate forms of transportation in the hottest countries. "This has never come up here before. It is unusally hot here this year." He swiped at his own brow as if wiping off perspiration. "Normally, you stand up to it beautifully, my friends, this early in the trip. But the loads get bigger and bigger with every year. I guess I have asked too much from you this year."

"Hey there! G'day Mates!" A cheeky voice greeted Santa and his reindeer cheerily. A moment later, a reddish brown kangaroo hopped up beside them. "Why the long faces? It's Christmas Eve!"

"Yes, yes, it is Christmas Eve. I have so much to deliver, but my poor friends are having more trouble than they usually do with this heat." Santa explained to the newcomer.

"Is that all? Well, I think I know just the thing!"

"You do? What?" Santa asked eagerly.

"Why I will help you deliver the goodies while your mates there rest in the shade and drink some cool water."

"Oh thank you for the offer, my friend," Santa answered sadly, "but I fear we would never be able to deliver them all with just you helping. I'm afraid I will just have to skip Australia this year." He hated disappointing the children.

"No, no, trust Boomer! We'll get the prezzies out. Have no fear, ol' Cobber!" With that the kangaroo stood up tall, leaning back on his tail. A shrill whistle rang out. Soon more kangaroos appeared, some the same red brown as Boomer, the smaller ones a soft blue gray. "Now, let's get them hitched. Quite a load you have there, Cobber. We'll get them delivered, but I don't think we'll give you quite the ride your usual team does." He appeared to think for a bit. "You know, we should shift those prezzies around a bit. Don't want to knock anything off. Where are the ones for the tykes here?" Santa showed Boomer the presents on top, the ones for the children of Australia. "Oh yes. I know what to do!" With that he took a present in his front paws and took it to one of the small blue gray kangaroos. "The blue flyers have room for them in their pouches. We'll soon have this load shifted and won't have to worry about knocking off gifts." He loaded up the blue flyers, then called up more. Santa and Boomer worked on loading them as well. They placed sacks of goodies on the backs of the reds. "Quite a mob, we have here," Boomer exclaimed as he looked around. "I think we should just leave that sled here. Hop on my back, Cobber! Let's get these delivered!"

Santa laughed heartily as he did just that. "Ho, ho ho!" The mob of kangaroos took off, their great flying leaps a far cry from flying reindeer. They hopped out of sight with a "Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!" There was a cheerful clatter from out of sight, laughs and shouts and crys of joy. A little while later, Boomer appeared again with Santa still on his back. "Well, that's done it, Boomer! We've delivered them all! Thanks to you and your friends, I didn't disappoint the children Down Under this year," he looked at his wrist, "in record time too! Well, I must be off to other places. I have much more to deliver this Christmas Eve night." Santa hopped off Boomer's back.

"You do that, Cobber! And just remember, we'll be waiting for you next year and every year after." Boomer told him cheekily as he climbed into the sleigh.

"Thank you, Boomer! And your Mob too! Happy Christmas! See you next year!" Santa, the sled and the reindeer soon disappeared from sight.

"Whew! What a night!" Boomer said as he sat on his tail. "Oh! I feel strange!" He disappeared for a moment, but before the children watching breathlessly could get worried, he was back again - a pure snow white! "Well, well! Look at me now! Me mates won't know what to think when they see me again." He bobbed his head up and down. "Guess this means I did good, eh, Mates?" He asked his audience.

They squealed and yelled agreement. Even the older children cheered the cheeky kangaroo.

"Well, you be good and help your parents. Oh, look, that ol' Cobber left prezzies for you too!" The kangaroo seemed to point to the door where a woman stood with a bag full of gifts. Normally, they would have been handed out as the children ate, but Rollie and the others knew this would make it more special. Rollie watched the parents and children as they received their gifts. He gave a soft sigh. Time to pack up. He noticed a young man standing a little way off. He didn't look homeless, he was too well dressed for that. No, he looked... lost. "Hey there Mate! Got a problem?" Rollie had Boomer calling to him. The man started and turned to peer at the white kangaroo puppet. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, Mate. Come on over here and tell ol' Boomer." Rollie was getting quite a kick out of the man's obvious bewilderment. Much to his delight, the man did come over.

"Hello," the tall, thin man said hesitantly.

"'ullo!" Boomer answered back. Rollie looked through the black curtain, trying to get a clear look at his new audience. He blinked and shook his head. No, that couldn't be right! It must be a trick of the light! But... He could swear he was looking into a mirror, the man looked so much like him. He could tell he was indeed lost too.

"I seem to be a bit turned around," the man who looked like Rollie offered tentatively.

Afraid of what he might find out if he asked about the resemblence, Rollie Tyler decided to stay hidden from his twin. He really didn't want to find out that Dingo had been unfaithful to his Mum and that was the only thing he could think to explain it. "Yeah, I can tell you're not from around here."

"I... I'm from California." He paused. "You're not from here either." He pointed out.

"You got that right, Mate. Still, I know a bit about my way around. Where are you going?"

Rollie's twin pulled a paper out of his pocket and read off an address.

Boomer whistled softly. "You are turned around. Well, you listen to Boomer and I'll soon have you straight. First, get that wallet out of your back pocket and put it inside your jacket. Don't want you getting your wallet lifted."

The man blushed as he obeyed the admonishment. "Yes sir," he answered sheepishly.

"That's good. Now listen close." Rollie carefully directed his twin around the corner to the bus stop in the middle of the block and told him exactly which bus number he needed. "Do you have exact change?"

"I... I don't think so. Is there somewhere I could get it? Maybe if I..." He looked toward the food kitchen.

Boomer disappeared for a moment. He had change between his paws when he came back. "Here you go, Mate. Now, you got the number?"

"Yes, yes I do." The young man responded, even as he took the money in shaking hands.

"Good." Rollie told him when he should get off the bus and explained that the address he was looking for would just be a couple of doors down on his right. "Now get hopping! The next bus will be there soon. Don't want you to miss it!" He must be cold. He wasn't dressed as warmly as Rollie was. Best to get him on a warm bus and to his destination. Rollie watched his twin leave, a bit dazed by his encounter with the kangaroo puppet. He chuckled softly, wondering what the other man thought. Ah well, it really was time to pack up the puppet show. He'd been pleased by the reactions of his audience. Apparently the way he had joined the mob of kangaroos together had worked beautifully. He'd even managed to bring up the rest of them without any trouble and manipulate the whole lot with two hands and one knee. As he thought about the encounter and the uncanny resemblence between them, Rollie felt his curiosity rise. He could rarely keep it down.

Rollie carefully packed up the puppets, slipping the bigger cloth off the nails. Those rings in the corner were a good idea, though he'd had trouble getting them to stay properly at first. He examined one carefully. Yes, they'd done the job beautifully. He folded it up and placed in the suitcase, quickly followed by the smaller one. He took the board and crates back inside, said his good-byes and started down the street, limping slightly from the abuse he'd just put his knee through. He turned the corner just in time to see his twin step on to the bus. He watched it go by, wondering about the other man who looked so much like him. For a moment, their eyes met through the windows of the bus. His twin's eyes widened in amazement at meeting eyes so very like his own. Unmindful, the bus rumbled on, vanishing in a bellow of exhaust. Happy Christmas, twin! Rollie sent the thought out to him, Happy Christmas! Time to move on, something told Rollie his new family would be waiting for his return. He had a feeling he and his twin just might meet again one day. Maybe then he would be ready to learn the truth.
 
 
 

Disclaimer: Rollie Tyler and his friends belongs to Rysher, Hallmark Entertainment, Fireworks, etc. I just borrowed him for a bit. No profit, etc, etc, etc. What? You thought I would miss out on a Christmas story? Not me!

Note: If you think you recognize Rollie's twin (You're probably right! <l>) and want his side of the story, click here. Look under Fanfiction for a story with the same title as this one. :-)