beautiful.'' said a little stalactite by the name of Stalam, he was the smallest of all the stalactites in Crystal Cave. He did not shine as brightly as the others and all the people that walked passed them did not take photographs of him; they took pictures of the biggest and the brightest stalactites.

His mother tried to comfort him, "You will be bright someday but for now you have to help decorate the hall for the Christmas festival, and remember to put on your best glow for Santa.'' Stalam took some glitter from the floor of the cave and sprinkled it down on the large smooth walls. He loved the feeling of Christmas; it was the only thing that made him forget how small he really was.

That night when Stalam had found a comfortable hole that was small enough for him to sleep in he asked his mother, "Mom, do you think Santa will come to Bermuda this year?'' His mother found a hole next to him and fitted her self in, "Of course he will come, where else will he make the toys for the humans and animals?'' Stalam watched the glow and the glitter on the roof fade into darkness. He was awoken up from his sleep by a cheering. He got up and hopped into the hall where the cheering was coming from and all the stalactites were cheering a name that he could make out, Sama, Sampa, SANTA! Stalam could not believe what he was hearing. He hopped in and out of the stalactites to get a look at Santa. There he was, a huge person with a bushy beard that brushed the floor as he laughed his, "Ho, Ho, Ho.'' Santa raised his large hand, and the hall was silent. "I have an announcement. Rudolph my head reindeer that guides my way around Bermuda has fallen down with reindeer fever and I am asking you as a friend if one of you bright stalactites would guide my way.'' A load roar broke the silence, and the whole hall of stalactites was running as fast as they could toward the jolly Santa. Stalam was trampled and his grip on the cave roof was weak. He dropped, the thought of breaking into a million little pieces was unbearable and he screamed with his high glossy voice. He closed his eyes ready for the blow but it never came.

He opened his eyes and found he was flying, not in the air but in a velvet red sleigh. Santa was driving it. "My what a fall that was. You're not like the other stalactites you're small and very quiet, just like Rudolph my reindeer, I like that in stalactites. How would you like to light up my way around Bermuda?'' asked Santa in his jolly old voice. Stalam could not say anything but look up and smile.

When he told his mother about what had just happened to him she looked down and said, "Merry Christmas, Stalam.'' Once he had met all the skink toy makers and helped them put the toys in his magic sack it was time to deliver them.

"Are you ready, Stalam, for the time of your jolly life?'' chuckled Santa.

"Yes, sir, I am,'' replied Stalam.

He could not believe his eyes he was flying past dockyard, Devonshire and all the houses. Not only was he flying, he was the head of the sleigh! When the sun peaked over the side of the harness, they headed back to the cave. As soon as Santa had delivered the presents to the stalactites' houses, he packed up the skink toy makers and hopped in the sleight himself, he pulled Stalam closer to him. "Thank you little one, without you I would have been blind in the dark.'' "You're welcome,'' replied Stalam.

Santa Called the names of the reindeer but before he left the cave he called down, "It's not what glows on the outside, it's the inside that glows,'' and at that he winked and he was off.

The reindeer in Emma Pearson's story has reindeer fever but this is a real live healthy fawn born in Louisiana. For the first week of its life the fawn is in its `hiding behaviour AP Photo.