That morning Red wasn’t the slightest bit angry Snow had fallen during the night and the mountain slopes sparkled in the light of the rising sun The sky above Piggy Island was a blanket of gentle pastels Christmas was on its way At that moment everything Red saw was beautiful and good His skis made a quiet hissing noise as they slid across the untouched snow Red was just going to check the giant slingshot to make sure it was safe Then he would go back to be with his friends But a surprise was waiting for Red near the slingshot An enormous sack full of presents wrapped in beautiful paper and bows had appeared in the clearing Immediately Red rushed to tell his birdy buddies about the gift sack Bomb was under the branches of an ancient snow-covered fir tree meditating as he always did at this time every morning He was trying to stay calm even though three little blue birds Jim Jake and Jay were flitting around him playing pranks Listen Red yelled A big bag full of presents has appeared near the slingshot Presents the Blues screamed in unison
Jim Jake and Jay could barely keep their feathers on as they raced down the hill as fast as lightning We’d better follow them Red said to Bomb Otherwise those little rascals will rip open all the presents Bah Bomb grumbled as he jumped on his skis Another morning routine interrupted
A shocking scene awaited them when Red and Bomb arrived at the slingshot the gift sack had disappeared Jim’s blubbering sounded like a hurricane Jake’s and Jay’s faces were crumpled up like dried prunes Red you tricked us Jim wailed There aren’t any presents here or any sack or any present sack Red’s forehead furrowed He didn’t know whether he was more irritated by Jim’s wailing and accusations or by the sack of presents really being gone
Red could see a depression in the snow where the sack had been lying just a few moments before as fat and happy as a piggy after eating too much A piggy Red’s breathing sped up This is the pigs doing Red said Bomb noticed a long track running across the snow down the hillside Calamitous cloven hooves Bomb hissed his cheeks growing red with rage The tracks lead off toward that horrible hog house Those green lardballs aren’t just egg thieves they steal presents too They stole our Christmas Jim howled
