Grandpa Benny visits the North Pole

By: Ran Levi

There are lots of animals at grandpa and grandma's house. Parrots, dogs, cats, fish….a real zoo! David and Maya played in the yard with the rabbits. They fed and pet them, and had so much fun that they didn't even notice that the sun was setting and evening was falling.

Grandpa Benny came out into the yard. ‘Children, I think you should come into the house. It's getting dark and cold.’ ‘I'm not cold at all!’ said David. ‘Neither am I!’ said Maya.

’I'm warm and cozy too,’ said Grandpa Benny, ‘but that's because I'm wearing the Inuit coat that I received during my visit to the Arctic Circle.’ ‘You were in the North Pole, Grandpa?’ Maya asked in awe. ‘Of course. I rode on a sled and was even chased by a polar bear…I never told you about it?’ ‘No!’ the children answered in unison.

‘It was a long time ago,’ grandpa explained, ‘when I was a young postman. A long, thin, stick-like package arrived at my post office branch. A note was attached reading 'for the Salluit village mayor'.

’Where is Salluit?’ asked David. ‘I had no idea either.’ said Grandpa Benny. ‘I looked for it on a map, and saw that the village is located in Canada, not far from the North Pole! I packed a few delicious sandwiches in my bag, put on warm clothes, took the long package with me – and went on my way.’

‘Salluit is a small village located between ice-capped hills. Its residents are Inuit: A nation whose people have lived in the area of the North Pole for hundreds of years. Their eyes are slanted and their hair is black and straight.

’It was cold in Salluit, very cold…so cold that the water in my bottle froze, as if it had been in the freezer! But the Inuit people are used to the cold, and they know how to deal with it. They wear thick fur coats that protect them and keep them warm.’

‘I saw an Inuit boy in the street and turned to him: 'Hello there. What's your name?' 'Pukiq,' answered the boy.

'Pukiq, can you tell me where the mayor of this village is?'

'He went to the neighboring village. It's that way,' he pointed, 'it takes a day and a half to get there by sled. ''Then I should get going there too so I can give him this package.' I said, 'thanks son.'

'You're welcome. I'll join you.' said the boy.

'Um…no, there's no need. I'll be fine, thanks.'

'Yes, I'll join you.' said Pukiq stubbornly. 'No, No!' I said, 'I'm in a hurry! I have no time to take a boy along with me. I'm sorry.'

I rented a sled and ten specially trained dogs to pull it. I went into a store to buy a tent and when I had finished my shopping I saw the Inuit boy sitting on the sled.

'Really, I can't take you with me.' I said to him. Pukiq didn't get up. 'I'm coming with you!'.

'No, you're not.'

'Yes, I am.'

'No no no!'

'Yes yes yes!'

'No!'

'Yes!'

I realized that I could not convince the stubborn boy to get off the sled. So, having no choice, I took him with me and away we went.’

‘The determined dogs pulled the sled quickly on the smooth ice. A cold wind blew in my face and small icicles froze on my beard.

The sun set below the horizon. I looked at my watch: It was only ten minutes past two in the afternoon!

'Pukiq,' I asked the boy, 'why does the sun set so early?' 'It's because we are close to the North Pole.' The young Inuit answered. 'In the summer the sun never sets – it doesn't even set in the middle of the night! Its autumn now, and the days are very short. It will be winter in a month – and the sun won't shine above the horizon at all.'

That's so strange, I thought to myself – a night that lasts an entire season!...’

‘The sun disappeared beneath the horizon and I quickly erected the tent.

’I looked up, and suddenly I saw something amazing. The sky was filled with glowing streaks of green, red and purple lights…the lights swam and danced in the night sky, like flames burning in a fireplace. I couldn't take my eyes off of this spectacular, heavenly display.

'Nice, huh? That is the Auroroa Borealis or Northern Lights,' said Pukiq. 'My father told me that it is formed when small, invisible particles emitted from the sun hit the atmosphere, the layer of air surrounding planet Earth. Each hit causes a small, colorful spark, and together, they mesh into long, glowing streaks.'

‘I watched the aurora for a whole hour, until I got tired. Pukiq and I entered the tent, and the dogs stayed outside to sleep on the sled.’

’Grandpa, wasn't it too cold for the dogs to be outside at night?’ asked David. ‘No, not at all,’ answered Grandpa Benny, ‘these were huskies, a breed of dog whose bodies are accustomed to life in the Arctic. Their thick fur protects and warms them. Actually, I was really lucky that they stayed outside to sleep…'

‘We woke up in the morning to the sound of the dogs barking frantically. I peaked out from the tent opening, and saw a huge polar bear approaching us. The bear was as big as a car, and twice as tall as me. His paws ended with sharp claws and his teeth were long and scary looking.

'Pukiq, run!!' I called, and rushed outside. The Inuit boy left the tent with a fishing rod in his hand. 'Pukiq, throw the fishing rod and run fast! This is not the time for fishing!' I yelled at him.

‘I climbed on to the sled. The huge bear came closer and closer. The frightened dogs started running and pulled the sled and me along with them…we circled the tent while the scary bear chased us.

The bear was very fast, and the distance between us steadily decreased. I was very scared! I thought that if the bear continued to chase me, he would catch me for sure. I didn't know what to do.’

‘We suddenly heard a loud whistle. Pukiq stood next to a round hole in the ice and waved at the bear. Beside the boy, there was a large pile of fish that he had caught from through the hole. 'Hi, bear!' he called, your breakfast is ready!' The polar bear stopped dead in its tracks. He lifted his head and sniffed the air deeply. I held my breath in suspense, waiting to see what the bear would do.

The bear sniffed once, sniffed twice, and then turned around and began walking towards the pile of fish. Pukiq moved away from the hole and joined me. 'Polar bears like fish!’ he said to me. And indeed, the bear sat on the ice and started eating the fresh fish.

A few minutes later the big bear finished his meal. He patted his full stomach and yawned a big, toothy yawn. He then curled up on the ground, fell asleep and started snoring like a tractor.

’We're safe!’ I said in relief, ‘good job, Pukiq – excellent idea!’ The Inuit boy smiled proudly. ‘The ice we are standing on is actually frozen sea water. My father taught me how to break the ice and fish in the water beneath it. This is something that the Inuit people have done since ancient times.’

‘We continued on our way before the bear woke up. A short while afterwards we saw a small, white, round, dome-like structure in the distance. This was an 'igloo', a temporary ice house that the Inuit people build during long journeys, like a tent.’

’Can you really build a house out of ice?’ Maya asked. Grandpa Benny nodded, ‘Sure. If the ice is hard enough you can cut it into rectangular bricks and build a small house from them. Cold winds blow outside of the igloo but inside it is nice and warm.’

‘When we got closer to the igloo, a tall, strong Inuit man came out. Pukiq jumped up and down excitedly on the sled. 'Dad!!’ He called in a happy voice, and the two hugged each other cheerfully. Now I understood why Pukiq wanted to join me on the journey.

The man shook my hand. 'Hi, I am Ataneq, the mayor of Salluit.' 'I am Benny the postman,' I introduced myself and told Ataneq about our encounter with the scary polar bear. I told him how young Pukiq had saved our lives using great wisdom. Ataneq smiled at his son proudly. 'I didn't name him Pukiq for nothing' he said, 'in the Inuit language, Pukiq means 'smart' – and he truly is a smart boy.'

I took out the long package. ‘This is for you Ataneq. ‘I said. 'Wow, great!' said the village mayor happily.

‘Ataneq opened the package and pulled out a bright, shiny fishing rod. 'Pukiq, do you remember that I promised you a new fishing rod for your birthday?.'

'Yay! How much fun!' Pukiq said happily. 'Come on, Benny – I will teach you how to fish in an ice hole, like a real Inuit.' The three of us sat around the circular ice hole to fish, and we ate the freshly-caught fish for dinner. It was most delicious!

‘The next day I bade farewell to Ataneq and his son. As a parting gift, they gave me a real Inuit fur coat. I thanked them from the bottom of my heart, climbed onto the sled and began my long journey home. This was a fascinating adventure!’ Grandpa Benny concluded.

’I want to go the North Pole too one day.’ David said decisively. ‘I'm sure you'll be able to when you grow up,’ said Grandpa, ‘but while we wait to get you both real, Inuit fur coats, I think that Grandma Rosa will be happy to prepare you some hot chocolate, perfect for a chilly evening…what do you say?...’

’Yes! Hot chocolate!’ called the children, and hurriedly ran into the house.