Fairyland planet

By JOHN SILLETTO
Illustrated by RICHARD KLUGA
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists, if nowhere else, on one particular planet, where there are a Daddy and a Mommy and 137 Kids. It's a very very happy place—until somebody asks the quite obvious question....
CHAPTER I
He was about thirty-eight years old, Earth-scale, with a sprinkling of premature gray in his thick hair. His stride as he came toward the desk had a youthful bounce, but his eyes were a little less bright than I was accustomed to here in Fairyland. His brows were pulled slightly inward, and he wasn't smiling.
Hi, Mike-One, I said.
Good morning, Daddy. Very formal, and solemn. A bad sign, I thought.
I gave him a big reassuring grin and waved him into a chair. This is a pleasant surprise, Mike-One. I hardly ever have a caller during Ice Cream Recess.
He squirmed in the chair, looking down at his feet. I—I could come back later, Daddy.
No, no, I said hastily, that's all right. A feller must have something pretty important on his mind to bring him all the way up to Daddy's office at Ice Cream time.
Mike-One fidgeted. He tugged at a lock of hair and began to twist it. Well....
Come on, I cajoled. What's it all about? That's what Daddy's here for, you know—to listen to your troubles!