Text copyright © 2000 by Marisa Montes. All rights reserved.
The following story, entitled "The Christmas Camel", was published on December 20, 2000 in the following newspapers:
The Contra Costa Times
The San Ramon Valley Times
The Valley Times
The West County Times
Click here to read the feature "Echoes of a Puerto Rican Childhood" in the Contra Costa Times.
- Alone and far from home, little Gobi discovers the joys of giving
If you want to read more about the Three Kings, click here.
Illustrations by Sarah Wilson
Illustrations copyright 2000 by Sarah Wilson
The Christmas Camel
More than 2,000 years ago, in the deserts of the Orient and Arabia, everyone
traveled by foot or on camels. And there were two types of camels: In Arabia
lived the
one-humped camels, and in the Orient lived the
two-humped camels.
Gobi-Kazaam was a two-humped camel.
Gobi, who loved adventure, began to dance with excitement. Arabia! It must be very far away, for he'd never heard of it. Gobi loved taking long walks. "When shall we go, Mama? How long will it take to get there? Will we ever come back?"
Gobi's mother gazed down at him. Her large, brown eyes filled with tears. "No, Gobi, you will never come back. And you will be going alone, for I cannot go with you."
Gobi stopped dancing and stared at her. "Alone? But ..."
"Hush, Gobi, and listen carefully. We do not have much time. You come from a long line of noble camels. Always be proud of who you are. So long as you are good and kind to others, you will be a credit to your family, and I will always be with you."
Young Gobi held up his head and held back his tears. "I will, Mama. I will make you proud."
"I know you will, Gobi, and I know you will be brave. Here are three gifts to help you on your trip."
First, Gobi's mother presented him with a finely woven blanket of many brilliant colors. "This blanket was worn by your father, and his father, and his father before him. It will keep you warm on cold desert nights."
Then she gave him a shiny brass locket to clip to his furry ear. "This locket contains a salve that will heal any wound. It will keep you safe."
Finally, she slipped a heavy silver bell from her neck and placed it on her son's. "This bell was my mother's. Its music will bring you comfort and joy."
With that, Gobi's mother led him to the caravan that would take him to Arabia, away from the only home he knew.
The trip to Arabia was long and hard. The blistering sun was unyielding,
and the sand-thick desert winds biting and ruthless. The only things that kept
him going were the delicate tinkle-tinkle-tinkle of his mother's silver bell
and the image of her face shining in his memory. It took Gobi many weeks to
reach the palace of King Balthazar. But when he arrived, he was not welcomed.
"A camel with two humps!" The other camels laughed and snickered when Gobi passed by.
And when Gobi held up his head and said, "I am a noble camel from a noble family," the others merely moaned and grunted and spit, as camels will do.
Even the stable hands laughed at Gobi's two humps, and King Balthazar was seen shaking his head and grinning with disbelief at the odd gift he had received from the King of the Orient.
"I promise you, Mama," Gobi whispered to himself, "I will prove myself to all and make you proud."
Late one cold night, as Gobi wandered alone in the desert -- he often snuck away from the stables to escape the others' mocking -- he stumbled upon an old woman. She lay in a heap on the sand, and he wasn't sure whether she was dead or alive.
Gobi nudged her, and the woman rolled over. She looked up and said to Gobi, "I lost my way, and now I am freezing. Can you help to warm me and carry me home?"
Without a second thought, the little camel slid his father's blanket from his back and placed it over the woman. When he knelt beside her, she climbed on his back. Then he carried her to her home -- a tribe of nomads. But since she was still asleep and wrapped in his blanket when her people lifted her from his back, he allowed her to keep it. Gobi had long, shaggy hair, and the woman had nothing but bare skin. She needed the blanket more than he did. And he still had two more gifts to remind him of his mother.
On another day, when Gobi was traveling alone on a mission for the King, he found a white dove lying on the ground. Gobi examined the bird and discovered that she had a broken wing and leg. He lowered his head and instructed her to take the locket from his ear with her beak and to place some of the salve on her injured wing and leg.
With great effort, the dove did as she was told and was soon able to sit up. Because she was not completely healed, Gobi gave her the locket with the remaining salve and continued on his journey. He was strong and healthy, and the dove was not. She needed the locket much more than he did. And Gobi-Kazaam still had his mother's bell to remind him of her.
Many months later, Gobi was traveling in a caravan to a far-off city when he came upon a shepherdess and her tiny son. The boy was crying, his face red and puffy, and his mother could not seem to console him. But when Gobi walked up, and the tinkle-tinkle-tinkle of his mother's silver bell filled the air, the boy stopped crying and stared at the bell, mesmerized.
The toddler smiled and pointed at the bell. Gobi stopped. But when he stopped, the ringing ceased, and the child began to cry again. Gobi shook his head, and the bell tinkled gaily. The boy stopped crying and grinned. His large, sad eyes, still brimming with tears, reminded Gobi of his mother's sad eyes, the last time he had seen her.
Gobi wanted to make the child happy. So, as much as he loved his mother's bell, he slipped it off his head and onto the child's outstretched hand.
The boy rang the bell and giggled, and the sound of his laughter mingled with the tinkling of the bell found a spot in Gobi's heart. The bell was the last of Gobi's mother's gifts. The last thing he had of her. But the boy needed it more than he did because Gobi had the sound of the bell's tinkling and the child's laughter to hold in his heart.
The other camels mocked him for foolishly giving away his last prized possession to a strange child. But Gobi ignored them, as he had ignored them for months.
Someday ... someday, he would have his chance to prove himself.
Several years later, when Gobi was all grown up, the palace bustled with
whispers of a prophecy. The wise King Balthazar had known for years what had
been foretold for centuries, and now, the time had come. A King of Kings would
be born in a distant land. And the greatest of Kings would travel to him, to
pay homage and to bring him gifts. One of these Kings would be Balthazar
himself. And they would follow a Star -- a brilliant Star -- that would lead
them to the Land of Judea.
This is my chance, thought Gobi. I will carry King Balthazar on the trip to Judea. I will take him there safely to honor the new King. This is my chance to prove myself and to make my mother proud.
When Gobi offered his services to the King, everyone laughed. Even the King looked Gobi up and down and shook his head in doubt. But Gobi stood proud and tall and stuck out his chest, and the King was forced to take another look.
"There is something very noble about you, Gobi. You are shorter than my other camels and you have two humps instead of one, but you are stocky and strong, and you have come a long way to serve me. I will give you a chance."
And so it was that Gobi-Kazaam became King Balthazar's lead camel when the great and wise King with the long white beard began his trek across the desert, following the brilliant Star to the East. The trip would take several months over many hundreds of miles of barren desert and sand.
After a few weeks, King Balthazar was joined by King Melchior of Ethiopia, and several weeks later, by King Jasper of the Orient.
At one point in the journey, the Kings were warned to turn back. They were entering warring countries where they would surely be injured or taken captive. But as they pondered what to do, a white dove flew down from the sky and spoke to Gobi:
"Fear not, old friend, and continue your journey, for wherever you go, there shall be peace."
Gobi recognized the dove as the one he had saved so long ago. He trusted her and counseled the Kings to continue. And so they did, traveling through country after country. And wherever they went, there was peace.
But they had gone so far that the Kings began to run out of food, and still they had many miles to go. When they had almost given up, they came upon a tribe of nomads. There, at the head of the group, was an old woman.
The moment the woman saw the camel with two humps, she ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Dear old friend, it has been so long. Is there anything I can do for you? Whatever you need is yours."
Gobi recognized her as the woman he had saved that cold night years ago. So he told her of his need. The nomads filled all the Kings' baskets with food -- surely enough to last them to Judea.
Gobi and the three Kings continued their trip, but before long, they found they were running out of water. Where would they find enough to drink in this vast, barren desert? Then they heard a delicate tinkling -- a sound reminiscent of water cascading over smooth rocks. In the distance, the group spotted a herd of sheep, led by a little boy carrying a silver bell.
As they approached, the boy turned and stared at the two-humped camel. Could it be? The boy smiled and rang his bell. Yes! Gobi and the boy recognized each other. This was the little boy who was crying with sadness so many years ago.
"Dear camel," said the boy, "is there anything I can do for you?"
And Gobi told him of their need for water. The boy was now a shepherd and knew this part of the desert well. He led them to an oasis that had plenty of water to fill up the Kings' water jugs --enough water to take them to Judea.
For many more nights, Gobi and the three Kings followed the Star until, at last, it led them to Bethlehem. The Star kept moving forward, and finally stopped above a small stable.
Carrying gold and myrrh and frankincense, the Kings dismounted from their camels and entered the stable. There, they found a man and a woman caring for a tiny infant who lay in a manger full of straw. And despite the humble surroundings, the Kings were filled with awe. They fell to their knees and bowed their heads and held out their gifts in homage. For before them, in the straw, lay the greatest King of all -- the King of the Jews -- the King of Kings.
And Gobi-Kazaam's heart burst with joy because he knew that his kindness and selfless acts had helped him bring the three Kings to honor the new King.
And he felt his mother's presence because she was so proud.