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00:00Transcription by CastingWords
00:30Once upon a time, oh, many, many years ago, as time is calculated by men,
00:42there was in paradise a most miserable, thoroughly unhappy, and utterly dejected cherub,
00:50who was known throughout heaven as the littlest angel.
01:00He was exactly four years, six months, five days, seven hours, and 42 minutes of age
01:07when he presented himself to the venerable gatekeeper for admittance to the glorious kingdom of God.
01:15Standing defiantly, with his short brown legs wide apart,
01:19the littlest angel tried to pretend that he wasn't at all afraid.
01:25But his lower lip trembled, and a tear disgraced him by rolling down to the very tip of his small, freckled nose.
01:33But that wasn't all.
01:34While the kindly gatekeeper was entering the name in his great book,
01:39the littlest angel, having left home as usual without a handkerchief,
01:44endeavored to hide the telltale evidence by snuffing,
01:47which so unnerved the good gatekeeper
01:50that he did something he had never done before in all eternity.
01:55He blotted the page.
01:57From that moment on,
02:03the littlest angel became despair of all the heavenly hosts.
02:14Whenever the heavenly choir held singing practice,
02:18he inevitably spoiled its ethereal effect by singing off-key.
02:27And at nightly prayers,
02:32the littlest angel always arrived late,
02:35knocking everyone's wings askew as he darted into his place.
02:43Besides,
02:44the general appearance of the littlest angel was even worse than his deportment.
02:49It was whispered among the seraphim and cherubim
02:51that he didn't even look like an angel.
02:55And they were quite correct.
02:57He didn't.
02:59For one thing,
03:01he was always running,
03:03holding on to his halo with one hot, chubby little hand,
03:06which made his halo permanently tarnished.
03:09Furthermore,
03:10even when he stood very still,
03:13it never behaved as a halo should.
03:16It was always slipping down over his right eye,
03:19or
03:20over his left eye.
03:23Yes,
03:24and it must be here recorded
03:25that his wings were neither useful
03:28nor ornamental.
03:30Everyone in paradise held his breath
03:33when the littlest angel perched himself like an unhappy,
03:36fletchling sparrow
03:37and prepared to take off.
03:40He would teeter this way
03:41and that way,
03:43and then finally,
03:45he would shut his eyes,
03:47hold his freckled nose
03:49and hurl himself
03:50slowly into space.
03:53However,
03:54owing to the regrettable fact
03:56that he always forgot to move his wings,
03:59the littlest angel
04:00always fell
04:01head over halo.
04:02now,
04:06anyone can easily understand
04:08why the littlest angel
04:09would have to be disciplined.
04:12And so,
04:13on an eternal day
04:15in the year eternal,
04:16he was directed by a cherub
04:18to present his small self
04:20before an angel of the peace.
04:23And then,
04:24with a heavy heart,
04:26he trudged his way
04:27to the place of judgment.
04:28As he slowly approached
04:31the great doorway,
04:33he was surprised
04:34to hear a merry voice
04:35sing.
04:47The littlest angel
04:48breathed upon his halo,
04:50then polished it
04:52upon his almost clean robe,
04:55and then
04:56tiptoed in
04:58The singer,
05:00who was known
05:01as the understanding angel,
05:03looked down
05:04at the small culprit.
05:06And the littlest angel
05:07instantly tried
05:08to make himself invisible,
05:10very much like
05:11a snapping turtle.
05:13At that,
05:14the singer laughed
05:15and said,
05:16Oh,
05:16so you're the one
05:17who's been making heaven
05:18so unheavenly.
05:20Come here, cherub,
05:22and tell me all about it.
05:24The littlest angel
05:25ventured a furtive look,
05:27first one eye
05:29and then
05:30the other eye.
05:33Suddenly,
05:34almost before he knew it,
05:36he was explaining
05:36how very difficult
05:38it was
05:38for a boy
05:39who suddenly
05:40finds himself
05:41transformed
05:41into an angel.
05:42Yes,
05:44said the understanding angel.
05:47But what was this talk
05:48about swinging
05:49on the golden gates?
05:52Well,
05:54he had,
05:55he recalled,
05:57swung once.
06:00Well,
06:02twice.
06:04Oh,
06:05all right then.
06:07He'd swung three times
06:08on the golden gates.
06:09But that was just
06:11for something to do.
06:13That was the whole trouble.
06:15There wasn't anything
06:15for a small angel to do.
06:18And he was very homesick.
06:20Oh,
06:21not that paradise
06:21wasn't beautiful,
06:23but the earth
06:23was beautiful too.
06:25Wasn't it created
06:26by God himself?
06:29Why,
06:29said the littlest angel,
06:31there were trees
06:32to climb
06:32and brooks
06:34to fish
06:34and caves
06:36to play
06:37at pirate chief
06:37and the swimming hole
06:39and sun
06:41and rain
06:44and dark
06:46and dawn
06:48and the thick
06:50brown dust
06:51so soft
06:52and warm
06:53beneath your feet.
06:56The understanding
06:57angel smiled
06:58and understanding
06:59smiled.
07:00Then
07:01he asked
07:03the littlest angel
07:04what would make him
07:05most happy
07:06in paradise.
07:08The cherub
07:09thought for a moment
07:10and whispered
07:11in his ear,
07:13there's a box.
07:15I left it
07:15under my bed
07:16back home.
07:18If only
07:18I could have that.
07:21You shall have it,
07:22he promised.
07:23And at once
07:25he dispatched
07:28fleet-winged
07:29heavenly messengers
07:29to bring the box
07:30from earth
07:31to paradise.
07:35And then
07:36in all those
07:37timeless days
07:38that followed,
07:40everyone wondered
07:41at the great change
07:42in the littlest angel.
07:44Among all the cherubs
07:46in God's kingdom,
07:48he was the most happy.
07:50His conduct
07:51was above
07:51the slightest reproach.
07:53His halo
07:54was always on straight.
07:56His robe
07:57was clean.
07:57And on excursions
08:00to Elysian Fields,
08:02it could be said
08:03and truly said
08:04that he flew
08:06like an angel.
08:11Then it came to pass
08:13that glorious tidings
08:15spread through paradise.
08:18Jesus,
08:18the Son of God,
08:20was to be born
08:20of Mary
08:21in Bethlehem.
08:22The angels
08:24rejoined
08:24and their voices
08:25were lifted
08:26to herald the coming
08:27of the Christ child.
08:30The angels
08:31and archangels,
08:33the seraphim
08:34and cherubim,
08:35the gatekeeper,
08:37the wingmaker,
08:38yes,
08:39and even the
08:40halo smith,
08:41put aside
08:42their usual task
08:43to prepare their gift
08:45for the blessed infant.
08:46all but the
08:49littlest angel.
08:52He sat himself
08:53down on the
08:53topmost step
08:54of the golden stairs
08:56and meditated.
08:58What kind of gift
08:59could he offer
09:00to the child of God?
09:03First,
09:04he dreamed
09:04of composing
09:05a lyric hymn
09:06of adoration.
09:07But the littlest angel
09:13was woefully
09:14wanting
09:15in musical talent.
09:17Then he thought
09:18of writing a prayer.
09:21But the littlest angel
09:23was lamppily lacking
09:24in literate skill.
09:26What?
09:27Oh,
09:28what could a small
09:29angel give
09:30that would please
09:31the holy infant?
09:33And then suddenly,
09:34the littlest angel
09:36had an idea.
09:37A wonderful idea
09:39for a gift.
09:41And so,
09:42on that day of days,
09:44the birthday
09:44of the Christ child,
09:46the littlest angel
09:47proudly brought
09:49his gift
09:49from its hiding place
09:50behind a cloud
09:51and humbly placed it
09:53before the throne
09:54of God.
09:56It was only
09:57a little box,
09:59a small,
10:00rough,
10:01ugly box,
10:03lying among
10:03all those other
10:04glorious gifts
10:06from all the angels
10:07of the paradise.
10:10Gifts of such
10:11breathless beauty
10:12that heaven
10:12and all the universe
10:14had a reflection
10:15of their glory.
10:17And when
10:18the littlest angel
10:18saw this,
10:20he knew
10:21that his gift
10:22to God's child
10:22was a shabby gift
10:24indeed.
10:25He devoutly wished
10:26he might reclaim it.
10:28It was ugly.
10:29It was worthless.
10:30If only he could hide it
10:31from the sight of God
10:32before it was even noticed.
10:33But it was too late.
10:38The hand of God
10:39moved over all
10:41that bright array
10:42of shining gifts.
10:45Then paused.
10:48Then dropped.
10:51Then came to rest
10:52from the lowly gift
10:55of the littlest angel.
10:57And what was
10:58his gift
10:59to the blessed infant?
11:01Well,
11:01there was a butterfly
11:02with golden wings
11:04captured one bright
11:05summer day
11:06and a sky-blue egg
11:08from a bird's nest
11:09in the apple tree
11:10that shaded
11:10his mother's kitchen door.
11:11Yes,
11:14and two white stones
11:15found on a muddy riverbank
11:17and at the bottom
11:18of the box
11:19the limp
11:20and tooth-marked
11:21leather collar
11:22of his faithful
11:23mongrel dog.
11:25The littlest angel
11:26wept off
11:27bitter tears
11:28for now he knew
11:29that instead of
11:30honoring the son of God
11:31he had been
11:33most blasphemous.
11:35Why had he ever
11:36thought that such
11:36utterly useless things
11:38would be loved
11:39by the blessed infant?
11:40In frantic terror
11:42he turned to run
11:43and hide
11:43from the divine ramp
11:44of the heavenly Father.
11:46But he stumbled
11:47and fell
11:48and with a horrified
11:50wail and clatter
11:51of halo
11:51rolled to the very
11:53foot of the heavenly throne.
11:56All through
11:57the celestial city
11:59there was an ominous
12:01and dreadful silence.
12:05Except for the heartbroken
12:07sobbing of the little angel.
12:10Then suddenly
12:13the voice of God
12:15rose and swelled
12:16through paradise
12:17saying
12:18of all the gifts
12:20of all the angels
12:21I find that this
12:24small box
12:25pleases me most.
12:27Its contents
12:28are of the earth
12:29and of men.
12:32And my son
12:33is born to be
12:34king of both.
12:35I accept this gift
12:38in the name
12:39of the child Jesus
12:40born of Mary
12:42this night
12:42in Bethlehem.
12:44There was a breathless
12:45pause.
12:48And then
12:49the rough
12:50unsightly box
12:51of the littlest angel
12:52began to glow
12:54with a bright
12:55unearthly light.
12:57Then the light
12:58became a flame
12:59and the flame
13:01became a radiant
13:02brilliance.
13:02none
13:05but the littlest
13:06angel
13:06saw it rise
13:07from its place
13:08before the throne
13:09of God.
13:11And he
13:12and only
13:14he
13:14watched it
13:16arch the firmament
13:17high above the earth
13:18to shed
13:19its beckoning
13:20light over a stable
13:21where a child
13:22was born.
13:23There
13:23it shone
13:24on that night
13:25of miracles
13:25and its light
13:27was reflected
13:28deep in the heart
13:29of all mankind.
13:30and on the earth
13:32men of good will
13:34blinded by its splendor
13:37could never know
13:39that the lowly gift
13:40of the littlest angel
13:41was what they would
13:43call forever
13:44the shining star
13:47of Bethlehem.
14:00The
14:01moon
14:02The
14:26The