Santa's Newest Reindeer (13 page)

was for the Valley.

Bill tried unsuccessfully to call the Holly Valley Police

Department. He dialed the sheriff ’s office but couldn’t get a

dial tone. Evidently the storm had damaged the telephone lines,

maybe even toppling the cell phone towers. The televisions and

radio were useless pieces of furniture. The storm would become

one of the worst ever experienced in the valley. He knew it

was useless but made the calls just in case. Plus it comforted

the others, knowing that every effort was being made to find

the twins.

Peg and Grams were curious about the mysterious markings

in the snow the men had discovered. They demanded to know

more details. Bill retold how they had discovered the markings

and, based on their experience with sleighs and snowmobiles,

how they arrived at determining what caused the markings.

Satisfied with the explanation, the questions became more spec-

ulative. At one point, the discussion ceased and the foursome

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just sat quietly staring into the flickering flames that playfully taunted them toward the small inferno.

“Do you really think they are on their way to the North

Pole or someplace north?” interjected Peg, knowing that no

one could really answer her.

“Are you asking if we believe in Santa Claus? Is that what

you are hinting at?” responded Gramps in a humorous tone,

trying to lessen the women’s concern.

The room quieted again with only an occasional crackle of

fire interrupting their thoughts. Peg fidgeted with her hands

while leaning forward on the kitchen table. She was alerted

by every noise, believing it was Ellie and Will finally coming

home. So far, every noise was the blustery storm playing tricks

on her ears.

“What if? Nah!” Gramps said. The four laughed, but a serious

undertone floated about the room. None of the adults dared to

look at each other, fearing one might show a mannerism con-

trary to their beliefs that Ellie and Will were safe from harm.

“We were told the story of Santa Claus and his ability to

make children happy all around the world. Right? We didn’t

really believe it, but we knew we better just in case Santa was

real. What if Santa is real and that is where Ellie and Will are

now?” positioned Grams, grasping for any reason to convince

herself and the others that her grandchildren were safe.

“I think you two were out in the cold too long and your brains

froze,” Peg said, alternately pointing at the two men’s heads.

“Well, it was fun thinking about it, anyway. I think the kids

are at someone’s house waiting out the storm. I bet they are

at Leon and Colleen’s, our neighbors, just waiting for a break

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in the storm,” offered Bill. He stood up and groaned about his

aches and pains.

“Just old age,” laughed Gramps, who also had his share of

aches and pains.

Bill and Gramps rekindled the fire with small wood chips

and crisscrossed a few more small kindling sticks on top. They

used this stoking to warm their backsides. Although other rooms

in the house were more inviting, most of the time the family

gathered in the kitchen. Peg and Grams laughed at them when

they tried to do some crazy dance steps and strongly encouraged

them to sit down. When they finished their hot beverages, the

four moved to the softer chairs in front of the fireplace where

the two men stretched and fell asleep. Peg and Grams snuggled

next to each other on the couch, pulled the quilts up to their

chins, and soon Grams joined the men in dreamland.

Peg sat there in the quiet room, thinking only of her two

babies outside freezing, alone, hungry, and in the dark. What

if a pack of wolves had found them and carried them off to

their den? The newspapers were full of such sickening stories.

What if they had been kidnapped by a band of gypsies and

were going to be sold to the highest bidder, usually to a king

or foreigner? When Peg was a child, she remembered going to

the carnival with her family and her father warning her not to

wander off by herself because the “carneys” would get her, put

her in a suitcase, and take her with them. What if one of them

got lost or injured, or they simply got too hungry or thirsty, and couldn’t go on any farther? Or what if they were getting colder

and colder and finally went to sleep and never woke up? There

were stories about people who were lost in storms and their

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bodies were never found until the next spring during planting

season. And, and, and . . .

She sat there, too tired to think and too tired to sleep. The

fire had retired to its bed of fading orange embers. The oth-

ers seemed to be engaged in a contest of who could snore the

loudest. The grandfather clock and Peg shared the night watch

. . .
tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick
. . . As the minutes slowly grew into hours, the sandman cast a slumber on her, leaving

but one sentinel on night watch.

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“Welcome to Santa’s Village,” proclaimed Noel, the mayor of

the globed village. He was attired in a red stocking cap with

a white, furry ball at its tip. A red Christmas bow jutted from

under his neck, and a green jacket covered his pencil-thin torso.

Red-and white-striped leotards covered his legs, and tan ankle

booties sheltered his feet.

“Santa’s Village is the most exciting place in the universe

to visit. We are happy that you are here. Before you meet with

Santa, we are going to take you on a guided tour. You will visit

places that you have read about or someone has told you about.

The village is full of fun things to see,” he bragged, pulling his red suspenders and letting them snap against his chest.

“Each of the cottages is represented by a head elf, who will

explain how his or her industry fits into Santa’s overall plan.

We don’t have much time, so please limit your questions. Also,

just as you have family secrets, so do we who live and work

here. Therefore, what you see, hear, and do in Santa’s Village

must stay in Santa’s Village. If you remember, Jeepers shared

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some secrets with you that you promised never to tell anyone.

You are sworn to keep the Code of Elves secrecy.”

Ellie and Will were speechless. They turned several times in

full circles, nearly falling down from the dizzying effect. They

had read Christmas books detailing Santa’s winter wonderland

through a writer’s imagination, but they never, ever thought they would real y travel to the North Pole, Arctic Circle, to visit Santa Claus’s Village. They could hardly wait to tell their friends back home. What would their classmates say? Would their dad and

mom and grandparents believe them? Should they tell anyone?

This is truly a world within a world!
Ellie’s head was spinning.

She placed her hands on her knees, closed her eyes, and reopened

them. She was not dreaming. She was at Santa’s Village.

A space travel center at its best!
Will rested his fists on his hips and nodded in self-acceptance of his surroundings. Some

day he would command a space flight. If his destination looked

anything like Santa’s Village, he was ready to go. But first, he

wanted to explore this landscape. Then reality overtook fantasy.

Even if they wanted to, Ellie and Will couldn’t tell anyone,

except their Mom and Dad and Grams and Gramps. They

remembered their promise to Jeepers, and their word was as

good as gold. Their parents had often talked with them about

the importance of being true to their word.

Noel strutted out of the visitors’ cottage onto the cobblestone

path, leading the twins toward a large map detailing the quaint

village. His swagger ensured everyone knew of his importance.

His tan booties carried him lightly down the pathway.

“Don’t be shy! Crowd in so you can see and hear me,” he

beckoned with his short but muscular arms. “Santa and Mrs.

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Claus are pleased that you have come to visit their home. They

have arranged for you to take a walking tour of the village.

Afterward, Mrs. Claus will serve her favorite Christmas sugar

cookies and special holiday hot chocolate. Santa is looking

forward to meeting with you and listening to your concerns.

Plus, as a special treat, you will be staying overnight here before you return home the next day,” orated the mayor, climbing onto

the small box so all could see and hear him.

“As you can see, the village is laid out in a circular pat-

tern. Various glass cottages line the outside of the circle. As I mentioned earlier, the cottages are where each special industry

is performed that fits into Santa’s overall grand plan. Santa’s

glass house is located in the middle so he can view all cottage

activities regardless of the day or time.”

Noel chuckled. “No questions so far? Good.” He jumped

down from his box before any questions were asked. Ellie caught

him just before he took a head dive into a poinsettia planter box.

He recovered as if nothing had happened, mumbled something,

and dusted off his knees. The twins dared not to look at each

other for fear of breaking into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

“I’m okay! I’m okay! Let’s be off,” he growled, motioning

for them to follow.

Nestled among towering blue spruce trees was the first cottage,

the Elf School. The twins navigated the winding cobblestone

path, climbed the steps, and entered through the double doors.

“This is just like our classrooms back in Holly Valley Elemen-

tary School. Look at the tiny desks.”

Desks lined the outside walls with a large open center court

in the middle. Small bookshelves rested in front of each desk,

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containing arts and craft supplies. Each desktop functioned not

only as a desk for writing but also folded up into a full-sized

play station, complete with a headset and tuning knobs. It was

far more advanced than what the twins had in their school.

“I wish we had these with all the electronics. None of my

desks was as awesome as this one,” complained Will, measuring

the width of the seat. He was about to sit in it when a bubbly

elf entered the classroom.

They were greeted by Merry, the head elf. Merry was dressed

in a full-length blue velvet dress from her shoulders to just

above her ankles. Two small, black, high-heeled boots protruded

from under the white, fluffy hem. Curly, bright-red hair flowed

from under a matching blue velvet cap with white trim and a

white, furry ball at its tip. Her green eyes looked right through the twins, causing them to step backward. But her warm smile

and inviting gesture calmed Ellie’s and Will’s uneasiness. She

invited them to take a seat in the back of the classroom while

she explained the Elf School’s purpose.

“Elves come here from all over the world to be trained in

one and only one thing, and that is to spread FUN. In order

to give fun, the elves must have fun. At Elf School, we learn

the many different ways to have fun, so when the elves return

to their original communities they have a bag of ready-made

fun and games.

“Basic fun and games include memorizing Christmas songs,

naming all of the reindeer, holiday crossword puzzles, a game

of finding the hidden elves, learning the history of Santa’s Vil-

lage, leading groups of children in fun and games, and decorat-

ing family Christmas trees. We often use the more advanced

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electronic desktops. They are much faster and support the latest

electronic inventions researched and developed by the elves

attending this school. We are already testing the next generation of electronic fun and games applications. Eventually, everything

we do at Elf School will be done electronically.

“All elves go through a graduation program where they must