Santa's Newest Reindeer (24 page)

yet neither understood the full impact the awards would have

on them, nor did they fully realize how much it would influ-

ence their lives. They would never be alone again. Another pair

of small eyes and another set of pointed ears would always be

but a mere stone’s throw away.

Santa shook Jeepers’s hand and exchanged mutual wishes

for safe journeys. Then Santa climbed aboard, looked back, and

signaled to Yule.

“Ho, ho, ho! Ha, ha, ha! Oh what fun we’ll have!” roared

Santa, then snapped the reins.

BOOM!
Santa and his bright-red sleigh, including all the toys for the girls and boys, roared into the midnight air led by

Rudolph and the eight tiny reindeer.

ZOOM!
Yule hung on for dear life as Cosmos and Astro

ignited their afterburner, trying to catch Rudolph and the eight

tiny reindeer. The worker elves’ heads bobbled back and forth

inside the rocketing starship as it gained speed and altitude.

Rudolph and the eight tiny reindeer, and Cosmos and Astro

circled their sleighs in an arcing pattern around Citizen’s Square where Jeepers, Ellie, and Will watched in awe. The sleighs

aligned single file and, quick as a wink, blazed a streaking

hot-white path across the black horizon and disappeared from

their straining eyes.

The three walked along the road leading to the Taylors’ house.

The house was dark inside except for a dim light filtering from

the front room.

“I will look forward to seeing you at the Citizen’s Square

celebration in a few hours,” promised Jeepers, exchanging extra-

long hugs with the new elf confidants.

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“Will we really see you there?” questioned Will.

“Remember the three cardinal rules of Elfdom we taught

you. First, you can only see an elf if he or she wants to be

seen. Second, what you heard, saw, and did in Santa’s Vil-

lage must never be shared with anyone else, except your Mom,

Dad, Grams, and Gramps, and other elves. Third, you are true

elves, and therefore, you must never violate the secret Code of

Elves,” admonished Jeepers, using a serious tone that the twins

had never heard before. Ellie and Will nodded in agreement.

For the first time they felt the heavy duty and proud honor of

being true elves.

When Ellie and Will reached the back door, they turned

around for one more look at the elf they had come to love, but

he had blended in with the stick trees and stringy shrubs. They

opened the back door so strongly that it crashed against the

outer wall, entered, and slammed it just as strongly behind them.

“Mom! Dad! Grams! Gramps! We’re home!” yelled the two

world travelers.

“Where have you been?” Mom cried, rushing from the front

room. “Are you okay? Let me look at you. Did anybody hurt you?”

“Mom. Breathe. Catch your breath,” answered Ellie in a

reassuring voice.

“We’re fine. And no, we were not taken by aliens,” joked

Will, interjecting some humor into the conversation. After

long hugs were given, everyone stared at Ellie and Will, wait-

ing for answers.

“Ask us no questions, and we’ll tell you no lies,” laughed

Ellie and Will as they once again shared embraces with their

parents and grandparents.

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“You have been gone since December 20th. That’s five full

days, counting today. Do you know that today is Christmas

Eve? Do you know there’s a meeting at Citizen’s Square at six

a.m., and the whole town is supposed to be there?” stated Dad

with a suspicious tone in his voice. “You two wouldn’t know

anything about this, would you?”

Ellie and Will shrugged their shoulders but chose not to

look the adults in the face.

The four adults stared at Ellie and Will, hoping for an answer,

but the twins just looked at each other and smiled. They knew,

but they were sworn to secrecy. This was their first test regard-

ing the Secret Code of Elves, and they passed it with flying

elf colors.

“I know . . . ask me no questions,” mimicked Gramps, caus-

ing all of them to break into laughter.

“We have so much to be thankful for this year and especial y

this
time of the year,” offered Mom. There was no disagreement, just a lot of comfort and joy that Ellie and Will were safely

home and their family was whole once again. There was a time

and place for more questions and answers. But now was the time

to enjoy their family reunion until six o’clock in the morning.

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The sun peeked over the tip of the eastern horizon, exposing

its warmth to a sleeping landscape. It was as if its rays reached in and stirred an ant’s nest. All sizes and shapes hustled toward the same rendezvous point. Those approaching from afar were

attracted by bright lights, a white star, and what appeared to

be humongous antlers spanning the entire length of Citizen’s

Square. Those encircling the square were awestruck by the tow-

ering Christmas tree and one gargantuan reindeer. Children

ran from package to package looking for their names, while

others snatched candy canes from low-hanging boughs. Several

teenagers tried climbing up the big reindeer’s legs but failed

repeatedly. The residents rapidly filled the square, overflow-

ing into adjacent streets. Youngsters perched on their parents’

shoulders, seeking a better view. Bill made his way through the

throng and climbed onto the band stand. The crowd hushed as

many called for quiet.

“Merry Christmas to you one and all,” greeted Bill, receiving

a rousing echoed reply. “We have a court date set in January to

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formally protest what the city fathers have tried to do, mainly

denying us of our constitutional rights.”

The crowd erupted in cheers, applause, and whistles. Count-

less others raised their fists, pumping them up and down toward

the sky.

“However, this is neither the time nor the place to argue our

case. It is the Christmas season, and evidently
someone
wants Holly Valley to celebrate it. So, we are going to celebrate from

today through New Year’s Eve. And no one is going to stop us!”

“Ellie! Ellie! Ellie!” chanted one side of the crowd, wanting

her to join her dad onstage.

“Will! Will! Will!” exchanged the other side, demanding

to see him as well. It was like standing between two opposing

groups of fans, cheering for their teams. One side called Ellie’s name, followed by the opposition cheering for Will.

“Santa! Santa! Santa!” chanted a small group of children,

huddled in front of Big Buck. Before long, the entire crowd

was chanting for Santa Claus. It was good fun, and the energy

kept the revelers warm.

Ellie and Will joined their dad onstage, raising their hands

to quiet the festive merrymakers. It took some doing, but finally the crowd quieted.

“Last week I made a promise to you. Remember? I broke

that promise because what you see is not just my doing . . .”

confessed Ellie. Will was about to put his hand over her mouth,

stifling any confessions, but Ellie remembered the oath they

took when they became true elves. She caught herself before

she revealed the truth. Ellie faked a sneeze, pretending by cov-

ering her mouth.

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“This is Big Buck!” Will interjected, covering for his sister.

“He got his name from all our hard work to
buck
City Hall’s efforts to cancel celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Big Buck should forever stand guard in Citizen’s Square as a

reminder of our rights and responsibilities as citizens of this

great land.”

“Big Buck! Big Buck! Big Buck!” roared the crowd, support-

ing Will’s proposal.

“Don’t forget, there is one present under the tree for every

boy and girl in Holly Valley, and enough candy, nuts, fruits, and other sweets for each family,” hollered a squeaky voice, coming from nearby. Recognizing the voice, Ellie and Will spun

around, searching for Jeepers. As they spotted him, he bowed

to them, doffed his stocking cap, and disappeared from sight.

Bill looked in the same direction as the twins but failed to see

anything. Ellie and Will shrugged their shoulders and giggled.

The crowd seemed to freeze. They searched in the direction of

the big clock, suspended in the middle of the stage’s overhang.

They looked but saw nothing. Ellie and Will not only recognized

the voice but again saw Jeepers, sitting on the minute hand and

waving to them. Because Ellie and Will were elves, they could

see Jeepers as plain as day, but no one in the crowd, including

their father, mother, or grandparents, could see Jeepers.

So this is how it is going to be for the rest of our lives! We can
see each other, but no one will ever see him!
Ellie and Will shared thoughts with each other again but never moved their lips.

“Remember, as long as you and I believe in Christmas, there

will always be a Santa Claus,” exclaimed Ellie, pointing to the

Christmas tree.

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“And as long as you believe in Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, elves,

Rudolph, and the eight tiny reindeer,
plus
Big Buck, Cosmos, and Astro, there will always be a Christmas,” added Will, pointing toward the North Star.

“Who are Big Buck, Cosmos, and Astro?” asked Dad. Their

names rumbled through the audience, but no one had ever

heard of them.

“Is this one of those questions I’m better off not asking?” The

twins looked toward the clock and nodded affirmatively. Bill gri-

maced, knowing that his children knew something, and he could

hardly wait to hear their story. Since the Code of Elves allowed

Ellie and Will to share their adventure with their parents and

grandparents, they were equally excited to tell of their travels.

The twins looked up at the clock, but Jeepers was no longer

there. They scanned the rooftops and looked into the dark,

shadowy recesses. They knew he was nearby because they heard

an occasional snicker. He was physically and spiritually close,

and he always would be—the community’s resident elf—and

that was good enough for Ellie and Will.

Suddenly, Will saw something dash across the sky. “Look!

Look at the shooting star.” The ball of fire streaked across the

heavens like a Fourth of July Roman candle. Trailing closely

was its white-hot tail. It was not the traditional meteorite by

modern standards. It looped! It plunged and vaulted up! It

turned left and then abruptly to the right.

“I wonder if that could be . . . nah,” posed Will, grinning

from ear to ear.

“I wish every day could be Christmas.” Ellie took a deep

breath. She didn’t want to ever lose the good feelings, fun

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times, and close friendships they had experienced the past

five days.

Mom put her arms around Ellie. “If you really think about

it, every day always has a little bit of Christmas in it.”

Ellie and Will could only smile. It was so good to be home.

“Do you want to tell us where you really were the past five

days?”

Ellie and Will looked at each other and laughed as loud

as their parents and grandparents had ever heard. The twins

grabbed the top of each other’s ears and lifted them upward,

trying to reshape them into points. They bowed to each other

and interlocked their arms and swung each other around.

“We thought you would never ask,” laughed Santa’s newest

elves.

Ellie fully extended her right hand, pointing at her mom

and dad as Will thrust his left hand, aiming his index finger

at Grams and Gramps.

“If you believe in the mysterious, majestic, and magical world

of Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, the elves, toys, the North Pole,

Santa’s workshop, and a miniature sleigh drawn by Rudolph and

eight tiny reindeer, plus Santa’s newest reindeer, Cosmos and

Astro, then we have a story to tell you. But you must promise

never to tell anyone except those we just named.”