Authors: The Magic of Christmas
Rebecca Besser (3 page)
“No, Daddy!” she squealed.
“Besides,” he said, leaning back and
smiling down at Kallalaya, “you get to meet the big guy in person
and everyone is jealous! You’ll know the truth when you’re flying
through the air on Santa’s sleigh.”
She grinned broadly and helped herself to
another cookie. “Yup!”
“Okay, I think I’m ready,” Mandy huffed as
she came rushing downstairs. “How do I look?” She spun and showed
off her festive sweater – sporting a snowman – and her dark red,
long skirt. “Do I look like I’m ready for a stroll through the
North Pole?” she asked and laughed.
Lyle grinned. “You look beautiful.” He
turned to his daughter and nudged her gently with his elbow to get
her attention; she was staring out the front window again. “Doesn’t
Mommy look pretty?”
Kallalaya barely glanced at her mom and
said, “You look really pretty, Mommy.”
Mandy laughed. “Thanks.” She looked at the
three small suitcases sitting by the front door and frowned. “Do
you think we have everything we’ll need?”
Laughing, Lyle rose from the couch, walked
out into the hallway, and wrapped his arms around his wife, pulling
her close and kissing her forehead. “We have everything we need.
Calm down.”
She sighed, nodded, and relaxed into his
embrace. “What time is it?”
Lyle glanced at his watch. “A quarter after
nine. You have time to sit down with us and have a cookie before we
go.”
Smiling, Mandy pulled away and walked into
the living room, sitting down beside their daughter; Lyle joined
them.
Together they ate, drank, talked, laughed,
and waited for a magical sleigh to come and carry them away for
their two-day trip to the North Pole.
Soon, before they realized how much time
had passed, a jingling of sleigh bells could be heard outside.
Kallalaya jumped up and practically flew to the front window,
pressing her face to the cold glass to look up into the sky.
“It’s here! It’s here!” she screamed,
squealing excitedly and clapping her hands. “We’re really, really
going to meet Santa!”
Lyle and Mandy laughed, watching their
daughter.
“Yes, the sleigh is here, so you’d better
go put your boots on,” Mandy said, walking over and gently nudging
Kallalaya from the window.
“But I wanna see who’s driving!” Kally
protested.
Reluctantly her mother gave in with a sigh.
“Okay, but then you need to get your boots on so we can go when
it’s time.”
“Daddy, who’s that?” she asked, pressing
her finger to the window; humidity gathered around the appendage,
making a foggy circle. “Is he an elf?”
Lyle walked closer to the window and peered
outside. “Yup, that’s an elf. Santa said in his letter he wouldn’t
be able to come to get us himself, so he was sending his head elf.
I can’t remember his name. . .”
“It started with an ‘h’ didn’t it?” Mandy
asked. “And it reminded me of food. . .something pork.”
“Hammond,” Kallalaya chirped. “I ‘member
now. He saved the North Pole while Santa was delivering presents –
it was in the storybook that came with the letter.”
“You’re right, sweetheart,” Lyle said,
smiling. “I remember the story. It was Hammond.”
They jumped as the doorbell rang, not
having noticed Hammond advancing toward the house while they were
discussing his name.
Kally squealed and darted for the front
door. Mandy and Lyle grinned at each other and followed at a
slightly more reserved pace and arrived to see Hammond through the
open doorway; snowflakes danced around him and shimmered in the
foyer light, making him look magical.
“Hi! I’m Kallalaya!” she screamed, grinning
up at the elf.
He smiled down at her. “Yes, I know, and
I’m here to take you to the North Pole. You wouldn’t want to meet
Santa, would you?”
“Yes! Yes!” she screamed and bounced.
Mandy laughed. “Get your boots on then,
silly! We can’t go until you’re properly dressed.”
Kally nodded and darted around the corner
to put her boots on.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Hammond
said, reaching his hand out to Lyle, who shook it. “Santa told me
what you did for us last year and we’re all very grateful;
Christmas was rough and every little bit helped.”
Lyle nodded. “It was no problem at all. My
wife, Mandy,” he paused and turned to her, pulling her forward,
“and I enjoyed delivering the toys to the foster children.”
She nodded in agreement, extending her hand
in greeting as well; Hammond shook it warmly.
“Thank you for your help as well, Mandy,”
the elf said. He pulled back and motioned to the bags sitting by
the door. “Is this everything?”
Lyle nodded. “Yes.” Hammond bent down to
get them and Lyle grabbed his coat off a hook by the door. “Let me
help you with those.”
“I’ll check on Kally’s progress and we’ll
be out in a minute,” Mandy said, closing the door behind them and
walking around the corner to find an empty bench. “Kally! Where are
you?”
Mandy spun in a circle looking for her
daughter. Not seeing her anywhere, she went back out into the hall
and that’s when she spotted her coming down the stairs, hugging her
worn out teddy bear.
“What are you doing, honey?”
“I’m bringing Mr. Snuggles with me,”
Kallalaya said with a slight huff and a pout. “He’ll be lonely here
all by himself.”
Mandy sighed, knowing they were going to
have another episode about Mr. Snuggles. “Sweetie,” she said,
kneeling down in from of Kally and the bear, who were now on the
bottom step, “Mr. Snuggles is old and he’s falling apart. . . See?”
Mandy reached forward and pulled the bear’s arm back; the stuffing
showed through the seams. “If you take him with you, he might fall
apart. He has to stay home.”
Kally’s bottom lip started to quiver and
her eyes filled with tears. “But I need my bear to sleep.”
“Maybe Santa will have a special new one
for you,” Mandy said. “Let’s leave Mr. Snuggles here to guard the
house – tell him you’ll bring him a Mrs. Snuggles when you come
home.”
With tears spilling from her eyes, Kally
nodded and reluctantly handed over her beloved bear to her
mom.
“What’s going on in here?” Lyle asked,
coming though the door and looking around expectantly. “We’re all
loaded up and ready to go.” He spotted Kally, who was still
standing on the bottom step crying. “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked,
rushing forward and catching the sight of Mandy setting Mr.
Snuggles on the hall table; instantly he knew.
“Mommy. . .” Kally started, but paused and
sniffled. “Mommy said Mr. Snuggles can’t come with us.”
Lyle nodded and picked his daughter up,
rubbing her back gently as she laid her head on his shoulder,
wrapping her little arms around his neck. “We already talked about
this, and you know it’s best for him if he stays home.”
Kally nodded and whimpered.
“How about we go for a sleigh ride to the
North Pole and see Santa?” Lyle said, forcing cheerfulness into his
voice to try and excite Kally about the trip again. “Do you want to
sit up front with Hammond? I bet he’ll let you hold the reins and
everything!”
Kally sniffled again, but giggled and
nodded her head ‘yes’.
Lyle eyes met Mandy’s as they turned toward
the door; they both smiled.
It didn’t take Kallalaya long to cheer up
once they were in the air and flying briskly toward the North Pole,
and sure enough, Hammond let her ‘drive’ the magic sleigh. Mr.
Snuggles was soon forgotten.
They arrived to a cheering crowd of young
looking elves; only a few older ones were mixed in. Lyle frowned,
knowing this was because of the zombie outbreak the previous year,
which had actually wiped out most of the North Pole’s population.
Most of the older ‘mature’ elves had been killed, leaving behind
the younger elves to carry on the work needed to make toys for
Christmas.
His eyes scanned the crowd for the one
person he was most anxious to meet, but he didn’t see Santa
anywhere in the crowd.
“Where’s Santa?” he heard Kally ask
Hammond.
Hammond laughed. “He’s busy getting ready
for Christmas, it’s in a couple days you know and there’s a lot to
do yet. See all those elves down there?” he asked, pointing below
them. “That’s only half of the elves at the North Pole. The rest
are busy making toys for good boys and girls. Have you been a good
girl this year?”
Kally nodded excitedly with a grin on her
face. “You know what I want for Christmas?”
“No,” Hammond said. “What do you want for
Christmas?”
As she spoke her reply, they descended and
the roar of the crowd drowned out her answer, which Lyle strained
to hear regardless; he wanted to get his wife and daughter the
presents they really wanted, but didn’t have the slightest clue
what either of them would like to get for Christmas. Sighing, he
gave up when all he could hear were the cheering voices of the
crowd.
They were received like visiting
dignitaries, with gifts, hugs, hand shakes, and kisses on the
cheeks. You would have sworn war had broken out and they were the
ones responsible for ending the carnage!
Almost an hour after arriving, they were
settled comfortably in their room with a snack. They’d been told
they would be taken on a sleigh ride around the North Pole before
supper, where they would meet Santa himself, and as soon as they
were ready, they headed back downstairs, still dressed in their
warm clothes.
A young, female elf greeted them warmly as
they came out of Santa’s house. “Welcome to the North Pole! I’m
Solstice, and I’ll be taking you on your tour.”
Kally jumped into the sleigh and yelled,
“Hi!” to the elf on her way bye.
“You’ll have to forgive her,” Mandy said
with a smile. “She’s a bit excited.”
Solstice laughed. “It’s fine, really. We
love the joy and excitement of children, it’s what makes the Magic
of Christmas work, you know.”
“Oh, yes,” Lyle said, wrapping his arm
around his wife and walking toward the sleigh, “I remember the
Magic of Christmas, don’t you, Kally?”
“Yup!” she yelled and bounced in her seat;
she’d again decided to ride in the front, this time with
Solstice.
They all laughed.
Solstice climbed aboard after Lyle and
Mandy. She picked up the reins and gave them a quick, but gently,
snap over the young reindeer’s back, who was pulling the sleigh.
They took off with a slight jerk and then were sliding over the
packed-down snow with ease.
Their guide was polite, cheerful, and very
informative about the small village and how things were run. They
asked many questions and got answers to every single one.
Soon, the tour came to an end. The North
Pole wasn’t a large place and it hadn’t taken them long to see all
of it.
“I have an idea,” Solstice said with an
impish smile, leaning over toward Kally. “Why don’t we go find the
perfect Christmas tree for your room!”
“Could we?” Kally asked with a broad grin.
She turned around, got up on her knees on the seat, and looked at
her parents. “We’re gonna get a Christmas tree for our room!”
Lyle and Mandy laughed.
“We know,” Lyle said. “That’s going to be
awesome, isn’t it?”
Kally nodded energetically and turned back
around, flopping back into her seat. “Where are we going to get the
tree, Solstice?” she asked, looking around. “I don’t see any
stores. . .”
The elf laughed. “We’re going to go into
the woods, pick one, and have one of the other elves cut it down
and take it to your room. It will be there after you get back from
having supper with Santa!” She brought the sleigh to a halt with
the drawing back of the reins. “This looks like a good spot. What
do you think?”
“Yes!” Kally yelled and hopped off the
sleigh.
“Wait for us,” Mandy said. “We want to help
too.” She slid from the sleigh and grabbed Kally’s hand and
together they ran off through the woods laughing.
“I think they’re having a good time,” Lyle
said to Solstice as he too climbed out of the sled; she
followed.
“I think so too,” the elf said.
Just then the frightened screams of Lyle’s
wife and daughter rent the air. Fear stabbed from his ears to his
heart. Without another word, he dashed off into the forest,
following the tracks his family had made in the snow. He hadn’t
quite made it all the way to their location when his wife’s
screaming came to an abrupt halt and Kally’s intensified; he ran
faster, slipping in his hast and almost falling face first into the
snow. His hand shot out and grabbed a pine branch to help keep him
on his feet; the rough nettles and bark cut into his palm, drawing
blood, but he stayed on his feet.
Rounding a clearing, he paused in shock at
what he saw. Kally, crying out sharply as a zombie-elf bit into her
neck nudged him back into action. In a glance, he noticed his wife
lay prone in the snow – face down and bleeding. But it was Kally he
was focused on, and the monster that was hurting her. Without
thought to his own safety, he charged forward and kicked and
punched the zombie-elf until it let go of his little girl.
Frozen chunks of rotted flesh flew from the
creature as Lyle continued to pummel it with gloved fists. Snap
after, slushy, bloody, snap echoed through the clearing as he beat
through the undead beings icy flesh to break bones, which were
brittle from the cold. The zombie-elf was so decayed that Lyle
couldn’t tell if it was male or female, and he didn’t care.
The creature stopped moving after Lyle’s
fists caved in its skull with his angry blows, but still he beat on
it. The sounds of this family’s screams still echoed in his head,
and the sight of their blood and limp bodies fuel his rage with
hurt. Tears streamed down his face and he swore as his arms
continued to pump and slam into the corpse beneath him.
“Besides,” he said, leaning back and
smiling down at Kallalaya, “you get to meet the big guy in person
and everyone is jealous! You’ll know the truth when you’re flying
through the air on Santa’s sleigh.”
She grinned broadly and helped herself to
another cookie. “Yup!”
“Okay, I think I’m ready,” Mandy huffed as
she came rushing downstairs. “How do I look?” She spun and showed
off her festive sweater – sporting a snowman – and her dark red,
long skirt. “Do I look like I’m ready for a stroll through the
North Pole?” she asked and laughed.
Lyle grinned. “You look beautiful.” He
turned to his daughter and nudged her gently with his elbow to get
her attention; she was staring out the front window again. “Doesn’t
Mommy look pretty?”
Kallalaya barely glanced at her mom and
said, “You look really pretty, Mommy.”
Mandy laughed. “Thanks.” She looked at the
three small suitcases sitting by the front door and frowned. “Do
you think we have everything we’ll need?”
Laughing, Lyle rose from the couch, walked
out into the hallway, and wrapped his arms around his wife, pulling
her close and kissing her forehead. “We have everything we need.
Calm down.”
She sighed, nodded, and relaxed into his
embrace. “What time is it?”
Lyle glanced at his watch. “A quarter after
nine. You have time to sit down with us and have a cookie before we
go.”
Smiling, Mandy pulled away and walked into
the living room, sitting down beside their daughter; Lyle joined
them.
Together they ate, drank, talked, laughed,
and waited for a magical sleigh to come and carry them away for
their two-day trip to the North Pole.
Soon, before they realized how much time
had passed, a jingling of sleigh bells could be heard outside.
Kallalaya jumped up and practically flew to the front window,
pressing her face to the cold glass to look up into the sky.
“It’s here! It’s here!” she screamed,
squealing excitedly and clapping her hands. “We’re really, really
going to meet Santa!”
Lyle and Mandy laughed, watching their
daughter.
“Yes, the sleigh is here, so you’d better
go put your boots on,” Mandy said, walking over and gently nudging
Kallalaya from the window.
“But I wanna see who’s driving!” Kally
protested.
Reluctantly her mother gave in with a sigh.
“Okay, but then you need to get your boots on so we can go when
it’s time.”
“Daddy, who’s that?” she asked, pressing
her finger to the window; humidity gathered around the appendage,
making a foggy circle. “Is he an elf?”
Lyle walked closer to the window and peered
outside. “Yup, that’s an elf. Santa said in his letter he wouldn’t
be able to come to get us himself, so he was sending his head elf.
I can’t remember his name. . .”
“It started with an ‘h’ didn’t it?” Mandy
asked. “And it reminded me of food. . .something pork.”
“Hammond,” Kallalaya chirped. “I ‘member
now. He saved the North Pole while Santa was delivering presents –
it was in the storybook that came with the letter.”
“You’re right, sweetheart,” Lyle said,
smiling. “I remember the story. It was Hammond.”
They jumped as the doorbell rang, not
having noticed Hammond advancing toward the house while they were
discussing his name.
Kally squealed and darted for the front
door. Mandy and Lyle grinned at each other and followed at a
slightly more reserved pace and arrived to see Hammond through the
open doorway; snowflakes danced around him and shimmered in the
foyer light, making him look magical.
“Hi! I’m Kallalaya!” she screamed, grinning
up at the elf.
He smiled down at her. “Yes, I know, and
I’m here to take you to the North Pole. You wouldn’t want to meet
Santa, would you?”
“Yes! Yes!” she screamed and bounced.
Mandy laughed. “Get your boots on then,
silly! We can’t go until you’re properly dressed.”
Kally nodded and darted around the corner
to put her boots on.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Hammond
said, reaching his hand out to Lyle, who shook it. “Santa told me
what you did for us last year and we’re all very grateful;
Christmas was rough and every little bit helped.”
Lyle nodded. “It was no problem at all. My
wife, Mandy,” he paused and turned to her, pulling her forward,
“and I enjoyed delivering the toys to the foster children.”
She nodded in agreement, extending her hand
in greeting as well; Hammond shook it warmly.
“Thank you for your help as well, Mandy,”
the elf said. He pulled back and motioned to the bags sitting by
the door. “Is this everything?”
Lyle nodded. “Yes.” Hammond bent down to
get them and Lyle grabbed his coat off a hook by the door. “Let me
help you with those.”
“I’ll check on Kally’s progress and we’ll
be out in a minute,” Mandy said, closing the door behind them and
walking around the corner to find an empty bench. “Kally! Where are
you?”
Mandy spun in a circle looking for her
daughter. Not seeing her anywhere, she went back out into the hall
and that’s when she spotted her coming down the stairs, hugging her
worn out teddy bear.
“What are you doing, honey?”
“I’m bringing Mr. Snuggles with me,”
Kallalaya said with a slight huff and a pout. “He’ll be lonely here
all by himself.”
Mandy sighed, knowing they were going to
have another episode about Mr. Snuggles. “Sweetie,” she said,
kneeling down in from of Kally and the bear, who were now on the
bottom step, “Mr. Snuggles is old and he’s falling apart. . . See?”
Mandy reached forward and pulled the bear’s arm back; the stuffing
showed through the seams. “If you take him with you, he might fall
apart. He has to stay home.”
Kally’s bottom lip started to quiver and
her eyes filled with tears. “But I need my bear to sleep.”
“Maybe Santa will have a special new one
for you,” Mandy said. “Let’s leave Mr. Snuggles here to guard the
house – tell him you’ll bring him a Mrs. Snuggles when you come
home.”
With tears spilling from her eyes, Kally
nodded and reluctantly handed over her beloved bear to her
mom.
“What’s going on in here?” Lyle asked,
coming though the door and looking around expectantly. “We’re all
loaded up and ready to go.” He spotted Kally, who was still
standing on the bottom step crying. “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked,
rushing forward and catching the sight of Mandy setting Mr.
Snuggles on the hall table; instantly he knew.
“Mommy. . .” Kally started, but paused and
sniffled. “Mommy said Mr. Snuggles can’t come with us.”
Lyle nodded and picked his daughter up,
rubbing her back gently as she laid her head on his shoulder,
wrapping her little arms around his neck. “We already talked about
this, and you know it’s best for him if he stays home.”
Kally nodded and whimpered.
“How about we go for a sleigh ride to the
North Pole and see Santa?” Lyle said, forcing cheerfulness into his
voice to try and excite Kally about the trip again. “Do you want to
sit up front with Hammond? I bet he’ll let you hold the reins and
everything!”
Kally sniffled again, but giggled and
nodded her head ‘yes’.
Lyle eyes met Mandy’s as they turned toward
the door; they both smiled.
It didn’t take Kallalaya long to cheer up
once they were in the air and flying briskly toward the North Pole,
and sure enough, Hammond let her ‘drive’ the magic sleigh. Mr.
Snuggles was soon forgotten.
They arrived to a cheering crowd of young
looking elves; only a few older ones were mixed in. Lyle frowned,
knowing this was because of the zombie outbreak the previous year,
which had actually wiped out most of the North Pole’s population.
Most of the older ‘mature’ elves had been killed, leaving behind
the younger elves to carry on the work needed to make toys for
Christmas.
His eyes scanned the crowd for the one
person he was most anxious to meet, but he didn’t see Santa
anywhere in the crowd.
“Where’s Santa?” he heard Kally ask
Hammond.
Hammond laughed. “He’s busy getting ready
for Christmas, it’s in a couple days you know and there’s a lot to
do yet. See all those elves down there?” he asked, pointing below
them. “That’s only half of the elves at the North Pole. The rest
are busy making toys for good boys and girls. Have you been a good
girl this year?”
Kally nodded excitedly with a grin on her
face. “You know what I want for Christmas?”
“No,” Hammond said. “What do you want for
Christmas?”
As she spoke her reply, they descended and
the roar of the crowd drowned out her answer, which Lyle strained
to hear regardless; he wanted to get his wife and daughter the
presents they really wanted, but didn’t have the slightest clue
what either of them would like to get for Christmas. Sighing, he
gave up when all he could hear were the cheering voices of the
crowd.
They were received like visiting
dignitaries, with gifts, hugs, hand shakes, and kisses on the
cheeks. You would have sworn war had broken out and they were the
ones responsible for ending the carnage!
Almost an hour after arriving, they were
settled comfortably in their room with a snack. They’d been told
they would be taken on a sleigh ride around the North Pole before
supper, where they would meet Santa himself, and as soon as they
were ready, they headed back downstairs, still dressed in their
warm clothes.
A young, female elf greeted them warmly as
they came out of Santa’s house. “Welcome to the North Pole! I’m
Solstice, and I’ll be taking you on your tour.”
Kally jumped into the sleigh and yelled,
“Hi!” to the elf on her way bye.
“You’ll have to forgive her,” Mandy said
with a smile. “She’s a bit excited.”
Solstice laughed. “It’s fine, really. We
love the joy and excitement of children, it’s what makes the Magic
of Christmas work, you know.”
“Oh, yes,” Lyle said, wrapping his arm
around his wife and walking toward the sleigh, “I remember the
Magic of Christmas, don’t you, Kally?”
“Yup!” she yelled and bounced in her seat;
she’d again decided to ride in the front, this time with
Solstice.
They all laughed.
Solstice climbed aboard after Lyle and
Mandy. She picked up the reins and gave them a quick, but gently,
snap over the young reindeer’s back, who was pulling the sleigh.
They took off with a slight jerk and then were sliding over the
packed-down snow with ease.
Their guide was polite, cheerful, and very
informative about the small village and how things were run. They
asked many questions and got answers to every single one.
Soon, the tour came to an end. The North
Pole wasn’t a large place and it hadn’t taken them long to see all
of it.
“I have an idea,” Solstice said with an
impish smile, leaning over toward Kally. “Why don’t we go find the
perfect Christmas tree for your room!”
“Could we?” Kally asked with a broad grin.
She turned around, got up on her knees on the seat, and looked at
her parents. “We’re gonna get a Christmas tree for our room!”
Lyle and Mandy laughed.
“We know,” Lyle said. “That’s going to be
awesome, isn’t it?”
Kally nodded energetically and turned back
around, flopping back into her seat. “Where are we going to get the
tree, Solstice?” she asked, looking around. “I don’t see any
stores. . .”
The elf laughed. “We’re going to go into
the woods, pick one, and have one of the other elves cut it down
and take it to your room. It will be there after you get back from
having supper with Santa!” She brought the sleigh to a halt with
the drawing back of the reins. “This looks like a good spot. What
do you think?”
“Yes!” Kally yelled and hopped off the
sleigh.
“Wait for us,” Mandy said. “We want to help
too.” She slid from the sleigh and grabbed Kally’s hand and
together they ran off through the woods laughing.
“I think they’re having a good time,” Lyle
said to Solstice as he too climbed out of the sled; she
followed.
“I think so too,” the elf said.
Just then the frightened screams of Lyle’s
wife and daughter rent the air. Fear stabbed from his ears to his
heart. Without another word, he dashed off into the forest,
following the tracks his family had made in the snow. He hadn’t
quite made it all the way to their location when his wife’s
screaming came to an abrupt halt and Kally’s intensified; he ran
faster, slipping in his hast and almost falling face first into the
snow. His hand shot out and grabbed a pine branch to help keep him
on his feet; the rough nettles and bark cut into his palm, drawing
blood, but he stayed on his feet.
Rounding a clearing, he paused in shock at
what he saw. Kally, crying out sharply as a zombie-elf bit into her
neck nudged him back into action. In a glance, he noticed his wife
lay prone in the snow – face down and bleeding. But it was Kally he
was focused on, and the monster that was hurting her. Without
thought to his own safety, he charged forward and kicked and
punched the zombie-elf until it let go of his little girl.
Frozen chunks of rotted flesh flew from the
creature as Lyle continued to pummel it with gloved fists. Snap
after, slushy, bloody, snap echoed through the clearing as he beat
through the undead beings icy flesh to break bones, which were
brittle from the cold. The zombie-elf was so decayed that Lyle
couldn’t tell if it was male or female, and he didn’t care.
The creature stopped moving after Lyle’s
fists caved in its skull with his angry blows, but still he beat on
it. The sounds of this family’s screams still echoed in his head,
and the sight of their blood and limp bodies fuel his rage with
hurt. Tears streamed down his face and he swore as his arms
continued to pump and slam into the corpse beneath him.
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