Santa's Daughter

5. Attack of the Toy Santa

"Got any twos?" Lucy asks Dad. We're playing Go Fish and I'm losing terribly to a six year old.

"Hmm, Go Fish," Dad tells her. We hear a crash from outside, "What was that?"

"I don't know," Lucy answers.

"How is she supposed to know, Dad?" I ask him and he shrugs.

"I'm gonna get some more hot chocolate, you two want some?" He asks, grabbing his cup we both nod and he gets up to go to the kitchen. The bell rings, "Could you get that, honey?" Dad asks me, but Lucy gets up instead.

"Yeah, sure." She hops up from her seat and heads to the door.

"Lucy, wait!" I yell

"Is Scott, or Natalia here?" I hear Curits ask. Oh no, something went wrong.

"I'm coming," I yell, getting up from my seat.

"Who are you?" Lucy asks him.

"Uh, Curtis, a friend from Buffalo," he answers as I get to the door.

"Are you an elf?" I sigh and close my eyes, of course she asks that.

He laughs, "Of course not! Why would you ask such a silly question?"

"How come you have pointy ears?" She asks, looking at his head.

"Lucy, that's not a very nice thing to ask a person," I tell her.

"It's 'cause I never ate my green vegetables," Curtis explains to her. "Do you eat your green vegetables?"

"Uncle Scott!" She cries covering her ears.

"Curtis!" I chastise. He shrugs.

"She bought it didn't she?" I roll my eyes and let him in the house, shutting the door behind him.

We round the corner and see Dad carrying Lucy "Oh! Curtis! What are you doing here?" He asks.

"There's a little trouble at the... plant," he says looking at Lucy.

"It's okay. Curtis is a very old friend of mine. We have a very large firm. We work together in... Buffalo?" He asks hearing Curtis whisper. "We work together in Buffalo. So, we're gonna talk about some business with your sister."

"What business?"

"It's business that's none of your business," he explains.

"Soon, I'm gonna be seven and then I can know things," Lucy tells Curtis. "Goodnight, Curtis."

"Goodnight, Lucy."

"Night, Lucy!" Dad and I call as she heads up the stairs. "What's up?" Dad asks.

"The toy Santa's gone completely out of control. He's locked up the elves, shut down the workshop, he thinks everybody's naughty and he's gonna give the whole world coal!" Curtis explains. I knew something was wrong!

"Well how come Bernard didn't come down and tell me this?" Dad asks.

"He's under house arrest!"

"That's why he hasn't been responding," I say to myself outloud.

"Bernard?" Dad asks in shock.

"You gotta fly back with me to the North Pole to save Christmas!" Curtis yells.

"I can't, I have no magic left. I'm out of magic, look," He says, showing us his watch.

"Didn't you fly here on Comet?" I ask and we run outside to see Comet lying on the ground surrounded by candy wrappers.