Mr. Claus

Chapter 1

Elmore Kipling watched the other elves create beautiful toys and paint magnificent paintings, standing on the balcony that looked over the workshop. He'd never had the brilliance of Mr. Cranberry, who made the loveliest jewellery in the Pole, or the artsmanship of the elves who painted the most captivating pictures. Elves were born with their gifts, and those gifts were what determined an elf's job later in their life. Some elves were assigned to make toys, some were decoration experts, some cooked, some spread cheer, some maintained reindeer, some wrote carols, but Elmore had never been assigned anything.

As he watched all of the other elves work, he couldn't help but feel jealous of them. They were always so happy and joyful. Sometimes they would send a smile his way, or say 'Hi' in passing, but he knew they only did it to feel better about themselves. Nonetheless, he appreciated it. He spotted one of the head elves, Ms. Green, starting on a new toy that already resembled a train of some sort. There was red paint splattered on her apron and a small spill on her shoes. Beside her there were a few dolls, some paintings, and a beautiful gold necklace that would have sold for thousands if it were made by human companies. Elmore watched her work for a while, with nothing else to do.

Most elves worked all year round to create gifts and prepare for Christmas. Since he didn't have a job, he was only useful for cleaning up messes and decorations. His only somewhat useful talent was that he was allowed near the reindeer. They were known to be aggressive when their space was intruded, and since they were at least seven feet tall at the withers and their antlers are as long as a leg, most elves were forbidden from even entering the barn. He however, was in their good graces.

He mindlessly fiddled with the garland hung on the rail of the balcony. An elf who looked new to toy making spilled a small container of paint on the floor and proceeded to try to clean it up with a damp rag, effectively spreading it out further and making it harder for Elmore to clean later. He decided to divert his attention elsewhere. Ms. Green was talking to Fritz, his best friend, near the door. He was startled out of his self-pity party when he heard his name being shouted.

"Oi Elm!"

Only then did he notice Mr. Cranberry walking over with a disturbing grin on his face. His left hand was in his pocket and his right was holding a little note with gold embroidery, sent directly from the big guy himself, Elmore noted.

"Mr. Claus would like one of the reindeer prepared to be taken for a stroll by White Lake."

Elmore wasn't sure if it was his words or his obvious joy in saying them that unsettled him the most. While he may have been one of the best with the reindeer, he was nowhere near high enough in rank to prepare them directly before one of Mr. Claus' rides. He chose not to mention the obvious mistake someone had made. After a quick nod, he made his way to the stables as fast as possible.

When he walked into the stables, he noticed the usual team who normally tacked up the reindeer were nowhere to be found, in fact, there was nobody there at all. It wasn't uncommon to see the stables empty during a regular day, but if a reindeer was needed, there are usually a few elves just watching to make sure nobody got hurt, and an additional few to actually tackle one of the giant hairy beasts. However, he didn't have the power to call the usual team to help him, so he had to do the entire thing by himself. His groan echoed through the empty barn.

"Dunder he swear to the devil down below if you don't get your lazy ass up right now I'm gonna pitch a fuckin fit.'' She didn't budge. At that point, he had been considering getting her ears and eyes checked. He pinched her ear quickly and she sent a look that might have had a mayfly on its knees, but she finally stood. He leaned against the door and cried of relief.