Christmas Shorts

The Metamorphosis of Mr. Claus

He awoke, opening his eyes slowly. His life was quite busy on the whole, so he liked to take things at a relaxed pace when he could. Not that he would trade his life for anything else, but it seemed right to slow down once in a while. He turned his head to his left, seeing an empty spot. His wife had risen before him, likely seeing to the early morning prep.

He stretched his arms, still lying down, giving an epic yawn to chase away the sleep. He wiped his eyes, and as he drew his hand away from his face, he froze. His right index finger had a green hue to it.

He bolted upright, somewhat alarmed. Was someone playing tricks on him? There were many who showed a humorous side to them, but none he knew that would play a prank so juvenile. He stood and walked briskly to his bathroom, using the frigid water from his sink to scrub his finger. The green did not come off. He peered closely at it and decided it didn't appear to be ink.

He dressed hurriedly, putting on some casual red trousers, a plain white shirt and a red blazer. He emerged from his room and immediately was met with the hustle and bustle of the workshop down the hall. Normally, he would relish the sound and make it a point to give morning salutations to several departments, but this morning he was headed to one particular area.

"Morning Mr. Claus!" said a deep voice from one of the inventory rooms.

Not wanting to be rude, he answered, "Morning, Omar! Keep up the good work."

He hurried down the hall, hoping to avoid any of the other elves. He didn't want to repeatedly excuse himself from any conversations.

He was almost to his destination when a figure in a green smock and decorative red scarf hailed him. "Good morning, sir! I have an excellent report to give you about the quality inspection from yesterday."

St. Nick gave a half-hearted smile. "That is good to hear, Nara."

She grinned and began shuffling through some papers.

Before she could begin, he held up his left hand, keeping his right hand safe in his pocket. "I look forward to hearing the report," he said genuinely, but with a sense of urgency. "But there is something else I simply must attend to."

Nara nodded, an eyebrow raised. "Sure thing, boss...anything I can help with?"

"Not at this time," he said, and took his leave with a warm nod.

Mr. Claus rushed into the infirmary, relieved no one else was there.

"Good morning!" said a kindly elf in a white medical coat.

"Good morning, Bran," was the reply. Then Mr. Claus held up the finger that had caused the strange beginning to his morning. "Please tell me this is some sort of medical phenomenon."

Bran was taken aback, but he went right to work, inspecting the green skin.

"Hmmm..." he said after several moments. "It doesn't look like there's any infection present. Have you been painting anything?"

Santa gave a nervous chuckle. "Not recently."

Bran nodded. "Okay, then we can rule that possibility out. Is there any pain?"

"No...no pain."

Bran began running various tests. As he went about his work, he told Mr. Claus, "You seem quite agitated...is there something you are worried that this might be?"

Santa swallowed. "I..." he couldn't seem to finish his thought.

After completing his tests, the doctor told him, "Well, I can't find anything physical wrong with your hand. It is quite healthy, and the green hue doesn't seem to be posing any real danger."