The Magic of Christmas

For the next month, Travis and Rosie enjoyed a holiday in Florida. This had a dual purpose, first Travis was near Santa John and spent considerable time with him as John explained his range of duties, taught him the limitations of the magic, and gave him advice on the protocols that maintained the Village and the people who lived there. Second, it was the first holiday Travis had ever had outside of Liverpool, and at Johns’ suggestion, he spent many an hour at Orlando’s Disney World, watching and understanding how children’s minds worked.

He knew each child’s name by merely looking at them. Knew without hesitation if they were good or naughty, and knew instinctively what present each was going to get this coming Christmas. The only drawback on the holiday was that Travis had to spend 12 hours on any one given day or night, each week, in the Village to recharge the magic.

Money was no object to him although the Chief Elf did remonstrate with him about his spending when he ordered a white Bentley with red interior and trimmings, explaining while funds were available, they were not a bottomless pit he could dip into every day for extravagances.

On the last day of his stay in Florida, John once more warned him about the drop in the number of children who no longer believed and begged him to put his mind to work on the problem. It was a sombre note to finish what had been a nice holiday, but one Travis, according to John, had to work on. A week later Travis sat opposite the Chief Elf in the Elf’s office. A cup of steaming hot chocolate in hand, Travis looked at the Elf wondering if his idea would be acceptable.

‘Look Chief,’ Travis began, ’this problem with the kids not believing any more, well me ‘n’ Rosie have been thinking, and we’ve come up with an idea, but we’re not sure if it would be allowed or not.’

‘In my experience,’ the Elf replied, ‘if you’re not sure of something it probably means it has either been tried before, or it can’t be done, but tell me anyway Santa.’

‘Advertise,’ Travis said as if this would explain it all.

‘Advertise what?’ The Chief asked in reply

’Us, the whole kit ‘n’ caboodle,’ Travis beamed waving his arms around. ‘We advertise a competition and make a Christmas present to end all Christmas presents for a couple of lucky kids who truly believe in Santa; we bring the winners here and let them tell the world all about us.’

‘Not allowed,’ the Elf replied gruffly. ‘The magic will stop anyone from speaking about this place.’

‘Maybe not,’ Travis replied slowly. ‘Kids all over the world talk about Santa and his home at the north pole. Maybe the magic only stops us, the people who live here from talking?’

‘Test it,’ the Elf replied after a lengthy pause. ‘Bring a child here and let him or her go back home and try and talk about it; we’ll watch and see what happens.’

‘No,’ Travis replied thoughtfully. ‘Not until I know what will happen to them if we bring a kid through, you could be right and if so, it could be dangerous to bring them here. If it is the competition is dead in the water before we even start, unless of course we offer a different prize. I need to speak to Arnold about it before making any firm decisions. Chiefy I’ve a feeling the competition is going to be our salvation. I say we go with it.’

‘A few things Santa,’ the Chief Elf replied shaking his head. ‘Talk slower because sometimes I can’t understand a word you’re saying. What type of competition are you thinking about, and stop calling me Chiefy, it’s not befitting an Elf of my station.’

‘Sorry Chiefy,’ Travis replied slowly. ‘It’s just, I’m not used to speaking slow, perhaps that secretary Elf should be around till you get used to me. I was thinking of a painting competition with Christmas as the theme.’

‘I can go with the painting competition, but I’m not having the secretary following me around for the next two hundred years,’ the Chief Elf mumbled as an idea came to him. ‘Perhaps,’ he said in a clear voice, ‘we could get the Tooth Fairy to help. I know she’s having magic problems just like us, seems kids these days have better teeth and stop believing in her before they start losing them.’

‘The Tooth Fairy!’ Travis exclaimed. ‘I think you’re having me on Chiefy,’ he smiled at him.

‘My name is not Chiefy!’ the Elf said angrily. ‘My title is Chief and if you must address me with a name, you can use my given name of Oswald.’

‘Oswald,’ Travis smiled, ‘You know, I like that name, has a certain ring to it. OK Ossy, back to business, now what’s this about a Tooth Fairy?’

‘The Tooth Fairy,’ the Chief stated decidedly not amused, ‘has as I said, been having the same problem as ourselves. The falling number of believers means she is also losing her magic.’

‘OK, so when can I meet her?’ Travis asked.

‘Whenever you want; just think of her here in the Village, and she will turn up when she can.’ the Elf replied

‘Done,’ Travis said after screwing his eyes up and thinking deeply about a Tooth Fairy. ’While we wait, get the advertising department to draw something up about a competition.

‘I can’t,’ the Chief Elf replied. ‘We’re going to need a meeting of the Elven Council. Something like this which also involves the Tooth Fairy crosses departmental boundaries and the Elves Union will need to be advised.’

‘Then get a meeting of the Elves Council set up.’ Travis said slightly annoyed.

‘I can’t,’ The Elf replied. ‘They’re all on Holiday until the end of March. I would be with them only I have you to contend with.’

‘I don’t care,’ Travis said slightly annoyed. The Elf was beginning to get under his skin and grate his nerves. ‘I’m Santa Claus, they all work here, I’m the Boss, so Ossy my old mate, get a message to them wherever they are, and tell them I want to see them in a week’s time. Anyone who refuses, sack them!’

‘I can’t,’ the Elf replied once again. ‘It’s against union rules to interrupt an Elf while we are on holiday. Oh, and by the way, you can’t sack an Elf, Elves are born not hired.’

‘I might not be able to sack an Elf,’ Travis said slowly and precisely so the Chief could understand him. ‘But I’m sure as eggs are eggs I can demote them, and that includes you OSWALD!. Now I don’t care what rules you break, you get an Elf’s Council gathered for a week’s time. Anyone who doesn’t attend I will demote and give someone else their job.’

‘I can’t,’ the Elf replied shrugging his shoulders before sitting back and looking Travis un-waveringly in the eye.

‘What can you do?’ Travis asked leaning forward on the Elf’s desk bringing his eyes a mere twelve inches away from the unmoving Chief. ‘What can you do,’ he repeated himself,’ apart from saying I can’t all the time annoying the hell out of me?’

‘I’m good at organising the Elf workforce, and ordering the raw materials we need for toy making,’ the Elf replied unflinchingly under Travis’s glare. ‘But I don’t start work until April.’

‘Tell me Chief,’ Travis began to ask in a near pleading voice. ‘Why can’t you organise a meeting of the Elves Council. I have given you a direct order, which you and Santa John assure me you have to comply with if it concerns Christmas business.’

‘Because you haven’t asked the Easter Bunny, he has to be there for the meeting to be legal.’ The Elf said poker-faced.

‘OK.’ Travis said in a long drawn out breath. ‘I suppose I ask the Easter Bunny the same way I asked the Tooth Fairy?’ the Elf nodded; Travis closed his eyes, thought about the Easter Bunny and said, ‘That’s that done, now Chief, please arrange a meeting of the Elves Council for 10 am one week from today.’

‘I can’t,’ the Elf said, with a self-satisfied smug smile on his face.

‘Now that’s a surprise,’ Travis responded with a smile of pure evil that set the Elf’s ears flat back on his head. ‘Tell me Chief, when was the last time Santa was sacked for beating the Chief Elf to death with a Barbie doll?’

‘Pardon,’ the quivering Elf croaked; he had never been threatened before.

‘You heard me Chiefy, never mind the pardon,’ Travis smiled sweetly, unnerving the Elf altogether who was now in danger of sliding under the table, and off his chair as he tried to move backward away from Travis. ‘I’m sick to death of pulling hen’s teeth trying to get you to do something for me. If I hear the words I can’t once more today, believe me Oswald, I will take great pleasure in hurting you. Now tell me why you can’t get a meeting of the Elves Council organised?’

‘The Fairies and the Sprites have to be invited,’ the Chief spluttered quickly, ‘only you can do that.’

‘No sooner said than done,’ Travis said through gritted teeth. ‘Now let’s try this again. Oswald,’ he paused and took a deep breath. ‘I have invited the The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, The Fairies, and the Sprites. I have even invited The Solicitor to forestall another refusal. Now, please my good Elf, will you set up a meeting of the Elves Council for 10 am, one week from today?’

‘I can’t.’ The Elf replied.

The gossip throughout the Village later reported that the Elf’s screams could be heard for for a good fifteen minutes as Travis chased him through the vast caverns that housed the Christmas village. Travis eventually apologised; if he had let the Elf finish what he was saying instead of jumping to conclusions, the matter may not have escalated in the manner it did. Well, that was the union’s view on the subject and to keep the peace within the small community Travis agreed. He had to give the Elf a week’s extra chocolate ration as compensation and later denied all culpability when the extra rations were discovered to be a well-known brand of chocolate laxative , wrapped very carefully in the tin of an equally well-known brand of milk chocolate drink. Travis was suspected, he denied it the hilt of course, and was even questioned by Arnold, but as everyone knows, Santa can’t tell lies, can he?

What the Elf had meant to inform Travis was, that Rosie was the only other person that needed to be informed of the Council meeting, and as the Elf couldn’t travel to the outside world without some Christmas magic; it would have to be Travis that informed her. The dust finally settled on the matter and a week later, Travis, officially dressed for the first time in his Santa suit, sat at the head of a huge, highly polished ancient oval-shaped oak table. To his right, Rosie dressed in a figure-hugging, mini skirted replica of his suit, that showed her legs off to anyone who had a mind to look, sat trying to project a regal air about her, not to mention her modesty, failing dismally at the latter as the suit quite frankly radiated another, baser emotion found in red-blooded males, human or otherwise. Travis caught more than one Elf leering at her legs.

To his left, the Chief Elf sat looking sombre and miserable. He was worried about Travis and his temper, who ever heard of a bad tempered Santa Claus? Where had the Ho Ho Ho gone? It left him terrified to open his mouth in case his usual command of the English language, confused his boss to the extent he would once again be running through the Village trying to escape his wrath. Secretly he hoped his countenance showed nothing more than a boredom with the meeting before it began. To the Elf’s left sat the Easter Bunny, while to Rosie’s right the Tooth Fairy sat waving a wand about asking anyone, human, Elf, sprite or fairy, if they had any teeth for sale. The Easter bunny to his credit was busy with a calculator trying, despite the noise of the Elves and Fairies, to calculate his egg quotas. He was not helped by the Tooth Fairy who constantly interrupted his concentration asking the Bunny to double his chocolate quotas for each child so their teeth would rot that bit quicker.