Prudence Elf was sulking. Her sisters Ermengarde and Estelle were teasing her again. Not only that, but they riled up all the other kids at North Pole Elementary School. As a result, Prudence's life was living, well, that bad word Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let her say.
But, it began with H and ended with a double L.
Prudence had enough. She stormed out the school, blinking back her tears. It really sucked being the youngest. And it especially sucked being the only elf in the whole of the Pole (Hey! That rhymed!) whose name didn't begin with an E.
Just what were Mommy and Daddy thinking when they named her? It was different. It made her different.
All she wanted was to be the same.
Christmas was coming in a few days and she should be happy and anticipating Santa's visit. But not even he could gift her with what she really wanted. Just not to be different, you know? Pru scuffed her bright green-pointy-toed jingle-belled shoes along the snow-clad path between the buildings.
Boy, she hated green.
She would rather wear blue any day. And it was just one more thing that made her different. Pru dashed away the tears that were crystallizing on her pretty, elfin face. Maybe she should run away from home.
Milly Deer ran out of the stable. She wouldn't give the other reindeer the satisfaction of seeing her blubber like a little doe. She heard that stupid song, often enough, the one about her dad, Rudolph. How he lit the way so Christmas wouldn't be cancelled with that bright red nose of his.
Captain of the team, lead reindeer and the reindeer to admire. Except she would never be like her famous dad. Her brothers Lars and Ken had bright red noses just like their dad. Heck, even Ingrid, their sister, did.
All except her. She took after Serena, their mother, with her big doe eyes and black nose. Milly was different, and she hated it. Besides, now she could never grow up and lead the team.
Life really sucked.
Kimberly Frayne stormed off into her room and slammed the door. It wasn't fair! Nothing was ever fair in the Frayne household, all because she had five older brothers. Five of them, trying to boss her around.
Not only did they think they could run her life, but they got to do stuff that she wasn't allowed to do. Like Daddy took them all riding and camping out for a day with Regan, Uncle Dan, Uncle Brian and Uncle Mart and their sons. But she wasn't allowed to go! And she was the best rider out of all of them.
Daddy said it was because it was a boys' bonding experience. Why couldn't they bond with her, too? She could run as fast, jump as high and help them with their math when Daddy wasn't around.
Mama said that they were just going to ride around the trails, tell tall stories, spend the night in one of the cabins, and burp and fart. Did Kimmie really want to be a part of that?
Well, maybe not the stinky part.
She flopped on her bed and plotted revenge.
Santa sighed as he observed his three little malcontents. How could they be convinced they were each special in their own way? He pondered the question as he watched the big board. The Fraynes held a special place in his heart, all eight of them. However, it was Trixie who was his favorite, even if he did not want to admit to his jolly old self.
He'd think on this for a while and turned his attention back to the all the others. This seeing them when they're sleeping and knowing when they're awake stuff took up a lot of time.
Elmer, Prudence's father, was in his office as the Grand Poohbah of the Elves or whatever his official title was these days. He really didn't care that the committee kept changing it. It was more paperwork for them and less they would hamper his serious Elf Business.
Things were humming along smoothly this year, for once. Mrs. Claus wasn't interfering with people's lives… and blackmailing him. Elves were not being kidnaped by a disgruntled couple with a six foot son who wanted to be an Elf. The polar bears were happily running merchandise and supplies between the warehouses and Mrs. Claus' special cookie recipe was right where it should be.
He put his green-shod feet up on his desk and relaxed, wiggling them a little to set off the jingle bells. After the big day, he and the missus were going to take the kids to Disney N.P. If only people realized that when they talked about freezing Walt, what was really meant was that Santa brought him up to the Pole to create the Disney Magic for the denizens of the cold north.
He liked it so much, he decided to stay. And hey, just where did people think Frozen came from, anyway?
He closed his lime-green eyes, just for a minute, when the outer door to his office was thrown open with a loud bang. He jumped off his chair and fell to the ground in an inelegant heap.
"Boss?" The chagrined voice of Ella Elf broke the fraught silence. Oh, she was in for it now! Everyone knew about Elmer's umm, little temper issues.
Elmer leaped up, blushing a hot green and trying to straighten his elf jacket. His belt had ridden up, exposing the little tummy he was developing and was at great pains to keep hidden. His tights were getting just a tad snug these days.
Well, that's what happens when your diet consists of nothing but desserts.
Elmer righted his chair, smoothed his hair and replaced his Elf Cap. "Did you ever hear of knocking first, Ella?" he ground out. Oh, how he hated to take a hit to his dignity.
"I'm sorry." She tried to make her voice meek and sorrowful, but only ended up sounding strangled. Holding back the hearty laugh that wanted to escape was proving to be a most arduous chore.
"What is so important that you needed to come busting in here like Rudolph looking for his nose wax?" Damn reindeer lost it every year and drove everyone to drink searching for it.
This year, Elmer hid a second can in his desk.
"Oh! Oh yes! Boss, we have a problem. An enormous problem."
Elmer sighed. It wouldn't be Christmas without a huge problem. "What is it now, Ella? Polar bears on strike? Santa catch the new couples canoodling in the warehouses?" Elf mating season was the worst.
"Even worse than that, sir. You know the bell in the chapel? The one that rings out on Christmas Eve signaling all the others in the world that Christmas is here and Santa is about to depart?"
"Yes, yes, I'm very aware of it, Ella. What about it?" Sheesh. Why did elves take so long to get to the point?
"It broke."
Elmer's eyes widened until they looked like giant green grapes. "Wha… what do you mean, it broke?" This was not a good thing.
"Ervin was doing the test peal and it shattered. Into pieces. Like Humpty Dumpty." Ella remembered her first sight of all the pieces of the bell on the floor in the dusty old bell tower. It was horrifying.
"Well… well we'll just have to put them together," Elmer blustered. "Krazy Glue. It fixes almost anything." Either that or duct tape.
"I don't think so. It's like safety glass. Crumbles of it." Ella wrung her hands.
"Great. Just great."
"What should we do?"
"Just sit tight for now. I need to go break the bad news to Santa." But first, he needed to fortify himself with a shot of tequila with muddled candy canes.
Although that might not be such a good idea. Santa still held it against Elmer when Elmer got drunk at the After-Christmas bash and tried to look up Mrs. Claus' skirt.
Sheesh. It was years ago, you think Santa would have gotten over it by now.
Prudence was wandering around outside, feeling darn sorry for herself, when a blur from the stables crashed into her, sending them both tumbling.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Milly gasped an apology as the two disentangled. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
"It's okay," Pru said, brushing off her tights. "I wasn't hurt. I'm Prudence Elf." She smiled at the young doe.
"Milly Deer, daughter of Rudolph." Milly dipped her head. "Prudence?"
"No red nose?" They both spoke simultaneously and began to walk together, erupting into giggles.
Pru explained first. "Yeah, Prudence. Pru for short." She kicked at the snow. "All the other elves have names beginning with E and they all adore green. Forest green, avocado green, kelly green, lime green. Even Day-Glo green. But I like blue better," she wailed.
Milly rolled her soft brown doe eyes. "I know what you mean. My dad is the hot-shot Captain of the Team and my brothers and sister take after him. They have his red nose and I don't, so I can never be Captain, ever. And I probably won't even make the team, either. Everybody made fun of my dad for having a red nose, and now they're making fun of me for not having one."
"I think you're pretty, Milly. You're different. I like that."
Milly blushed, just a little. "And I think your name is just swell. It gets crazy around here with all those Es. And green. I'd be sick of it, too."
They stopped outside a window that was partly cracked open and flopped down in the fluffy white stuff that always covered every inch of the North Pole. "It stinks," agreed Pru.
Milly opened her mouth to agree when loud voices emanated from inside the castle.
"We can't, Santa. I went to the bell tower to see for myself. It was crumbled, like three-week-old cookies."
"That's my dad's voice," Pru whispered to a wide-eyed Milly.
"How could this have happened, Elmer?" Santa's booming voice spilled out.
"I don't know. We could try to take the pieces and melt them down and cast a new bell, but we don't have enough time."
"All right. Just let me think on it for a while." The girls heard the door open; there was a soft murmur and Mrs. Claus' voice floated out.
"What's wrong, Nick? I heard your bellow all the way across the castle."
"Martha, I just don't know what we're going to do this year. We might have to cancel Christmas."
"Now, what is all this? If there's a storm, we have Rudolph. No-one is being elf-napped this year. And my magic cookie recipe is right where it's supposed to be. What else could have happened?"
"The enchanted bell in the chapel. The one that peals out when I am leaving to all the other bells in the world, letting them know Christmas has started. It shattered into pieces, and we don't have enough time to cast a new one."
Pru and Milly stared at each other in horror. Cancel Christmas?
"Can't you just buy a new one and replace it? It's just a bell, after all." Her voice was soothing, but inside, Martha Claus was worried.
"It's magic. And that takes time. There were only two of them ever cast," Santa's voice was sad.
"Well, then, there you go. Just get the other one."
"I can't."
"Why not, Nick?" It was probably over in storage. It might take some hunting now that the warehouses were full to bursting, but the elves hadn't let them down yet.
"It went missing a long time ago. Nobody knows where it is. We think what happened is that it was delivered accidentally in place of a non-enchanted bell. We never could figure out where it went to, though."
"Oh, Nick!"
"Yes. And unless we find out where that bell is…"
"No Christmas."
"Yes. The chapel bells all around the world won't know when to ring."
The voices moved away from the window as Pru and Milly began to cry. No Christmas!
Why, it was inconceivable!
Prudence stopped crying after a few minutes, wiped her nose on her sleeve and announced in a most determined voice, "We need to find that bell, Milly."
Milly sniffed. "How are we gonna do that, Pru? Even Santa doesn't know where it is, and he knows everything!"
"He doesn't know everything. My dad said that they had to use dee... dek… 'tectives to help them find the missing elves and when Mrs. Claus' magic recipe went missing. We need to get a 'tective, too!"
"Where are we going to find one? I don't think there are any up here." Milly was dubious.
"My dad says there's a 'tective family in a little place called Sleepyside, New York. But I don't know how we would get there."
Milly's eyes brightened. "I can take you. We are all born with RPS, you know."
Pru wrinkled her nose. "RPS?"
"Reindeer Positioning System. It's like GPS, but we don't need satellites or anything. It's built in. Hop on."
Pru smiled at Milly in perfect harmony. Maybe they weren't like everybody else, but darn it, they were going to save Christmas!
Santa watched as the little doe and her passenger took off into the cold, clear sky and smiled. He had no doubt whatsoever the bell would be found and Christmas saved. His favorite detective would be on the job.
"Taking a walk, Mama," Kim called as she slammed out of the house, just as noisy as any of her brothers. Trixie smiled. She didn't have to remind Kim of the rules. No straying off the trails, no speaking to strange people. Kim knew to stay between Manor House, Ten Acres, and Crabapple Farm.
Kim was still put out with the men in her life. Daddy, her brothers, cousins, uncles. She was imagining a sort of all-encompassing revenge, which consisted of all of them having to parade down the runway in Sleepyside Junior-Senior High School in those awful, constricting dresses during Prom Fashion Show. Aunt Di made them all go once and it was horrible.
She just imagined Uncle Dan in an orange dress with giant purple ribbons on the butt when there was a sudden, intense wind that swept her off her feet. She felt herself tumbling, only to be stopped by a warm, furry body.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself sitting on the cold ground with a doe of some sort and what looked like an elf. Kim blinked her eyes several times, but they remained, looking just as flummoxed as she.
The doe had soft brown eyes, a look of chagrin (could reindeers look guilty?) and a small smile. The other girl (elf) was a little smaller than Kim was. She had pointy ears, lime-green eyes, and a jaunty elf cap with a jingle bell on it. Her hair was carroty red and she was wearing a green dress with red tights and those shoes that curled up at the end with a jingle bell on the tip.
"Sorry about that. I'm not used to carrying a payload yet," the deer said in a soft voice.
Kim blinked her eyes several times and shook her head. Since when did deer talk? Maybe she clunked her head on a rock. Yeah, that must be it and she had a 'cussion or something.
Pru straightened herself out and stuck out a hand. "Hello. I'm Prudence Elf and this is Milly Deer. We're looking for a 'tective. My daddy Elmer said the best 'tectives live in Sleepyside and we need one, right away." Pru's face crumpled. "Or else Christmas is gonna be cancelled!" Both Pru and Milly burst into loud sobs.
"Hold on. Hold on. What do you mean, Christmas is going to be cancelled?"
Kimberly glanced around in panic. Her brother Jamie had a 'cussion once and Mama and Daddy were really upset and he had to get a shot and everything! And Jamie was sleepy and they had to keep him awake, because if he fell asleep… monsters.
Pru sniffled out an answer. "The bell in the chapel broke. And if it doesn't peal, then the other chapel bells won't ring. When Christmas starts all the chapel bells ring."
"And what happens if all the other bells don't ring?"
"Then Christmas doesn't start!" Milly gave Kim an exasperated look. "We need to find the 'tective to help find the other one."
"The other what?" Kim saw Alice in Wonderland a while back, and while she wished she had long, blonde, pretty hair like Alice, she didn't think she would care much for falling down the rabbit hole.
She was right.
"Santa said there were two magic bells made a long time ago. The other one got sent someplace and they don't know where it is. You know, B.C. Before computers."
Kim's emerald green eyes widened in sympathy. "Oh, no! Handwritten records are the worst! Mama says so all the time. Mama is a 'tective, you know. Her and Aunt Honey are the best."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Milly snorted and pawed the ground. "Let's go ask for her help."
"She's baking with Grandmoms in our kitchen. Grandpops and Nana are having everybody over at their house for Christmas. I'm Kimberly Frayne." She pointed to the big white mansion on the hill. "That's Grandpops' and Nana's house."
Pru sat right down again in the snow, her big lime-green eyes flooding with tears. "What are we going to do now? There's not gonna be any Christmas!"
Kim wasn't about to let Christmas get cancelled. No way! "My mama says sometimes you just hafta do things yourselfs. We can find the bell if we work as a team," she declared, a firm note in her voice.
"You think so? Where can we even start?" Milly sniffled. But yeah, her dad never quit! Neither should she!
"Mama says start at the beginning. What does the bell look like?"
Pru snorted. "It looks like a bell."
"Is it big? Small? What color is it? Does it have stuff written on it?"
Pru thought back to the bell in the chapel back home. The bell always appeared huge to her, but then again, she was a not-even-fully-grown elf child. "The one that broke was maybe about as big as… as Big Teddy!" She triumphantly named the hot toy of the season, a fifty-five inch stuffed plush bear that talked.
"I saw Big Teddy! Bailey wants one for Christmas, you know. That's one of my brothers. What else can you remember?"
"I only saw it a couple of times. It was sorta gold." Pru shrugged. "It looked like a bell."
"It sounded happy when it rang," Milly added.
Kim wrinkled her nose. "That's not much. Did it have any writing on it?"
"My dad said that the day before Christmas Eve, the bell would start shining like the sun. And then you could see The True Meaning of Christmas. I don't know what that means," Pru confessed.
Kim nodded her head sagely. "It's not about presents and good things to eat." Her red-gold curls danced in the sun. "What do elfses eat, Pru?"
"Desserts. All the time. Cookies and cakes and chocolate and all kinds of yummy stuff. But I want a hamburger." Pru frowned fiercely.
"A hamburger! When you can eat cookies all the time?" Kim's green eyes grew round with wonder. She and her brothers would be all over that!
"You get tired of it all the time. It's not special anymore." Pru looked sad.
"We eat special oats and cookies Mrs. Claus makes for us," Milly confided. "And old Christmas trees. The tinsel is deelishous."
"Ewwww!" Both Pru and Kim wrinkled their noses in distaste.
"Talking about food just makes me hungry," Milly complained. "And we need to get back afore dark."
The three girls sat on the cold ground, wondering how to save Christmas. It was such a big task, and they were so little.
"Have you ever heard of any magic bells around here, Kim?" Pru asked.
"Noooo. We have a magic grasshopper named Hoppy that you have to say hello to when you go into town."
"What's a grasshopper?" Milly wanted to know. It sounded interesting.
"A bug with big legs that hops like this." Kim jumped up and began hopping around.
"I'm hungry," Pru said, ready to burst into tears again. Nothing was going right at all.
Kim was upset her new friends were so unhappy. "I know! Mama and Grandmoms are baking, so I'll go in the kitchen to see if I can get some cookies. Then we'll share."
"You don't suppose your mama has a hamburger in there, so you?" Pru was ever hopeful.
"I don't think so. But I can ask her about magic bells. She's a real good 'tective."
Milly was dubious. "She won't come out and chase us away will she? We just have to save Christmas!"
"No, I won't tell her you guys are here. Be right back!" Kim skipped off to the lovely Victorian mansion nestled halfway down the hill.
"I hope she comes back with cookies." Milly was discouraged. She and Pru were hoping to return to the North Pole as heroes. Instead, they were probably going to be laughed at even more.
And sent to bed without supper.
Kimberly Frayne slipped through the back door, through the mudroom, and into the wonderfully warm and fragrant kitchen that was the beating heart of Ten Acres. Her Mama and Grandmoms were working together to create all the delightful and delicious cookies and confections that meant Christmas was imminent.
"Back from your walk so soon, Kimmie?" Mama raised her head and smiled and Kim's heart filled right up, full of love. Mama was just so pretty with her gold curls and blue eyes. She was soft and warm and smelled good, and had this big laugh.
"Hi Mama, hi Grandmoms. No, I'm just a little bit hungry. Can I have some
cookies?"
It was on the tip of Trixie's tongue to say no, but she felt bad for her only girl. Moms smiled, knowing exactly where her daughter's thoughts traveled. "Hi, Kim. Well, Mama, I think in this one instance, we can let our girl have a few cookies." Helen Belden gave an inward sigh.
Jim and Trixie's little girl was a combination of them both. Red-gold riotous curls and green eyes like Jim's. She was going to be tall, taking after her dad there, too. But the rest of her was all Trixie, from the porcelain skin to the light gold freckles sprinkled on her cute baby nose.
"Can I have them in a bag, Grandmoms? I want to go back outside and pretend I am camping."
"Oh, indeed, I'll give you a couple extra to tide you over. Maybe you should tell her, Mama." Helen shot a mischievous glance at her daughter and went into the pantry.
"Tell me what, Mama?" Kim was every bit as curious as her mother, and Helen had to smirk, just a little. Trixie and Jim were more than a little worried. Now that they were parents, they often wondered why none of the Beldens, Wheelers or Lynches – or Regan and Ms. Trask – ever had a near coronary with their mysterious and dangerous adventures.
Trixie blew a curl out of her face before answering. "Well, we women began thinking about how much fun the guys were having during their day and night camping in the cabin. So we decided to have a ladies' vacation, too!"
"I don' wanna go shoppin'." Kim set her face in mulish lines. It wasn't fair if the boys had fun and the girls went to New York and she got dragged shoppin'.
"Well, let me tell you a secret. I don't wanna go shoppin' either." Trixie tugged on her daughter's curl, much as Jim pulled her golden ones. "How about a couple of days at Mead's Mountain?"
"I love you, Mama!" Kim ran smack into her petite mother, throwing her arms around her and hugging tightly.
"Here are your cookies, Kimmie." Helen handed the bag to her granddaughter and the picture they made was striking. Three generations of strong Johnson women.
"Mama, can I ask somethin' else?"
"Sure, honey." Trixie was measuring flour for the windmill cookies. Jim loved them, and she loved Jim, soooo…
"Are there any magic bells in Sleepyside?"
"Magic bells? Like ring-a-ding bells?"
"Yeah. Those kind."
"I never heard of any, honey." She glanced up at her daughter's crestfallen face. "Why?"
"I jus' thought there might be a magic bell." She wanted to tell her mama so bad, but it was a secret.
Helen removed a batch of fragrant cookies from the oven and expertly slid in the next sheet. "Oh, I think there is a magic bell in Sleepyside," she stage-whispered to her granddaughter.
Mother and daughter both tilted their curly heads in exactly the same manner and that inquisitive glint appeared in their identically-shaped eyes. "Where?" Two voices blended into one.
"Don't you remember, Trixie? A big red coat, a lost dog, a blizzard… Jim getting lost in the white-out. And somebody in this room ringing a magical bell that led him back to safety?"
"Mama?" Kim's eyes rounded with wonder.
"Oh, I almost forgot about that!" Trixie laughed. "Back a little while after your Daddy and I first met, my dog got lost in a blizzard." Trixie's blue eyes took on a soft, faraway look and Kim was enthralled. Mama and Daddy always had the bestest stories.
"So Daddy, Uncle Brian and I went out to look for him. And it was snowing, harder and harder, just like in Rudolph. We couldn't even see a few feet in front of us! We got lost in the preserve, and thought we would freeze to death, but just in time we found an old schoolhouse."
"Really, Mama? The old schoolhouse that Uncle Dan uses for supplies?"
"Yes, that very one. We broke in and got out of the blizzard. There was an old cast-iron stove in there but no wood. And we were freezing to death. Brrrrrr!"
"Honest, Mama? What did you do?"
"Daddy decided he would go to the woodpile and get some wood, but it was snowing soooo hard. We tied and old rope around his waist so that he could find his way back. But guess what? The line broke!"
"Oh, no!"
"Uncle Brian and I were yelling, but the wind was howling and the snow blowing. Daddy couldn't find his way back was going to freeze to death!"
"Then your Mama had the brilliant idea of ringing the old bell in the schoolhouse that used to call the kids to school in the olden days. She rang it and rang it and your Daddy followed the sound back to safety." Helen hunkered down next to Kim. "It was magic that your Mama thought of it and magic that your Daddy heard it in that terrible blizzard."
A beatific smile crossed Kimberly Frayne's angelic face. "That was good! A magic bell! Right here in Sleepyside! I love you, Mama. I love you, Grandmoms. Be back soon!"
Their little bundle of energy grabbed the bag she set down while listening to the story and went charging outside. "She has as much energy as you had at that age. The irrepressible Ms. Belden!" Helen put a slender arm around her daughter and hugged her, eyes watering a bit.
Trixie hugged her right back. "Right now, I wish I had some of it back, Moms. Ready to start the next batch?"
Kimberly went charging up the hill to her new, impatient friends. "We thought you were gone forever." Pru was angry. She was tired, she was hungry, and she wanted to go back to the North Pole.
"Here's some cookies." Kim thrust the bag at them. Pru opened it up and took out two large cookies, giving one to Milly and chowing down on the other.
"They're good!"
"I think I know where the magic bell is!" Kim made the announcement and bowed. It was enough to make the other two stop chewing.
Prudence narrowed her eyes. "Where?"
"Finish eating and then follow me. I know where." Kim glanced back at Ten Acres. She was never, ever supposed to go into the preserve by herself. She would actually be disobeying Mama and Daddy. And maybe Santa wouldn't come and visit her this year because she was so naughty.
But she had to save Christmas for everybody else. She took a deep breath and walked into the woods.
"It's scary here." Milly shivered. Although the sun was still up, the dense forest closed in around them.
"Yeah, Daddy always takes me, or one of my uncles." Kim, Pru and Milly drew closer to each other. There was the smell of fresh pine, and the bare branches of the trees appeared to be long, grasping fingers.
"We should sing," said Pru. "That will make us not as scared."
"Sing what?"
"How about Christmas carols?"
The other two girls' faces brightened, and the three little ones followed the trail, butchering the lyrics to every Christmas carol known along the way.
"It's Round young virgin," Kim was arguing.
"No, it's Brown John virgin," Pru disagreed. Kim was so silly.
They broke into the clearing and Kim pointed to the small building on the other side. It had a bell tower and was immaculately maintained. "Uncle Dan lives over that way. This usta be a school, a long, long time ago."
"Oh, I hope it's open," trilled Milly.
The girls approached the small building and Kim tried the door. "It's open!" She pulled the heavy door and sunshine spilled inside. The three looked at each other, eyes full of hope, and they entered.
There were stacks of totes inside, labeled feed, for the various animals that Matt Wheeler stocked in the preserve. Deer, trout, quail… although he didn't get to hunt much anymore, the trails and its denizens were kept in tip-top condition. There was the cast iron stove that Mama talked about.
A rope fell from the bell tower through a space in the ceiling, but Kim was devastated to find the steps partly boarded up. "Oh, no! How are we going to get up there to see if it's the magic bell?"
Milly smiled. "Just climb on my back and I'll get us up there."
Pru was dubious. "Are you sure, Milly? We might be too heavy."
"I'm not Rudolph's daughter for nothing!" Milly boasted. "Besides, I just ate those delicious cookies and I'm full of energy!" She knelt down and the girls climbed on.
Kim smiled, a secret smile. She bet that her brothers were having fun, but they weren't saving Christmas or riding a reindeer!
Milly trotted out of the schoolhouse and to the far side of the clearing; a few gallops later and they were flying! Kim and Pru held on tight as the tiny reindeer flew back into the building, past the boarded-up part of the steps, and right onto the landing and cupola that held the bell.
The girls' eyes rounded in disappointment. It didn't look magic at all! It was big with dark streaks on it, and there was no magic writing on it. It looked like what it was: an aged, tarnished old bell from long ago in an abandoned schoolhouse.
"It doesn't look real magic, does it?" Pru voiced their concern. "Just another bell. We failed."
"But my mama and grandmoms said it was magic," Kim insisted, her eyes welling up.
"Maybe the magic just went away," Milly sniffed. She walked over to the bell and a teardrop dripped onto it. She didn't notice that right before it landed on the bell, it changed into a sparkling snowflake.
Kim wiped at her eyes, as did Pru. "It is pretty, though." She touched the surface with her wet fingers, leaving finger impressions glowing brightly.
Prudence swept her own wet hand on it. "It is." She pulled her hand away. "Look!"
The others followed her pointing finger. Everywhere they touched, the bell was shining like the sun. There was the tiniest of rumbles and the shine blinked for a moment, like a sleepy person waking up fluttered their eyes.
The shine dulled down to a soft glow, and three little mouths bowed into an O as the girls watched the bell reveal its startling beauty. Tiny crystal snowflakes, nature's most beautiful wonder, appeared where their tears had awakened it.
The shadows and shine shifted until there was a bas-relief map of the globe encircling the bell. Around the center of it, images of children overlaid it, all joining hands to completely circle the globe.
Then words appeared on top. Et In Terra Pax.
"I wonder what that means?" Kim breathed. It was the true meaning of Christmas, and she didn't understand.
"It means Peace on Earth." A deep voice rumbled out from the far corner of the little room, and Santa stepped into the bell's warm glow. "You did it, girls. You saved Christmas. I'm so proud of you all."
"Santa Claus!" Kimberly was in awe of the smiling, white-bearded jolly man.
"In person." Santa's faded blue eyes twinkled at each of them in turn. "Milly, you may not have a shiny red nose, but you have a brave and true heart. I couldn't ask for more than that in a member of my team."
Milly dipped her head, her heart full to bursting.
"Prudence." He tipped up the little elfin face and smiled into awe-stricken lime-green eyes. "You are smart, kind and fair. And I think my elves need a bit of shaking up now and again. Someday you'll be a credit to your family and everyone will look up to you. Just because you're different doesn't mean you won't have a valuable contribution to make at the North Pole."
Pru's eyes glistened. "Really, Santa?"
"Really, my dear." Santa then approached Kimberly, tugging on a red-gold curl.
"Kimberly Frayne." He smiled in reminiscence. "I know your Mama and Daddy and Jamie very well. Your Mama helped me out and so did Jamie, and now, you. You'll be a great detective someday, just like her." He hunkered down and looked her straight in the eye.
"Sometimes we can't go places and do the things we want to do. But, instead of sulking or crying about what we can't do, concentrate on the things we can. Do you understand?"
Kimmie nodded her head. "Like I was mad 'cause I couldn't go camping, but I can go to Mead's Mountain. And I won't have to smell any Christmas Farts."
Santa was intrigued. "What's a Christmas Fart?"
"It smells like cookies and candy canes and wrapping paper," Kim explained.
Santa boomed out his deep laugh until his belly shook and he had to wipe the tears from his glasses. "I'll have to remember that to tell Mrs. Claus." He peered at the bell. "Time to get the bell returned to the North Pole, and you two, too." He glanced at Pru and Milly. "And you need to get back to Ten Acres," he said to Kim.
Santa spread his arms wide. "I'm so proud of my girls," he repeated. "Merry Christmas." His voice sounded very far away. "A very Merry Christmas!"
"Kim? Kimmie?" Mama was shaking her awake. "I didn't even hear you come in. Are you feeling all right, honey?" Trixie walked into the family room to find her energetic daughter sound asleep on the couch, and pressed her hand to Kim's forehead.
"Hi, Mama. Where's Santa?" Her sleepy green eyes fluttered around the room, and she wondered just how she got back home.
"Santa isn't coming for a day or so yet, baby girl." Trixie decided Kim felt cool. It must have been the crash after eating all those cookies. "Remember? Daddy and the boys will be home later on tonight, and tomorrow is Christmas Eve!" Trixie was ever thankful Jim suggested the little camping trip to get the boys out of her hair.
Even if she did spend most of the night wrapping endless gifts.
"Mama? Santa told me you're the best 'tective ever. And someday I'll be just like you."
Trixie smiled at her girl. "He did, did he? What else did he say?"
"That you and Jamie helped him, but me, Milly and Prudence, well, we saved Christmas."
Trixie's eyes grew wide. "How… how did you save Christmas? And who are Milly and Prudence?"
"Milly is a reindeer. Her daddy is Rudolph, but she don't have a shiny nose. Pru is an elf from the North Pole. Her daddy is Elmer, but she don't like green and she wants to eat a hamburger instead of desserts all the time."
Oh, gleeps.
"And how did you save Christmas?" Trixie asked faintly.
"We found the magic bell! It was in the old schoolhouse, just like you and Grandmoms said! It has to peal first in the North Pole so all the other bells in the world can ring and start Christmas. And it has the true meaning of Christmas on it."
"And what is that, Kim?' Trixie stroked her daughter's soft curls. A part of her was wondering just how her family became personal P.I.s to the North Pole.
Well, there were worse things to be.
"Peace on Earth, for everybody in the whole world. That's the true meaning. Not presents and stuff, but they are nice," Kim hurried to add.
Trixie grinned at her daughter. "You know, you are exactly right. Come on, baby. Let's gather up Grandmoms and head over to Wimpy's. I could use a hamburger.
One that we didn't make ourselves." And maybe a stiff drink, but that won't be until after Jim gets home with the troops.
"Mama, can I leave a hamburger for Prudence on Christmas Eve? Maybe Santa could deliver it to her. And some special cookies for Milly?"
"Yes, you may, honey. Now let's wash up and skedaddle out of here."
Jamie, Justin, Alex, Bailey and Finn Frayne tried as hard as they could to tease their sister. They thought there was nothing more amusing that seeing the fireworks their spirited sibling exhibited when she just about had enough.
However, not even teasing her about the fact she wanted to leave a hamburger and special cookies out for Santa elicited more than an I-know-something-you-don't-know grin from her angelic face.
What the heck happened when they were gone overnight? Who was this changeling left in her place?
Jim raised a copper brow when he saw Kim put her special plate out and mouthed the words to his Trixie. "How come a hamburger?"
He just received a secret smile in return.
Kim wanted to stay up to hear Santa arrive. She wanted to so much, 'cause maybe Pru and Milly would be along for the ride! When Mama and Daddy came to tuck her in, she whispered as much to them.
"Honey, you know Santa won't come if you're awake." Jim sat on the side of his daughter's frilly little bed and tugged her curl. Just like he did to her mama.
"Why, Daddy? He commed when we found the magic bell." Kim clapped a hand over her mouth. It was s'posed to be a secret.
"Magic bell?" What on earth was his little girl talking about?
"Tell you later," Trixie whispered.
"Mama, you don't think Santa won't leave me a present 'cause I went to the schoolhouse with Milly and Pru, do you? I've been a good girl allll year."
Trixie kissed her girl, noting the look of confusion on Jim's face. "Well, little one, goodness is a matter of interpretation," she said dryly. "But I don't think your little adventure will have any impact on what Santa does. You helped save Christmas!"
"Yeah! I did! Milly and Pru, too. I love you, Mama. I love you, Daddy."
"We love you too, Kimmie. Now get some sleep! It's Christmas tomorrow!" Jim brushed his lips across her soft, warm brow.
Mama and Daddy left, and Kim was so excited she lay in bed for the longest time, unable to sleep. Long days of eating tons and visiting friends and family began to take their toll on the little girl, and she finally dozed off.
It was midnight when the distant sound of bells tolling the advent of Christmas Day woke her. She thought she heard the sound of hooves on the roof of Ten Acres. She jumped out of bed and crept to her window seat, just in time to see Santa's sleigh streaking through the clear, cold skies.
"Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas, little Ms. Kimberley Frayne. I'll see that Milly and Prudence get their special treats."
"Thank you, Santa," she whispered, enthralled. It wasn't because there were presents underneath the tree downstairs. It was because Pru and Milly would get something special from her on this day, too.
Kim climbed back into bed. Peace on Earth.
Yeah. She could do that, even with five exasperating older brothers.
'Cause after all, she and the girls saved Christmas.
"Merry Christmas," she murmured to the Universe. "Peace on Earth."
Her tiny voice rose into the night sky, joined by the millions of other whispered wishes. And somehow, it felt exactly right.
The End!