Introduction:
Christmas used to be a wonderful time of the year for the Andies family. Ever since the two parents decided to hate each other nothing ever went right. They bought small fake tress every year instead of going to buy a real one. Viviane (Vivs) was now the only one who bothered to put ornaments on. They no longer went caroling. True, they got as much presents as the next kid, but now that everything else was gone they didn't seem to matter that much.
Viviane's two twin brothers, who were six, even stopped believing in Santa. They say it's because they were two old, but Viviane knew the real reason. Every Christmas they'd ask Santa to bring their parents back together, but nothing ever happened. Not even Vivs seemed to believe in him anymore.
Well, Vivaine was sixteen, and usually by that age kids stopped believing. But her mind worked different. She believed Santa was more of a Christmas miracle worker of some sort, and since her wishes never came true, her Christmas spirit seemed to die.
"This is not good, Santa." said Bernard one Thanksgiving.
"I know. She was such a nice girl. They're a nice family. Those parents have really ruined their holidays and they don't even realize it." said Santa. They were sitting down to talk about it with Curtis, the number two elf, trying to figure out what to do.
"Well, I have been trying to make a plan ever since those kids' wishes started arriving."
"And what plan is that?" said Curtis, staring at Santa intensively.
"I was thinking we should send one of our elves down there to spread a little magic." said Santa proudly. Curtis immediately jumped from his chair and bows to Santa.
"That is a most wonderful idea. I would be glad to take the job."
Santa laughed, and Bernard rolled his eyes. "That's very kind of you, but I was thinking of sending Bernard." Curtis's mouth fell open.
"What a minute. You want to send me down there? But what about my job here?" said Bernard, and Curtis began to smile again. "I'll take it over!" he said.
"No way!" said Bernard. "Santa, I can't do it. I have too much work here!"
Santa leaned over to Bernard with a grin and whispered, "Look, Curtis came take over your duties for a while. It's not like I'll give him the job. There's no way he'll get your job after you do something like this." he winked, and leaned back and saw Curtis quickly move back to his seat after eavesdropping.
Bernard sighed. "I guess your right, Santa. Oh all right I'll do it."
"Please to hear it. Curtis, you can fulfill his duties while he's gone. I'm trusting you on this." Santa said, giving Curtis a look.
"I'll do my best sir." said Curtis, smiling smugly at Bernard. Bernard gave him a look back and then whispered to Santa, "You better be right about him not getting my job."
"Trust me." he said, patting the head-elf on the shoulder.
*
Santa pulled down the map along the wall in the small room and slapped a long stick onto an area of it. Bernard even jumped a little at the loud sound of it.
"You are here." he said, his stick slapping the area of the North Pole. "The Andies live here." this time he slapped the stick on the area of Massachusetts. Bernard nodded.
"How long do you think it will take you to restore the Christmas spirit in this house?"
"Depends on the children." said Bernard.
"We have one month until Christmas. If you don't succeed this year, you'll have to keep trying for next year. I'd say you should leave tonight and try to get the kids on your side of the fence, then after you do that maybe you'll be able to continue your mission a little easier."
"What if they don't want me to leave?" pointed out Bernard. "I mean, there's two six year olds in there that probably would want to keep an elf."
"Good point." said Santa, shifting to a thinking position. "I'd say just work with Vivs then. She can maybe work with her brothers a little easier. She's sixteen, right?"
"Yes sir."
"Hmmmm...." he started to stroke his beard. "Yes. I'd say work with the girl. Then maybe you can work with her brothers and see what happens.......Do you think that will work?"
"Look Santa, I want to help the family as much as you do, but I can't abandon the elves! What if they need my help? Curtis won't be able to help them!"
"I'm sure Curtis will do just fine."
*
"Get back to work! What are you doing? Get back to painting! Christmas is in a month people! Get to work!" Curtis was yelling over the noise of hammers and murmurs of the elves. He stood tall and looked proudly around the room. Then he chuckled. "I've got Bernard's job. HEY, you, yeah you, get back to work!"
*
Bernard looked at Santa uncertainly. "All right. I'll see what I can do. Just don't let that Curtis invent something else that'll try to ruin Christmas." he looked at Santa seriously, but Santa only laughed.
"I don't think he'll try anything like that ever again."
"Santa."
"Bernard."
"Santa!"
"Bernard!"
"SANTA!"
"All right. I'll keep an eye on the elf, and I'll get Carol to watch him as well."
Bernard let out a sigh of relief. "All right. But I'm still not very happy about having to leave."
"Relax! You'll be able to come back whenever you want. You can flip back and forth from one place to another, can'' you?""
"Yeah." he said, almost carelessly.
"Bernard, I know you'll be able to help Vivs. Why do you think I want you to go? You're my number one elf! Don't forget that."
Bernard smiled a bit. "All right all right! I'll go. But if you need me you know how to contact me."
Santa grinned as he lifted his arm to show a brand new watch Bernard had made, where the two could communicate when they were in two different places and one of them was needed. Bernard had one too.
"Well, best on my way." he said.
"Knock 'em dead!" Santa said, then he waved as Bernard disappeared into sparkly snow-looking dust.
Christmas used to be a wonderful time of the year for the Andies family. Ever since the two parents decided to hate each other nothing ever went right. They bought small fake tress every year instead of going to buy a real one. Viviane (Vivs) was now the only one who bothered to put ornaments on. They no longer went caroling. True, they got as much presents as the next kid, but now that everything else was gone they didn't seem to matter that much.
Viviane's two twin brothers, who were six, even stopped believing in Santa. They say it's because they were two old, but Viviane knew the real reason. Every Christmas they'd ask Santa to bring their parents back together, but nothing ever happened. Not even Vivs seemed to believe in him anymore.
Well, Vivaine was sixteen, and usually by that age kids stopped believing. But her mind worked different. She believed Santa was more of a Christmas miracle worker of some sort, and since her wishes never came true, her Christmas spirit seemed to die.
"This is not good, Santa." said Bernard one Thanksgiving.
"I know. She was such a nice girl. They're a nice family. Those parents have really ruined their holidays and they don't even realize it." said Santa. They were sitting down to talk about it with Curtis, the number two elf, trying to figure out what to do.
"Well, I have been trying to make a plan ever since those kids' wishes started arriving."
"And what plan is that?" said Curtis, staring at Santa intensively.
"I was thinking we should send one of our elves down there to spread a little magic." said Santa proudly. Curtis immediately jumped from his chair and bows to Santa.
"That is a most wonderful idea. I would be glad to take the job."
Santa laughed, and Bernard rolled his eyes. "That's very kind of you, but I was thinking of sending Bernard." Curtis's mouth fell open.
"What a minute. You want to send me down there? But what about my job here?" said Bernard, and Curtis began to smile again. "I'll take it over!" he said.
"No way!" said Bernard. "Santa, I can't do it. I have too much work here!"
Santa leaned over to Bernard with a grin and whispered, "Look, Curtis came take over your duties for a while. It's not like I'll give him the job. There's no way he'll get your job after you do something like this." he winked, and leaned back and saw Curtis quickly move back to his seat after eavesdropping.
Bernard sighed. "I guess your right, Santa. Oh all right I'll do it."
"Please to hear it. Curtis, you can fulfill his duties while he's gone. I'm trusting you on this." Santa said, giving Curtis a look.
"I'll do my best sir." said Curtis, smiling smugly at Bernard. Bernard gave him a look back and then whispered to Santa, "You better be right about him not getting my job."
"Trust me." he said, patting the head-elf on the shoulder.
*
Santa pulled down the map along the wall in the small room and slapped a long stick onto an area of it. Bernard even jumped a little at the loud sound of it.
"You are here." he said, his stick slapping the area of the North Pole. "The Andies live here." this time he slapped the stick on the area of Massachusetts. Bernard nodded.
"How long do you think it will take you to restore the Christmas spirit in this house?"
"Depends on the children." said Bernard.
"We have one month until Christmas. If you don't succeed this year, you'll have to keep trying for next year. I'd say you should leave tonight and try to get the kids on your side of the fence, then after you do that maybe you'll be able to continue your mission a little easier."
"What if they don't want me to leave?" pointed out Bernard. "I mean, there's two six year olds in there that probably would want to keep an elf."
"Good point." said Santa, shifting to a thinking position. "I'd say just work with Vivs then. She can maybe work with her brothers a little easier. She's sixteen, right?"
"Yes sir."
"Hmmmm...." he started to stroke his beard. "Yes. I'd say work with the girl. Then maybe you can work with her brothers and see what happens.......Do you think that will work?"
"Look Santa, I want to help the family as much as you do, but I can't abandon the elves! What if they need my help? Curtis won't be able to help them!"
"I'm sure Curtis will do just fine."
*
"Get back to work! What are you doing? Get back to painting! Christmas is in a month people! Get to work!" Curtis was yelling over the noise of hammers and murmurs of the elves. He stood tall and looked proudly around the room. Then he chuckled. "I've got Bernard's job. HEY, you, yeah you, get back to work!"
*
Bernard looked at Santa uncertainly. "All right. I'll see what I can do. Just don't let that Curtis invent something else that'll try to ruin Christmas." he looked at Santa seriously, but Santa only laughed.
"I don't think he'll try anything like that ever again."
"Santa."
"Bernard."
"Santa!"
"Bernard!"
"SANTA!"
"All right. I'll keep an eye on the elf, and I'll get Carol to watch him as well."
Bernard let out a sigh of relief. "All right. But I'm still not very happy about having to leave."
"Relax! You'll be able to come back whenever you want. You can flip back and forth from one place to another, can'' you?""
"Yeah." he said, almost carelessly.
"Bernard, I know you'll be able to help Vivs. Why do you think I want you to go? You're my number one elf! Don't forget that."
Bernard smiled a bit. "All right all right! I'll go. But if you need me you know how to contact me."
Santa grinned as he lifted his arm to show a brand new watch Bernard had made, where the two could communicate when they were in two different places and one of them was needed. Bernard had one too.
"Well, best on my way." he said.
"Knock 'em dead!" Santa said, then he waved as Bernard disappeared into sparkly snow-looking dust.