Denmark had been incredibly enthusiastic about this route to begin with. After all, if he and Norway delivered gifts to the largest continent, that made them the biggest heroes in his mind. He had been incredibly disappointed when reality set in. Things weren't nearly as lively as he'd hoped.
"We've been on this route for an hour now, and we've seen more penguins than people!" Denmark complained.
"What'd you expect, Dane?" Norway asked as he gripped the reigns, "There aren't any natives here; the only people living here are scientists, explorers, and maybe a few of their families."
"But that doesn't make sense! It is such a large continent!" Denmark argued.
"Have you noticed the temperature? It'd be unbearably cold for anyone to live here. The elements would be too much for the average man or woman to withstand." Norway said calmly.
"I don't know, I think I could live here." Denmark said thoughtfully.
"I don't think your citizens would agree. Our countries may be cold, but nowhere near as harsh as life would be here." Norway replied.
"How cold is that?" Denmark challenged.
Norway smirked, "You really ought to brush up on the facts before starting an argument. The coldest temperature in world history ever recorded from the ground was in Antarctica, at Vostok Station… It was −89.2 ° Celsius."
Denmark's eyes widened, "Th-That cold?"
Norway nodded, "Yes. That cold. Not to mention this place gets next to no precipitation… it is effectively a frozen desert."
"Wait…then why are we on this route?" Denmark asked.
"There are still people, however few there are, that deserve Christmas cheer." Norway said calmly, "That and you're a sick person's worst nightmare."
"Well, I guess you're right. Everyone deserves a little excitement this time of year… no matter how insignificant they may seem." Denmark said.
"Just a minute now." Norway chuckled, "I never said the scientists living here were insignificant. Their research is actually quite important."
"Then what are you saying?" Denmark crossed his arms over his chest.
"You need to start thinking about the big picture, Dane." Norway replied.
"What?"
"The fact of the matter is, alone we aren't the heroes tonight. However, every little bit helps. We may be playing a small part ourselves, but as a group all of us are accomplishing a mission. A mission to bring good tidings and joy to everyone." Norway said.
Denmark sat in silence a moment, "Wow… I never realized you were so philosophical."
Norway shook his head in mild amusement and sighed," As usual, Dane. I think you've completely missed the point."
Cue end of Chapter 4: part 7, I believe. For those of you whom have grown up using Fahrenheit to measure temperature, like myself, Antarctica's coldest temperature translates to −128.6 °F… scary cold, right? There are a lot of sources that list Antarctica as uninhabited while others further explain there are some people living there… they just aren't native. I'm no expert, obviously, so I chose the latter option. Reviews rock and I'll see you next part!