"The incident transpired just last night at this very laundromat," Tiffany Fluffit detailed to her cameraman Spike as he recorded her live for Channel 6 Action News, "when strong gusts of wind blew off the T of their "Happy Thanksgiving" banner."

Tiffany let out an almost plastic chuckle. "I guess they should be hankful they only lost one letter. Tiffany Fluffit, Channel 6 Action News."

Spike pressed the record button on his camera. "And that's a wrap."

Despite wrapping up filming, Spike noticed how Tiffany still had an unnatural smile and how her left eye had a slight twitch. "Emergency pillow?"

"Yes, please," Tiffany responded.

Spike opened up the back of the news van and retrieved a white pillow which he threw to Tiffany. She then let out a muffled, high-pitch scream into the pillow. When she finished, she breathed heavily as though she just reemerged out of water.

"Feel any better?" Spiked asked.

Tiffany sighed. "Not even close. I've worked for Channel Six News for nearly two years now, and I'm still where I've started: reporting. I didn't get apply here to just report on stories; I want to find the stories. I just don't understand why Wheeler doesn't see my passion for that."

"Uhh, you don't suppose it might have something to do with how forgetful you are at times?"

"Me, forgetful? You're joking," she protested, "I've got a near perfect memory."

Spike held his hand out with a skeptical look on his face. "Mind if I see your phone then?"

"Oh? Sure," Tiffany said as she shakily handed him her phone.

Spike instantly went to her reminder application and scrolled down the list of reminders she set. "Now, why exactly would a woman with a near perfect memory like yourself need to set reminders to lock her front door or charge her phone before bed?"

"I said 'near perfect memory,' not perfect."

Spike shrugged. "Whatever you say. I'm just your cameraman. Now, let's get a move on. We've got another serious Thanksgiving story to cover?"

This comment piqued Tiffany's interest. "Ooo, what is it?"

"Apparently, a car dealership's inflatable turkey fell on the dealership's cars."

Tiffany instantly scowled once the phrase 'inflatable turkey' was said.

The following day, Tiffany woke up to sunlight sinking through her blinds, a confusing sight for her since she normally leaves for work before sun rises. This occurrence made Tiffany rise out of her sheets.

"Why didn't my alarm go off?" She asked herself as she grabbed her phone off her nightstand. Despite repeatedly tapping on the screen, the phone didn't turn on.

"Shoot, I forgot to plug my phone in." With this realization, she jumped out of her bed and rushed to prepare for work. After grabbing her handbag and putting a piece of toast in her mouth, Tiffany ran out the door.

Once exiting her taxi, she ran into the Channel Six New office. Tiffany dodged and ran around her coworkers to make it to the elevator. When she arrived on the second floor, she searched through the rows of desks with writers vigorously typing behind computers and soon found her boss. Tiffany ran up to her on the second level's glass floors. "Mrs. Wheeler!"

Mrs. Wheeler wore her standard pale yellow suit. She sported a round face, yet it featured sharp detail, including almost rectangular eyes and a pointed nose which held a pair of glasses. She also had dark hair with a couple of grey strands tied into a bun.

She glanced over at Tiffany with a face of subtle annoyance. "Dolores?"

Tiffany chuckled at the misunderstanding. "Uhhh, no, my name is Tiffany."

"Oh, I could've sworn your name was Dolores."

"No, it's—it's definitely Tiffany."

Mrs. Wheeler began to walk away from her. "Well, whatever your name is, you're late."

Tiffany followed her. "Yes, I'm sorry about that. You see, I forgot to plug in my phone last night."

"Well, that's your own issue, Missy."

"I know. Nevertheless, I'm ready to get to work."

"Afraid you can't. I sent Gordon out with your cameraman, half an hour ago."

Tiffany's jaw dropped. "Gordon? Isn't he a web writer?"

"Yes, I also see it as a waste of his talents." Mrs. Wheeler looked at Tiffany's grimace and realized that she struck a nerve. "No offense, of course. So, it looks like you're out of a cameraman, and I'm out of an online editor."

Mrs. Wheeler began to walk away when Tiffany spoke up, "You have me."

Wheeler looked back at her and lightly sighed. "And what sort of experience would a reporter like you have with journalism?"

Tiffany stalled, surprised that she seemed interested in working with her. "Well, I wrote a few freelance articles for the City Times newspaper a few years back."

"They still make newspapers?" Wheeler asked with a belittling tone.

Tiffany smiled. "Yeah, I had that exact same reaction, too."

Wheeler stepped forward to Tiffany and placed her hand onto Tiffany's shoulder. "Do you like Christmas?"

"Uhh, most people do."

"Can you write me a Christmas-themed article by six O'clock? Those usually garner a ton of clicks this time of year."

Tiffany couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're serious?"

"I'm afraid so."

With that confirmation, Tiffany ran back to the elevator. "Thank you so much for this opportunity Mrs. Wheeler. You won't regret this."

"Too late," Wheeler said with a tone of dull dread, "I already am."

By eight o'clock, Tiffany walked into a familiar diner where she ordered a cup of coffee before finding a booth. She plugged in her phone and opened up her laptop to begin her Channel Six article debut. After opening a new document, she stared into her screen, waiting for an idea to appear in her mind. "Okay, what do I write about?" she asked herself under her breath.

She continued staring as she tapped her index finger on the table. The blank document screen reflected her face back at her, almost taunting her inability to find a gripping topic. To make matters worse, she glanced up at the laptop's clock. It was already 8:15 AM. It now hit Tiffany how much of an undertaking this article was.

Suddenly, it hit her: the best way to find the topic of her article. "When in doubt, take the controversial angle," Tiffany reminded herself.

She then looked beyond her laptop to a middle-aged gentleman with balding brown hair heading for the door with a cup of coffee in one hand and a muffin in the other. Before he could exit the diner, Tiffany ran out of her booth and cut him off. "Excuse me, Sir," she began, "would you mind taking a quick survey for the news?"

The man, dazed by her sudden appearance, merely nodded his head.

"Great! So, do you have any issue with the current holiday season?"

"No, not really," the man replied.

Tiffany was taken aback. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, I am. I have a well-paying job, a roof over my head, and a loving family. What more could I ask for?"

Tiffany's mind raced for a risqué question that would get a fiery reaction from the individual. "You certain? How do you feel about recent trends in seasonal greetings?"

"Huh?"

"Do you feel that far too many people are saying 'Happy holidays' in favor of 'Merry Christmas?'"

The man started to cringe. "It doesn't really matter to me, Miss. Now, will you please—"

"What about the holiday celebration itself?" Tiffany cut him off. "Do you feel as though the holiday season has become too commercialized as of recent?"

"A little, but I'm not gonna let it ruin my Christmas. Now, I would appreciate—"

"Is there anything that you feel is missing from your holiday season?" Tiffany's voice became more and more agitated.

"There is not! Now, I would like for you to—" the man paused. "You know, there is one thing I would like to see again."

Tiffany relaxed. "What is it?"

"Nah, you've probably never seen it."

"Try me."

The man sighed. "Well, years ago, there was this big, orange Christmas star that my parents used to take me to see somewhere around here. I don't remember where I saw it, but I remember my parents loved it."

Tiffany's interest dropped. "Do you know what it looks like?"

"No, I don't, but I think I have an old photo of it somewhere in my house. Mind if I contact you later about it?"

"Oh, sure, I guess." Tiffany pulled out a pen and a torn scrap of yellow notepad paper and wrote her phone number. "Here you go," she said as she handed him the paper.

He grabbed it from her. "Thanks, talk to you soon." After this exchange, he exited the diner.

Tiffany gave the subject some thought. She found the concept of searching for a fancy Christmas tree topper to be as insignificant as faulty inflatables, but she currently had no other topic to explore.

She returned to her laptop and typed 'big orange Christmas star' into her search engine and read through the results. Most of the search results were links to purchase Christmas tree toppers, but when she included 'LA' to the search engine, she came across a link to a forum post titled Anyone in LA Remember an Orange Christmas Star? Curious if this was the same star as the man described, she clicked on the link.

The forum post details how the writer wanted to find a specific Christmas decoration similar to one he saw on top of a hardware store as a kid. The writer describes it being a big orange star looking to be made of crystals. She also mentions searching dozens of thrift stores and every online resale site she could think of to track down that exact decoration with no success.

Once she read the main post, Tiffany dug into the comments for any clues. In doing so, she learned that many of the commenters had dubbed the star the Topaz Topper. This piqued her interest. It made this seemingly simple decoration sound like a valuable artifact, akin to the Zumpango Diamond or the MaraschinoRuby. The more comments she read from people who had vague memories of the topper, the more excited she became. Tiffany felt as though she was in on a great secret that very few knew about.

However, her excitement faded as many of the comments did not include any new information on the topper. Right as she scrolled down to the final comment, she saw that it was the only comment to have an attached photo.

This antiquated image gave Tiffany her first look at the elusive Topaz Topper. It resembled a large hexagram made of topaz crystals and encased in a metallic outline. The man she met also didn't lie: it was large. It was about a few feet wide and tall, perfect for topping large pine trees.

The image was also Tiffany's first lead: the photo showcased the star on the roof of a grocery store that resembled one located a few blocks from the diner. The only difference was the store in the photo's exterior had peeling paint which had since been repainted. She also had a close estimate to the date of the photo as the store's window had a sign reading See You in 1973.

With a new direction to her case, she closed and discarded her laptop and began to pursue the Topaz Topper.

Once Tiffany entered the grocery store, she checked her phone and discovered that it was 8:41 AM. She walked up the check out aisle for any cashier who might've been old enough to have worked at the store in 1972. She soon saw an elderly lady wearing the grocery store's uniform and began to approach her. "Excuse me, ma'am," Tiffany said to grab the woman's attention.

"How may I help you?" the elderly lady asked with a friendly voice.

Tiffany awkwardly looked from side to side. "Umm, this is going to sound a little weird, but did you work here in December of 1972?"

"No, I'm afraid to say; however, I've shopped here with my mom ever since the sixties."

"Okay," Tiffany revealed the old photo on her phone, "then, have you seen this star before?"

The woman leaned into the photo and squinted her eyes at it. "Yes, yes, I have seen that star before, not just here but at other stores throughout the years."

"At the same time?"

"No, it seemed as though the star changed location every year."

"Was one of those locations a hardware store, by any chance?"

"Yes, I believe it was."

Tiffany's heart raced with each question the lady answered. At this rate, she imagined finishing this article before noon. "Okay, do you know where it came from?"

"That, I don't know," the woman confessed.

Tiffany's hope of quickly finishing the article collapsed. "You have no clue where it originated?"

The lady stroked her chin for a brief moment. "I remember hearing that a former mayor bought it from a recently deceased woman, but I'm not sure if that's true."

"Where do you think it is now?"

"I don't know, but I know someone who might know."

"Who?" Tiffany pulled out her notepad to write the following information.

"Well, at city hall, there's an archive in the basement filled with old photos. I'm friends with the archivist. He might be able to find that star."

Great!" Tiffany grabbed the old lady's hand and shook it. "Thank you so much for your help."

"Anytime, Miss."

At 9:07 AM, Tiffany's taxi arrived at the steps of city hall. Upon entering, she approached the front desk. "Hello, I would like to know where I can find the archives."

The woman behind the desk looked at Tiffany as if she grew a second nose. "The archives? You know the internet exists, right?"

"I know but I'm looking for something that I can't find on it."

"Okay," the receptionist skeptically said. "Go down the hall on the right and the staircase down to it should be the third door on the left."

Tiffany followed these directions and took the staircase down into the basement. In there, the light flickered as she walked through the hallway with a single door at the end of it.

Tiffany knocked on the door. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Moments later, the door opened to reveal an old man with a tall, thin face and thinning hair. "Is this some sort of joke? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Uhh, no, I"m here to solve a mystery of sorts," Tiffany explained.

The man's eyes narrowed at her. "What kind of mystery?"

"The one about the whereabouts of the Topaz Topper."

The man growled. "What kind of joke are you pulling?" Shortly after, the man stopped growling. "Wait, do you mean…" the man retreated into the room, and Tiffany joined him.

The archive was a narrow room that looked as though it spanned a mile. Both sides of the room were covered in metallic file cabinets stacked on top of each other. Despite his age, the man ran through the room, occasionally stopping at almost every cabinet, opening it, looking through its contents, closing it, and moving on to the next cabinet.

"Wow, kinda cramped in here," Tiffany commented. "Ever considered just using a computer for this place?"

The man hissed at her question. "You can never trust those blasted gizmos. These files are built to last."

"Yeah," she chuckled, "until a fire starts."

The archivist's process took hours. It was a seemingly endless repetition of him reading through a cabinet's contents. Tiffany checked her phone twice during the process, and each time she did so, an hour had passed.

Finally, the man opened a file cabinet labeled with the letter M, Tiffany saw files for specific subjects that started with that same letter. He soon pulled out a file with a tab titled "Mystery Star," and handed it to her. "I believe this is what you're looking for."

Once Tiffany opened the file, she knew she was looking at the Topaz Topper jackpot. In the file were dozens of photographs of it decorating multiple establishments, including both the grocery store and a hardware store. Every photograph even had the year it was taken written in the corner.

As she looked through the photos, she noticed that the last few years of photos were taken at what appeared to be a shopping mall with the final photograph dating back to 1982. "You know what mall this is?" She asked before taking a picture of the photograph with her phone.

The archivist gave the photo a brief glimpse. "I believe that's the Westfield Mall, not too far from here."

Tiffany closed the file and handed it back. "Thank you so much for your time, uhh, what's your name?"

"Dave," the man responded.

"Dave, thank you." Tiffany ran out of the room.

On the bus ride to the mall, Tiffany studied the photo of the mall. The star sat upon a tree which itself stood between two staircases that both led to the second floor of the mall. Beyond the stairs was a fashion store on the left and an electronics store on the right that Tiffany presumed closed as the company went bankrupt in the nineties. She also noticed how the floor was hardwood and featured a pattern similar to that of the inside of a compass.

The bus arrived at the mall at 11:46 AM. Tiffany walked inside after admiring the stone fountain outside the entrance and journeyed through the mall to find the exact location from the photo. Halfway through the mall, she discovered the location of the photo. The staircases were replaced with elevators, and the electronics store was replaced by a bookstore, but everything else remained the same. A different tree stood in the spot with a different star on top, and a dark-skinned woman appeared to be preparing the area for visits with Santa. The woman's name tag had the name Jessica on it.

Tiffany approached her. "Hello, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Oh, of course," Jessica replied. "Hey, aren't you Tiffany Fluffit?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I love your work. I love how you always make the small stories so charming."

"Well, at least someone thinks that."

"So, what can I help you with?"

Tiffany pulled up the photo of the star. "Does this look familiar?"

Jessica studied the picture for a few moments. "Can't say that does. Wait," she gasped in realization, "I think I know what that is."

Tiffany's jaw dropped. "You do?"

"Yeah, now, I was only a girl back when this photo was taken, but my mom worked here. I remember one day in December, my mom was telling my dad about how someone stole the star on the mall's tree."

"Do you remember anything she said?"

"Yeah, she said whoever stole left behind a cheap star in its place with the letters SL painted on it."

"Do you know who stole it?"

"No, I'm sorry."

Tiffany frowned. Looks like the case went cold.

"But," Jessica began, "I'm gonna be working with someone in a few days who might have the connections to help you."

"Who?"

At the diner, Mr. Wolf and Mr. Snake were chatting over a late lunch. "So do you think the Yuletide was straight at one point?" Wolf casually asked Snake.

Snake never got the chance to answer as, before he could say, the two heard a tapping on the window next to them. They both turned to see Tiffany waving at them. They returned the favor with confused, half-hearted waves as Tiffany walked off to enter the diner.

"Hey, are you two busy at the moment?" Tiffany asked them. "I've been looking all over for you."

Wolf answered, "No," while Snake answered, "Yes." The two exchanged glares after this disagreement. "We have a little time," Wolf put forward as a compromise.

Tiffany nervously sighed. "Okay, do any of you know of a thief who's calling card is the initials SL?"

"Doesn't ring a bell, sorry," Wolf replied with an apathetic shrug.

"The Shoplifting Lord," Snake answered.

This time, Wolf and Tiffany were on the same page. "Who?"

"He was before both of your times. He was seen as something of a laughing stock within the criminal underworld. The guy was too much of a coward to steal truly valuable items, so he stuck mostly to swiping merchandise from stores."

"What did he steal?" Tiffany asked.

"Oh, nothing of significance: records, clothing, radios, pet rocks—"

"What's a pet rock rock?" Wolf interjected.

"Can you two stop making me feel old?" Snake shouted. "Anyway, one day, he starts telling the criminal world how he stole a priceless item hidden in plain sight, but no one believes him, thinking he just snagged something out of a jewelry store's clearance bin. Turns out he was telling the truth."

"So you know about the Topaz Topper?" Tiffany asked Snake.

"Do I know about it?" Snake let out a belly laugh. "I bought it!"

Tiffany's excitement hit an all-time high. "You did? How?"

"Well, a few decades passed, and the shoplifting lord disappeared from the criminal scene, but his loot remained out there, hidden in secret stashes all across the city. One day, a mob group came across one of his stashes in an abandoned storage bin, and they put it up for auction. Guess who won the lot?"

"You?"

"Me. The lot itself was nothing more than an embarrassing time capsule of the seventies, eighties, and nineties, but within all the retro knick knacks was a two feet high star coated in topazes."

Tiffany's face lit up at his story. "So you have the Topaz Topper?"

"Not anymore," Wolf intervened.

At that point, Tiffany made a mental note to stop getting her hopes up so quickly. "What happened to it."

"Well, after we became good, we saw to it that we returned everything we stole, and if we didn't know where to return something, we merely gave it away or donated it."

"Do you remember who you gave it to?"

"Oh, I gave it away to a mild-mannered citizen you've probably never heard of named—"

Tiffany made it to Diane's front door by 4:18 PM, and repetitively slammed on it.

After banging on it for nine seconds straight, the governor answered her door. "Yes, the door-knocking feature of my front door is still functional, Tiffany," Diane said with a confused look on her face.

Tiffany slipped past Diane and frantically looked around her house. "Umm, are you looking for something specific, or should I just call the police now?"

Without warning, Tiffany grabbed Diane by her shirt's collar. "Listen, Diane, I am on a tight deadline, and I need answers, like, now!"

Diane scowled. "Listen, if this is about that article you almost wrote, just remember the dirt I have on you."

"No, this is about a different article, one that needs to be written in less than two hours, so let's please make this quick. Look, Mr. Wolf told me that he gave you a star decoration, one made of topaz. Do you still have it on you?"

The confusion on Diane's face was more blatant than ever. "That's what this is about? Did you not see it when you came in?"

Tiffany loosened her grip. "What?"

Diane guided Tiffany to her front lawn and pointed at her roof. Sure enough, on her roof stood the Topaz Topper tied wrapped around in Christmas lights. Tiffany held up her phone to compare the star to the photograph, and they matched.

Tiffany suddenly hugged Diane as tightly as possible. "Oh thank you, so, so much, Diane."

"Yeah, don't mention it. Just ask to come inside next time."

Tiffany finally returned to her apartment by 4:57 PM. She sat down at her desk, opened up her laptop, and proceeded to stare at her keyboard for a few minutes. "So, where do I start?"

She looked up at her clock to see that she now had less than an hour to submit the article. She buried her head into her hands and groaned. "Now's not the time for writer's block."

Just then, her phone began to ring. Assuming it was Mrs. Wheeler, she snatched it off her desk and answered the call. "I'm working on it, okay?" She shouted into her phone.

"Uhh, hello?" The caller said.

Tiffany quickly recognized the voice as that of the man who suggested she look into The Topaz Topper. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought you were my boss."

"It's all good. So, what did you find?"

"Well, it got passed around a bit throughout the years, but I finally found it on the governor's roof."

"Wait, you found it!? That's terrific!"

"I know. Listen, I was wondering why you cared so much about it. I mean, it's pretty and all, but is it really that important to you?"

"That thing is more important to me than you could ever imagine."

Seeing his reasoning as important to the article, Tiffany put her phone on speaker mode and prepared to type. "Would you care to explain?"

"Of course, well, you see, that star is actually a family heirloom."

"Oh really?" Tiffany began typing.

"Yeah, It was actually made by my grandfather. He actually came to California to mine; however, you could never find anything worth selling. Luckily for him, a young lady let him stay in her home for as long as he needed. One day, my grandfather came across a massive deposit of topaz. He could've sold it, but instead, he used his topaz to craft a star to thank that lady helping him in his time of need. I don't think I need to tell you that the lady became my grandmother.

Before she passed away, she gave away most of her belongings, including the star. Years later, my parents were walking through the mall and suddenly stopped and looked up at this large, orange star atop a tree. I didn't understand then, but they broke down in tears at the sight of it. I guess I just wanted my family to see it, pass that moment down to my children."

Tiffany could not help but smile at the man's story. "Aww, that's really sweet. Thank you so much for your time. Oh, can I get your name for the article, if you're okay with me mentioning you?"

"I don't mind at all. My name's Allen."

"Okay, Allen, be on the lookout for that article soon. Thanks again, bye." Tiffany placed her phone back on her desk and began to type her article

The following day saw Wolf and Snake back at the diner sharing breakfast together. "You know, Home Alone would be a lot shorter if smartphones were invented then," Wolf observed when Tiffany walked up to them and held her hand out to Wolf.

"Can I see your phone, Wolf?" She asked.

Wolf unlocked his phone and handed it to her. Tiffany then began to swipe through his home screen. "Ooo, you have Diane as your wallpaper." This revelation led to Snake looking at Wolf as though he just betrayed him.

Tiffany opened Wolf's news app and pulled up an article before handing the phone back. "Here you go. Enjoy."

"Thanks," Wolf said as he grabbed his phone back, "but all five of us read it."

Tiffany gasped. "Really?"

"Yeah, one of the only articles from Channel Six News that I could stomach reading," Snake said. "I especially liked how you compared the story and meaning behind the star to your appreciation for everyone who helped you find it."

Tiffany scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, well, I couldn't have found it without them."

"So, what's next for you?" Wolf asked.

"Well, unfortunately, I'm back to reporting for now, but if that ever changes, I'll let you know."

"Mobile order for Fluffit!" An employee of the diner called out.

"Oh, that's me." Tiffany ran up to retrieve her order of two cups of coffee and a bagged muffin. "I'll be seeing you two. Thanks so much for your help yesterday."

Tiffany walked out of the diner and stepped into the news van. "Here." She handed one of the cups to Spike who sat in the driver's seat. Once she got inside and buckled up, she looked again at Spike. " You think it was too sentimental? Maybe it got a little sappy?"

"It was fine, Tiffany," Spike responded in a kind yet exhausted voice.

"Sorry. It's just that I'm so glad I had that opportunity to write that article. It felt great to show Wheeler what I'm truly capable of for once."

"Good thing you didn't charge your battery, huh?"

"Yeah, it sure—" Tiffany shot a suspicious glance at Spike. "How exactly did you know about that?" She gasped. "Did you delete the reminder to charge my phone? Why?"

"Well, the other day, Gordon came to me and told me how he wanted to try reporting for once. He said, 'For once, I'd like to just go to the stories.' Seeing that the two of you wanted to switch places, I figured I'd force Wheeler's hand by eliminating you temporarily by making you late. That way, Gordon could offer to cover for you, and Wheeler would have no choice but to let you write the evening article."

Tiffany instantly unbuckled her seatbelt and reached over to hug Spike. "You are the best cameraman a newswoman could ask for."

Spike smirked at her. "Anytime, Tiffany, anytime."

Tiffany got back into her seat and buckled her seatbelt. "So, ready to report on Christmas trees shedding needles too easily?" "Do you even have to ask?" Spike responded as he fired up the van's engine and drove out of the diner's parking lot.

"You know, Spike, I'm glad I have you." "Oh, so you're hankful for me?"

Tiffany blankly stared at Spike for a moment. "Yeah, I take it back: you're not so great after all."