Christmas Wish
Chapter 1
"Did you make a wish?" Johanna asked her daughter.
Kate looked at her like she was crazy. Why should she make a wish before opening her one and only present? Granted, she only had one mother and one father, and she had bought each of them a present. Still, why make a wish?
Johanna tried again. "Humor me, Katie. You never know when it might come in handy. It's Christmas."
"Fine." Kate would humor her. So she closed her eyes and worked on what her wish should be. She decided on something stupid.
"There. I made my wish. For all the good it will do," Kate added softly but not soft enough given she saw the look on her mother's face. "And I'm not going to tell you what it is."
"Good, and I don't want you to tell me, or it won't come true," Johanna countered.
Kate carefully opened her one and only present. It was in a box that was about the size of a pair of shoes. She thought it would be a pair of shoes. She could use a good pair of shoes and was hoping they were high heels.
What she saw was an envelope that was inside a lot of paper. She was confused as she pulled it out and looked at her parents for an explanation. Seeing she wasn't going to get one, but they were interested in it, she set the box aside and carefully opened the envelope.
Inside she found an airline ticket. She looked it over. "PARIS! It's an airline ticket to Paris!" Kate looked at her parents in disbelief.
Johanna smiled. "Merry Christmas, Katie."
"You'll note that it's dated the first week you get out of school," Jim pointed out.
Kate looked at it. Sure enough, the ticket was for the first week she was out of school, the first week off from Stanford.
"There's more," Johanna told her.
That had her looking in the box for more, and she came up with a sheet of paper. Looking it over, she saw that it was a booking for a hotel room in Paris for the week. "You got me a hotel room?"
Stunned, Kate stared at them. "This says Shangri-La Paris."
"It's for a room with a king-size bed, and it has a view of the Eiffel Tower," Jim told her. They were proud of their decision as to where she should stay.
Kate sat there with her mouth open. Finally, she closed it. "Thank you!" Eventually, she got to her feet and hugged her mother and father.
She sat back down and looked at the sheet of paper. She would look the place up later to see more about it.
"You're welcome, honey," Johanna said, "and we love you so much."
Kate felt tears starting to well up. Her parents were sending her to Paris – by herself! She was going to be on her own. They trusted her to do it alone.
Kate clutched the paper to her chest and felt more tears starting. "Thank you, and I love you too."
~oo0oo~
Christmas day Kate spent touring the city she loved. She did some window shopping, and while most places were closed, a few were open.
She came home for dinner. "How was your day, Katie-bug?" Jim asked.
"It was nice. Almost every place was closed, though not all of them. I didn't buy anything, didn't spend any money, but it was nice," Kate responded. "What's for dinner?"
"You'll have to ask your mother," Jim reminded her. "She's the cook around here, you know."
"Of course." She hugged her father. How she felt was left over from the Christmas present she had gotten. "What's for dinner, Mom?"
"Buddha Bowl," Johanna replied.
Kate took a look and saw a lot of vegetables. "That's new. What is it?"
Johanna rattled off the list of ingredients for her. "It has a cubed sweet potato, extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling, a watermelon radish or two red radishes, a couple medium carrots, some shredded red cabbage, just a squeeze of lemon juice, and kale leaves. Also, brown rice or quinoa, cooked chickpeas or lentils, sauerkraut or other fermented veggies, sesame seeds or hemp seeds, Turmeric Tahini Sauce, microgreens which are optional, and sea salt along with freshly cracked black pepper."
"It's vegan," Kate noted with distaste. It sounded terrible.
"Don't knock it till you try it," Johanna chided.
"Whatever you say." Kate would reserve judgment until she tried it, then she'd order a pizza.
~oo0oo~
Kate tried it, made a face of disgust, and ordered a pizza. Jim joined her. Only Johanna ate it, and she put the leftovers in a Tupperware container for later.
Except later turned out to be never. And those leftovers ended up in the trash.
~oo0oo~
Kate was packed for her trip back to Stanford. "You'll meet us at the restaurant, yes? 8:00 pm."
"Yes, I'll meet you at the restaurant," Kate replied and rolled her eyes. "8:00 pm on the dot."
"Good, because your father and I have something to tell you," Johanna told her. She kissed her cheek. "We love you."
"I love you too," Kate told her and looked at her funny. Usually, her mom didn't act anything like this.
They were leaving at 6:00 pm and would meet her at the restaurant.
It was January 9, 1999. Kate needed to return to school, so this evening would be the last time they would be together for a while. Her dad would leave for work while her mother would delay going to work and see her off.
~oo0oo~
It was 7:00 pm when there was a knock on her front door. Kate was just about ready to meet her parents at the restaurant. She opened the door to a stranger and saw the gun. She felt the bullets impact her body, but she barely recognized what they had done to her.
There were three shots, and everyone of them hit her in the chest. Almost immediately, Kate crumpled to the floor and took her last breath. The man closed the door and left her lying there.
Kate wasn't found until the police came to the house in response to the murders of Johanna and Jim Beckett.
~oo0oo~
Kate woke up in a twin bed in a room she didn't recognize. She saw another twin bed with someone sleeping in it. A roommate? Kate quietly got out of bed and looked around. Nothing she saw made sense. The entire room looked like Christmas had exploded in it. There was even a tree with decorations and little lights everywhere. The tree didn't have any presents under it that she could see.
Her roommate appeared to be dead to the world. She was in pajamas that had a Christmas motif. Still, nothing made sense. Kate saw a towel and a toiletry set that included shampoo.
She decided to use it while using the toilet. She opened the door and peeked outside. There was a hallway with a lot of closed doors. Her door was up near the front, so she decided to walk toward the middle and found a restroom.
Inside, toilets were on one side of the room, the sinks on the other along with six showers. There was no one in there. So, she used the facilities, washed up, and headed for one of the showers.
Taking off her pajamas, Kate folded them, put them on a shelf, and stepped into the shower. She looked herself over while she showered. She saw that she had long legs, small breasts, and clear smooth skin. Her hair was a warm chestnut brown and long, halfway down her back.
She used the towel to dry herself and put her pajamas back on. Then she gathered her supplies and hurried back to her room. Quietly opening the door, she saw her roommate was still sleeping.
She checked out her closet. Inside she found pants and shirts and a single dress. Her dresser, while small, held everything she would need. She found it odd that everything seemed to have a Christmas motif, even her underthings.
She slipped on a bra, panties, a pair of pants, and a shirt, followed by Christmassy decorated socks and comfortable flats.
Her roommate was still sleeping, so she headed out and went left instead of right.
Kate almost jumped out of her skin when she heard someone say, "I've been waiting for you." She took a deep breath to calm herself and saw a woman dressed in Christmas from head to toe. She was older, about her mother's age. But suddenly she couldn't remember who her mother was.
"Come with me," the woman ordered and called for an elevator. She held it open, waiting for young woman to join her.
"My name is Abagail. I'm in charge around here. Well, sort of in charge. You're new, so I'll show you around before assigning you to your space."
"Come with me," Abagail briskly directed once they reached the bottom. She walked outside, and Kate followed her. Kate saw a small building, far smaller than she thought was possible based on what she had seen thus far.
"This building houses the cafeteria. You will receive all of your meals here," Abagail said.
They went a little farther. "All of the shops are housed in this building. Whatever you need can be found here."
"And this building is where you will be working. It is the workshop. The next building over is another dormitory similar to yours." Abagail entered and didn't say another word, expecting the young woman to follow her.
Kate did follow her, not really understanding. Inside she found a massive space. She stepped outside to look the building over again before coming back in and staring at Abagail.
"All of our buildings are bigger on the inside. It saves space. You'll get used to it. Come with me." Abagail hurried off, forcing Kate to follow. She soon saw there were hundreds of people there. They were all sitting or standing at a station, each one busy making something.
Kate walked past several workplaces and stopped when Abagail did. "This is your station," Abagail said. "You will be making stuffed animals. Sew the pieces together and use this device to insert the stuffing."
Kate stared at her. "But I don't know how!"
"Yes, you do. Give it a try." She waited impatiently for Kate to sit down, and she watched her make one stuffed animal.
Kate was amazed at herself. She watched herself pick up piece after piece and sew them together. Then she put it on this device and inserted the stuffing. It was almost as if someone had taken her over and was making the toys.
"You see, you do know what you are doing. Lunch is at 11:30, and you are allowed up to one and a half hours. You work till 5:00. Then you go to dinner and have the rest of the day to yourself.
"Get started," Abagail ordered and walked away.
Kate watched her walk away and turned to look at her workstation. She noticed another girl to her left and one to her right. They seemed to be doing the same thing she was.
"I'm… Kate." She knew her name, at least.
"I'm Bridgett. Welcome to the world of being an Elf," she said and kept working.
Kate blinked. "ELF! …I'm an Elf?" she squeaked.
"You must be new here. We're all Elves." Bridgett waved her hand at all the others.
Kate finally looked around and saw that people working on something surrounded her. But only she and these two looked to be working on stuffed animals.
"You'll get used to it. I'm Lisa," the other young woman told her. "Better get to work, or Abagail will come down on you."
"I'm an Elf," Kate repeated. "Do you mean Christmas Elf?" she asked Bridgett.
Bridgette nodded. "Yes, we're all Elves here. Male, female, and Lisa is right. Better get to work, or Abagail will be all over you. She's a hard taskmaster," Bridgett warned.
Kate gathered up some fabric pieces to sew. She was amazed that she knew what she was doing.
She had finished two animals. "I don't remember anything. I remember my name is Kate but nothing else."
"That's normal for a new person," Bridgett told her softly. "Some of it may come back to you, but it may not. You may never remember what you did before coming here."
Kate stopped working. "Never, as in not ever?"
"Possibly. You'll like being an Elf. Provided you like making things," Bridgett said.
Kate sighed and went back to making stuffed animals.
~oo0oo~
Kate heard a horn and everyone stopped what they were doing. "What was that?" she asked Bridgett.
"Lunch," Bridgett said. "Better come with me. We'll go next door to eat." And Kate followed her.
Kate walked next door, and entering the building, saw an enormous space full of tables. She followed Bridgett. Kate eventually picked up a tray and silverware and got in line. She pointed at something, and whatever it was, it was put on her tray.
She sat next to Bridgett and watched her start to eat. Kate looked around and saw lots of Elves, all of them talking and eating. It felt familiar save for the Elves, but she couldn't place it.
"I won't remember anything from before?" Kate asked again.
"It depends. You might remember almost everything, while you might not remember any of it. It happens to new people. Me? I was born here, so I remember everything," Bridgett told her.
Kate began to eat and found it pretty tasty. "This is really good."
"Of course! Elves made it. Elves are good at everything. There's nothing we can't make. Be it stuffed animals or be it a chef. You'll get used to it," Bridgett said, giving her new friend's hand a gentle squeeze.
~oo0oo~
Kate only spent half an hour eating. Since she had another hour off, she decided to go exploring, and started with the building, which was a shop. There she found shop after shop, and each one held something different.
She stopped at one of them. While she looked, she couldn't find any prices. She had to buy it, right?
Kate selected one and approached the Elf that seemed in charge. "This doesn't have a price tag."
"You must be new. Nothing here has a price. If you want it, you'll need to tell me your name and workstation. It gets applied to your station. Your station dictates what you can afford to purchase. If you can't afford it, you can't obtain it. Yet," she explained patiently. "Do you want this?"
"No, I just didn't find a price tag and asked. I'll put it back." Kate put it right back where she found it.
Now she was left with a question. Just what was her station, and how much did it afford her?
~oo0oo~
Kate returned to her station, thankful that she had been paying attention and could find it again.
"How much does our station afford?" Kate asked Bridgett since she was born here.
"It's on a scale. And since you're new here, you're on the smaller scale. This station can earn you anywhere from 12 to 36 points. Other stations earn you more points. You'll be closer to 12 points," Bridgett explained.
"How many points do you earn, if I may ask." Kate didn't want to make an enemy of her.
"I earn 28 points. I've been doing this for quite a while," Bridgett replied.
That told Kate she had a ways to go yet.
"How old are you? I'm…19 years old, I think." Kate hoped she remembered that, at least.
"I'm 18," Bridgett said. "We think Abagail is in her 50s or 60s. She runs this place."
"I see." Kate thought about that while she worked. She made animal after animal. Every finished animal went into a bin. She saw that Bridgett's bin had considerably more than hers.
~oo0oo~
Kate was amazed at the number of animals she made. Bridgett made more, but she thought she was doing well. And then she heard a horn telling her that her day was over.
She followed Bridgett to the cafeteria. Kate got in line, pointed at what she wanted, and it was put on her tray.
"Since I'm an Elf, is it safe to assume there's a Santa Claus?" Kate asked.
"Of course, though you may never see him. Even I've only seen him a few times. Oh, and those animals you made? Someone looks them over, deciding whether they were done correctly," Bridget said, not wanting her to be blindsided.
"So I may end up making them all over again?" Kate didn't like the sound of that.
"You might. You'll find out tomorrow," Bridgett told her.
"But I'm an Elf!" Kate thought that alone would make them right.
"Yeah, I get it," Bridgett agreed.
~oo0oo~
Kate still had time, so she went looking. There were more buildings that she didn't know anything about. Then she came across a gorgeous building next to a stable.
She decided to look at the stable, but she was stopped. "Can I help you?" the man asked.
"I was just interested. What is this place?" Kate inquired.
"You must be new here. This is the stable that houses the Reindeer," he said proudly.
"Reindeer." Kate blinked and shook her head. Surely not... "You mean like flying Reindeer?"
"Only during Christmas Eve. They don't fly any other time, but yes, those Reindeer," he told her.
"May I see, please?" Kate asked eagerly. "I only want to see them."
"Sure, why not. Follow me." He led Kate to them and stopped at the first stall. "This is Comet."
"Comet." Kate watched as he came close and stuck his nose over the edge of the gate. She reached out to pet him.
"Amazing," he murmured. He was quite surprised that Comet would let her pet him so freely.
"You're cute," Kate told him while petting his nose. "So soft," Kate whispered.
He was still taken aback that Comet would let her pet him so easily.
"Thank you," Kate told him. "Bye, Comet." Kate waved at him and left.
He stood there, so surprised. "What did she have, Comet? Why did you let her pet you?" he asked, but he didn't get an answer. Of course...
~oo0oo~
Kate returned to her room and saw her roommate wasn't there. She still didn't know who she was or what she did here. She was clearly an Elf.
While getting to her room, Kate spotted a space not far from the elevators that had a TV. So she retreated to that space. She realized she wasn't the only Elf here. She did notice that they were all female. She found a place to sit and settled down to watch TV. It turned out to be a movie.
She kept an eye on things as a few women got up, chose something to eat, and returned to sit down. So Kate got to her feet and explored the area. She located a place that held a few things. They were all snacks. She selected a bar that looked like it was full of nuts.
She watched the movie till the end, then returned to her room. She saw her roommate had arrived. "Hi."
She greeted Kate. "Hi, I'm Vicki."
"I'm Kate. I'm new here, or so everyone keeps reminding me."
"You'll get the hang of it. It's nothing to worry over. Just watch out for Abagail. She can be a little rough," Vicki warned her.