Mai did not know when she had fallen asleep, but when she woke up, she heard the faintest sound of jingling bells and childish laughter. The smell of peppermint and gingerbread entered her nostrils, causing her stomach to growl. She felt blissfully warm alone inside the sleigh.
"Come on."
Mai's bleary eyes focused on the boy claiming to be Santa. He stood in the doorway of the shed where the sleigh was parked. He had his arms folded across his chest, tapping his foot in impatience.
"Where are we?"
"The North Pole of course. This is Santa's grotto."
The pom pom of his hat had fallen in front of his eyes. He flicked it over his shoulder and turned on his heel, leaving the shed.
Mai scrambled from the sleigh to follow his retreating figure.
The building was composed of strong wooden logs covered in a blanket of snow, framed with icicles reaching down from the tiled roof. It had a charming quality of wintry bliss. Beyond the cold snow, a warmth radiated from the doors that Santa opened.
"Where are you taking me?" Mai asked. When he did not respond, Mai asked another question, "Is Santa your actual name?"
"No."
"What's your real name? And why aren't you old? Isn't Santa supposed to be an old man?"
He led her into a large room and pointed to a chair. Mai sat, pouting.
"Ayako!" he called. "Where are you?"
"I'm busy!" a screech replied.
"I have a severe case of hypothermia for you to deal with."
"You what!?"
A woman stormed into the room like a hurricane. The woman's ears were pointed and stuck out slightly from her flaming hair.
"You brought back another street rat for me to deal with, didn't you?"
Mai watched, expecting not-Santa to look somewhat guilty.
He did not.
Instead, she felt guilty for being there.
"I can just leave…" she mumbled. "I don't want to be in the—"
"You will lie on that medical bed right now," Ayako stated, pointing. Mai did as she was told.
"Noll, this is not acceptable! You can't just bring back every stray you fancy!"
"I'm not a stray!" Mai objected.
"Shut up, urchin."
Mai cowered, glancing away from the woman, upset by her vicious words.
Ayako had already turned back to... Noll? Was that what she had called him?
"She was going to die."
"Yes and you swooped in and now I have to do a medical. This should be my time off. No one is supposed to be working now. Christmas Eve is over!" Ayako complained, returning her attention to Mai. "This brat is skinny and rude and you want me to nurse her back to full health no doubt."
She pulled on gloves and stomped over to Mai with a thermometer.
"Open up," she ordered and poked the thermometer in Mai's mouth. "She's freezing. Where did you find her?"
"Streets of Tokyo."
Ayako pursed her lips.
"Get me a hot drink and some chocolate."
"I am not your assistant elf," Noll objected. "Get them yourself."
"Do you want her to die?"
Noll grumbled and left.
"Am I going to die?" Mai whispered. She did not feel like she was about to wither away.
Ayako's face remained in a deep frown as she checked Mai's vitals and gathered together some blankets. She surrounded Mai with so many that Mai felt like she was in her own personal igloo.
Noll returned a minute later with a cup of tea and the largest bar of chocolate that Mai had ever seen.
"You used a Christmas Miracle on her," Ayako accused.
"She was going to die," Noll repeated.
Ayako took the drink from him and passed it to Mai.
"Drink."
Mai drank.
"Was I wrong?" Noll asked.
"Judging from her state now, if you had not, she would have died."
Fortunately, Mai was too busy drinking to hear her words.
"She needs some warmer clothes," Noll said.
"I'll find something."
Ayako left.
"Eat."
Mai downed the rest of her tea and took the chocolate bar.
"Do you eat sweets every day?" she asked through a mouthful.
"No."
"Oh, so why are you so fat?"
"I'm not."
Mai raised an eyebrow and pushed an arm out of her blanket bundle to prod Noll in the stomach.
He rolled his eyes in reply and pulled off his hat. The white beard began to recede.
Noll proceeded to undo the buttons of his jacket. As he did so, his body deflated like a balloon. As Noll pulled off the jacket, he revealed a skinny, thermal top clad body.
Mai's mouth fell open in shock.
"It's magic…" Mai mumbled.
Noll pulled the jacket back on, but did not do it up. Mai noticed as white stubble reappeared on his chin.
Ayako reappeared with an armful of clothes.
"Here, put something on."
"I'll wait outside." Noll departed.
Mai pulled off her ragged clothes and pulled on new warm tights, a skirt, a t-shirt and a baggy, wooly jumper. Ayako also provided her with some fur-lined boots.
"That'll do," Ayako muttered.
Mai grabbed the chocolate bar and offered her a piece.
"Here."
"Thanks," Ayako said gruffly. Some of her anger dissipated as the chocolate hit her lips. "I don't mean to sound hateful towards you. Only, Noll has a habit of bringing starving orphans home and expecting me to nurse them all back to health."
"But isn't that good?"
"When they live it is," Ayako admitted. "But not all of them do."
Mai frowned, then hugged Ayako as best as she could.
"I'm sure you do your best though! And I bet every person you've saved is as grateful as me," she mumbled.
A small smile graced Ayako's lips..
"Go on, he'll be wanting to show you around," Ayako said. "Keep drinking warm things and eating sweet food. If you feel worse, come back, okay?"
"Will do."
Mai beamed up at Ayako before skipping off to the door, chocolate bar in hand.
"You look less like a street rat now," Noll commented, standing against the wall by the door.
"Yup," Mai agreed. "Where are we going next then, fake-Santa?"
"Really?" Noll rolled his eyes. "You've seen all this and still don't believe I'm real?"
"This could all be a hallucination," Mai pointed out as she squinted up at him. "I mean I've never tasted chocolate as good as this in real life!"
"I doubt you've had real Belgium chocolate before," Noll said dryly. "Come on."
And, with that, he strode down the corridor. Mai sighed, took another bite of her chocolate and followed after him.
Check out this story on youtube!
Thank you for reading and please review!