Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects referred to in this story.

Chapter 35

Preparations

Jack looked up at the gruff elf. He couldn't believe he and the others were going to be punished for something they hadn't meant to do. It had been his fault that they had gotten into this situation in the first place. It had also been his idea to stay quiet and sneak back instead of asking for help. No way was he going to let the others get in trouble for his own mistake.

"All due respect, sir, but it's all my fault," Jack said. "We got lost when the train car disconnected while I was grabbing something of mine and wound up here by mistake. It's my fault we got lost, so don't punish the others."

The grown man's face became concerned. "Oh, we're not going to punish you. We knew you were in there the whole time. Why do you think one of the buttons on the pneumatic was marked? This kind of thing happens more often than you think."

The elf looked over at the man. "Way to ruin the mood, mate. Just a few minutes to let the lesson sink in, then inform them that they'll be fine. Is that too much to ask?"

"Not if they think it's real and they didn't mean to do it," the man replied

"So, we're not going to get in trouble then?" Anna asked.

The elf sighed. "You won't get in trouble with us, since this wasn't intentional. Just try to stay out of trouble for the rest of the night." He then reached a hand down to the group. "Now, up you go."

Soon, everyone was out of the bag. Jack turned his attention towards the elf, narrowing his eyes. "You look rather familiar."

The elf looked resignedly at Jack. "Yes, I get that a lot. Name's Warren, and that's Buddy," he said, pointing at the man.

Buddy waved. "Very nice to officially meet you all. We've seen you since the pneumatic, but it's great that we're finally meeting in person. Now it's time to get you down, without anyone getting hurt. We left all of our candy cane ladders at Warehouse-3, so we'll need another way down rather than climbing."

Jack looked down at the ground a few feet below him. A small smile lit up his face. "Hey guys, I have a fun idea to get down."

"Now hold on there, sir. I wouldn't be getting any ideas at this time. After all, you're not supposed to be here in the first place," Warren replied.

Jack turned to the elf. The elf might have had a point but that response was a little uncalled for. And there was still something very familiar about the elf that was bothering Jack.

The elf looked down, trying to hide a smile. "But you know what? Since it's Christmas, I'm gonna let you slide."

As the elf said this, he stuck one of his legs out, which suddenly seemed larger than before, and tripped both of Jack's legs. Jack found himself sliding down the sack all the way to the ground. Some elves stood below to steady him.

"Been looking for you all." came a voice.

Jack turned to see the Conductor coming over, a mixture of concern and seriousness plastered on his face. "Heard what happened. Both railway cars have been accounted for. There's no trace of any other black sand on the train or in the city, so we are guaranteed not to have any other accidents tonight. Are you ok?"

Jack nodded. "Glad to be on good old Terra Firma. Sorry we got lost."

"Couldn't be helped," the Conductor replied. He looked up. "I see the others are coming down."

Jack turned to see Elsa sliding down to join Anna on the ground. To his slight annoyance, Jack noticed that the others were sliding down on their own rather than being tripped into it. Still, it was nice to see the others were taking the fun way down.

Anna came running up. "Buddy wanted to apologize for Warren's behaviour. He said that it's been a busy night and Warren wants this whole thing wrapped up as quickly as possible."

Jack nodded, smiling. "Appreciate the apology. I can handle a harmless prank, though. Done a few myself in the past."

Elsa and Olaf came running over. "Are we too late?" Elsa asked.

The Conductor shook his head. "On the contrary, you're five minutes early. So, why don't we head back to the group, stay together, and put this whole kerfuffle to rest?"

Everyone nodded and followed the Conductor back to the group.

Elsa soon found herself on a small platform with the other kids. It had only been a few seconds since the Conductor had brought them back to the others. Elsa was glad that they hadn't missed anything.

In fact, the festivities were starting now. Elsa watched as a large band composed of elves and yetis stood on a balcony of a large building on the left side of the semi-circle. Several yetis and elves blew a big flourish on their trumpets, and the side doors opened.

A large parade came out. Warren the elf was leading the group with a baton, followed by several large reindeer. The reindeer were moving two by two, heading towards the sleigh. Their antlers were tall and their fur was pristinely brushed, giving off an air of majesty as they moved.

Olaf gasped. "Santa's reindeer! I can't believe it."

Elsa smiled. "It's quite a sight."

The procession started out smoothly, but soon the reindeer became restless. Several of them started to jump about, hovering in the air and getting higher and higher. Warren looked back, and with a sigh, grabbed the reins alongside several other elves. The reindeer pulled against the reins, but Warren and the elves moved them into position. In the process, Warren's hat came loose, only held in place by one of his hands. Elsa squinted, seeing Warren morph briefly into a rather large bunny, then back to an elf when the hat was put back firmly in place.

Elsa didn't have time to ask the others about it, though. The trumpeters blew another flourish onto their trumpets. Immediately, two lines of elves came out of the side doors below the choir, carrying rope. Elsa saw that bells of pure silver were attached to the rope, gleaming in the city lights. The elves carrying the bells started shaking the rope, ringing the bells. It was the most melodic sound Elsa had ever heard. A clear sound that seemed to surpass any church bells in tune and volume. A ringing that sounded so high, yet so beautiful at the same time. Elsa knew she would remember that sound for the rest of her life.

"There seems to be two bells missing," Olaf exclaimed.

"Hold on. I see one of the bells. Over there," Anna said.

Elsa looked over. Sure enough, one of the bells seemed to be floating over to the rope. It was being carried by a small creature that seemed to resemble a hummingbird. Blue and green feathers fit seamlessly onto the creature, making it appear much more colorful than any bird Elsa had ever seen.

"That's the fairy with the bell I saw near the pneumatic and who talked to me in the present pile," Olaf said.

Jack turned to Olaf. "You see the fairy?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I see it?"

Jack turned to the others. "Do you all see it as well?"

Elsa and Anna nodded. "Yes, we do," Anna said.

"Why do you ask?" Elsa queried.

Jack turned away. "I've heard not everyone can see those fairies. In fact, only a select few can see them. Those who can see them are able to see other things that are disbelieved by the world. Trolls, fairies, and other creatures that are normally invisible. The fact that you all can see them means… well, it means a lot to me."

Elsa could tell that while Jack was being truthful, he wasn't telling them everything. However, she could also tell that the subject was very personal to Jack for some reason. Elsa could relate, as there were personal topics that were hard for her to talk about. So long as this information didn't endanger Anna or the rest of her family, she was fine with letting it lie, at least until Jack was ready to talk about it

She turned back to the ceremony. The fairy attached the bell to one of the empty hooks and nodded to Warren. Warren nodded, pointing his baton to the choir.

The choir then rang out a final flourish on their trumpets. A sudden silence fell upon the crowd. Then one voice started singing. Then another. Then several more. Soon the song was taken up by the whole crowd. The classic Christmas carol Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Jack and most of the other kids joined in.

Once the first verse ended, the main doors of the building opened. The crowd went wild, as a radio version of the song played on loudspeakers. Just as the song had said, Santa Claus had come.

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