The Sneaky Little Christmas Elf
T'was the night before Christmas – or actually, the very early morning of Christmas, before the sun came up. He was used to getting up early but hoping that the rest of the family would be still be sleeping after an evening of song and stories and Christmas wine. By the light of the setting full moon coming through his window, he checked his watch, saw it was barely 4 am, and got into his robe and slippers.
He pulled out the box he had hidden under his bed and took out the small items wrapped in green and red paper. Each one had the proper name on it – he double checked by the light of that moon. He had a bag he put them all in, and he quietly stole from his room with the bag over his shoulder
He crept quietly into his mother's room first. She was the one he was most worried about waking. She had a way of knowing when something was going on, some sixth sense that was as loud to her as an alarm going off at the bank would be to law enforcement. But this morning she didn't move as he set the small item with her name on it on the night table beside her. He gave her a kiss through the air and wondered if the fragrance of that perfume from France he'd gotten the last time he was in San Francisco would wake her soon.
Next, he stole into his sister's room. It usually took some kind of noise to wake her up prematurely, so he was very careful to put the package he had for her on the foot of the bed rather than the night table. He didn't even want the softest thunk to make her open her eyes. Fortunately, a locket in a jewelry box did not make a lot of noise.
Then he went to his first brother's room. His brother was snoring and would probably not wake up even in the slightest, so he put the package with his name on it on the night table, still being careful not to make noise with that beautiful gold pocket watch from Germany he'd gotten at the same time he got the perfume for his mother. He made it out of the room with his brother still peacefully snoring.
Then he quietly entered his other brother's room. It was lit by the moonlight, and he realized he'd have to be very careful because if his brother woke up, he would see him clearly –
But his brother wasn't there. The bed had not been slept in.
He stopped for a moment, holding the last gift in his hand, wondering what to do. And wondering where his brother was. Surely he hadn't gotten up already –
"What in the world are you doing?" the soft voice came up behind him.
He turned around, startled. His brother was standing there, dressed and wearing the same smoking jacket he'd been wearing the night before. He clearly had not gone to bed at all.
Heath lifted his hand and held out the small package. "I'm working for old St. Nick this year."
Jarrod drew closer and took the gift. "I know you don't mean our brother. He's snoring away right now and has been for hours."
"What are you doing still up?"
"Oh, I had work to do and I couldn't sleep, so I went down to the library and fell asleep right at the desk," Jarrod said. "I just woke up a few minutes ago and I heard some floorboards creak up here. Did you sneak into everyone's room and deliver a package?"
"Yeah, I did," Heath admitted.
Jarrod smiled that crooked smile that both he and Heath had inherited from their father. "Sneaky little elf, aren't you? May I open this now or shall I wait until the sun comes up?"
"Well, if you're just gonna go back to work, you might want to open it now," Heath said.
Jarrod took the wrapping off the long, thin item and found a cigar inside. It was one of his favorites that he intended to buy for himself but the tobacconist was out of them when he checked the day before yesterday. He ran it under his nose and his smile grew. "It was you bought the last box in town, wasn't it?"
"Well, I thought this was probably the best gift for me to give you this year, our first Christmas together," Heath said. "It was a cigar you welcomed me into the family with – and it was one of these, too. The only one you had with you at Sample's farm, as I recall."
Jarrod chuckled. "If I was to get mortally wounded that day, I intended to have a good cigar before I left this earth. Thank you, Heath. Have you smoked any of the ones you bought?"
"Not yet. I didn't want to give it away that I had them. That scent is pretty recognizable."
"Are you up for good now?"
"I suppose I am."
"Fetch one of those cigars and join me in the library," Jarrod said. "Let's have a little private celebration of our first Christmas together, you and me – a little re-enactment of Sample's farm without all the disaster that went with it. With just the really good part – you coming into the family."
Heath gave his own little crooked smile. "Merry Christmas, big brother."
"It will definitely be one," Jarrod said, and gave Heath a slap on the back.
The End