He didn’t laugh immediately, but with a tap to his nose, a wink, and a nod, he said, “You never know, my boy. You never know. Now, I need to finish my walk, and it looks like you could use a rest, so I’ll leave you to it.”
He walked down the trail, following my circuit, until another small walking trail veered off to the left, and he was gone. Shaking my head, I trudged through the snow toward home. I lived on the edge of the woods since I liked the quiet and solitude. Santas’ village was nearby, but I still had privacy and room for my training. The younger reindeer were always self-conscious when starting out, so not having anyone close by to watch them learn was essential to build their confidence.
I was nearing exhaustion but pushed even further, jogging up towards my cabin. Breath fogging in front of me heavier than before, and my feet like bricks at the end of my burning legs, I made it to the clearing that was my front yard. Through blurry eyes, I took in the front of my cabin, and my toxic inner monologue abruptly stopped as I realized how much I loved my home. I’d built it all myself. I’d hewn every log and stacked every stone by hand to make it exactly how I’d dreamed it could be. That was an accomplishment I could be proud of, even if it were still something physical and not intellectual.
I stumbled into the house, went straight to the bathroom, and turned the shower on full blast. I stripped in front of the mirror, noticing how pale and exhausted I looked, before I stepped under the water and washed the day away. If Santa had noticed even half of the exhaustion on my face, there was a possibility I might get a stern text to take care of myself.
They were a kind group, the Santas. As I soaked under the blissfully hot water, I smiled at the myth that surrounded all of us at the North Pole. Legend said there was only one Santa, and he and his reindeer made it around the world in one night to deliver all the gifts and goodies to the good children of the world. Hell, even with magic, that would have been impossible. There were many Santas who lived here in the main Christmas Village, each with their own region and specialty. Some were Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, or Papa Noel. Each knew the traditions of their country and region in order to make every child in the world smile and be proud of their heritage. Santa 3 had been the one I ran into that evening. He was the Midwest US Santa and the one I was closest to after Santa 1, the big guy. He was as close to a friend as I had lately. After the Tundra incident, I had withdrawn and focused on my work.
As the water cooled, I turned it off and grabbed my towel off the heater on the wall. The warm towel was a luxury I never regretted when building the house. Who wanted a cold towel in the arctic north? After getting dry and wrapping up in my favorite fleece robe, I felt the weight of exhaustion hit me again. I usually had dinner, then read before bed, but I was too tired to even get in another chapter of the thriller I had on the bedside table. I dropped my phone on top of the hardback and collapsed into bed. I’d had enough of this day and wanted to sleep away the rest. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
As I was drifting off, I heard a ding on my phone that meant I had a message from Santa. Well, froma Santa. I slapped my hand onto the bedside table and fumbled until I found the phone, then brought it up above my face to read the text.
Comet,
You and the rest of the reindeer have been working so hard lately. You, especially, have been doing great with the younger kids, but you’re exhausted. I’ll bet you’re reading this in bed, about to pass out without even eating dinner again. We’ve decided you need a vacation this year. This is non-negotiable. Take some time, go somewhere fun and enjoy yourself.
Santa
I read, then re-read, the text. It was so eerily specific that I glanced around to see if anyone was filming me. The accuracy was scary, and I felt unavoidably called out. Was I that predictable?
Looking at the screen again, I saw another text under this one.
No, there’s no camera. We just know how hard you push yourself. ??
“Owww! Damn it!”
I’d dropped my phone on my face when I read the new text. Rubbing my nose to make sure it wasn’t broken—phones were heavy, dammit—I turned my phone screen off and put it back on the table. As I drifted off to sleep, I thought of places I’d like to go. It looked like I had a vacation to plan.
2
ALDEN
The cursor blinking on my blank screen taunted me over and over again. I could hear its accusations in my head. Where the voices of my characters had gone silent, that damn cursor was filling in the blanks.You’re never going to finish this novel. It’s crap, and you know it.
For the seventh day in a row, I closed the lid on my laptop and walked away from my desk with no words to show for the hours I’d beenwriting. My word count was abysmal, and I wasn’t too fond of the story. Even the characters who usually filled my thoughts and even my dreams sometimes seemed to hate it, too, since they’d abandoned me. It felt like they were saying,we’ll come back when you have something better than this shit for us.
I walked to my kitchen window and looked out at the Smoky Mountain view. Gentle hilltops blanketed by low clouds in the growing dusk usually filled me with peace and inspiration, but today, they just looked dull and gloomy. I loved this place when I saw it online for the views and the isolation and booked it immediately. I’d thought it would bolster my creativity when I rented it for the year. All I would have was inspiration, time to work, and a place to shift and fly without worrying about anyone knowing my secret.
I’d had plenty of inspiration at the beginning of the year. I’d also been able to fly whenever I wanted since no one ever came on the trails near the cabin. I steered clear of the nearby Appalachian Trail and flew parallel to avoid the serious through hikers who picked this area of North Carolina to go from Georgia through the Nantahala Gorge and onto the northern trail. I’d definitely had time for inspiration and flight, but work was another story.
“Work, yeah. None of that again today, guys.”
My squirrel and chipmunk friends had scrambled up onto the windowsill while I’d been daydreaming, chittering to remind me I hadn’t put out fresh corn yet today.
“No story today. No story yesterday either.”
I didn’t know if they understood completely, but I got the feeling they knew I was frustrated and sad. I got the dried corn bag, trudged onto the porch, and placed the cobs onto the holders. The gray squirrel I’d named Lois scampered over first and picked off a kernel. Then, one of the smaller flying squirrels crept up onto the feeder and did the same. His name was Tim because he was so tiny. I smirked at my clever literary humor but then inwardly cringed.
“I’m such a nerd, guys. No wonder I don’t have a mate yet. If I make myself cringe, who else would want to put up with me?”
Lois put her corn kernel down and looked into my eyes like she wanted to tell me something. I was about to reach out to touch her, but my phone dinged, and she broke eye contact and skittered away down the nearest tree trunk. I looked over the railing down the fifteen feet or more to the ground but couldn’t see where she’d gone.
The phone dinged again insistently, so I dragged the bag of corn back inside, then closed the door against the increasing breeze. It was getting chillier this evening, and the sky had been heavy all day. Determining to check the weather app, I picked up my phone and saw a missed call from Mom.
“Better call her back, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
First, I needed to quit talking out loud to myself. It was okay as long as I was pretending I was talking to the squirrels, but just like drinking alone, talking out loud to myself was pathetic and weird. Shaking my head at myself and trying to get rid of my abysmal mood, I checked the weather app and saw a possibility of a snowstorm in the next few days. I closed the app without another thought. Weather people were always making a huge deal of storms and possibilities, but they rarely came to much up here in the mountains.
