Page 27 of Naughty Elf: Shimmersnap

“That’s what I’m here for,” I said with a smile, handing her a gift bag. “You’ll be just fine, Elizabeth, I promise.”

“Thanks, Shimmersnap!”

As she wheeled away, Walter turned to me, looking both confused and suspicious. “How does she know your name? And where are all these bags coming from? I swear I counted afterwe started running low, but every time I count, the number’s the same. What’s going on?”

He glanced around like he was waiting for someone to jump out and tell him he was being pranked.

“It’s nothing,” I said quickly, trying to brush it off. “Walter… I can explain everything, but just trust me for now. Please.”

Walter sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I suppose I can do that. Besides, we’ve got more kids to wrangle.”

I nodded, relieved. “Yeah, let’s focus on that for now.”

But I knew the moment of truth was coming. Soon, I was going to have to tell Walter everything—the magic, the elf thing, and… well, everything else. I just hoped he’d take it as well as he had the mysteriously refilling gift bags.

Chapter 16

Walter

Something odd was going on with Shimmersnap. I could have sworn those kids shouted out his name long before they were ever introduced to him, and it was like he knew all of them. They accepted him as someone safe, comfortable, and fun. He was all of those things. But how did they know? How did they all know?

And Santa—Santa had known him, too. Not to mention the bags of goodies that seemed to self-replenish. Just as I was thinking we were running out of gift bags, more would show up. Andeverywhere Shimmersnap went, sparkles followed like a faint mist, bringing glimmer and glam everywhere he went.

The man couldn’t carry that much glitter around. Well, I supposed he could, but still, it was odd. And now we were driving home together. He had just naturally followed me to my car and gotten in. I didn’t question it. We had to talk more than just the conversation we had had in my office that morning.

Once we were at my house, my gaze immediately went to my mantle. I shook my head. I still couldn’t believe my elf was missing. I really thought I might file a police report, even if they did laugh me out of their office.

“I’m positive that he’ll turn up,” Shimmersnap said as he hung up his coat on the hook as if it belonged there, his shoes—the curly-toed boots made of what had to be real leather—sitting right next to mine. It was cozy. Like this place was just as much his as it was mine.

I liked it.

“Where did you find an elf costume on such short notice?” I asked. He looked down at himself and the boots. “Those look so genuine. Are they real leather?”

“They are standard issue at the North Pole. Well, depending on which Santa you work for.”

“What?” I said, then waved my hand in the air. “I’m not really in the mood for jokes tonight, Shimmersnap. I’m still annoyedabout this elf, and I don’t understand how all of the gifts kept replenishing. Can you explain that? It was like there were suddenly more of them each time I turned around. Every time you passed out a bag, two more appeared like some sort of Santa gift hydra.”

“Come to the couch.” He gripped my hand and pulled me along. The two of us sat down on my sofa. It felt comfortable, like something we’d done a bunch of times before, but I was pretty sure that Shimmersnap hadn’t spent that much time in my living room. Yet, this was familiar.

“I’m an elf, Walter. There’s no other easy way to say it. I work for Santa—one of them. There are a hundred or so, something like that. I worked for Santa number fifty-six. In the past I’ve worked for Santa forty-eight and thirty-six. I’m friends with a reindeer. Dancer. He also works for Santa. But he’s mated now. He doesn’t live far from here actually, I think you’d really like him. I’m hoping you can meet him someday.”

I stared at him blankly. “What?”

“Your elf on your mantle. He’s not missing. He’s me. I am him. I was fired from the North Pole for... well, for making things sparkle too much. Not everyone has your appreciation for my glitz and glam. In fact, most of the elves I worked with avoided me, and they never wanted me to build any toys cause they didn’t think I did it right. They said kids didn’t need that much glitter. But everyone needs glitter and sparkle in their life, Walter. Right?”

I laughed. “Okay, that’s a good one, because that definitely fits. Sparkle follows you everywhere. Or maybe that’s just what I see when I look at you. I like your sparkle, Shimmersnap.”

“Thanks, Walter. That means a lot. I made a glittered baseball bat, and Santa wasn’t impressed.”

“Just a glittered baseball bat?”

“Well, I had done a glittered race car, catcher’s mitt, doll with a ton of glittered accessories, play kitchen, and glittered dinosaurs. In my defense, a lot of the kids liked their glittered stuff quite a bit, but still, it was getting messy. Santa told me to stop, but I just can’t.”

“You should never dull your sparkle, Shimmersnap, and that’s why I love you,” I said.

He smiled. “You would never dull my shine. I know that. That’s why you’re perfect.”

I snorted. “I’m far from perfect, Shimmersnap. I’m grumpy and I like to stay home. I have the most boring job, but I actually like it. I go to estate sales for fun.”

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