Page 5 of Run, Run Rudolph
This guy might not even be an elf. He could be something evil. Add to that, I was a female on the road alone. In the dark.
“Well?” he demanded.
My mouth wasn’t working properly. I was not holding it together. I hadn’t really held it together last summer, either. Even with Char standing beside me, her shoulders pushed out wide, ready to protect me as we met her fairy godmother. She’d practically had to carry me when my legs went all weird and jellylike after meeting what I still believe was a real-life witch.
Right now I was alone, and with no BFF backup. It was just me, and I wasn’t made for this.
I wanted to close the car door, lock it, and ignore the elf’s existence. But if I tried to move past him, I’d have to get dangerously close, and he looked like a biter. I’d been meaning to get my tetanus booster shot and hadn’t. What would happen to you if you got bitten by an elf? It would be so much worse than a kindergartener, I was sure of it.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” he demanded. He leaned alarmingly close, trapping me, his finger jabbing the air around me.
“Let me out!” I snapped, lifting my foot like I planned to plant it in the elf’s chest. Really, I just needed to keep his snarly face away from anything biteable, such as my entire being.
He stepped back, and I popped out onto the road, scooting away from him. The cold snow crunched underfoot, and I darted a glance over my still idling car and toward the hurt reindeer. Nose still blinking.
“Who are you?” the elf asked.
“Are you with Rudolph? Is he going to be okay?”
The elf made a funny noise. “Rudolph? Who’s that?”
“The—the—” I pointed toward the deer, then touched my nose with a mittened hand. “His nose. Isn’t that Rudolph?”
The elf leaned back, eyes narrowed. Then he was on the attack again, pushing me back with every step, a finger jab aimed at my kneecaps. “How can you see him? Who are you?” Every word out of his mouth was cut off, as if he was out of patience and brimming with anger.
Then again, I suppose this was the elf’s busiest time of year, so I should allow him a bit of room to be stressed out. Especially since I’d apparently taken out Santa’s lead reindeer the night before Christmas deliveries began.
The heavy feeling in my stomach grew worse and my breath hitched unsteadily.
“How can you see him?” the elf repeated.
“I don’t know. I just can.” When I’d gone with Char and our three friends to meet Estelle at the offices of Your Fairy Godmother, only Char, Josie and myself had been able to see the magical appearing door. Theoretically, it was because we believed. Samantha and Gabby didn’t, so they hadn’t seen the door. They’d also stayed outside in an alternate reality when the rest of us had entered the building. Was something like that happening to me right now? I could see something that others might not?
“How can I see you?” I asked.
“My choice. Why did you hit Rudolph? Who sent you here?”
“It was an accident.”
“You’re trying to ruin Christmas,” the elf announced, a quiver of fear in his voice.
“I’m not,” I said calmly. “Truly. I’m not. I’m a big fan of the holiday.”
“You’re ruining it and trying to keep them apart.”
“Who?”
“You know who!”
Beneath the elf’s toughness, I caught a hint of bluster. He was scared. And rightly so. A human had just mowed down Rudolph out of season. Not that there was likely a season for mowing down Santa’s herd.
Now that I was standing and no longer cornered, I realized the elf was about the size of a kindergartener. Maybe even shorter, reducing his threat level, despite the appearance of a creature who’d enjoy biting someone.
Time to get this little magical creature on my side.
“Um, well, I’m going to check on Rudolph. Do you want to help me?” I reached into the cab and popped my trunk as the snowflakes started falling faster again. Poor Rudolph was still on the road, and was probably getting cold as the snow piled on top of him. If he was alive.
No. Positive thoughts only. It was Christmas. Miracles happened. They had to happen.
