Page 3 of Naughty Elf: Alfie
I unscrew the lid and suck down a few mouthfuls of perfect drinking temperature mint hot chocolate. “It’s may favorite, then caramel hot chocolate.” I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and give him a grin. “Thank you.”
“Glad my intel was right.” He unscrews his Thermos and takes a few swallows himself.
Faint music plays and I’m surprised it’s human hair metal. Santa gives me a smirk when he sees me eyeing him.
“We all have some secrets. One of mine is…” He waves at the radio controllers. “I hate Christmas music.” He shivers and I can’t help the giggle.
“I noticed sometimes you wear band shirts, but I can’t ever make out the names.”
He taps the side of this nose, then pats my head. “Alfie.”
The tone is soft, but I just know something’s coming. “Yeah?” I whisper.
“Glenda has asked me to remove you from service. And I’m inclined to agree with her.”
“I knew this was too good to be true.” I slump into the seat, but the lap bar keeps me from going too far.
“Look at me, Alfie.”
Slowly, I do as he asks. Tears well in my eyes, but I push them away. No one has liked me from the beginning. But Santa #22 has always been kind to me.
“I’m proud to call you one of my elves.”
My brow scrunches, and he holds up a hand before I can protest, since he wants to get rid of me.
“Let me finish. You’re always cheerful, with a smile on your face damn near all the time. But you’re not as happy as you let on to being.”
“Iamhappy,” I protest. “More than happy. I’m?—”
“Lonely.” He gives me a sympathetic look. “You act out because you want friends, but the more you try, the less you have. Alfie, you just need to be yourself. Stop… trying.”
“Iammyself.” I huff and cross my arms.
“Tonight is your last night in service to the Santas.”
“Please, let me stay. I’ll do better. This is all I know.”
“I’m giving you a bigger and better opportunity. I’m sending you to your fated mate.”
My face heats. How does Santa know I’ve wanted to find my fated mate since I was a boy? Since I discovered nothing I did ever helped me make friends. Not being good, not being happy, not being playful. I’ve always been an outcast.
“You’ll have one year to court your fated mate. If you both haven’t fallen in love by then, well, you won’t care because you’ll be a figurine forever.”
I suck in a breath. I’ve heard the rumor this year. Naughty elves being shipped off to their fated mates, but I hadn’t thought I’d been bad enough to be noticed.
“This isn’t really a punishment, is it?” I ask.
Santa laughs his jolly laugh. “You’re catching on.” There’s a twinkle in his gray eyes. “Don’t worry, you’ll still be helping me. But I’ll be relieving you of your duties once we make it to where I need to drop you off. We have hours before then. So let’s make the most of them.”
Santa turns up the music and gulps down more hot apple cider. The air is mild instead of bone-chilling cold. I wonder if I’ll get used to having seasons.
We’re at the first house before I know it. The sleigh settles on a roof of a mobile home in a trailer park and I grin at all the happy decorations in different yards. This house has glittering multi-colored lights hanging from the gutters. There’s no chimney, but that doesn’t stop Santa. He walks towards the front of the house, approximately where the kitchen, or maybe the living room, should be. He presses his hands together and claps, forming a shimmery cloud around himself. This cloud moves through the layers of the roof until he’s in the living room of the house. I peek over the edge into the festively decorated room with a huge tree and presents all around.
“Alfie,” Santa whispers my name.
Oh! I scramble back to the sleigh and grab the small blue velvet bag labeled ONE. I rush back to the open portal and drop it into Santa’s waiting hands. I gasp when he pulls out two bikes and a dollhouse. I knew the bags held a lot, but it’s always mesmerizing to see them in action.
Santa downs a bit of the milk offered on a small tray on the floor. Then grabs all of the cookies before ascending back to me.
