“Well, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of that hungry pup all day,” she said. “He usually goes with me on my Christmas Day ski trek, but there’s no sign of him, even though I should have been out on the trails half an hour ago. He didn’t even show up to lick the dough bowl when I mixed up the Christmas cookies earlier!”
Happy was surprised to hear that. Peppermint Bark loved Mrs. Claus’s special Christmas Day cookie dough just as much as Happy loved making toys!
“I hope he’s okay,” he said, so concerned that he forgot to feel shy about speaking up in front of everyone. “Maybe we should help you search for him.”
“Yes! We’ll help!” several other elves chorused.
Juniper frowned. “But we haven’t finished tidying up yet.”
“That can wait.” Mrs. Claus stopped pacing and looked around, her brow furrowed beneath the brim of her ski cap. “We need to find Peppermint Bark first. What if something’s happened to him?”
Happy shuddered at the thought. But he tried to stay positive. “I’m sure it will only take a short time to find Peppermint Bark with all of us helping,” he said.
Mistletoe nodded. “We’ll go back to tidying as soon as we find him.”
“Hooray!” most of the other elves cheered.
Juniper shrugged and sighed. “All right, let’s look for that silly pup,” she said. “As long as you all promise we’ll get back to work as soon as we find him!”
But they didn’t find him. Happy and the others searched every nook and cranny of the snow castle. They checked upstairs and downstairs and in both towers. They checked the basement, where the furnace clanked and flared, and the shed, where Santa kept his sleigh out of the snow. They checked the kitchen and the closets and inside the big clawfoot bathtub. A couple of elves even went out to search the stable where the reindeer lived.
There was no sign of Peppermint Bark in any of those places. Finally, everyone gathered in the workshop once again. The elves had kept singing the whole time they searched. But nobody was singing now.
“Oh dear,” Mrs. Claus said, pacing more frantically than ever. “What could have become of Peppermint Bark?”
Happy had been thinking about that exact question. And he’d come up with an answer. He raised his hand. “I have an idea,” he said shyly. “Er, more of a theory, really . . .”
All eyes turned to him. “You’re good friends with Peppermint Bark, aren’t you?” Mistletoe said. “What is it, Happy? Where do you think he could be?”
Happy took a deep breath. “I wonder . . . I wonder if he might have . . .” He gulped, hoping he wasn’t getting his friend in big trouble. “Um, that is, what if he stowed away on Santa’s sleigh?”
A gasp went up from the elves. “Stowed away?” Juniper exclaimed. “Impossible! Santa told him he wasn’t allowed to go.”
Some of the other elves nodded. A few echoed Juniper’s “Impossible!”
But Mrs. Claus stopped pacing and looked thoughtful. “Stowed away, eh?” she said. “Do you really think he might have done that, Happy?”
Happy shrugged. “He wanted to ride along to help Santa on his rounds,” he said. “He wanted it more than anything!”
“It’s the only theory that makes sense, then,” Mrs. Claus said.
Happy smiled, feeling proud of himself for thinking of it. Then his smile faded as he realized what it meant if he was right. Peppermint Bark could be in big trouble!
Mrs. Claus looked more worried than ever. “There’s a reason Santa didn’t want that pup riding along,” she reminded the elves. “He’s so young and happy-go-lucky and full of energy, he won’t want to sit in the sleigh the whole time. And as focused as Santa gets on Christmas, well, I’m afraid he might not notice if Peppermint Bark were to hop out and wander off . . .”
“Oh no!” an elf exclaimed. “What will become of Peppermint Bark if he gets left behind?”
“Nothing good, that’s for sure,” Juniper said. “Santa doesn’t have time to stop and search for him. And I doubt that silly pup would be able to find a portal back here on his own—does he even know how the portals work?”
Happy shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m not sure I understand how they work either.”
“Oh dear.” Mrs. Claus looked around at the elves. “We have to do something! Someone needs to go out there and find Peppermint Bark before Christmas Day ends.” She sighed and touched the weather equipment sticking out of her pocket. “I wish I could go myself, but I need to monitor the satellites and notify Santa if he has to change course . . .”
Most of the elves looked confused, nervous, or both. But Juniper stepped forward with a determined tilt to her jaw.
“I’ll do it,” she volunteered. “I’m Head Elf; it should be me who goes.”
Happy couldn’t help being impressed. Juniper might be a little bossy, but she sure was brave! He couldn’t imagine how scary it must be out there in the rest of the world, far from their safe, snug home here at the North Pole . . .
“Thank you, Juniper,” Mrs. Claus said. “But you can’t go alone.” She scanned the gathered elves, then pointed. “Happy, you probably know Peppermint Bark better than anyone. Would you go with Juniper?”
Happy gulped. “M-me?”
“Him?” Juniper shot Happy a dubious look. “That’s not necessary, Mrs. C, really. I can handle it on my own.”
“No—it will be risky enough going out into the world.” Mrs. Claus looked very serious. “You won’t have much time to find Peppermint Bark and get back here before the gates close.”
Happy closed his eyes for a moment. That did sound risky! But then he thought about how scared Peppermint Bark must be right now.
He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded. “I’ll do it,” he said. “I want to help Peppermint Bark.”
“Fine.” Juniper squared her shoulders. “But you’d better be prepared to keep up. Because like Mrs. C said, we won’t have much time.”
All the elves came along as Happy and Juniper went outside with Mrs. Claus. “Please stay on your toes, you two,” she told them as they all tromped through the snow toward the peppermint-striped gates. “Humans aren’t used to seeing elves in their world. You’ll have to be very, very careful not to let them figure out who—and what—you really are. It will help that it’s Christmas, and everyone should be in a happy holiday mood. But still . . .” Her voice trailed off, and her bright blue eyes were anxious.
“Don’t worry about me, Mrs. C,” Juniper said. She glanced at Happy. “Uh, I mean, don’t worry about us. We’ll find Peppermint Bark and be home in time to enjoy those cookies you’re baking.”
Happy breathed in the warm, familiar scent of half-baked cookies drifting from the snow castle on the chilly breeze. Would he really get to taste those cookies?
A wise old elf named Tannenbaum started explaining how the portal system worked. Happy was too nervous to take in much of it. All he heard was that the portals could take the elves anywhere on Earth—and that the best way to find them was to search for the scent of pinecones and gingerbread.
“Got it,” Juniper said when Tannenbaum finished. “Now let’s get moving. We’re burning Christmas Daylight.”
By then all the elves had reached the gates, which stood wide open as they always did on Christmas Day. Happy looked up at the grand entrance. He’d never been outside those gates before. Before he could wonder what awaited him Out There, Juniper yanked him through.
“Good luck!” Mrs. Claus called, already sounding very far away. The rest of the elves were singing again, but Happy could hardly hear them over the nervous pounding of his heart.
Inside the gates, everything was a winter wonderland. Out here it was winter too, but with none of the twinkling, homey Christmas cheer. The landscape was barren and windswept, with only a few gnarled trees visible through the blowing snow. Somewhere far in the distance there rose an eerie howl.
“W-w-where’s the portal?” Happy asked through teeth chattering
with cold and fear.
Juniper looked around. “I think that’s it.”
She pointed at something that looked like a mini whirlwind twirling wildly just above the icy ground. Happy stared at it, mesmerized—and gasped when Juniper grabbed him by the arm and leaped right into it.
“Waaaaaah!” he cried as he felt himself spinning around and around and around . . .
8
There Goes Santa Claus
Chris could hardly believe it. His sister actually seemed to accept that Peppermint Bark was Santa’s puppy! And to think Chris had been starting to wonder if she had any Christmas spirit left!
This is great, he thought. Maybe there’s still a little bit of the old Holly in there after all . . .
“So we should start searching right away,” he urged, kicking aside a crumpled piece of wrapping paper on the living room floor. “We don’t have much time.”
“Yes, please!” Peppermint Bark danced around Holly’s feet. “I have to get back before the gates close.”
“The gates?” Chris glanced down at him.
Peppermint Bark nodded. “Big, beautiful gates that separate the North Pole from the rest of the world,” he explained. “They stay shut all year except for Christmas Day. When the last time zone on Earth strikes midnight tonight, they’ll shut again—and not even Santa can open them until next Christmas.” The little dog shivered. “If I’m not back by then, I’m stuck here for a whole year.”
For a second, Chris’s heart leaped with hope. If Peppermint Bark got stuck here, maybe Chris could figure out a way for them to stay together . . .
Ivy was telling Holly what the little dog had just said. “He might be stuck somewhere,” Holly commented, glancing at Peppermint Bark. “But it won’t be here. Not with Dad’s allergies.”
Chris’s heart sank. His sister was right. Besides, he didn’t want to force his new friend to stay if he was homesick. Peppermint Bark wanted to get home to the North Pole, and that meant Chris wanted to help him. No matter how much it hurt to think of the little dog going away . . .
“Like I said, we don’t have much time,” Chris said quickly, before he could think too much about that. He spun and headed toward the front door. “So let’s get out there and start searching for portals!”
“Yes, let’s go!” Peppermint Bark exclaimed.
Holly held up a hand. “No way—you’re not leaving this house,” she told her brother. “Mom said so. You stay here, and Ivy and I will look for this portal thingy.”
Chris’s jaw dropped. “What? No!” he retorted. “Mom told you to stay inside too.”
“But this is an emergency!” Ivy exclaimed. “We’re looking for elves—I mean, portals!”
“Right. And we’ll be able to move faster without you,” Holly said, not quite meeting Chris’s eye. “Right, Ives?”
Chris scowled, expecting Ivy to back up her friend—like always. But she bit her lip and didn’t say anything.
“No!” Peppermint Bark barked. “We should all go together!”
Ivy shrugged. “The dog wants us to stick together,” she told Holly. “Anyway, your parents might be mad if we leave Chris here by himself, since he’s so young and stuff.”
Chris wanted to protest—he might be young, but he was obviously more mature than the two girls! But Holly was nodding, so he didn’t say that.
Instead he sat on the edge of the couch to get closer to Peppermint Bark. “So these portals—how will we know where to find one?” he asked.
“I’m not sure.” The little dog stared up at him, looking uncertain. “All I know is that they smell like gingerbread and pinecones, just like the North Pole. And they’re disguised so humans won’t see them.”
“So we have to go around smelling everything in town?” Ivy wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t sound very efficient.”
“Huh? What?” Holly glanced from her brother to her best friend, looking annoyed. “Wait, what’d he say? I think I heard him say something about smell, but that’s all I got . . .”
Chris wondered if Holly was telling the truth. Was she starting to understand Peppermint Bark? Or was she just trying to fit in by pretending she did, latching on to the word she’d heard Ivy say? That sort of seemed like something his sister might do, especially lately.
Ivy was already telling Holly what the dog had said. “So I’m not sure how we’re supposed to find one of these portals,” Ivy said with a little frown. “Anyway, it doesn’t make sense. In fairy tales and stuff, there’s always a special way to locate something. You know, like a trail of bread crumbs or a magic spell or something.”
“This isn’t a fairy tale, it’s real life,” Chris reminded her.
Ivy was staring at the Christmas tree twinkling and gleaming nearby. “The portals smell like Christmas stuff, right?” she said slowly. “So people can’t see them, but they can smell them . . .”
“We’ve covered this already.” Holly sounded impatient. “Maybe we should just go out and start smelling around.”
“No, wait.” Peppermint Bark stepped closer to Ivy. “What are you thinking?”
Ivy glanced down at the dog. “Be careful, you’re getting too close to the tree,” she told him. “Your tail might knock off some ornaments.” She scooted around him and moved away. “Anyway, I was just thinking it would be weird to smell gingerbread and pinecones in, like, the bus station or on some random street corner. But it would seem normal at the holiday market. Or the town square where the big Christmas tree is.”
Chris gasped. “That makes sense. We need to look in Christmasy places!”
“Yes, yes!” Peppermint Bark spun in an excited circle. His wagging tail hit a couple of ornaments on the tree, but not even Ivy said anything about that. The kids were all talking at once, listing off all the Christmasy places in town.
There was just one problem. This was Poinsettia, which meant there were a lot of Christmasy places.
“We have to start somewhere,” Chris said. “So which spot seems most likely?”
His sister shrugged. “You mean if I were Santa, where would I put a portal?” she said. “Probably in a place connected with me.” She clapped her hands. “I know! The post office! Kids send their letters to Santa through there, right? And there’s a huge Christmas wreath in the lobby—I saw it when Dad and I stopped by to mail our gifts to Grandma last week.”
Ivy gasped. “Maybe the wreath is the portal! All the portals I’ve seen in movies and stuff were round like a wreath, anyway.”
Chris wasn’t sure the post office was the most Christmasy place in Poinsettia. But as he said, they had to start somewhere. “Let’s check it out,” he said, heading toward the front door with Peppermint Bark on his heels. He brushed past Ivy, who jumped aside and looked at the dog.
“Hold on,” Ivy said. “You can’t just let that dog run around town loose. We need a leash.”
“No we don’t,” Chris said. “Peppermint Bark isn’t an ordinary dog, remember? He’s not going to run off or chase the neighbor’s cat or anything. Right, buddy?”
“Sure!” Peppermint Bark said. “What’s a cat?”
“No, Ivy’s right,” Holly said. “There’s a leash law in this town. If anyone sees him running free, we’ll get in trouble.”
“What’s a leash?” Peppermint Bark asked Chris.
Chris sighed. He thought the girls were being silly, but there was no time to argue. Besides, maybe they were right. If some busybody like Mr. Brooks or nosy old Mrs. O’Toole down the block spotted Peppermint Bark running loose, it could delay their quest.
Chris quickly explained what a collar and leash were to the little dog. Peppermint Bark looked confused, but he nodded.
“Okay, let’s get me a collar and leash,” he said cheerfully.
“Wait—where are we going to get that stuff?” Holly asked. “Maybe we can ask the Garcias to borrow one.”
“Their dog’s collar would be too big for Peppermint Bark. Anyway, I have a better idea.” Chris grabbed t
he box with the Christmas tie he’d given his dad. “This should work,” he said, pulling out the tie. “As for a leash, hmm . . . wait here!”
He dashed upstairs. Seconds later he was rummaging through his parents’ closet. Aha! There it was . . .
Back downstairs, he showed Peppermint Bark his new leash—also known as Dad’s Santa-print belt. “Perfect!” Peppermint Bark said as Chris threaded the tie through the belt buckle and knotted it loosely around Peppermint Bark’s furry white neck.
“Good,” Ivy said, watching carefully. “You should hold on to him the whole time we’re out there, okay?”
“Whatever.” Chris wasn’t sure why she was so stuck on the leash thing, and like so many things about Ivy, he really didn’t care. “Let’s go.”
They trooped out to the front closet and put on their coats and gloves. Ivy wrapped her new ivy-embroidered scarf around her neck. Then she opened the front door.
Peppermint Bark was right behind her. When he looked out, he pricked up his ears. “Oh, wow!” he barked loudly, pushing past Ivy. “I can’t believe this!”
“Hey!” Ivy jumped back, bumping into Chris.
“Watch it!” Chris had been pulling on his gloves. The makeshift leash slipped out of his hand. “Whoa, Peppermint Bark, wait for us!”
But it was too late—the little dog raced out the door.
“It’s Santa!” Peppermint Bark cried happily, his tail wagging so fast it was a blur. “Hey, guys, he’s here!”
* * *
“Santa!” Peppermint Bark’s heart pounded as he hurtled across the front yard. That leash thingy the kids had attached to him was trailing behind, making a funny flapping sound in the wind, but he hardly noticed. “Santa, I’m here! Wait for me-e-e-e-e-e!”
The puppy had spotted the jolly old man immediately. He was up on a rooftop across the street waving at Peppermint Bark. The sleigh was right beside him, looking a little precarious balanced above the front porch.
“I knew you’d come back for me!” Peppermint Bark barked happily as he raced across the street.
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