“Whatever.” Chris was hardly listening. Ivy and the stroller were almost at the snow wall by then. If he could just get to Peppermint Bark before that portal closed . . . Chris pushed forward, causing a little kid to squawk in protest. “Sorry, excuse me,” Chris mumbled. “Coming through . . .”
Up ahead near the stroller, several little kids were stampeding in from the other direction. “Santa!” a boy cried. “Me first, me first!”
The boy charged forward . . . and tripped over the stroller’s front wheel! The kid went flying. Ivy lunged for the stroller, but it was too late. It tipped over, spilling Peppermint Bark onto the ground on his back. The baby gown was scrunched up, revealing the little dog’s furry paws, and the bonnet was half off . . .
“Oh no!” Chris exclaimed. “We have to get over there before someone sees him!”
16
Dash Away, Dash Away, Dash Away All . . .
Peppermint Bark’s legs were tangled in his silly dress, and the bonnet was askew. He was struggling to turn himself upright when he felt someone pick him up.
“Don’t bark,” Ivy whispered in his ear as she pressed Peppermint Bark against her soft ivy-embroidered scarf. “Keep your face hidden.”
Peppermint Bark leaned against her, doing his best to hide his snout from view in the folds of the scarf. Even so, he could see a little bit of what was happening around him. Young kids were running in every direction. The Santa helper he’d caught a glimpse of earlier was still sitting on his golden chair nearby.
And there—just behind the Santa helper—was the portal the little dog had smelled! Peppermint Bark gasped, but before he could bark to let Ivy know, the portal swirled shut!
Oh no! he thought, his heart sinking. It must be getting late. Because there goes another one . . .
There was no more time to worry about it. Ivy was trying to make her way toward Chris and Holly, but it was slow going thanks to the excited children running around everywhere.
Suddenly Ivy froze in place. For a second Peppermint Bark was confused. Weren’t they trying to escape?
Then a voice rang out: “Settle down, children!”
Peppermint Bark knew that voice. It was the man they’d seen earlier—Mr. Brooks. The kids didn’t seem to like him, though Peppermint Bark wasn’t sure why.
He peeked carefully over Ivy’s scarf at Mr. Brooks, who looked stern. “It’s a good thing I came here to pick up more candy canes for the festival!” the man blustered, waving his hands in the air. His mustache quivered with indignation. “What chaos! Parents, control your children or we’ll have to shut down the Santa Station!”
“Uh-oh,” Ivy whispered, her voice so soft that even Peppermint Bark, with his keen ears, barely heard her. “We have to get out of here before he sees you.”
She held Peppermint Bark even more tightly. Peppermint Bark snuggled against her, turning his face all the way in. He hoped his furry ear wasn’t sticking out the top of the bonnet . . .
A moment later he heard the soft clink of metal. Finally Ivy stopped moving.
“That was close!” Chris’s breathless voice exclaimed a few seconds later.
“Yeah,” Holly added. “Good thing there’s no alarm on the emergency exit.”
Peppermint Bark didn’t have a chance to wonder what that meant. Because just then, Ivy flung him away.
“Yikes!” he cried—but then he felt Chris’s familiar arms grab him around the middle.
“Oof!” Chris grunted, then set Peppermint Bark gently on the ground. “Whoa, Ivy. You could have warned me you were going to throw him at me!”
“Whatever.” Ivy’s voice sounded shaky. When Peppermint Bark peeked out from under the bonnet, which had slipped down to cover one eye, he saw that the girl’s face had gone bright red.
“Listen,” he barked. “I have to tell you guys something . . .”
But Chris and Holly were both staring at Ivy now. “What’s wrong?” Holly asked her friend. “You look weird.”
“Guys,” Peppermint Bark tried again.
But then he pricked up his ears. Something rustled in the leaves at the edge of the park. When he looked that way, he caught a glimpse of a striped stocking cap.
He was right! The other smell he’d recognized . . . they’d come for him!
“Stop!” he barked, racing off after the stocking cap. “Here I am! Wait for me!”
* * *
Chris was startled when Peppermint Bark took off howling with excitement. At first Chris couldn’t make out any clear words in the excited little dog’s woofs. But then he heard it—“Elves! Elves! Elves!”
“Where’s he going?” Holly cried.
“I’m not sure.” Chris was already running after the dog. “But we’ve got to catch him!”
As soon as Chris emerged from the woods at the edge of the park, he could see what had set off the little dog. The girls were on Chris’s heels, and they saw too.
“It’s the Serafini triplets!” Ivy exclaimed.
“Yeah.” Chris sped up. “Peppermint Bark must think they’re real elves from the North Pole.”
The Serafini triplets were six years old and never seemed to stop moving. Their favorite way to get around town was on their matching red scooters, which they were riding now.
“Peppermint Bark!” Chris yelled. “Wait—slow down!”
“I’ll get him.” Holly pushed past her brother. She put her head down and started sprinting as fast as she could—which was pretty fast. Soon Chris and Ivy fell way behind.
Chris skidded to a stop on the corner of Turtledove Street, breathing hard. Ivy stopped too.
“She’s really fast,” Ivy said. “I think she’ll catch him.”
“I hope so.” Chris crossed his fingers as he watched his sister sprint after Peppermint Bark. The triplets veered across the street, and the dog had to slow down to make the turn after them. Holly took a big leap, landing with one foot on the end of the makeshift leash.
With a yelp, Peppermint Bark came to an abrupt halt. “Let me go, let me go!” he barked. “I have to catch those elves!”
Chris rushed to catch up. “They’re not really elves,” he called to Peppermint Bark. “They’re just regular kids—like us.”
“What?” The little white dog didn’t seem to hear him. He strained against his collar, trying to pull free of Holly.
“They’re not elves!” Chris finally reached the little dog. The boy fell to his knees and grabbed his friend, turning Peppermint Bark’s head so he could look into his eyes. “Listen! We know those kids. They’re not elves, okay?”
Ivy had caught up by then too. “What if they are, though?” she said, staring after the Serafini triplets. “Maybe they got stuck here last Christmas—just like Peppermint Bark!”
“No.” Peppermint Bark shook his head. He’d finally stopped struggling, though he was still peering down the street after the triplets. “No elves ride with Santa. And none were missing. They were all at the North Pole making toys this year. I know—it’s part of my job to keep track of them.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Chris said with a sigh. “Those kids you were chasing? Definitely not real elves.”
“But I smelled them!” Peppermint Bark licked his nose, looking confused. “Back by the Santa Station—I smelled the portal, and there was something else that smelled like home too. Elves! Real ones. I didn’t see them, but I smelled them—and then I spotted those striped stocking caps . . .”
He collapsed on the sidewalk, ears drooping and tail still. “It’s okay, buddy.” Chris stroked the puppy’s soft white fur. “We’ll get you home.”
“But the portals keep closing,” Peppermint Bark said sadly. “What if we’re already too late? It’s starting to get dark.”
Chris realized the little dog was right. Twilight came quickly this time of year, and the shadows of the trees and buildings were growing longer and longer. The twinkling stars dangling from all the street lamps were blinking on, and the growing dark
ness made it easier to see the holiday lights strung on the bushes and buildings nearby.
“Don’t worry, Peppermint Bark,” Holly said. “We’ll get you back to the North Pole.”
“Thanks.” Peppermint Bark sighed. “I hope so. I miss it already. The elves, the reindeer, and of course Santa . . .”
Chris bit his lip, worried by how sad the little dog looked. As much as he hated the thought of Peppermint Bark leaving—of maybe never seeing him ever again—Chris knew it wasn’t fair to wish he could stay. He had to help his new friend find a way home—no matter what.
17
Over the Chainlink and Through the Woods
“Where’d they go?” Juniper sounded frantic as she clutched her striped cap. “We had him! We almost had him! Aargh!”
Happy looked around the busy Santa Station. A stern-looking older man with white hair was shouting and waving his arms around, herding the hordes of human children into tidy lines.
“I don’t know,” Happy said, tilting his cap back for a better view. “These humans are awfully tall—I lost track of him once that girl grabbed him.”
“We’re too late, anyhow—the portal is closed.” Juniper scowled, glancing up at the fake snow wall nearby. Then she gulped. “Wait—the portal is closed! How are we supposed to get home, let alone rescue Peppermint Bark?”
“I’m sure there must be lots of portals in a town this Christmasy. All we have to do is find another one—one that’s still open.” Happy smiled, trying to make Juniper feel better. “At least now we know for sure that Peppermint Bark is nearby . . .”
Juniper glared at him. “This is no time to be so cocoa-mug-half-full about everything,” she growled. “We’re running out of time, and now we might be trapped here ourselves!”
But Happy hardly heard her. He tilted his head, the tips of his long ears quivering. “Did you hear that?” he said. “Barking!” He pointed to the chainlink fence behind the Santa Station. “We’re too far away to hear what he’s saying, but I think Peppermint Bark is out there!”
“There’s a door—let’s go!” Juniper scurried toward the gate. But when she tried to grab the latch to open it, she couldn’t quite reach. “Gah! Why is everything here so tall?” she cried.
“Never mind—let’s climb.” Happy grabbed a strand of garland that was woven through the metal fence. Juniper followed, the two of them scrambling up, up, up . . .
“Hey, Mama, look!” a child’s voice cried. “Those elves are climbing the fence!”
“Hush, baby,” a woman replied. “It’s almost your turn, all right?”
When Happy glanced over his shoulder, he spotted a little girl with cornrows grinning and pointing at him and Juniper. Beside the girl, a woman was peering toward the front of the Santa Station line, tapping her foot impatiently.
Then Happy gasped as he felt a hand grab him and haul him up over the top of the fence. “Hurry up,” Juniper said. “We’ll never catch up to Peppermint Bark if you hang there goggling at the humans all day.”
“Sorry, Juniper.” Happy quickly scrambled down the far side of the fence, landing in a pretty, forested area.
“There!” Juniper cried as a faint bark drifted through the trees. “They’re heading that way,” she said, pointing.
As the two of them raced through the park and out onto the street, Happy couldn’t stop thinking about everything they’d seen since arriving in Poinsettia. Why had he been so scared to leave the North Pole? The rest of the world was amazing! There were buildings, lots of them, a few even taller than the snow castle. There were giant versions of the toy cars he’d built many times, which moved with a funny growling sound. And of course, there were the people—more people than he could have imagined. No wonder the elves had to make so many toys every year!
“Where could those meddling kids be taking Peppermint Bark, anyway?” Juniper grumbled as she ran, dodging streetlights and parked cars. “Why are they trying to stop us from taking him home?”
“I don’t know.” Happy put on a burst of speed to catch up as they rounded the corner onto another deserted street. “Maybe we should ask them.” Suddenly he thought of something else. “Oh! Maybe they don’t know that’s what we’re doing—we should tell them!”
“No!” Juniper stopped so abruptly that Happy bumped into her before he could stop himself. “We can’t tell them why we’re here. We promised Mrs. Claus we’d keep our identity a secret, remember?”
“Oh.” Happy scratched his head. That did sound familiar. “Okay. But she also wants us to do whatever it takes to get Peppermint Bark home before the gates close. Maybe we need to . . .”
He let his words trail off. Juniper was already running again and pulling away fast. He raced after her, wondering why she was so sure they couldn’t trust the kids who had Peppermint Bark. After all, she didn’t know any more about humans or their world than Happy did. He’d seen those kids up close—he and Juniper had spied on them from some bushes, and then again at the Jingle Junction. And he’d taken a good look at the dark-haired girl who’d been pushing Peppermint Bark around in the baby stroller. She had looked nice—they all had. And Santa always said that human kids loved everything about Christmas. What harm could it do to at least try explaining why the elves wanted Peppermint Bark?
Then again, Juniper had already decided what to do. And she probably knew best—she usually did. That was why she made such a good Head Elf.
“Hey, wait for me!” Happy cried, speeding up again as Juniper disappeared around another corner.
* * *
Chris wandered along Silverbell Street, trailing the others, watching Peppermint Bark. He couldn’t believe this was happening. They’d already spotted two portals—just moments too late. He’d promised his new friend that he’d help him get home, but what if Chris couldn’t keep that promise?
“There’s an extra-fancy one,” Ivy said, interrupting his worries. She pointed to a large Victorian house with candles in every window and icicle lights on every post and gable.
Chris nodded, but he was starting to wonder if this was a waste of time. “Yeah,” he said. “Anything, buddy?”
Peppermint Bark sniffed, then shook his head. The four of them had been wandering along the streets near the center of town for almost an hour, looking for portals around the most festively decorated houses and businesses. The light was fading rapidly as the hour grew later, and Poinsettia looked beautiful as white and silver and multihued lights glowed everywhere. Normally this was one of Chris’s favorite times of the holiday season. But today he couldn’t enjoy it.
Holly was leading the way as they rounded a corner. “Check it out,” she said. “Carolers!”
Peppermint Bark looked up. “Oh, I’ve heard about those!” he exclaimed. “Santa says they’re people who sing beautiful Christmas songs, just like the elves back home.” He looked a little wistful. “I do miss their singing . . .”
“You don’t have to,” Holly said. “Just listen!”
Peppermint Bark tilted his head, his tongue hanging out and his breath showing as little white puffs in the cold December air. Chris listened too. The carolers stood in front of a house halfway down the block, singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
“This is one of my favorites,” Chris said. For a second he smiled, letting the music wash over him—along with a serious dose of Christmas spirit. But it faded when he looked at Peppermint Bark’s wistful face. Unlike in the song, they didn’t have twelve days of Christmas to get Santa’s puppy back home. Just one day—today. And the sun was already setting . . .
* * *
Happy peeked out from behind a parked car on Eggnog Street. “They’re still walking this way,” he whispered to Juniper. “Where do you think they’re going?”
“Who cares?” Juniper said. “They’ve got Peppermint Bark—and we need to rescue him!” She shook her head. “Santa always made it sound as if all children are good and almost none are truly naughty.”
“Yes.” Happy nod
ded. “He says that’s why we elves have to work so hard all year making toys. Because there are so many good girls and boys to give them to!”
“Right.” Juniper shrugged, peeking out from their hiding spot herself. “But I’m starting to wonder . . .”
“What do you mean?” Happy pulled his cap lower on his face. Night was falling, and the air was sharp with cold and coming snow. He sniffed for it, his long nose wiggling. Yes, definitely—there would be snow soon.
Juniper wasn’t thinking about snow. She watched Peppermint Bark and his human companions through narrowed eyes. “I think these children must be extremely naughty,” she said. “Why else would they keep preventing us from taking Peppermint Bark home where he belongs? In any case, we should be able to grab him as they pass.”
“Are you sure about the children being naughty?” Happy asked. “I was thinking about it, and they don’t seem naughty—just, perhaps, a little confused. Maybe if we tried talking to them, like I was saying earlier . . .”
“Ahoy there—elves!” a man’s voice interrupted. “What are you doing here? The final check of the parade floats is happening right now! I’m sure the other kids from your group are wondering what’s keeping you, eh? Let’s get you to Poinsettia Square posthaste.”
Happy goggled up at a human man with a tidy white mustache. He looked sort of familiar—had they seen him before? Happy wasn’t sure. All humans looked pretty much the same to him, other than the children, of course . . .
“No, no,” Juniper began. “We’re not . . .”
But it was too late. The man had already grabbed the elves by the collars of their spruce-green tunics and hustled them off across the street.
18
Festival Time
Santa's Puppy Page 9
