by Linnea West
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Other Books in the Series
About the Author
Copyright
Chapter One
The workshop was bustling. It was one month until Christmas and even though the elves worked year-round, it was crunch time now. Sewing machines were clacking, paint brushes were flying, and keyboards were clicking away as the elves worked on producing as many toys as they possibly could for all of the children who ended up on the nice list.
Cordelia Claus had come in the door to the workshop to do something, she just knew it. As she scanned the workshop, trying to jog her memory, she happened to catch sight of herself in a mirror that hung on the wall. Her long gray hair that had been expertly tied up into a big bun on top of her head now looked more like Medusa, gray strands snaking out of the red and green bow and sticking in all directions. The one bummer about being Mrs. Claus was that instead of the eternal youth the other elves were blessed with, she had been forced to upgrade to eternal old lady status. Even though she was almost a century into her position as the wife of the Big Guy, she still pined for her long red hair.
But she didn’t have time to fix her hair right now. There had been something important she was supposed to do in the workshop. Digging around in the pocket of her red and white striped apron, Cordelia finally located the list she had written up when she got up that morning. There was so much on the paper that while it had started as a nice organized list, it was now a collage of things she needed to do scrawled in all directions. She turned the paper this way and that, trying to find something that had to do with the workshop.
“Mrs. Claus, how many times have I told you that I am supposed to be the one in charge of the day’s schedule and agenda?”
Cordelia turned to see Clarence coming toward her. As the head elf, he was technically right about his job, but no matter how hard she tried to let him do it, Cordelia could just never manage to let him do it all.
“And then I’m supposed to have to find you every time I think of something else that needs to be put on the list?” Cordelia asked. “I’d spend my whole day tracking you down instead of following the agenda you set for me.”
“I believe part of my job would also be delegating most of the items on your list that you claim you need to do to other elves and allowing you to spend your time more productively,” Clarence said.
The head elf scowled, but Cordelia knew it was only minor frustration on his part. Clarence and Cordelia had come into their current positions around the same time, so they had been working together for almost a century. Clarence was not only the head elf but also Cordelia’s best friend because he was the only one who really understood what her life was like as Mrs. Claus. It didn’t hurt that even though he was blessed with eternal youth, he dressed like a middle-aged banker from the 1920s. Cordelia felt that made them more of a matched pair than being friends with some skinny, blonde elf who would never know the life of gray hair and wrinkles that Cordelia lived.
Cordelia giggled and glanced at Clarence, who let a smirk cross his face for just a fraction of a second. They both dealt with the frantic work pace of their station in life by ribbing each other and pretending to be mad. Cordelia was pretty sure that most of the elves thought she and Clarence didn’t like each other, but none of them watched close enough to see the real bond the two elves shared.
“Either way, I have no reason on my list for you to be in the workshop right now,” Clarence said.
“That makes two of us,” Cordelia said. “I can’t remember why I came in here.”
“Oh dear, that gray hair is catching up with you,” Clarence said, raising his eyebrows with the joke.
“Pshaw, we both know that even though I’m older, I still don’t age,” Cordelia said. “Either way, I can’t for the life of me remember the very important thing I had in mind when I headed this way.”
She looked around, seeing that all of the elves had settled into their morning workload. Everyone was happily toiling over their workstations. Despite their heavy workloads, North Pole elves were dedicated to their work. It was hard not to be when the fate of Christmas for so many of the world’s children depended on them.
Cordelia took Clarence by the elbow and exited the workshop, hoping that something would jog her memory. If not, maybe she could figure out where she was supposed to go next. This time of year was her busiest also, mostly because she took on many of Nick’s duties as Christmas got closer. Cordelia knew that she didn’t have to, but she wanted Nick to relax and take it easy before Christmas Eve. It didn't seem right to make him do all of the piddly things around the North Pole, so she had been quietly taking on more and more of it each year, leaving him just enough easy tasks to keep him busy without overwhelming him. Clarence hated that she did it that way, but since Cordelia was technically his boss, he scowled and went on with life.
The hallways around the central workshop were just as busy as the workrooms, elves bustling by constantly. As they passed, each one would do a small bow or curtsy toward Cordelia, who hated that tradition. But after the first decade of trying to get the other elves to stop, she finally just gave up and let them carry on. She didn’t consider herself above the other elves, even though she had a special job and title.
“Good morning, Mrs. Claus,” Leon said as he neared them.
Leon was the Keeper of the List. He made sure every child on Earth that celebrated Christmas was included on the List. He also monitored them to keep track of their daily nice and naughty tally. He put them all together and figured out their average, being the only person besides Santa who decided whether a child ended up on the naughty or the nice list. As it was, Cordelia made sure that Leon did most of the work, only scheduling a time for Santa to come in and okay the lists before Christmas Eve.
“Oh hello Leon,” Cordelia said.
She stopped and turned so suddenly that her skirts swirled around Clarence’s legs, almost sending him careening into the wall. He managed to save himself with a very elegant skip step, but not before frowning Cordelia’s way.
“Wait, Leon, I want a word,” Cordelia said.
Leon turned and squinted at her. He had silky black hair that swirled up and away from his forehead like a wave. He wore a black vest over a t-shirt and he had a silver chain that disappeared into the pocket. Cordelia had to assume there was a pocket watch on the other end of it, but she’d never actually seen it. If Cordelia hadn’t been married, she would have been gaga over him. As it was, she had a hard time forming words around him sometimes. But it was crunch time. She had no time for silly games now.
“Yes, Mrs. Claus?” Leon asked.
“I will be stopping into the List Room later on today to set up Nick’s yearly appointment to check the list twice,” Cordelia said. “Will you be available in about an hour or so?”
Clarence let out a little sigh next to her, once again annoyed that Cordelia was making her own schedule.
“I mean, if Clarence here says that my schedule is clear,” Cordelia said, nodding her head toward Clarence with a smile.
“It’s clear,” Clarence said.
He didn’t even glance at the clipboard under his arm as h
e spoke, just flatly going along with what Cordelia said. She made a mental note to buy him an extra special Christmas present this year.
“Great, so we will see you in about an hour,” Cordelia said.
Before Leon could smile his handsome smile at her, Cordelia turned and walked down the hallway. She only got a few steps away when she heard a crash behind her. Turning back, it appeared that Leon had walked directly into a pillar next to the door frame to the toy workshop. Glancing at Clarence, they both scurried toward him to see if he was okay.
Somehow, Robin beat them there. She was a baking elf, which was apparent because of the apron tied around her and the flour on her nose, but even when she wasn’t dressed for work, she oozed happiness like a hot cookie oozed chocolate. She was plump and jolly, with chubby cheeks that were permanently pink, and brown ringlets that encircled her head. Kneeling down, she took Leon’s head into her lap and looked into his eyes.
“Leon, are you okay?” she asked.
Robin turned and saw Clarence and Cordelia approaching her. Her normally pink face became an extraordinary shade of the deepest red Cordelia had seen outside of Nick’s Santa suit. She looked back toward where she had dropped the basket she must have been carrying.
“I was delivering cookies,” Robin said, glancing around like a student caught without a hall pass. “And then Leon walked into that pillar. I was just making sure he was okay.”
“Of course,” Cordelia said. She understood the magic spell the handsome elf seemed to put the lady elves under. “Leon, are you okay?”
Until that moment, Leon had simply laid there, looking around like he was a bit unsure how he had ended up on the floor. He blinked a few times and sat up, glancing from Cordelia to Robin and back.
“I’m okay, I’m just a bit embarrassed that I walked into the wall,” Leon said. “I’m just a bit distracted by crunch time, I suppose.”
“Aren’t we all?” Cordelia said. “Robin, why don’t you help him up and get on with your deliveries? Leon, we will see you in an hour.”
She rose to her feet and left the shy bakery elf to help Leon back to his feet. Cordelia was happily married, after all, and she knew for a fact that Robin was single. It was the least she could do.
Clarence offered his elbow once again and they walked toward her office at the end of the hallway. They passed by a few more rooms, elves bustling everywhere. The bakery door opened and smells of candy canes and cookies came wafting out, along with Carol and Arnold, each carrying a tray of gingerbread men. Bowing to Cordelia, they tipped their tray to offer a fresh cookie to her. Politely declining, Clarence grabbed one before they righted the tray. Cordelia knew she would steal a nibble of it once they were back in her office.
The sleigh room opened and the smell of baked goods was replaced by the sweet smell of hay and musky reindeer. Trudy walked by with a slight curtsy and Brenda waved from beside a reindeer that she was grooming as the door swung open and shut.
As they headed toward her office, Cordelia noticed Nate hanging around the door of the List Room. Nate was the head of technology, which was the newest position at the North Pole. New was, of course, a relative term, but it had been created with the advent of modern technology. It was Nate’s job to figure out ways to implement technology while keeping the old traditions intact.
“If you’re looking for Leon, he just went down to the toy workshop,” Cordelia said.
Nate whirled around, his brown eyes wide. Once he realized who was talking to him, he bowed down so deeply that his chest was almost laying on his legs. When he stood back up, he had a small smile on his face.
“Thanks, Mrs. Claus,” he said. “I was actually just wandering around here trying to see which doors we could implement electronic locks on. These big, old-fashioned keys are such a pain. I wish we could automate everything. No one but me seems to understand just what a hassle it all is and how much time we could save by automating.”
“We know,” Clarence said. His voice had a stern edge to it. “And we will talk about it more at the committee meeting tomorrow.”
Nate looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he dashed off down the hallway toward the toy workshop. Cordelia glanced at Clarence, who looked just as confused at the whole encounter. Shrugging her shoulders, Cordelia continued on. As they reached the door to her office, she slowed down and let Clarence go first. As he reached to open her door, Cordelia grabbed the bit of gingerbread man that was left and took a big bite. Clarence just rolled his eyes and pushed open the door. It was crunch time and they had work to do.
Chapter Two
After an intense hour of work where Cordelia let Clarence take the lead with the agenda, she was ready to head to the List Room to schedule Nick’s appointment to check the list twice. Even though Clarence was efficient with his ways and they had gotten a lot done in the past hour, Cordelia still felt behind. As they had been giving the okay to new doll dress designs and putting the finishing touches on the elves year-end bonuses and gift baskets, she had thought of six new things to put on the list. Instead of getting shorter, the list just grew and grew.
Each time she had interrupted Clarence to add something else to their agenda, he had scowled and harrumphed as he grudgingly added it to the bottom. His mouth would get all twisted up into a little beleaguered smirk because each time he was forced to admit that the things Cordelia was adding were important and were things that needed to get done soon. But he was just mad that she was trying to wrest control of the agenda again. He finally snapped a bit when she reminded him that they needed to make sure both sets of Santa boots should be shined.
“Cordie, let me do my job,” Clarence said. “Being Mrs. Claus is important, but you’re losing the importance by letting yourself get bogged down with to-do lists and schedules. You don't have to do it all yourself. That is why I’m here.”
“Oh I know, but I just can’t stop my mind from spinning around and around,” Cordelia said. “I want everything to be perfect for Nick on Christmas Eve. He has a hard job and he needs to rest up for it. He shouldn’t have to think of these things, so I do it for him.”
“Well stop, because now you’re just doing my job,” Clarence said.
The two elves had stared at each other over Cordelia’s large wooden desk, each scowling a bit at the other. They had this fight at least once every year during crunch time. Clarence would insist that Cordelia stop doing so much and Cordelia would ignore him, taking on more and more each year. It was an ongoing fight and Cordelia knew it wasn’t the last time they would argue about it.
Right now they were back on good terms, strolling down the hallway to the List Room. In a way, Cordelia sort of enjoyed crunch time. The rest of the year, the hallways would be mostly empty, just long stretches of corridors decorated for the holidays. But during crunch time, it all changed.
The hallways were bustling, elves coming in and out of all of the doors constantly. They passed by with trays of baked goods, new toys, carrots for the reindeer, each one curtsying or bowing to Cordelia as she passed by. Everyone was happy and smiling, except Clarence who never smiled in public. Even he managed a small smirk during the happy bustle of crunch time.
During crunch time, the speakers in the hallways pumped out classic Christmas songs and the smell of fresh cookies floated around. All of the elves were dressed in their Christmas best, red and green outfits with swirly lace-trimmed skirts and red suits with green vests. It almost seemed like a dream come true. It was Cordelia’s favorite time of year.
Reaching the door to the List Room, Cordelia pushed it open. It was a large room with a big desk in the middle where Leon worked on the list. Shelves lined the room, holding large, leather-bound books that held the List each year. When a book was opened, the list would spill out onto the floor, the neat handwriting accented here and there with a decorative drawing of holly or a pine wreath. It was amazing that Leon took such pride in his work to make it decorative. If there was something that united all elves, it was
the pride they took in their work.
But Leon wasn’t in the List Room. Clarence and Cordelia looked around before they made their way in and went to the desk. The List Room was supposed to be locked if no one was inside. Security was an important issue when it came to Christmas.
Cordelia moved to start admiring that year’s list. Passing by a small side table, Cordelia noticed a plate with a few cookies. Eating was supposed to be forbidden in the List Room. Leon should know that. Perhaps he had them as a treat for Mrs. Claus and Clarence? But where was the Keeper of the List?
As they got closer to the desk, Cordelia was a little surprised at how it looked. Normally, Leon’s handwriting was small and precise, almost minuscule but somehow still readable. But this list looked large and a bit sloppy with no decorative touches. Perhaps this was the rough draft and Cordelia normally saw the finished product. Either way, it was a bit puzzling.
“You’re here, I’m so sorry, I stepped out for a moment and…”
Leon let his sentence trail off as he came into the List Room, his cheeks red. He rushed to the desk and slammed the book shut. Other papers flew off his desk and in Leon’s haste to try to grab them, he knocked over a cup full of pencils, which fell into an ink well. Clarence managed to catch the ink before it caused a flood, righting it with an unamused expression on his face. He had no time for incompetence during crunch time.
With a small yelp, Leon started collecting pencils and jamming them back into the cup. Cordelia searched his face, trying to figure out what was going on. Normally, Leon was a very put together elf. He had to be since he was the Keeper of the List. It was a very important and prestigious position.
“The list looks a bit rough for this late in the season,” Clarence said. He raised one eyebrow. “Running a bit behind perhaps?”
Cordelia cringed next to him, hating to hear those words, but knowing that it was the exact same thing she had been thinking. Perhaps they should call in another elf to assist him. Leon had been in this position for a very long time and perhaps it was getting to be time to replace him. Cordelia added that possibility to the running to-do list in her head.
