by Susan Harper
“Gosh, how could one person possibly do that?” Abigail asked. “I mean, if anyone could, it would be him. He’s got quite the impressive ancestry resume. Part-elf, part-warlock, shapeshifter…”
“Look,” Monica said. “There are plenty of mortals whose parents put out toys for them and say it’s from Santa. The real Santa… He’s the one who puts out toys in the homes that aren’t expecting much of a Christmas. Those anonymous donation stories you hear—the stories about parents wondering what kind person dropped off gifts for their kids that year—that’s Santa. His list isn’t a naughty or nice list. He makes a list of children of the world that mystics can sponsor. And the more mystics who sponsor mortal children, the more mortal children he can give out presents to.”
“Whoa,” Holly said. “Honestly… That’s even better than the version of Santa I grew up hearing about as a kid. It’s a whole secret community of mystics trying to be nice and give anonymous gifts to children who otherwise wouldn’t get anything for Christmas.”
“Exactly,” Monica said. “Santa is just the middleman who does the actual deliveries. He and his elves build the toys and all that jazz throughout the year, and he uses some spells and such to help him get around the world in one night.”
“This is really cool,” Holly said. “So, the mystics don’t get gifts from Santa, then?”
“Well, not toys,” Monica said.
“So, what do they get from him?” Holly asked.
“Okay, so it’s this weird tradition. Mystics, those who celebrate Christmas, travel to the mortal world on Christmas Eve. My parents did it with us a few times. You’re supposed to sit on rooftops of mortals’ homes or buildings or whatever, and if you spot Saint Nick flying overhead, you can flag him down and he can grant you a wish,” Molly explained.
“Santa can grant wishes?” Holly asked.
“He will for mystics only on Christmas Eve,” Abigail said, “and only if you are able to flag him down. He gives out quite a few every year. Got him once when I was a little girl.”
“Really?” Monica asked.
“Yeah,” Abigail said. “Wished for the Indians who killed my parents to get eaten alive by wolves. He told me he wasn’t going to do that, though…so I just wished for my uncle to have a pleasant and prosperous year…”
“Dang, Abigail, that’s really messed up,” Holly said.
“I am a criminal living a five-hundred-year sentence as a cat. Did you expect me to wish for tap shoes?” Abigail snapped.
Holly rolled her eyes. “Did you ever manage to flag him down?”
“Yeah, once,” Monica said. “I was going to wish to become a natural witch.”
“But you didn’t?” Holly asked.
“No,” Monica said.
“Why didn’t you?! This is the first time I’ve heard this story,” Abigail exclaimed.
Monica sighed. “Lenore had died,” Monica said. “We had gone to the mortal side, and some stupid kid with a slingshot got Lenore right between the eyes. I asked Santa to rewind the clock for me. I went back in time and stopped it from ever happening. Mona was so upset about what happened to her familiar, and since I was the one who flagged Santa down, I was the one who got to make a wish. And I wanted Mona to be happy.”
“That is so sweet, Monica!” Holly exclaimed.
“I mean, I loved Lenore too,” Monica said. “I hated what happened to her, so I wanted her back almost as much as Mona.”
“Why don’t I remember this?” Abigail asked. “I’ve been around just as long as Lenore.”
“Because I changed what happened,” Monica said. “When I came back to the present time, Santa was standing there saying that Mona had been the one to wave him down. Lenore was there, and no one had any memory of what had happened to her. So, Mona wished to be offered a scholarship to Ms. Olson’s School of Mystics. She had gotten accepted earlier that year, but Mom and Dad were worried about being able to pay for it.”
“You should have told her what you did for her!” Abigail exclaimed.
“I didn’t do it so that Mona could turn around and waste her wish on me,” Monica said.
“But it was your wish to begin with!” Abigail argued.
“Yeah, and I used it,” Monica said. “But that’s not going to help us now. We’ve got to find a way to get back home without a broom.”
“I’m sorry, but right now, I’m trying to figure out why you didn’t wish for me to be human again,” Abigail hissed.
“Pretty sure Santa can’t overrule sentences the Sorcerer’s Council has handed out,” Monica said. “Though if you want to go stargazing on Christmas Eve this year, you can try to flag Santa down for a wish.”
“It has been several hundreds of years since my last wish,” Abigail said. “It’s one of those once in a lifetime sort of things, but maybe I can get myself a second one, seeing as how I’ve lived several lifetimes.”
Monica and Holly shook their heads. They headed toward the center of town until they wound up back at the North Pole precinct. Once inside, Monica politely went up to the front desk again. The same woman from before was working the counter, and she scrunched up her nose at them. “You haven’t brought me any more toy elves you’ve found wandering around outside of the North Pole, have you?” she asked nervously.
“No, nothing like that,” Monica said with a laugh. “I’m afraid I’ve traded my broom at one of the local shops, and now we are trying to find a way to get home before Christmas, preferably before Christmas Eve. Can you tell us where the nearest portal is that could land us in the United States?”
“Oy, that’s a good question… Hold on, let me pull a map out for you,” she said and dug around in a desk. “Let’s see…nearest one is going to be Slyth Village… I’m afraid this close to Christmas, you’re not going to be able to rent a reindeer to fly out of here. That’s a no-go because they’re all on call.”
“Great, how are we supposed to get out of here, then?” Abigail muttered.
“Well,” the woman said. “Best bet would be to take a dogsled and see if you can get a boat ride back to the mainland to Yawk Town. Yawk Town is a pretty good trek from Slyth, but if you hurry, you might could get a train from Yawk to Slyth.”
“Sounds like we’re going to need a dogsled, then,” Monica said.
The elf woman grinned pointed ear to pointed ear. “Well, then, you’re in luck. I just so happen to know where I can get you one of those.”
8
Mona waited in the car as Brian scurried to his apartment. She sighed, not entirely sure why she had agreed on following him around all evening. She knew a lot of it was because she wanted to get to know him a little better, but that didn’t have to be done so late after a long day working the mortal side of the shop. Truth be told, Brian interested her, and that was something that mortals had hardly ever done for Mona. Her sister had always been the one so fascinated by these creatures, though Mona never expected for Monica to actually date one. Dating mortals was one giant complication, and Mona was worried for her sister. She wanted to see if this man was even worth the trouble.
Eventually, Brian came hurrying back to the car, checking his phone for the time. He hopped in the driver’s seat and quickly pulled out of the parking lot and down the road toward a pawnshop. “So, what did you go get from your apartment exactly?” Mona asked.
Once Brian parked the car, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a shiny gold medal. “This,” he said.
“A medal?” Mona asked. “What was it for?”
“I was shot during a raid, and I was given this as a thank you for my duty,” Brian explained. “It was a pretty big deal, but I’m willing to part with it if it means doing something special for Monica.”
Mona could sense that the man was not too keen on selling this medal, but he jumped out of the car anyway, told her he’d be back in just a moment, and then scurried into the pawnshop. Mona tried to imagine what sort of thing he was planning on getting Monica for her bike that was wort
h selling something that clearly meant a lot to him. She waited for several minutes before Brian returned, looking both satisfied and a bit sick to his stomach all at once. “Okay, I just got off the phone with the bike shop owner, and he’s going to meet us back at his shop. You up for one more stop?” he asked.
“Of course,” Mona said. “I’ve committed thus far, might as well see this through.”
They drove back to Main Street and parked outside the one and only shop that still had its lights on. Mona followed Brian inside, and she looked around curiously at all of the bikes hanging on the walls and the various accessories scattered about. “What’s up, Paul?” Brian called, heading toward the back counter.
The older man yawned. “I hope you know I’m staying up past my bedtime getting this order done for you. You better have the money for it, Brian,” the man, Paul, said. He smiled at Mona. “Now, who’s the pretty lady friend you got there?”
“This is Mona, Monica’s sister,” Brian said.
“Monica is the girl all this stuff is for?” Paul asked, dipping behind the counter for a moment. The old man groaned a bit as he lifted up something rather heavy and placed it on the counter. It was an enormous, black gift basket. Inside were shining purple bike rims, a silvery chain with a purple lock that had Monica’s initials engraved on it, a lovely black cushioned seat with purple stitching, a black helmet with purple stickers, and a new black basket with a purple bow with a purple lining that would be quite comfortable for Abigail to ride in. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Upon closer examination, Mona spotted all sorts of additional but smaller accessories like a tire pump, reflectors, a bike toolkit that was of course embroidered with purple stitching, and a purple bell.
“That’s right,” Brian said, smiling. “What do you think, Mona? You think your sister will like all this stuff?”
“Are you kidding?” Mona asked, smiling. “She’s going to love all this.”
While Mona knew that the bike was actually a broom, she also knew that living in Bankstown, her sister was getting a lot more use out of her broom when it was in bike form. She was going to be riding around town in style. Mona watched as Brian passed the cash to Paul and thanked him several times before lifting up the heavy basket. “Okay, I think we’re good to go. Mission accomplished, right?” Brian asked Mona as though needing her to confirm once more that this was a grand gift idea.
“Absolutely,” Mona said.
“Thanks again, Paul!” Brian called back.
He loaded the enormous gift basket up into the back of the car. He checked his phone before they pulled out. “Got a message from Chloe’s doctor. He thinks she’ll be waking up soon,” Brian said. “I’ll take you back to the cottage if you want?”
“Bookshop, actually,” Mona said. “Lenore is still there, and I’m going to need to pick her up.”
“Do you have a car?” Brian asked.
“Um…” Mona said.
“What is up with you Montoya women walking everywhere?” Brian asked, laughing. “Come on, we’ll go get your bird.”
He drove them down the road to the bookshop and headed inside. Mona noticed Brian yawning. “You still have a rather long night ahead of you, don’t you?” Mona asked.
“Looks that way,” Brian said, rubbing his eyes.
“How about another coffee for the road, then? My treat,” Mona said, heading over to the coffee machines, which she looked at rather hesitantly.
“How about I help you out?” Brian said, eagerly heading over. He opened the coffeemaker and then let out a loud laugh. “Mona…did you not use a filter?” he asked.
Mona stared back at him blankly. “A…filter?”
“I’m guessing you don’t drink coffee,” Brian said and dug around the counter below until he pulled out some odd white-paper-like things he kept calling filters. He cleaned out the coffee pot and placed the filter in it. “I now know why your coffee tasted a little funky this morning.”
“I could tell you didn’t care for it,” Mona said. “I never made coffee before.”
Brian kindly showed her how to make coffee, and he poured each of them a cup and added sugar and cream to it. “Just a basic coffee with sugar and cream. I can’t do any of the fancy stuff that Holly does with that espresso machine.”
Mona tried the drink, and she had to take a moment to determine whether or not she liked it before nodding approvingly. “Coffee is a bit of an acquired taste,” Brian told her. “So, are you staying at Monica’s? I can take you back to the cottage before heading to the hospital.”
Mona thought for a moment. “My sister has been helping you out with your cases, hasn’t she?” she asked.
“Well, yeah,” Brian said, smiling. “Why, are you wanting to tag along?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Mona said. “Though, it could be the coffee talking. I’m feeling a bit wired.”
Brian laughed. “Okay, if you’re up for it. Let’s get to the hospital. I want to be first in line to talk to Chloe when she wakes up.”
They left Lenore at the shop, and Mona could tell that Lenore was far from satisfied with this, but she couldn’t think of a good excuse to drag her pet raven around, so she had to remain behind. Once they arrived at the hospital, Brian led her to the emergency wing where a doctor was eventually able to guide them to Chloe’s room.
The woman looked very miserable, and she was covered in bandages, particularly on her legs and arms. “Chloe,” Officer Brian said, and she looked at him, studying him for a moment.
She had oxygen tubes in her nose that made her look rather strange to Mona. Mona was not used to mortal medical practices, so this looked awfully odd to her. “Officer Brian,” Chloe said. “My doctor said you’d be coming by. You pulled me from the fire before the fire department got there?”
“That’s right,” Brian said.
“Well, thank you,” she said, groaning slightly. “I am going to have to remind myself how much worse this could have turned out for me if you hadn’t been there. I’ve been crotchety… You should have heard me snapping at Lou earlier.”
“Lou has been here?” Brian asked.
“Yeah, he’s out getting me something other than hospital food to snack on at the moment,” she said, sighing. “He came here really worried. Man looked scared to death. I guess the fire department called him or maybe the hospital. He’s my emergency contact.”
“Can you tell us what happened?” Brian asked.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Chloe said. “It happened so quickly, and the smoke was everywhere. I passed out on the floor where you found me.”
“The shop had been closed for a while when the fire started,” Brian said. “What were you doing there alone after hours?”
Chloe sighed. “No sense in lying to you, I suppose. Lou is probably going to find out anyway. I’m not super proud of this, Officer, I hope you know…but he gave me a spare key to the place…” Chloe hesitated for a moment before coming clean. “You see, well, it’s the holidays… I needed some cash…so I snuck in to borrow some money from the register.”
“Well, that’s not very wise,” Mona said, and Brian cleared his throat as a way of letting her know not to comment on Chloe’s poor decision.
“Was that a habit of yours?” Brian asked.
“You mean have I done it before?” Chloe asked.
“Yes,” Brian said.
Chloe was quiet for a moment. “Yes,” she said. “I put the money back, though. It was just to help me get through the next couple of weeks. Bills are due, and I spent a good bit of my money on Christmas shopping. I feel just awful. I suppose this is what I get for trying to swipe cash from his register. It wasn’t one of my proudest moments.”
“I’ll say,” Mona grumbled, trying to imagine how she would react if she found out her boyfriend had been stealing cash from her bookshop’s register.
“I hope Lou understands,” Chloe said. “I’ve only done it a couple of times, you know? And, like I said, I always put the
cash back once I am able to. He’s terrible about remembering to count his register. He usually only does it once or twice a month, so it’s not like he’s ever noticed… Man, I sure do hope he understands…”
“For your sake, I hope so,” Brian said. “Because you understand I’m going to have to tell him, and he may choose to press charges?”
Chloe nodded. “We’ve been dating long enough that I hope he gets I wasn’t trying to rob him or nothing like that. Just borrow some cash. That’s all. But, to answer your original question, that’s why I was in the shop so late. I went in after I knew Lou and his daughter were long gone so that I could borrow some cash. That’s all.”
“Well, we appreciate you telling us the truth,” Brian said. “Now, if there is anything else you remember, I’m going to leave my card so that you can call me.”
“Of course,” Chloe said as Brian laid his card down on her bedside table.
Brian and Mona excited the room. It was now very late, and Mona doubted Brian would want to do any more work that evening. “So, do you think she was telling the truth?” Mona asked.
“Right now, I’m more prone to believe her,” Brian said. “Otherwise, why confess to one crime to get yourself into trouble just to avoid getting caught for another one? Robbing a little bit of cash from your boyfriend is pretty different from setting his whole shop on fire, though.”
“I suppose we’ll find out,” Mona said.
Brian smiled at her. “Yes, I suppose we will.”
9
The following day was Sunday, which meant that Monica’s side of Backroom Books was closed. Mona had the option of spending the day in Wysteria, which was frankly where she much rather would have been, or off working with Brian on his investigation as she had hinted to him the previous evening that she wanted to do. So, against her better judgement, she had Brian pick her up at Monica’s cottage.
She waited for him outside, enjoying a bit of morning tea on the little patio table out front. Brian smiled as he pulled up and got out of the car. “I love this place,” he said, looking around. “It’s so quiet and peaceful.”
