Belying his name, Old Man Trouble turned out not to be much trouble at all. The most he did was stare at the floor of his front porch, going ‘uh huh’, ‘hmm mmm’, and ‘ya’, turning pinker with every response to Peter’s questions. Jinxy had not been there, and he had no idea where she might be.

  Walking away, Lacey said, ‘I suppose it might have been better had you come by yourself. You may have been able to get more out of him.’

  ‘Nah, he would’ve told me much the same, only in more words and while complaining that we’re not properly keeping the forest around his property. Which, of course, we are, but he just doesn’t like being in the shadow of the trees most of the time.’

  Lacey nodded. She could appreciate that, seeing as the sun was out today and its rays felt good on her even if she was still dressed for the icy temperatures. The trail to Widow Bonbon’s place skirted the outsides of the town, winding through brief stretches of forest and gently inclined and declined through the hilly landscape. Though it was still cold and snow lay everywhere, it was a beautiful day in a frosty kind of way, with the sun’s rays reflecting on the little pieces of ice that had formed all around. She couldn’t help wondering how often Jinxy had walked this trail. It must’ve been one of her favourites. Lacey certainly loved it. Reaching the top of the hill, Lacey paused to take in the view.

  ‘Charming, isn’t it?’ Peter spoke.

  ‘Sure is.’ From their vantage point, she could see elves moving along the village’s streets and some figures further out in the surroundings. In one spot behind the village, elves were pushing snow around in what looked like little black, reindeer-powered excavators. ‘What are those elves doing over there?’ she asked.

  ‘Ah, that’s our snow-enchantment team at work. They collect snow from the northernmost point of the village, where the northern lights shine the brightest. Those lights add an ambient magical charge to the snow it lights up. We sprinkle that snow into the air all over Earth during Christmas, enhancing the potential for miracles and magic to appear. This is important because that magical charge also builds throughout the season. It’s what drives Santa’s sleigh, along with the reindeer, of course, and gives it the magical lift to fly all around the world on Christmas Eve.’

  ‘Wow. But it doesn’t snow everywhere on Earth during the Christmas season. In fact, it’s summer in half the world.’

  ‘Doesn’t matter. As long as the snow is in the atmosphere, whether it sifts down with the other snow or just hovers as water vapour, the magic is there.’

  Lacey watched the little elves with new eyes as they carted snow around in the distance. Every new detail she learned about the elves and Santa’s village filled her with more wonder. ‘And what happens in the other directions around the village?’ she asked.

  ‘Well, we have the Southern Forest here on our side, where the reindeer enclosure is, and some residents also live, like Old Man Trouble and Widow Bonbon. Then, over there in the Western Snowfield lies our candy farms. There we grow crops of candy throughout the year, which we distribute to the elven community and a select few Earthen shops. This time of the year we focus almost exclusively on peppermint candy canes, but you will find a great variety during the other seasons. And lastly, over there, you can see the beginning of The Wasteland leading off into the East. That’s Abominable Snowman territory, and we avoid it as much as possible.’

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  From where they stood, the candy cane fields appeared to have an uneven texture, dotted with deeper shadows and a slight pinkish hue. The beginning of The Wasteland just looked like an empty plain with snow piled up on it. Deeper into it were foothills dotted with broken trees and craggy boulders. It looked like a very inhospitable place. Would Jinxy have wanted to see the Abominable Snowman badly enough to venture there? Lacey didn’t know.

  Peter broke the silence, saying, ‘Seeing it every day, it’s easy to forget just how special it is. I constantly have to remind myself how blessed I am to live here and be part of Santa’s Village.’

  ‘It certainly is fantastic. No wonder I was convinced I was kidnapped the day I woke up here,’ Lacey remarked without thinking, enraptured by the village’s surroundings.

  ‘You thought you were kidnapped?’ Peter asked incredulously and then tempered his tone almost immediately.

  ‘Ah yes, you had a bit of amnesia from your fall in the snow. It’s easy to forget – no pun intended – with how well you’ve recovered. Although, why would you think you were kidnapped? The Aurora Borealis settlement can’t be that different from here?’

  A part of Lacey wanted to trust him with the truth, but a more visceral fear warned her to hold back. It was one of the hard-earned lessons she had learned as she grew up in the group home. If you told people too much, your secrets either got spilt or used against you. Peter might be a trusted village guard, she might owe her life to him, and yes, he was Mathilda’s brother, but Lacey had grown used to holding her own council over the years.

  ‘You’d think so,’ Lacey said, trying to laugh it off, ‘but every place is more different than you’d expect.’

  ‘From how you were talking when I found you, it almost seemed like you weren’t expecting to be an elf.’ And there it was. He was, after all, a guard for a reason, and that extra bit of perceptiveness fitted the calling. ‘Yes, I’m right, aren’t I,’ he said, looking almost as surprised as she was at his insight. ‘When I found you in the snow, you didn’t know where you were and you denied being an elf. You’re not from our settlements, in fact,’ and at this he lowered his voice, ‘you’re not even from anywhere around here at all, are you.’

  Lacey opened her mouth and then closed it again. Peter kept quiet as he watched her, no doubt learning all kinds of things from the expressions flitting over her face. She didn’t know what to do. ‘The workshop!’ she squeaked. ‘I’m falling behind on my toys! I’d better get back there right now!’ And she ducked past him and started jogging back to the village.

  ‘What about Jinxy?’ he called after her. She reluctantly slowed to a stop. What was her secret worth against the life of Jinxy? Could she allow a secret to get in the way of her mission? And then she had her own realisation. Jinxy. Finding Jinxy was her mission; she could feel it in her heart and couldn’t allow anything to interfere with that goal. Lacey muttered a few curses as Peter’s footsteps halted beside her.

  ‘I hope you don’t mean that. Or wait, that last part sounds like it might be fun.’

  ‘What?’ Lacey stared at him suspiciously. She wasn’t sure whether he was teasing, flirting, or both.

  ‘I mean, I don’t know about flogging a dozen tipsy trifles but having one together might be good.’ She cursed her tongue, and this time she did it silently. ‘Tipsy trifles aside though,’ he continued, ‘please don’t run away from me. You’re not in trouble, and I know you’re also trying to help us find Jinxy. Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on?’

  ‘There’s nothing to tell,’ she replied. ‘You know I’m just an elf visiting from the Aurora Borealis settlement. It’s not my fault I got amnesia on my first day here.’

  ‘No, you didn’t, and you’re not from anywhere remotely close to here. Heck, I’m not even sure you’re an elf.’ Then, realising the truth, he gasped and stepped back as if to see her completely. ‘A Helper. That’s what you are, aren’t you? You’re a Helper.’

  ??????