My Short Short for the Day

The chilly wind swirled the snow across the ground as the stars twinkled in the night sky. There was a flurry of activity inside the warm glowing house as happy, little elves packed toys into Santa’s bright red sack. Outside the reindeer danced around Santa’s sleigh eager to be on their way. Upstairs Santa finished his dinner while Mrs. Claus bustled around the kitchen. She quickly prepared a snack for Santa's long journey. Mrs. Claus laughed cheerfully as Santa pushed away from the table and patted his full belly.

“Ho, ho, ho! Time for me to go.” He said giving Mrs. Claus a hug before heading downstairs to the workshop.

With all the activity, two elves go unnoticed as they leaned against the back wall. Eddie is thin and tall for an elf. His eyes sparkled with mischief as they darted around the room. He always enjoyed a good challenge, so when Randy proposed a dare, he couldn't turn it down. He had to sneak onto Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve and bring back enough Christmas cookies for the rest of the elves. He prided himself on being the most clever and daring elf in all of the North Pole so he quietly watched as Santa made his way down the stairs.

Next to Eddie stood a short, chubby elf named Lou. He always had a good natured smile on his face. Eddie had been his best friend forever and he admired him for being so smart and brave. He could remember all of their past adventures. Like the time they spent the night in a polar bear cave. One day a little polar bear cub had wandered into the village. He looked so scared and all the elves agreed that someone had to help him find his way home. So Randy had dared Eddie to take him home without any help from Santa. Of course, Eddie immediately took the challenge and before Lou knew it, he and Eddie were putting on their warm winter coats and heading off towards the polar caves. No elf had ever ventured that far before. They found the bear’s family and the mother was so grateful, she gave them cookies and cocoa. It was very dark and a storm was brewing outside so she insisted they spend the night. Early the next morning, after a hearty breakfast of pancakes and more hot cocoa, they started back home. She even let them ride on her back all the way to Santa’s village. The other elves watched in awe as the two slid off the polar bear’s back and calmly strode into the house. There was never a dull moment with Eddie.