We froze on the spot. Surely this couldn't be happening again. Not here, not now. Carl again. This time I would finish this. Enough is enough. I spun round and stared straight at him. His face was purple with rage and he gripped the desk with both hands. I couldn't show him I was frightened, I had too stand my ground. After everything we had been through I wasn't going too let him get away from us now.
"So Carl" I started "This was the plan all along was it?"He looked at me a little taken aback if I'm honest. He wasn't expecting me too be so forward with him, after all he assumed he had the upper hand.
"Oh Sammy, after all this time you still don't get it do you?" He started too chuckle and then he burst into a loud and long laugh, throwing his head back as he did so.
He's finally lost it I thought too myself. He has finally cracked.
"Hes not here is he, you silly little boy" He continued too laugh as he said it
"Whos not here?" I asked still trying too keep my cool
"Father Christmas, It doesn't matter what the Elf's do, without him here they are leaderless. They wont know what to do. Oh they may chase the leprechauns around for a bit but when they catch them what will they do with them? They don't have a clue, and neither do you" He pointed his finger at me as he said the last bit and the anger had returned too his face.
I looked at Jack and Tommy and they looked straight back at me. I was sure James would know what to do wouldn't he? After all it was his and Rang's idea in the first place. Surly they must have though it through to the end.
"Ah the first seeds of doubt are beginning too creep in aren't they. You have no idea what it means to me to be back in this place. This is where I belong and its time you knew the full story about your precious Father Christmas and what he did to me and all the leprechauns that worked here with us. But more importantly the fact that he let Peter and Jack leave here as babies too die in the snow outside because he decided they needed too be punished for something they didn't even do. What nothing to say boys? Well I'm not surprised after all you DON'T KNOW HIM LIKE I DID. Sit down and Ill tell you it all. After all we have all the time in the world now don't we seeing as he has left his precious Elf's once again." He laughed loudly this time and pointed too the floor where we all sat down. Not through choice but because we couldn't think of anything else to do right now and we needed too buy time.
He walked from behind the desk and sat on the front of it looking down on us like a father would to his children who he was about too tell a story to. He looked very different from the first time I had seen him . His hair was a lot greyer now and there were a lot more lines on his face. It was obvious the last few months had taken a real toll on him. Whatever he was about too tell us had obviously eaten him up over a long period of time. The thing was, even though we had been fighting him from almost the first day we still didn't know the REASON why he wanted to get back at Father Christmas. Could there be a reason for the way Carl had become? Could there be a reason to HATE Father Christmas? The only way we would find out would be to listen to what he had to say no matter how painful some of it would be.
"I came here many, many years ago when I was a young leprechaun. The Elf's and the leprechaun's worked together happily here. It was a true pace of wonder and fun. Father Christmas was kind and generous too us all. I worked hard and over time I moved around the factory until I became one of the Chief designers here. Me and Devel's father here created some of the most popular presents ever made. The children loved them and we all took great pride in our work. I was happy and married to a wonderful girl called Sally. We dreamed of having our own family and growing old here." He paused for a second and I swear I saw a tear well up in his eye. He wiped his eye and then he continued. "Father Christmas offered me the job of Grand Designer, a position no leprechaun had ever held before. This would mean that I would have full control of every design of toy that would be made here. Some of the Elf's were jealous of this and started too work against me. I told Father Christmas this but he didn't believe me, he said I was being paranoid but I knew I wasn't. I became engrossed in my work making sure that every toy I designed was better than the others that had been made before. I worked day and night. Then one day Sally came too see me and said she was worried about me. That I had not been home for 4 days. I shouted at her, I didn't mean to, it was the last time I ever saw her." He stopped and walked around the desk again and sat heavily into the chair.
We all looked at each other. It sounded true enough so far, didn't it?
"Sammy, remember this is Carl we are listening too" Tommy whispered quietly
I nodded perhaps my friend was more aware than I was that I was being taken in a little too much by what I was hearing. I decided toolisten a little more before I said anything. Carl looked at us more composed now and continued once again
"She was gone when I finally got home. No note nothing, I went to Father Christmas for help but he just told me to get on with my work so I did. I didn't dare argue with him after all he was Father Christmas wasn't he how could I argue with him?. Over the next few years I became so engrossed in my work that I forgot everything else. The toys were being requested more and more until one day there was an accident on the conveyor belt. One of the Elf's got hurt and he blamed a leprechaun for it. No one knows why but all of a sudden they couldn't work with each other. Fights were breaking out all over the place. Father Christmas asked me to help and I did try but it was getting worse. He made a choice and called a meeting with me as I was the unofficial leader of the leprechauns and the head of the Elf's Devels father. He sat us down in this very office and told me that all leprechaun's had to leave the village that night. He was no longer prepared to have our kind work here. I was shocked by this and tried to reason with him but he wouldn't listen. He said his mind was made up. I asked him where we were supposed to go and he said he had arranged for us to live in Ireland, that he wasn't prepared to discuss it any further and that we were to leave immediately. Sadly I agreed with his wishes hoping that one day he would change his mind and that one day we could come back here. As I left the village I found Peter and his brother Jack wandering around outside. A pair of children that had been cast out into the ice and snow. I took them in and raised them like my own. Not that Jack here has ever thanked me for it have you Jack?"
Jack just stared at him and didn't say I word
"See how ungrateful he is? After all I have done for him? That's the thanks I get"
"So why are you back here now Carl? Why is Devel helping you? What is it that you actually want?" I had too get the answers too my questions. Enough was enough now.
He paused and smiled at me. This unnerved me a little as I wasn't sure what was going too happen next.
"Devel get the book for me please, lets show our little friend what this is all about shall we?" He beckoned Devel away from the door and towards a pile of books that were kept on the shelf's on the wall on the far side of the room. He reached down and pulled of a book in red Velvet and handed it to Carl. He held it tightly in his hands like it was something he didn't want to drop or let go. He ran his hands over it and placed it gently on the desk in front of him. We looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders we had no idea what this was.
"Sammy, do you know what this is?" He was almost dribbling now
"Nope not a clue, looks like a great big book to me" I was trying to show him that I wasn't that bothered
"Sammy your naivety is quite sweet really. This my boy is the one thing that Father Christmas cannot do without. What I have now means that I now control all of the toys that are sent to the children in the world. This Sammy is the book of names. Whenever a child requests something for Christmas it will appear next to their name in this book.Then the Elf's will make sure that they get it. Whenever a child is naughty though they lose one of the presents from the list. Now all I have to do is keep an eye on it and sell those toys to the toy shops and make lots and lots of money doing it" He laughed loudly again.
"Is that right Carl?" A deep voice came from behind me, I jumped up and turned round. I hadn't heard the door open as I was listening to what Carl was saying. By the look on his face he hadn't either because standing there in the door way was................................
To Be Continued Tomorrow..............
No comments:
Post a Comment