"So explain to me again, how exactly you have managed to lose not one, not two but nine Reindeer two days before the boss gets back from his holiday, who I might point out is expecting them to be ready to deliver presents to all the children in the world in a matter of weeks?" I was trying desperately not to throttle all of them as they all stood in front of me trying not to look at me. Emily and I had run all the way here from my office, giving ourselves just enough time to grab out coats.
"Well, it was like this" started Jack slowly and nervously looking at Liam for support and not getting any as he was looking at the floor.
"Nope, no, Nada, I don't want to hear it again. I think I got it the first 3 times you explained it to me". I said crossly waving my hand to stop him from talking.
I was standing in the door way of the barn where the Reindeer had been not less than an hour ago trying desperately to work out how I was going to explain this one away. I looked at the open stables in front of me, brass plaques on the doors with their names engraved in them, Rudolph, Prancer, Dancer, Comet, Dasher, Vixen, Donner, Blitzen and Cupid. I could still hear their voices, their laughter ringing around the now empty stables leaving an almost haunted feel to the place, straw lay along the floor, harnesses hanging from each door way. It felt colder in here than it had in a long time.
Their story of how we now had all these missing Reindeer was as follows. Apparently Liam had thrown some straw at Jack, who said he didn't know their was droppings in it, but no one quite believed him, hitting Jack in the back of his head as he was tidying up at the back of the barn. Jack got angry at this as apparently he was trying to keep his hair clean for a date later that night with a girl from the production floor who he had been getting to know for a while now, and returned the favour making sure his DID have droppings in it and hitting Liam square in the face with it. This had then escalated into them both chasing each other around the barn with ever larger amounts of Reindeer droppings, encouraged apparently by Comet and Dancer, stopping only when they both realised they stunk and had better get cleaned up before anyone found them.
They had asked Michael and Billy to look after the Reindeer, who happened to be walking by on patrol after hearing I was sorting the Tommy situation and wanted no part of it, the good security officers they were, but they themselves, after agreeing to look after the Reindeer, had fallen out over who had the shiner badge on their uniform, encouraged this time by Vixen, Cupid and Dasher as they like shinny things, to see who they could annoy first. This time it had been Billy who had stormed off and Michael had gone to find him, thus leaving the Reindeer unattended and able to enjoy the fruits of their mischief by doing exactly what they wanted until someone turned up to take control of the situation.
"Sammy are we in trouble?" Liam asked softly still looking at the floor his hat in his hands. He smelled of fresh soap, his blue and green jumper obviously cleaner than it had been an hour ago. I guessed they had been back to the village to get changed.
"No of course you're not don't be silly I mean its not like its your job to look after the Reindeer is it? I mean all you had to do was make sure they were, fed, watered and kept safe!" I couldn't help it I was starting to lose my temper now.
"Well how about we start looking for them?" Asked Billy all of a sudden the most helpful security guard in the world.
"What a great idea lets do that I!" replied sarcastically making sure he saw how angry I still was.
"Sammy be nice" Emily said crossly, putting her arm around Billy's shoulder to comfort him, she was right this wasn't helping the situation at all, but by god I wanted them to suffer for a little while longer.
"I'm trying but these dingbats aren't exactly helping are they?" I replied helplessly waving my arms in their general direction whilst looking at her for some sort of support.
"We're sorry okay?" Jack shouted as he started to get upset, which then made be feel bad for shouting at him, it wasn't his fault he was one of the youngest ever Elf's to look after the Reindeer and sometimes got easily led by them and Liam. They could be a real handful, the long summer months meant they didn't have much to do and they were always trying to get away with things.
"Its okay, I said walking towards him and speaking a little softer, "We will sort this out, you know what Rudolph's like he's always leading the others off and getting them into trouble, using that nose of his as a torch you'd think after last time he'd know better wouldn't you? I bet they've just gone for a walk, they will have been getting restless this close to Christmas, they always do, they know its coming and they just want to get on and do their jobs". I was trying to make him feel better and also trying to think more clearly.
"Look there's some footprints!" Michael called out
I walked to the back of the barn, passing the empty stalls glancing every now and then hoping I would see them there hiding and this would all have been an elaborate joke, but knowing it wasn't going to happen, and knelt down beside him
"They don't look like our footprints do they?" Noted Billy joining us
"No they don't" I started to get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach this wasn't good
"Ill take a photo of them and run them through the system, lets see if we can work out what type of shoe it was". Michael said getting his phone out from his pocket.
"Good Idea Michael" I said standing up, we all had to wear a specific type of shoe depending on what part of the factory we worked in, this way if anything happened we would be able to narrow it down to a certain department. Another part of the security that had been put in place after Carl had been banished.
"Well find them", Liam said pulling his hat down tighter on his head and joining us "Come on Jack lets go!" he said placing his hand on his shoulder
"Right behind you" Jack said following his brother out of the barn.
I watched them go, they were talking to each other committed in righting what they thought was their fault striding through the snow, Jack being the shorter of the two trying to keep up, they gradually faded into the distance, I turned to Billy and Michael and watched them taking photos of the footprints and start to cordon off the stables with tape to make sure no one else walked in here whilst they were gone. I began to walk back to my office, hoping that we would find them before the boss got back.
"Sammy?" a voice came through the walkie talkie in my pocket
"Go ahead Reece" I said answering it and taking it out of my coat, it was getting colder, the sky a clear crisp blue and the sun shining down on me and Emily as we made our way through the crisp snow beneath our feet, crunching as we walked through it. Another few inches had fallen the previous night and it was almost as deep as it would get, before it would start to harden as the temperatures dropped further the closer we got to Christmas.
"We've had a package delivered but I'm not sure what it is to be honest, I've asked Jacob and he said he didn't order it either" came the reply
"What type of package is it? Are you sure its not some parts we've been waiting for?" I was confused as to why they were telling me, they never normally mentioned things like this.
"No defiantly not" Jacob replied "We found it outside the main door, the guards on the door heard a knock and there it was. They didn't even have to sign for it, it was just laying there outside on the doorstep addressed to you, so they thought they'd give it to us as they couldn't find you"
"Don't open it!" I shouted "Put it straight on my desk and don't tell anyone else its there you hear me?"
Emily looked at me alarmed at my sudden outburst "What is it Sammy?"
I didn't answer her I just took off running as fast as I could, leaving her standing there, the cold wind blowing in my face as I ran faster and faster, my feet disappearing into the snow and leaving huge holes behind me.
I ran through a gap in the main doors as they slowly started to open, the guards having been warned I was on my way back and to be ready for me, big, heavy oak doors made of dark wood slowly moved inwards, the warmth of the building making me gasp for breath from the cold outside. I rushed past the machines, Elf's and Leprechauns staring at me as I ran faster and faster not stopping or slowing down, reaching the stairs and taking them two at a time.
"Slow down Sammy before you hurt someone!" Laura cried after me as I nearly knocked her down at the top of the stairs.
I reached my office door and shoved it open, Reece and Jacob looking startled at my sudden entrance.
"Where is it?" I asked trying to get my breath back and looking around the room.
"Here" Reece said handing it to me.
I grabbed it from him and turned the box over and over in my hands. It was wrapped like a Christmas present, yellow shiny paper, a green bow tied around it and a card attached with my name on it. It felt heavy, and something was rattling inside of it.
"Does anyone else know about this?" I asked placing it carefully on the desk
"No just us two replied" Jacob, "What is it Sammy your worrying us?" He looked at me expectantly
"I don't know" I said honestly "But I'm going to find out!" ripping the parcel open. I gently lifted the lid of the box that was contained underneath the paper and stared at a tablet inside with a note saying 'press here to turn me on'
We looked at each other for a few moments not sure what to do when Reece nodded at me, encouraging me to press the button, Jacob with his eyes closed and fingers in his ears was slowly backing away to the door.
I picked it up and did as instructed, the tablet slowly started to come to life, going from a black screen to one full of light and then a face slowly started to appear on the screen. It took me a few seconds to get over the shock of seeing him after all this time, he looked older than the last time Id seen him, his face more wrinkled and lined, his hair greyer, but those eyes still piercing, still as full of hate as the last time I had seen them.
"Hello Sammy" the voice crisp and clear as if he was still in the same room as me, staring back at me with a grin across his face.
"Its been a while hasn't it, you didn't think Id forgotten about you did you? Surely your not that naïve? You took everything away from me, all that planning all those years I spent working so hard and then you come along, with that stupid friend of yours, how is Tommy by the way? Not that I really care he wasn't the brightest button in the box was he?, You took away my future, Sammy, How dare you! Did you think Id forgotten what you did to me? Its been a few years but that just meant I could make sure that this time you wouldn't stop me. Well now its time for a little pay back, as you are probably aware by now your beloved Reindeer are missing! Gone for good, it was so easy, do you lot not have any security in that place? Wouldn't have happened in my day I can assure you" His face was grinning from ear to ear but those eyes, black like coal, still burned with a deep hatred for me just like the last time I had seen him.
"Now then were going to play a little game" His voice refocusing me once again on the tablet.
"There are 8 weeks till Christmas so you have 8 weeks to find all the Reindeer. How hard could it be? After all you like playing games don't you Sammy?. However, and this is the clever bit, if you don't find them all, for whatever reason, I'm not going to make this easy for you am I? You will resign your position and leave the North Pole forever is that clear? You will make sure that I am your replacement no excuses, you will tell everyone how you set me up, how you were jealous of me and that you wanted my position, that you lied and lied to make sure I was banished and you blackmailed me to go along with you. Then I shall return to my rightful place as Chief Toy Maker. How we doing so far?" He moved closer to the screen filling it was his hate filled face.
I gripped the tablet tight in my hands after all this time why now? What was so important that he had to return now? He was banished forever, did he think people would believe him? After all he had done?
"Oh and Sammy as an added bonus if you find all the Reindeer in time, which I'm don't think you will but lets make it a little interesting shall we, I will have one more challenge for you to complete on Christmas Eve, do you want to say hello to some people you may know?"
His face slowly started to fade away and was replaced by faces I knew better than my own family. Staring back at me tied together with a gag across their mouths was Father Christmas and Mrs Christmas standing next to Rudolph, his red nose dimly glowing and his head bowed down as if it was all his fault.
"Now, now, Sammy don't let that anger get to you, its quite simple, find all the Reindeer, then rescue Father Christmas and the others. You have until 6pm on Christmas Eve to do this by or I shall return to replace you and make out I was the one who saved Christmas. I cant wait to see you again hahahha" his voice getting more and more higher the longer he laughed as he faded from the screen.
I looked at Jacob and Reece standing in front of me both of them looking shocked at what they had heard and looking at me for answers.
I placed the tablet down on the table and took a deep breath.
"Boys we've got work to do" I said
To Be Continued.....................
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