Times square was noisy, bright and bigger than anyone of us could ever have imagined. Buildings reaching high up into the sky, brightly lit with neon lights advertising all different types of products and shows. People walking quickly from one place to another, yellow cabs whizzing past us in the wide road, honking their horns and telling us to get out of the way. We walked across the street where we had left the Van of Dreams, waiting until no one was looking before we cloaked it, as instructed after taking a quick peak the others had waited in the Van, it was just me and Tommy now. I had replayed the warning from the Three Wise Men over and over again, I knew about Carl but what wasn't I being told? Why was there a danger I couldn't see. Carl was the one doing this as he had been before. To find the truth once again I would just have to be patient.
"Sammy do we know who we are waiting for?" Tommy asked nervously looking around us, he was unsure of all the noise and lights, until he had been on this journey he had never been anywhere so busy and he was still finding it daunting.
"No, they said that they would find us if we waited here in Time Square" I replied scanning the crowd of people.
"How long do we have to wait?" he asked moving closer towards me
"Not very long my darlings, not very long at all!" the voice came from behind us and I turned to see three women standing there, all dressed in very expensive clothing and smiling at us with the whitest teeth Id ever seen.
"You must be Sammy?" the tallest one said holding her hand out for me to shake.
"I am" I replied shaking it and feeling the warmth of her hand as I did so.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves, I am Alex Nativity" the tall one said "This is Nicki Decorations and over there we have Sarah Fairylights, together we are known as the Prosecco Triplets, welcome to New York young man, I hope you have a pleasant stay". She laughed as she said it.
"Oh stop it!" said the one called Nicki "Were not at work now" she was not as tall as the one called Alex, with dark straight hair and wearing a sparkling gold full length coat, tied at the waist by a silver belt. Fashion obviously wasn't her thing.
"You'll be offering him some foundation next" laughed the one called Sarah Fairylights, the smallest of the three also wearing a sparkling full length coat but this one in red with a gold belt tied around her waist. Where on earth did they get these clothes from? I wondered
"And what's with all the darling?" laughed Nicki
"Alright, Alright I was only trying to make him feel comfortable" said Alex pulling her red belt tight around her silver sparkling full length jacket "Shall we go somewhere warmer than here?" She asked looking at me and Tommy who was stood there staring at the three of them, the spangling of their coats transfixing him. I nudged him in the ribs and he glared at me, but quickly looked away again.
"Not until you tell us why we have had to meet you here and what is going on. I've been all over the world these past few days and I'm tired of chasing my tail and no one telling me what's going on. There seems to be some big secret and I don't know what it is. I have friends that I need to look after and keep safe, I believe Carl is behind this and I need to stop him before he gets a chance to ruin Christmas, yet the Three Wise Men are saying there is more to it and you lot", I waved my hands at them dismissively, "Are supposed to be the ones that tell me all of it and now I have to go and follow you somewhere else. Its not on, I'm fed up and I've had enough!" I said folding my arms tightly across my chest.
"Yeah" said Tommy doing the same
I looked at him angrily and he just shrugged back at me, he was trying to be supportive but I didn't appreciate it right at that moment.
"Sammy I get it, I really do but this is not the place to tell you. Please come with us and we will explain it all I promise". Said Sarah placing her hand gently on my arm.
"We know what you have been through, but before you embark on the final leg of this journey you need to know all the facts, without them you will fail" said Alex smiling at me trying to make me feel more comfortable.
"Its now or never Sammy, this has to end now and you are the only one who can do it but first you must trust us and allow us to go somewhere where we will be able to talk" said Nicki
I looked at Tommy who looked back at me and said "We've come this far Sammy we may as well listen to what they have to say" and he shrugged as he said it. He was right, if they knew the truth I needed to hear it.
I stood there in Time Square looking at the Processo Triplets in front of me. Alex, Nicki and Sarah, once again a group of strangers that knew more than I did and once again I was supposed to trust them and just go along with it. All of them looked friendly enough, but then again so had Carl when I first met him and look what had happened there.
"Okay" I finally said with no other choice "Where are we going?"
"Excellent" said Alex smiling at the others, "There's a café just around the corner we can go there follow us" she said and turned and started to walk away the others following her.
Tommy hesitated for a moment and then followed them with me turning on the mobile that Jacob had given me so as he would know where we were at all times. It was the only way that the others would allow me to go on my own with Tommy and I needed them to not worry about us so I agreed. We had been through so much, to get to this point, but I knew I had to do this last part without them. It was the only stipulation the Three Wise men had insisted on. The others weren't allowed to meet them, on that they had been very clear.
We walked for a few blocks the three of them in front of us chatting away about Christmas and presents, we followed them not saying a word, just watching them and occasionally glancing around us to make sure we weren't being followed. They stopped outside a little Café, the widows steamed up from the heat inside hitting the cold glass from the weather outside. They turned to make sure we had caught them up and then walked inside.
It felt good to be out of the cold December air. Sarah walked up to the counter and ordered 5 hot chocolate's. We found a table at the back of the café and sat down. I took my gloves off and placed them on the table, Alex, Nicki, and Sarah sat opposite us. The waitress bought the drinks over to us in large mugs, hot steam rising from the dark brown liquid. I took a sip and waited for one of them to speak.
"Sammy what you are about to be told has been kept secret for many, many years, some of this will come as a shock to you and I understand that but you must believe that what you are told is the truth and has been kept secret for a reason. The story you will hear will allow you to finish what has been started, but you cannot tell anyone else unless Father Christmas gives his complete agreement do you understand?" Sarah asked turning her mug around in her hands.
I nodded in agreement eager to hear what they had to say.
"Very well, we are part of a secret pact of Elf's that are scattered around the major cities of the world. You've met some of us during your travels, Himirai in Japan, Louis and the Three Nannies in Paris, Edward and the Three Wise Men in London and now us the Processo Triplets here in New York. You have come such a long way in such a short space of time and have done very well in securing the Reindeer in those locations. However there is more to what's going on than you have been told so far". She stopped and sipped her hot chocolate
"Carl was the King of the Leprechaun's until you stopped him, but he didn't get there on his own he had help. Carl is a clever, clever Leprechaun, one of the most intelligent we've ever met but he needed a backer, someone who knew the ins and outs of how things worked at the North Pole, the places where things were hidden away, people that would be willing to help him achieve what he wanted to achieve, he couldn't do it all on his own, and that person was Clarence, Father Christmas's brother" Sarah paused for a moment to allow that to sink in.
"Brother?" I asked shocked. "I never knew he had a brother" I looked at Tommy who was looking just as shocked as I was at this news.
"Yes his brother" said Alex "Long since banished from the North Pole, he broke the rules of the role of trainee Father Christmas, a sacred role that takes years and years of training and can only be held by the first born son of the current Father Christmas. All those years they had worked together, side by side, Frank never showed any jealously of his brother, supporting him, encouraging him, until one day he went too far. An Elf was killed because he had been worked to hard by Clarence. He had started to cut corners and wasn't listening to what he was being told. Frank warned him that the Elf's were doing too many hours and he was taking far too many risks but he wouldn't listen. Their father raised his concerns with the Elf council but they encouraged their father to allow him to continue, production was exceeding all previous years, he was young he would learn they said, until the day the Elf was killed. That was the final straw as far as their father was concerned and he stripped Clarence of his role and handed it to Frank. Reluctant not to upset his Father, Frank accepted the role. Clarence seemed at first to accept his mistake, the arrogance seemed to fade from him and in the run up to Christmas he was hardly seen outside of his house". Alex paused and looked at Nicki who put her mug down and continued the story.
"Until one Christmas Eve a few years later, when Clarence led an uprising against their Father using Leprechaun's that he had promised control of the village to if they supported him. Their Father was killed in the ensuing battle, something that Frank as a young man never forgave Clarence for. The battle raged for hours, Elf against Leprechaun, until finally Frank was able to take control with the help of the Penguin King and his men. With time running out, Frank had no choice and he went and delivered the presents like he knew he had to. No matter what pain he was feeling at the loss of his Father, he had a job to do and he did it. Clarence was locked up in the jail and guarded by the Penguin King and his men, making sure he stayed there". A said look came across her face as she relived the story she had kept secret for so many years.
"The law stated he was supposed to be executed for his act of treason" continued Sarah "But Frank couldn't do it, already having lost his father he couldn't face losing his brother as well, no matter what he had done, and so Clarence was banished to the South Pole, his brother never spoke to him again. Elizabeth, who Frank had married that summer was injured in the battle, she was struck with a blow to the stomach with a poisoned chalice, she was touch and go for a few days after the battle but she survived, unfortunately she was unable to have the children that her and Frank had dreamt off because of it. Many brave Elf's lost their lives helping Frank in the battle that raged that fateful Christmas Eve, but stop Clarence they did. Many Leprechaun's were arrested and put into jail, the ones that weren't part of it had their duties reduced and they became cleaners and janitors, where once they had been toy makers and designers. Frank was angry and didn't trust them. It took him years to change his ways". Sarah nodded at Alex for her to continue.
"Among those that were arrested was Carl's parents and knowing they couldn't have children of their own, Elizabeth persuaded Frank that they couldn't abandon a baby no matter who his parents were. Carl was only a few months old at the time. She had fallen in love with him, Frank tried to make her see sense, his parents were major players in helping Clarence get the information he needed, but she wouldn't have it, she dug her heels in and eventually convinced Frank to be a Father to the baby. Carl was brought up wanting nothing from them, he couldn't become Father Christmas, he wasn't a biological part of them, but he was being groomed to be the lead toy designer, a role he would inherit when the time was right. However as he grew older and listened to the stories he was told by some of the Leprechauns that were left behind he started to make his own mind up about what had happened that night and thus started down the path that led to you stopping him all those years ago Sammy when you first arrived here. Clarence became someone that no one spoke of, but that just fuelled Carl's need to find him and he kept asking people who knew of him if they had seen him, until Frank found out and told Carl that if he continued to ask after him he would banish him as well. Those of us that knew the stories and had been there at the time didn't speak his name for fear of upsetting Frank and that was how it was supposed to stay until now". She stopped and sipped her hot chocolate.
"What does that mean, until now? Carl's behind this I know he is, I've never heard of this Clarence before". I said looking at them in turn as they then looked at each other before carrying on.
"Carl may be the front man but he doesn't have the ability to pull something like this off, not after last time, Carl doesn't have the brains to plan this, to make you run around the whole world looking for Reindeer, this takes planning and resources, something that Clarence has been building ever since he has been in the South Pole" said Sarah.
"How do you know all this? And if you know all this why haven't you tried to stop him? Tommy asked before I could
"Because its our job to know" said Nicki "But we couldn't stop him because we didn't know what HE was planning. Father Christmas told us to watch but not interfere unless we were certain and unfortunately we weren't. We thought we could stop it when it happened but the timing of it caught us out unfortunately. Cupid and Vixen are safe, we know where they are and a team of special operative Elf's went into the building they are being held in 20 minutes ago and secured them. However they are still wired up. Sammy we need you to return home right now!" she said
"But I cant", I said "I haven't found Father Christmas, Mrs Christmas or Rudolph yet, without them there is no Christmas"
Alex looked at Sarah and nodded
Sarah placed a tablet in front of me and turned it on. A map of the world started to appear and red dots started flashing all over it again. It was the same map that I had seen before except this time there was one dot missing, Rudolph's. I scanned the map again and again not able to see his red dot, was I too late, it would only stop flashing if he was somewhere else in the world other then the North Pole, but it had been there Id seen it.
"Sammy" said Sarah touching my arm and sensing the panic growing in me "Its okay do you understand what you are seeing?" she asked gently
I shook my head and Tommy leaned in for a closer look as well.
"Look again and count the dots" she said
I did as she said and came to the same amount I had the first time I had checked. Eight dots, not nine, not seven, eight. Rudolph's dot was missing.
"I don't get it?" I said unsure of what I wasn't seeing
"Me neither" said Tommy "Where's Rudolph gone?"
"Hes not there Sammy because he's home", said Nicki confidently
"What do you mean hes home? Is he safe?" I asked excitedly "Who found him? Was it you? Was it the Nannies or the Three Wise men? Who found him?"
"Hes at home because that's where Carl and Clarence are, They've taken the three of them there and are trying to take the North Pole by force" said Sarah
"By force? "How can they take it by force?" I said almost shouting
"They've got an army of Leprechaun's baring down on the village as we speak. You have to go now Sammy, if they manage to break through into the village, Christmas is finished" Alex said.
"But Laura's there!" I stammered "And my Mum and Dad, Grace and Jamie as well, How did this happen?, I should never have left them there unguarded I was so stupid!" I said angrily
"No you were not" said Alex crossly "You did what you had to do, but they are okay for now, Laura is keeping us informed of what's happening but you have to go now, there isn't a moment to lose".
I sat there in shock trying to take it all in, Carl and Clarence, someone I had never heard of was now marching on my home, my family and friends were at risk but more importantly Father Christmas, Mrs Christmas and Rudolph were now in grave danger as well.
"When you back the Penguin King will meet you at the stables, hes mobilised his army and is on his way round the back of the village. The front will hold for now, but you need to get back and stop this before it goes any further". Said Nicki
I nodded slowly trying to form a plan in my head
"You can do this Sammy" Sarah said a determination in her voice, "You have to do this. People believe in you Sammy, we believe in you, I know its a lot to take in but there isn't a moment to lose".
I stood, looked at Tommy and said "Come on mate, lets go and end this once and for all".
He nodded and stood beside me the Processco Triplets smiled at us and wished us luck and with that we left and made our way back to the Van of Dreams and into the final battle to save Christmas.
To Be Continued..............................................
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