Page 2 of Chasing Cheer
She did some quick estimations in her head. The boat ride should be enough to salvage the near disaster caused by the fallen ice cream, so she tried to relax.
As usual, Holly’s calculations were correct. After a few minutes, her Cheer numbers had more than recovered from the ice cream incident, and she even sang along to the final, iconic number. It would be stuck in her head for the rest of the day, but it was worth it to meet her Cheer quota.
Holly’s shoulders relaxed as the boat glided through the tunnel, the sounds of animatronic voices mixing with those of the humans around her and, against her will, her own.
ChapterTwo
Agolden sleigh and Holly’s fleet of reindeer, which were invisible to humans, picked her up on a grassy knoll near the massive parking lot, ready to whisk her back to the North Pole.
As a teenager, Holly had run different experiments, including changing the amount of magic lichen they consumed, to test whether humans would see the reindeer under various conditions. She’d faithfully recorded the variables and results in her notebook, but nothing other than a null result had ever occurred.
Holly climbed into the sleigh with ease, and they were on their way. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes as they made the familiar journey. Time passed quickly as she planned her next Cheer-collecting trip.
Holly opened her eyes just as the reindeer glided toward a massive ice cap, slipping through a gap between two glaciers that would be invisible to a human eye. Inhaling deeply, she sensed the magic and spirit that filled the North Pole draw closer. As much as Holly enjoyed the thrill of a successful Cheer cycle, she always looked forward to seeing the elves and having a few precious days of downtime when she returned.
The reindeer landed efficiently, and afterward, Holly gave them each a quick rubdown and an extra treat before handing them off to some Keyblar elves who worked the stables. Then she closed the stable door and embarked down one of the many lighted-arch-covered paths in the North Pole that would lead her to Merriment Square.
Before she could make it to the end of the first path, the elf mayor, Clementine, joined her. Like all Kringle elves, Clementine was quite human in appearance, aside from her golden eyes and her pointed ears, which extended back from her forehead. She stood just over five feet tall.
“Welcome home, Ms. Claus. Good Cheer run this cycle?” The smile on Clementine’s face was so expectant that Holly couldn’t help but return it.
“And then some,” Holly said, tapping her watch.
Clementine nodded, then they walked together toward Merriment Square. Soft but upbeat holiday music played, shifting to different languages, as the North Pole blended the music and Christmas holiday customs from around the world. Holly and Clementine padded softly down the path, their feet leaving no footprints in the perfectly fluffy layer of snow that always adorned the ground.
“How was everything here this cycle?” Holly glanced at Clementine out of the corner of her eye. Clementine wore a perfectly tailored suit, as usual. The suit was velvet and consisted of a white jacket and green pants paired with soft fabric boots that jingled delicately as she walked.
“We’ve been making great progress. Now that we’re deep into the third quarter of the year, operations in Festive mode are wrapping up.” Clementine’s voice was bright and crisp.
The first two quarters of the year brought Evergreen and Tinsel modes, while the fourth quarter consisted of Advent mode. By Advent time, the countdown to Christmas was on. Advent was by far the busiest time of year at the North Pole, with Festive coming in second.
“Good. Thank you, Clementine,” Holly said as they passed under the final ring of lighted arches and emerged into Merriment Square.
With a contented sigh, Holly surveyed the village. Snowcapped buildings with deeply angled roofs that held the various Dream studios surrounded a small-town square. Beyond those was a broad forest glistening with lights from the tree houses where the elves lived. Most of them would be at home at that time of night, with the youngest elves already asleep. During the daytime, elves who had the day off might be found even farther in the distance, beyond the forest, skiing or sledding at the ski park or relaxing in the hot spring pools.
But instead of the forest, Holly’s eyes lingered on the lamppost in the center of Merriment Square. The bronze post was taller than everyone at the North Pole, Holly included, and was adorned with green garlands and red bows. Holly headed straight to it, Clementine following closely behind.
Holly rested her watch hand on the post, right near the center, where a hand-sized snowflake was engraved. When her hand made contact, the snowflake glowed and pulsed brightly, causing a warm sensation as the Cheer flowed from her Cheer meter into the post, transferring the magical energy that powered Merriment Square and the entire North Pole.
As the last of the Cheer passed from her to the post, Holly exhaled with relief. The light at the top of the North Post was noticeably brighter than when Holly had approached it moments before. Clementine rang a little bell nearby, signaling the filling of the post.
Holly looked around to see that a number of late-working elves, mostly Keyblers, had emerged from the studios to watch the ritual. At the sound of the bell tolling, a cheer came from the elves in their nearby tree houses.
“Another successful cycle, Ms. Claus.” Clementine nodded at Holly approvingly. “When will you head out again?”
“Tomorrow,” Holly said firmly, though the adrenaline rush from discharging the Cheer was starting to leave her already.
Clementine nodded solemnly. Though no one knew the precise reason why, everyone at the North Pole understood that Holly needed to be gone much more than her predecessor, Mr. Claus, had in order to power the North Post and sustain the North Pole. As a result, Holly rarely lingered at the North Pole for more than three days in a cycle.
Holly waved to the elves standing in front of the Dream studios and wished them a good night then turned toward her house. Satisfaction was rapidly turning to the weariness that came from deenergizing the watch, and Holly stifled a yawn.
Clementine knew the pattern all too well, and she quickly tapped the forest-green jeweled ring on her finger, signaling Auryn, Holly’s current elf assistant. By the time Holly was at the door to her home, a spectacular log cabin lit outside and in with hanging bronze lanterns, Auryn was at her side, opening it for her.
“Welcome home, Ms. Claus,” Auryn said breathlessly.
Auryn had only been her assistant for six cycles, and Holly thought he still seemed a bit nervous. Despite her fatigue, Holly studied her young assistant. Like Clementine, Auryn was also a Kringle elf, but while Clementine had light skin and hair and rosy cheeks, Auryn’s skin was a soft brown, his hair dark.
Auryn was a teenager by elf standards, and the cap he wore was a new style Holly had never seen before. Instead of the long, thin fabric that curved at the end and usually had a small pom-pom, Auryn’s sported a large red pom-pom right in the top center. His eyes widened as Holly studied him then relaxed as she smiled pleasantly and passed through the door he was still holding open.
