Santa's Newest Reindeer (7 page)

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer then,

It seems to a faint and faltering man,

Often the struggler has given up,

When he might have captured the victor’s cup,

And he learned too late when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

The crowd roared once again, chanting, “Ellie for mayor,

Ellie for mayor.”

A small group of Ellie’s girlfriends began dancing and

singing Christmas carols as they filed out of the building and

into the streets. Some couples danced, others broke into the

high school’s pep song, and drivers randomly honked their

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cars’ horns.

When the last of the well-wishers had departed, the Taylors

sank into the front chairs without uttering a word. It seemed

like hours before they mustered the strength to stand up and

head for the door. Although tired, their spirits were uplifted

by the events, and they even had a few skips in their steps as

the exited the building.

“I never thought you had it in you, sis. I am so proud of you.

You are my hero,” confessed Will, fighting back tears. No one

in the family had seen Will so emotional.

“We agree and second Will’s words,” added Mom, speaking

for the adults.

“Did any of you see where the little man who brought you

the envelope disappeared to?” asked Will, scanning the dark

recesses of the stage.

“Guess I didn’t even remember seeing him,” shrugged Dad.

None of the others could remember what he looked like, let

alone where he had gone.

Before exiting the big hall, Ellie turned back for one last

look at the stage. Her eyes grew wide. She blinked. There stood

that little elf-like thing, partially hidden by the stage curtain.

He had lost his light brown uniform and black dancing shoes.

A kelly-green tam rode atop his bald head. His red, felt-like

knee pants barely covered a muffin-top tummy. Only a thin

pair of forest-green leather suspenders buoyed his protruding

girth. His bright turquoise turtleneck sagged at the shoulders

and pyramided at the midsection. She looked for his shiny,

black shoes, but they had been replaced with ankle-length green

booties with upturned toes.

The elf cupped his hands around his mouth and spoke to

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Ellie in a soft voice, “Ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ho! Oh what fun!” He

winked, smiled, and danced his way off into the stage shadows.

Ellie nearly stumbled over her own tangled feet. She tried to

alert the others. The words were there, but her voice wouldn’t

work. She reached for Will, but her arms wouldn’t extend. She

peeked over her left shoulder, hoping to confirm that the appa-

rition was still there. Whatever it was, or whoever it was, had

vanished. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Was that man

really there? Ellie had never heard rumors that City Hall, or

any other buildings in Holly Valley, were inhabited by ghosts.

Did anyone else see him?

As Ellie exited the building, she shook her head, trying to

clear her mind. The hues the elf-like figure wore haunted her.

Where had she seen a similar mix of colors?

I must be seeing things!
The stress of the day was playing tricks on her mind.

Will noticed that she was lost in thought. “You look like

you’ve just seen a ghost,” he chided. “You’re white as a sheet.

Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just a little tired and hungry,” she responded eva-

sively. Ellie purposefully slowed her gait, allowing the distance to expand between them and the others. “Do you believe in

ghosts?” she whispered.

“Only friendly ones, like Casper,” Will responded coyly. He

knew there was more to what she asked, but now was not the

time to pursue it.

They arrived at the idling SUV in which the family members

were impatiently waiting. They got in, buckled up, and Dad

steered the vehicle out of the parking lot and headed homeward.

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Only Gramps’s occasional snores and grunts interrupted their

thoughts.

Ellie looked out the SUV’s rear window, hoping to see the

apparition. She looked left, then right. No luck.

If it walks and talks and breathes, it must be alive even if it not
from here.
That was how Ellie made sense of the little, elf-like creature.

Will had been slyly watching Ellie since they got in the SUV.

Ellie had a habit of moving her lips when she talked to herself,

but was she talking to someone else? Only Ellie knew for sure.

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The drive home allowed the family to sort out their thoughts

and feelings. As the car slid into the curvy driveway, you could

see why the Taylors looked forward to decorating their home

and yard each year. The newly fallen snow had created another

vanilla canvas on which they could paint this year’s winter

wonderland. Dad stopped the SUV at the gate, and they all

imagined what it would look like this year. They had drafted

a master plan detailing where everything, old and new, would

be placed. In their own way, it was difficult for everyone to

imagine what it was going to be like without the manger scene,

the bright lights, the Christmas characters, the greenery, the

sleigh bells, and those intangible things that always brought

the season to life.

“You guys go in and get settled. No use shoveling now until

the snow stops. Gramps and I will get pizza for supper, because

I don’t think anyone feels like cooking after all we’ve been

through today,” offered Dad with certainty that no one would

argue with such an offer.

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Ellie and Will paused for one last look about the neigh-

borhood. It was an unusually clear evening accentuated by an

unadorned landscape in contrast to the heavens that twinkled

with uncountable points of light. They inhaled the cold air, almost choking, and expelled warm puffs that expired immediately.

“Do you ever wonder what made the stars? Were they plan-

ets at one time?” Will asked, not expecting an answer. “Maybe

someday I’ll go there.”

“Who knows? One of my friends believes that aliens live

there. She said she was looking through a telescope and saw

little people walking around,” laughed Ellie, as she rolled her

eyes. The twins laughed and entered the house.

Grams and Mom busied themselves in the kitchen preparing

the table for the twins’ favorite meal, including their favorite

soft drink. Ellie and Will observed that they were engaged in

discussing the day’s events at City Hall and what they thought

it meant. Unnoticed, the twins moved to the sunroom where

they could talk openly. It was a glass-enclosed room washed

in warm yellows, splendid reds, and earthly tans. The westward

room was inviting year round as the setting sun’s rays warmed

the interior, and the natural lighting accented seasonal colors.

Its many pillows, patterned quilts, and deeply padded couches

complemented the ambiance. It was the site for many family

and neighborhood parties.

As Ellie and Will plopped down on the couch, they nearly

sank out of sight. It was the oldest piece of furniture that Mom

had promised endlessly to throw out. But it gained its reprieve

because it was the most comfortable of all.

“I suppose you want to talk about the ghost question,” led

Ellie, as she leaned on the fringed pillow in her lap.

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Will had expected to be questioned whether he believed

little men lived on the stars. He knew she would ask something

dumb, but only as a means of teasing him.
Maybe she wants to

know if I
have experienced any recent extrasensory perceptions about
a little ghost-like man.
Will was not sure where she was going this time, but he wasn’t going to bite.

“Nooooooope,” responded Will. “I ain’t goin’ there.”

They laughed, easing the tension of their meeting.

“How are you going to bring Christmas and New Year’s

celebrations back to the valley this year? Do you know what

you promised those people? You’ve made little promises to

me before, like taking out the garbage and sweeping out the

garage, but this is the biggest promise you have ever made, and

in public. Think of all the kids you are going to disappoint,

not to mention Mom and Dad and Gramps and Grams.” Will

gave her a look that begged for answers. He was embarrassed

for her and for the whole family. He could envision what it

was going to be like facing his friends at school. He feared for

his parents’ reputation and how Gramps and Grams would be

treated wherever they went. He could hear the whispers and

see the ridicule. And how would his sister ever recover from

such a regrettable mistake? They would probably have to move

out of the country. His brain was spinning.

“Will, are you going to help me or what?” she spoke in a

calm and deliberate tone. She did not raise her voice, nor did

she look away from him.

“Me? Me? Why do you always involve me in your shenanigans?”

“Because you are my twin, and you know how I think, and

I know how you think. We are wired alike.” She smiled at him,

and all he could do was shake his head.

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“What have you got me into this time?” he asked rhetori-

cally, not wanting to hear the answer.

“Pizza’s on. Come and get it,” beckoned Grams, standing in

the doorway. “Another one of these discussions, eh?” she slyly

inquired, then abruptly turned and left the two schemers.

“We’ll talk more after supper,” threatened Will. He stood

and shook his index finger in Ellie’s face.

“Gotcha,” she replied, mimicking his gesture behind his

back as she followed him.

They were hungry, as evidenced a few minutes later by the

empty boxes that had once contained two large pepperoni pizzas.

“I heard that pizza is the most perfect food, because it con-

tains all the necessary food groups recommended by the medical

profession,” offered Ellie.

“Well, I don’t know ’bout that, but it’s easy to fix and very

few dishes to wash,” replied Gramps, winking at Mom.

“Anything to get out of some house chores,” she retorted as

she double-winked back at him.

“I am interested in what each of you thought about today’s

City Hall meeting, or lack of meeting.” Dad, peering over the

rim of his bifocals, lifted his pen and prepared to take notes.

He often sought input from family members on a wide variety

of issues whether family- or business-related. Asking this fam-

ily for its opinions was a dangerous exercise, because he never

knew where it would lead and who would say what. All in all,

it was always energizing, thought provoking, and resulted in

some good and not-so-good ideas. As was his habit, Dad openly

summarized the input with the participants. Some ideas elicited

laughs, while others led to groans.

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