Barry pulled out of his pocket a device and
turned it on. It was a phone with a GPS installed and – after he tapped in a
code – the phone opened up to three or four apps.
“What’s that for?” Krampus asked.
“Well, we have to find Santa, I’ve been
keeping tabs on all of them.” He said.
“Gimme that!” the tall, dark demon reached
out for it, but the elf pulled it out of his reach, “What’s so special about
you having this thing and not me?” Barry looked to the device, avoiding eye contact
again, and Krampus grabbed him, shoving him against the nearby wall of the
living room, where the Head Elf dropped the phone.
The lights came on in the dungeon and all
five of them sat there looking at each other for a moment before they realised
where they were.
“We’re at Krampus’ house?” Santa asked as he
stood slowly and moved toward the door, “This can’t be right.”
The Blue Fairy looked outside where lights
from the trees began to illuminate and shimmer, “My wish, it’s happening.”
Mother Nature joined her at the window, “You
used the only thing you knew to get something happening; and who’d know that
Disney thing would be true?”
“Well, I am the Blue Fairy; and I told him
to include it in the movie.” She smiled, “So many children began to believe in
fairies after that.”
Odin snorted, “So, that’s why Norse
mythology has gone out the window?”
Santa looked at himself, “But I’m still
looking like Krampus.”
Mrs. Claus looked around, “Something
happened.”
The young half-elf nodded, “Yes. The house
shook, and where’s Barry?”
Exchanging doubtful looks, the two moved to
the door, opened it and walked out to the balustrade of the first floor to find
Krampus had cornered Barry.
The Head Elf looked up at the two his arms
flailing, “Mrs. Claus, please help!”
Walking down the stairs, she kept silent, as
she rounded Krampus’ large, dark form and picked up the phone off the floor, “What
is this? You have a red and green one on you already. This one is blue.”
“I... um... well...” he mumbled.
“Tell her about what you’ve been up to!”
Krampus growled, his eyes burning red as he shoved him against the wall again.
“Okay!”
“Krampus, let him go, let him explain without
you tearing him apart.” Mrs. Claus touched the dark creature’s arm and he
suddenly quietened, and stepped back but didn’t let go of the elf’s arm, “Okay.”
“I organised to have Santa kidnapped – and his
friends you’d normally turn to to find him.” Barry said, “I did this because I’m
always passed over by Santa for promotion; and I wanted to get him back.”
The older woman frowned, “So you turned my
husband into something he’s not and made him vanish? Then, kidnapped his other
friends as well?”
He nodded, “And that’s not all.”
Krampus raised a blackened eyebrow, “What do
you mean?”
Barry flinched just before he opened his
mouth, “Your little helper there? I organised to have her moved here. She wasn’t
too Human, she was after my job, so I got rid of her.”
Mrs. Claus took a step back as the shock of
this news hit her, “You got rid of the only person in the North Pole who I saw
as a daughter amongst that rabble all because she was better at a job than you
were?”
He pouted, “I’ve been Head Elf for over
three hundred years; and when a woman wants to take over the job from you – and
you’re a guy – you have to wonder where you’ve gone wrong!”
Krampus looked over at Mrs. Claus, “Well,
you made a lot of wrong moves there boy... and I think I know how to fix it.” He
turned around to find the young Halfling standing next to him, “You really miss
working at the North Pole, don’t you?”
“More than anything!” she sighed, “And to
find out how this all happened, well, I’d love to have his job.”
The tall, dark demon smirked, “First thing’s
first: tell us where Santa and his group of buddies are and we’ll let them dish
out the punishment.”
