All things are true. ~The Weird Sisters
As he had once every year for hundreds
of years, the mysterious half-Fey prepared to brave the chill winter wind.
He'd been doing this every year; for no particular reason other than the
simple fact that he enjoyed it. One last time, he checked his ever-present
list and made certain it corresponded with what he'd prepared. Yes, it
did. The Halfling got up from his desk and suited up in his cold-weather
gear. He walked out to the stables and loaded the first sackful of cargo
onto his craft. This was something he'd always insisted upon doing himself,
as it was among the most important tasks of the night. He trusted no one
but himself to remember every single package. And it wasn't as if he were
in no condition to do it; the wrinkles and beard were little more than
affectations anyhow. Besides, there were those who compared him to Broadway
of the Manhattan gargoyle clan, in that his great fat gut hid a surprising
amount of muscle. How else could he load all this without help?
Hmm, speaking of the Manhattan clan...
he felt as though he were forgetting something...He checked his list again.
Ah-HA!, he thought. He knew he'd forgotten something. This
was why he insisted upon doing this himself; none of the shop assistants
would have caught this. He rushed back to the shop, retrieved a package,
wrapped it, brought it back to the stables, and tossed it into the sack.
Good, now everything was accounted for.
He then heard a dulcet voice calling
his name from the doorway. As always, his dear wife had come to see him
off. They embraced and kissed each other goodbye, then he walked back to
his craft; as he went, he petted the great beasts of burden that would
be pulling it. He loved these creatures dearly, and they him. He reached
his vehicle--a sleigh, actually--and hauled himself on board. Long ago,
when he'd started doing this, he'd cast an interesting little spell upon
it and the creatures, the mighty reindeer, that pulled it. Not only could
they fly, but whenever they were in flight, time everywhere else seemed
to grind to a halt. (Actually, his own timeframe sped up incredibly, but
it came to much of the same thing, relativity-wise.) How else to do all
that he had to do in but a single night? With a final wave to his dear,
dear wife, the Halfling sped out the door in his sleigh, then took off
into the night sky. He so loved Christmas Eve...
The next night, at the Eyrie Building,
roars filled the air as the Manhattan clan awoke for the evening. As always,
the human detective Elisa Maza was there to greet them. They didn't exchange
the usual pleasantries, though..."Guys," Elisa began, "I think you'd better
see this." The clan strolled into their living area...and received the
shock of their lives. Under the tree were close to fifty beautifully-wrapped
gifts, and staring dumbfounded at them were a puzzled David and Fox Xanatos
and an equally baffled Owen Burnett.
"Before anyone says anything," David
began, "I didn't do this, I don't know who did, and I don't know how they
got past security. Unless...Owen?"
"No, sir. I can only become Puck in
order to teach young Alexander, and such spectacles as this have never
been part of a magic lesson--and Alexander isn't capable of this by himself."
"Then who--" Elisa strode over to the
enormous pile of boxes and checked the label. It said..."To: Hudson. From:..."
Elisa read the person named under "From", and gasped as she felt her entire
understanding of life, the universe, and everything simply fall apart.
She looked away and looked back, certain that the name would change. It
didn't. Her voice a little shaky, she asked, "Goliath, please come over
here and look at this and tell me it doesn't say what I think it does?"
The large lavender gargoyle stalked
over to his love to see what could have so rattled her. He read the label
aloud, unsure of why Elisa was so shaken up. "'To: Hudson. From: Santa
Claus.' Who is...Santa Claus?"
Elisa sighed, fearing for her sanity..."It's
a long story, Goliath..."
Back in his home near the Arctic Circle,
the Halfling sank into his nice comfy couch in front of the fireplace next
to his beloved wife. Living so far north meant the sun rose and sank in
strange cycles; he briefly wondered how the various gargoyle clans he'd
visited yesterday would react if they lived here. Tomorrow, he would once
again launch into the year-long preparations for next Christmas Eve, but
tonight...tonight was his night off. A night just to be with the woman
he loved was all that Santa Claus ever wanted for Christmas, and it was
what he always received.
End