1123 Candy Cane Lane (Cherry Falls)

A house in the suburbs like Cherry Falls is much better for a child than a high-rise with marble floors that you dare not scratch or so help me God. The years that I spent eavesdropping must’ve gotten to me. With my aunt I could be a kid. She gave me this house so I could escape from the world of my father, I knew that instinctually. But now that she’s gone, I feel like I’m turning into him. It wasn’t Santa’s fault, what happened at the festival. But that didn’t stop me from being so rude to him. He must’ve been surprised I spent any time here at all growing up, my frosty attitude toward him was stone cold Syn City.

I came here to build a life more like my aunt’s. And here I’m acting just like my father the second I meet somebody. Maybe tomorrow will be better. He knows I’m new here and he seems so sweet. And handsome. Well, underneath the dirty beard and velvet tracksuit.

I smile despite myself, and Trixie smiles in her sleep too. She better not be thinking of O’Malley. But I must’ve jinxed it, because suddenly Trixie is up. She sat on the bed, with her head tilted, focused. Suddenly she darts out of the room barking.

“Trixie no!” I shout as I chase after her. “Oh no!” I realize as I run that the hinge is off and the wind must have pushed the front door wide open and Trixie is running straight into the dark. As my eyes adjust I see she’s running toward the black silhouette of trees against the deep navy sky.

Not the woods again! I follow her, nettles on the ground stinging my already cold bare feet. In the rush to stop Trixie I hadn’t gotten shoes on, not even slippers. Nevermind a coat.

There’s no snow yet in Cherry Falls, but it’s cold enough to see my breath as I pant, listening for Trixie while trying to catch my breath. I look up, trying to orient myself. I gaze to the sky, rays from the full moon streaking through the trees. My teeth chatter, I rub my shoulders for warmth, but my hands burn with cold. I listen for the rustling of trees.

I saw a faint outline in the earth, and squat to look closer. Paw prints, but one set was much bigger than the other. Slowly standing up, I follow the trail deeper into the woods.

“Trixie,” I call out. “Unless you’re leading me to another handsome stranger-”

“Get back here,” a deep voice booms behind me. I jump and start backing up, bumping into a tree. And then I feel big, warm hands on my shoulders and panic.

“O’Malley!”

5

Five - Charlie

“And here I thought you were the real Santa,” she said, feigning disappointment.

“You got me.” I unzip my coat and approach her, the dogs still going at it. I wrap my coat around her shivering body. She doesn’t resist.

“Thanks. But, are you not cold?”

“I’ll survive, I’ve got plenty of fat for the winter months.” I pick up O’Malley and he barks at me for being a total cockblock, but I manage to leash him back up. My elf scoops up Trixie from the ground, brushing the dirt and nettles off of her.

“She needs a bath,” her voice cracks as she speaks.

“Sorry O’Malley ruined your night. If it’s any consolation, I can offer you that coat and a walk home.”

“It wasn’t O’Malley.”

“What was it?”

“It’s nothing. Just haven’t been sleeping well.”

“Hopefully no nightmares.”

She sniffles and shakes her head.

She stands there in my coat, holding Trixie with both arms. She’s facing me, but not looking at me. I look more closely at her face, like a porcelain doll, but her eyes are wet and her cheeks streaked with tears. She’d been crying. I look down, embarrassed she might catch me studying her. And then I see she doesn’t even have shoes on.

“Uh, here.” I slip my sneakers off and hand them to her, she bursts into a fit of giggles.

“I’ll be like a clown.”

“Hey now, I know you’re having a rough night but don’t insult my feet like that.”

“But then you’ll be barefoot.”

“I’ve got socks. Besides, I’m Santa, it’s these or a lump of coal.” I dangle them in front of her, and my mock authority makes her smile and roll her eyes.

“My hands are full,” she readjusts Trixie in her arms.

“‘Kay, princess.” I get down on one knee, and gently lift her left foot, sliding the first shoe on. Then the other. When I stand, I lead the way out of the woods with her plodding along in shoes twice as big as her feet. I wrap the leash a few times around my thick wrist to keep control of O’Malley, who would knock the poor girl down to get to Trixie and make her night even worse. If that was even possible.