A follow up to the short story “Watching Fireflies” that is just as readable as a standalone short to spice up your festive spirits. :)
“But Dad! It’s Christmas Eve! It’s a season of joy!”
“There’s no joy for you until you’ve done all your homework! You’ve been procrastinating all week,” Elfred gave his son the ultimatum.
While Elfie went into his room to finish his homework, Elfred and his wife, Elna, packed their things and strolled hand-in-hand to the city square. Rooftops, treetops and everything else with tops were covered in snow. A gentle breeze blew past the couple. In a cloudless blue sky, the morning light glistened off ice crystals to form millions of tiny suns.
Elfred and Elna set off early to make sure all the props were in order and the tree lights functioned. The square was going to be the night’s centre of attraction. Town folks will queue to take photos with the trio. Those that still believed would tell Santa their wishes. It was going to be another promising Christmas Eve. Elfred felt it in his bones. He had been the town’s Santa for a decade. For the past two years, he was joined by his wife, the one and only Santarina, and their son played the role of Santa’s greatest helper, the elf.
The night will culminate into a climax of fireworks, cheers and dances as the clock struck midnight. Everyone would party until the wee hours of the morning. Those thoughts excited Elfred and his family. There was no reason they would not make it a successful family hat trick tonight.
When they approached the town square, they were impressed by the perfect Christmas tree that stood against the test of time. Six centuries old, it never needed any trimming. It had been through many hardships with generations of townsfolk. It was the town’s pillar of strength during the Wizards’ War - the tree was the source of energy for the wizards to draw from at the final moment to fight back the darkness. It became a symbol of nature when people desecrated the earth to make way for the industrial revolution. When the forest was bare except for this tree, the town was hit by extreme weather - storms and prolonged dry spells - for decades. The tree eventually transferred its energy to the earth and regenerated the forest. Unfortunately, all was forgotten when modernisation turned magic into nothing more than tricks and entertainment. Only a special few like Elfie secretly studied real magic.
“I’m going to turn on the lights just to make sure they are fine,” Elfred said and went into a shack built next to the tree to house the incoming electric supply. It will also serve as the backdrop for Santa to greet his guests later in the night.
The lights did not turn on when Elfred flipped the switch. He desperately tried to fix it. Racing against time, he ran to the source of the power and discovered that it was shorted out. The roof sprung a leak and melted snow dripped into the power socket. Part of the cable was burnt. There was nothing that Elfred could do. He tried calling the electrician but none had their phones on. This year the village will have to celebrate Christmas without a beautifully lighted tree.
******
The sun set and dusk settled. Without the attraction of the Christmas tree lights that people had come to expect, the town square was cast in shadows. Elfred was dressed in his Santa costume and doing the jingles. Elna stood by her husband in her Santarina costume while, Elfie, dressed as Santa’s little elf, stood on the other side of his father. They tried to keep their smiles and cheers on but no one bothered.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!”
The villagers walked past as if he did not exist. Some managed to acknowledge the family’s presence and forced a smile. But everyone looked at them with accusing eyes of their failure to light up the tree and spoiled Christmas. As dusk made way to night, Elfred and family sat hunched on the bench with a heavy burden of guilt weighing them down.
“We should call it a night, my dear Elna and Elfie. I’ve spoilt Christmas for everyone.”
“Give me a few minutes, dad. I will be right back,” Elfie replied and ran off.
True to his words, he was back in less than ten minutes. He was lugging a few boxes behind him. As he got closer, Elfred’s eyes widened.
“Fireflies! Why of course!” Both parents exclaimed and stood up to help their son.
Gently, the three of them slid the top covers off the boxes. Fireflies drifted lazily out of their warm and cosy home, bathing the family in a warm glow. The insects settled on the tree and produced random points of lights. Their hope was short-lived when, from a distance, no one else noticed the dim glow of the fireflies.
“I’m sorry, Mom and Dad, I don’t have enough fireflies to make a difference and I’ve not learnt any light spells to brighten the tree,” Elfie said, tears flooding his eyes.
“Its all right, dear. We know you’ve tried your best,” Elna said. “Anyway, it’s not the end of the world.”
The family hugged. And then, as though given a supercharge, the fireflies magically brightened up. In an instant, the shadows disappeared and the Christmas tree dazzled in grandeur. The tree saved the day! It radiated its energy through the fireflies and enhanced their chemical reactions so that they glowed many times brighter.
The townsfolk gasped in astonishment as they gathered around the square. The fireflies’ slow but random movements turned the tree alive, something that no electric lights could do. The fireflies that were floating around looked like dancing stars that came down from the heavens. A truly unique experience. Words of mouth, passed from one to another, reached the farthest folk within minutes. They flooded in to witness nature’s magical powers.
“Ho! Ho! Ho! Come and make your wish!” Elfred’s voice boomed amidst the chatter of thousands of voices.
A queue began to form as the townsfolk waited for their turn to meet Santa and his sidekicks. Before all that was well ended well, another hurdle presented itself. It began to rain. The iced cold rain threatened to force everyone away. Cheerful faces became anxious ones.
Elfie had another idea.
But, but, but...
Being an apprentice, Elfie was not sure if he could pull it off, but he would need to try. Nothing could be worse than not trying. He stared up into the heavens and concentrated. Elfie felt a surge of power flowing through his body. The tree was once again lending its energy. With the amplification, Elfie’s magic reached out to every raindrop. Like fireworks, each drop burst into snowflakes that drifted down on the folks. The snow enhanced the mood of the people. Laughter and happy chatter returned as the queue to meet Santa continued to grow.
Elfie thought he heard the tree whispered “Merry Christmas” but he could not be sure.
End.
