The moonlight reflecting off the fresh snow lent an eerie luster to the wooded hillside. The white-topped conifers beside the path combined with the preternatural glow made Chase wonder if he hadn’t been transported into a Lifetime Television holiday movie. He pulled his eyes away from the Christmas card view and turned to the woman at his elbow. "It sure is beautiful up here, Gran. I can see why you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else this time of year."
Her smile multiplied the lines on her face, but somehow took years off her appearance. "It is lovely. But that’s not the real reason I don’t come to visit your mother or Uncle Jake during the holidays. I can’t put them in danger; it’s just too risky, Chasey."
Chase blushed at the appellation. "But Mom would sure like to see you. Why don’t you just invite her and Uncle Jake up here for Christmas?"
He could hear the regret in her sigh. "You, my boy, are a lot like me. We live life to the fullest; no adventure too daring, no risk to great. Other folks aren’t like us, Chasey. They prefer the simple life: a nine-to-five job, a house in the suburbs, two cars, two kids, and a dog. I’ve made some choices that I don’t want my children to have to pay for. So I stay away; especially at Christmas time.”
"And yet you’ve invited me."
Her infectious grin was emphasized by the twinkle in her eye. “Ha! I know perfectly well that you can take care of yourself. I’ve been keeping tabs on you and I know about your adventures.”
They both started at the sound of bells ringing and snow crunching. The strains of Christmas tunes drifted through the crisp air and Chase’s face lit with joy. "Carolers!”
"Those aren’t carolers. Follow me and try to keep up."
Although confused, Chase had learned to never question or disobey his grandmother. Instinctively he launched into a sprint after her. For an octogenarian she could still move at a good clip and Chase spared no effort catching up with her. They rounded a clump of fir trees and plowed into a group of figures in their path, sending many of them flying like bowling pins.
Lying dazed in the snow, Chase heard a high-pitched laugh that sounded almost like the tinkling of bells. He looked up from the tangle of bodies and saw two cherubic faces peering down at him. He Started to apologize, but was interrupted by Gran’s voice. "Jingle and Jangle, what a surprise. I figured he’d have you two shoveling out reindeer pens for years after last year’s debacle. "
One of the faces scowled and the rosy glow from his cheeks spread to the rest of his face. The other simply smiled. "He’s been surprisingly forgiving lately. You should be happy about that since you’ll be seeing him in a couple of hours."
Gran growled, "I don’t think so, elf. I’ve been anticipating this.“ She kicked her legs into the air and flipped from supine snow angel to cat stance in a blink. As she landed, she discarded her oversized woolen mittens revealing twin tasers. Her thumbs mashed the buttons simultaneously, and Jingle and Jangle went from merry elves to twitching pixies in a heartbeat. "Come on, Chase, we’ve got to get out of here.”
She grabbed Jangle by the ankles and started to swing him in a wide circle. The few elves still standing were sent flying. With their path cleared, Chase and Gran took off toward her cabin. Chase struggled to keep up. "Won’t they (huff) just follow (pant) our tracks (puff) in the snow?"
"They don’t dare approach the cabin. Jingle and Jangle experienced the defensive measures last year; they know better. And no, they won’t just wait us out. The old man needs them up north; they can’t afford to be gone more than a few days."
When they arrived at the cabin, Chase collapsed on the floor. Gran looked at him and chuckled. Chase frowned. "It’s the elevation. I’m not used to this thin air."
"Sure, sure. And you have more weight to carry around too." This sent her into gales of laughter.
Chase tried to ignore her mirth. "Obviously you’ve seen those guys before. What the heck is going on here? An hour ago I didn’t believe elves even existed. What do they want with us?"
"Not us, Chasey. They want me. What do you know about your grandfather?”
Chase tried to remember what his mother had told him. "He did charity work, with children, I think. He died before Mom was born, right?"
Gran shook her head. "Oh, he’s still very much alive. I used to tell people he was dead. There was a lot less social stigma for a single mother if she was a widow. But no, he’s still out there. And every year around this time he sends his goons out to try to bring me back home."
Chase, realizing his mouth was hanging open, closed it so quickly his teeth clicked. "You mean those elves work for- My grandfather is- You were married to-"
"Santa Claus. Yes. And technically I’m still married to him; we never got divorced, just separated.”
Chase struggled to wrap his brain around the concept. "You are Mrs. Santa Claus? You’re husband is Father Christmas, Kris Kringle? Why aren’t you at the North Pole baking cookies or whatever Mrs. Claus does?”
"We just drifted apart. At first it was a whirlwind romance: ice skating hand-in-hand, building snowmen, bearskin rugs in front of the fireplace. But he got so involved with his job. He spent more and more time in the workshop and I got lonely. Like I said before, you and I are the kind of people who live life to the fullest. I couldn’t have that with him, up there."
Chase watched her in awe. It still didn’t seem real; it couldn’t be. As she paced, a strange look came over her. "You know, I’ve settled down quite a bit in the past few years. It might be nice to see him again, just to find out if any of the old flame still burns." Chase watched her open the security closet and switch off the defensive perimeter. As she opened the back door, she looked over her shoulder at her stunned grandson. "Want to go meet your grandfather?”