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Sparkly Sprinkles sat at the back of the Frosty Snowman hunched over a large glass of Jingle Juice, grumbling under her breath.
“Those, those jiggersnots! Gone without a trace and leaving me without a story to tell.”
“What’s that Sparkly?” asked Sam, the tall-for-an-elf barkeep. “Ready for another round?”
She smiled a saccharine-sweet smile and then downed the rest of her glass, holding it out to the barkeep. “Fill it again, Sam.”
Sparkly was never more angry than when she was foiled and couldn’t spin a story. The premier Mischief Makers had been giving her fodder for telling tall tales and distorting events for days. But now, they were gone, leaving behind replacements who were altogether too agreeable and boring to be genuinely captivating. What Sparkly craved was a breakthrough, a hint that would lead her straight to them…and that meddlesome reindeer.
“…heard Santa has some sort of mystery to solve before Christmas Eve.”
Sparkly’s ears perked. A mystery?
“Yeah, I heard something about that too, Herb. Elphy Elphster was talking about it in the hot springs a few days ago.”
“He was talking to you about it, Norm?” asked the incredulous elf.
“Nah,” said Norm. “It was so foggy in there, he didn’t see me. But I heard him say something about a journey to find a secret box way up North.”
“A secret box?” asked Herb in hushed tones.
“Yeah, but there’s all kinds of obstacles to go through before you can get at it. But the first place to go through is the Whisper—.”
“Happy Elfday to you! Happy Elfday to you! Happy Elfday dear Herb-y…happy Elfday to you!”
The rest of the conversation was abandoned in the merriment of Herb buying a round of Jingle Juice sippers for the crowd.
But Sparkly smiled. Finally, she had a lead to follow.
Happy Elfday indeed.
a pinch of homestead 