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Flaky crouched, terrified to move a muscle. Where was she? It wasn’t as though Flaky spooked easily, but Gretyl the Giraffalope was so hyper and she moved so quickly, zooming and spinning around like an excited puppy. It was unnerving.
“Pssst. What are we hiding from?”
Flaky jumped a foot. Gretyl appeared at her shoulder, bouncing on her toes, trying…and failing…to be quiet.
“What’s wrong?” Gretyl asked. “Did you see a ghost?”
“N-no,” breathed Flaky. “Just you.”
For a brief second, so quick Flaky may have imagined it, Gretyl looked…hurt by her words. She quickly recovered, however, and launched into an interrogation that would have had the Elf Resources Department, or ER, hiring the giraffalope on the spot.
“STOP!” Flaky couldn’t take it anymore.
The hurt in Gretyl’s eyes was unmistakable now. Now she’d done it.
“I’m sorry, Gretyl. It’s just…you’re kind of, a lot.”
A sudden dawning understanding crossed Gretyl’s face. “Of course, Flaky. I should have known. They told me–.” Gretyl stopped talking suddenly, looking aghast.
“Who told you…what?”
Gretyl cleared her throat. “Oh you know. They…them. Those. So, what are we going to do tonight?”
Flaky, fear forgotten, looked at Gretyl suspiciously. Something was up.
“But, you said–.”
“Ziplining!”
Nonplussed, Flaky could only stare in confusion.
“We should do a zipline. Sabine will love it.”
Flaky brightened. The first few nights had not gone well. No messes or catastrophes, but nothing had truly excited Sabine. Sure she enjoyed the hot chocolate bar, new Christmas PJs, and gingerbread house kit. But she wasn’t bouncing out of bed, searching for Flaky as soon as she got up. Maybe a zipline would be just the thing to do that.
“Worth a try,” Flaky murmured.
Gretyl helped Flaky rig a zipline from the top of the tree to Sabine’s stockings.
“You should test it out,” said Gretyl.
“Me? Oh, I don’t know.”
“Flaky, you have to test your work. That’s the point of this zipline. It’s not as though Sabine will be able to do it. She’s much too heavy.”
Gretyl had a point, but Flaky hadn’t considered that she would be the one ziplining.
“Oh-Okay.” Flaky warily climbed to the top of the tree and positioned herself at the height of the zipline. One, two, THREE!
“Wheeeeeeee!” Thump!
“Well?” asked Gretyl after Flaky landed with a plop in the stocking.
“That was…amazing! You have to try it!”
Flaky and Gretyl took turns zipping down to the stockings. Giggles and squeals filled the air until Gretyl slipped, getting tangled in the line. Flaky flew in to rescue her—resulting in stockings being knocked over, ornaments swinging, and garland tangled around the room.
“Oh deer,” said Flaky.
“Oh deer indeed,” agreed Gretyl.
The Book: “Do try fun activities. Don’t turn the living room into an elf-sized obstacle course!”
a pinch of homestead 