Shady Santa and The Happy Elves

It was Christmas Eve at the North Pole, and the elves were working at full speed, with the exception of Lena, the smallest of the female elves. She was tucked away in her room, feet propped up, snuggled deep with her favorite manga, Chibi Vampire. The time ticked by slowly, with Lena merged deeply in her reading when the door flew open, revealing a four foot elf named Curoz, his face a deep shade of red.
"Lena!" He yelled angrily, storming into the room. She jumped, pushing her manga under her blanket. Her sole obsession was what her father, Curoz, hated most. "Why are you in here sitting on your butt, instead of out there working with the other elves?" He asked, some of the anger fading from his face. Lena examined her hands, not wanting to go into this conversation with her father once more.

"I'm not a very good elf, Papa," she whispered. She pulled the blanket up to her chin, hoping to disappear into the over sized chair.

"What do you mean, Lena? It's in your blood!" he spat, pulling the manga from beneath her blanket, throwing it into a corner. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. "You will make toys like everyone else!" He started dragging her to the door, when she pulled her arm from his grasp and stumbled backward. She turned around, darting to her window, she threw it open, letting in the icy breeze from outside.

"I swear, I'll jump out this window if you take me out to the workshop!" She yelled, her tiny frame shaking with rage. Curoz was shocked. His daughter had never been so outspoken. In fact, she had dutifully taken her place in the workshop every day to make toys. He'd always known she'd had a secret manga obsession, but it had never really kept her from her work. He crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Fine, do it," he said, calling her bluff. She hoisted her legs over the window sill and jumped, sliding down an icey ledge, she landed firmly on the ground. Her father appeared at the window, yelling and screaming her name, his hands waving frantically. Lena took off running, her elf shoes slipping in the snow. She had no idea where she was going, but she didn't care either. She finally felt free! Soon her run slowed to a walk as she looked around her in astonishment. Everything was white, and ice covered, with large trees, and...nothing else. She'd already passed through the small village where all of the elves live, and passed the few other small buildings in the area. It was getting dark now, and Lena was starting to get frightened. She'd never been outside of her village because she never needed to be, and now that she was, she was...lost. Lena say down in the snow, bury her face in her hands and started to cry. The only thing she’d wanted was to read manga, and now she was cold and lost. She heard footsteps behind her, and she stopped sobbing momentarily, listening. No doubt it was some furry little creature scurrying home to his family. Black gloves slipped over her mouth, smothering the scream she was building before it had a chance to escape. Strong arms slipped around her waist, hoisting her into the air as she kicked and screamed, her tiny limbs flailing uselessly. She went unconscious momentarily, waking up on the inside of a windowless vehicle. She looked around, her wrists bound behind her back, she was unable to try and escape. The vehicle came to a halt, the driver pulled open the doors and she was temporarily blinded by sunlight. He picked her up and put her over his shoulder. She tried to get a look at his face, but he wore a thick mask that resembled Santa Clause’s face. Lena was appalled that someone so lowly and disgusting would have the dignity to impersonate someone so kind and giving. She gave her kidnapper a good kick in the stomach, but he was unaffected. They entered a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Inside, they wound through endless passages and locked doors before they came to a sort of beltline covered in dismantled toys. There were disgruntled elves and other laborers pulling apart the toys!

“Welcome to your new home,” her captor said, setting her on the ground. He greeted another man with a nod at her. The man approached her and kneeled down until he was eye level with her.

“You didn’t want to make toys,” the man said with a thick accent, “you shall never make toys again.” Tears streamed down Lena’s face as she imagined the faces of her family and fellow elves that she would probably never see again. She choked back a loud sob, trying to speak up.

“I-I just want to go home. Please,” she replied. The man looked disgusted with her pleading.

“What is the problem? I’m giving you what you want!” He said, his voice raising slightly. Lena backed up, nearly tripping over a man that was standing behind her.

“It’s not what I want!” She sobbed. “I want to go home and make toys and be a regular elf!” The man with the accent stepped back, as someone cleared their throat from behind Lena. She whirled around, facing Santa Clause.

“You know how it goes, Joseph,” Santa said, “she gets to come home.”

“I don’t understand…” Lena said, happy to be going home, but unsure of how Santa Clause was involved.

“Lena…the North Pole is a place of happiness. We want all of our elves to be happy and dedicated to their jobs. If you’re not, then we need to make sure you appreciate what you’ve been given,” he said simply, turning his back from her. She wasn’t, but a part of her was starting to think Santa Clause had arranged her kidnapping.

From [MyAlterEgo]