Christmas Town
Chapter 3
“Oh…my head.” I felt REAL dizzy.
I got up from the floor where I had landed.
But my hand sunk into the floor!
I looked down as I got up.
There was ankle-deep snow under my feet!
“Snow!” Benjamin cried from right next to me.
“Benjamin! You’re alright!”
“Yeah, I think we are.” Said Benny Bear.
“Benny Bear! Benjamin! We’re all ok!”
“Of course you are.” Said Jack, coming to us from behind. “I thought you were braver than that, Emma.”
“Well, I’ve never used a door in a tree as public transport before.” I replied.
I got up and looked at my surroundings.
There was white everywhere, some and red, and green.
Hundreds of coloured lights decorated a little row of houses just down the other side of the hill in front of us.
There was this GIANT Christmas tree in the centre. That too was decorated in hundreds of lights, and tinsel, and ornaments, and lots of little toy like things hanging from the branches, and right at the top of this mountain of branches and green, there was a giant, shining, lit-up star.
There were lampposts designed like candy canes. And there was holly hung from them.
There were little people wandering all over the place and playing with snow.
“Me wanna pway!” Benjamin cried as he ran down the hill.
“Benjamin, wait!” I chased after him. I wish he’d stop running off all the time!
Benjamin continued to run down the hill, crying ‘snow’ over and over again as he went.
Luckily Benny Bear was still with him on his shoulder.
“Just calm down there, Benjamin. Let’s not go running off…Oof!”
Benny Bear was suddenly knocked of Benjamin’s shoulder by a flying missile of snow, (a snow ball)!
Lucky for Benny Bear, he landed in the snow.
“Sorry. Are you ok little boy?” Asked on of the little elves who had thrown a snow ball in his direction.
“I’m ok.” Said, Benjamin, holding his head because that’s where Benny Bear got hit.
“Hey, you’re not an elf!” Said the elf.
“Dat’s wight, I’m Benjamin, me!”
“Benjamin!?” Said another voice that came from the other elves playing.
A brown skinned boy, obviously not an elf, came up to Benjamin.
“Benjamin!” He cried.
“Sarmoo!” Cried Benjamin.
The both of them held hands and jumped around for joy.
“Benjamin.” I came onto the scene with Jack from chasing Benjamin down the snowy hill.
I then stopped as I saw someone I knew.
“Sarmoo?”
“Emma! You’re ok too!”
“Sarmoo! Oh, Sarmoo you’re alright!”
I ran to the seven year old Sarmoo and picked him up and spun him round.
“Jack!” Benjamin cried out. “Look, it’s Sarmoo.”
“Is Sarmoo one of the children?” Jack asked.
“Yeah! Sarmoo’s my fwiend!” Benjamin jumped with joy.
I put Sarmoo back down and introduced him to Jack.
“Sarmoo, I’d like you to meet Jack. He’s the one who helped us get here.” I said.
“Jack!” The elves cried. “Jack Skellington?!”
“Yes. That’s right.”
The elves began taking worryingly amongst themselves.
“We should go and tell Santa.” They ran for the largest building in the town.
“What’s up with them?” Asked Benny Bear.
“I think they’re still a little wary from my last visit.” Jack explained.
“So,” Sarmoo began. “You’re Jack Skellington. Santa Clause has told me a lot about you. He thought you might come back before Christmas. I was hoping you’d bring some of my friends with you. And Santa Clause was right! And you’ve brought Emma and Benjamin with you.” Sarmoo exclaimed.
“I hope he hasn’t told you too much about me.” Said Jack.
“Like that Christmas when you tried to be Santa Clause? Don’t worry, there’s no hard feeling against you. The peace between you two has already been calmed, right?” Sarmoo explained the lot.
“Hey, maybe you can take us inside.” Said Benny Bear. “It’s freezing out here and I don’t want to catch a cold and end up giving it to Benjamin.”
“Why don’t you take us to Santa Clause!” I suggested.
“Yeah! I wanna meet Father Chwistmas!” Said Benjamin.
“Father Chwistmas?” Jack puzzled.
“Benjamin’s from England. They call Santa Clause ‘Father Christmas’ over there.” I explained.
“Right then,” Said Sarmoo. “I think Santa Clause will be very pleased to meet all of you. Even you Jack. This way!”
Sarmoo led the way to Santa’s workshop.
“So, did Santa find you heart, Sarmoo?” I asked.
“No, Charlie did. He’s an elf about my age. I’m best friends with him, I’m even teaching him how to speak Sheng. That’s my language in Kenya.” Said Sarmoo.
“Kenya? Is that your home?” Asked Benny Bear.
“Yes. Kenya, Africa.”
“But how come you can speak in English?”
“That’s my ability! I can speak in any language.”
“Even gobbledygook?” Benjamin asked his silly question.
“No, Benjamin. Gobbledygook isn’t a language.”
Sarmoo talked with Benjamin and Benny Bear until we got to the front door of Santa’s Workshop.
Sarmoo reached up and knocked on the door.
“Oh, I hope he won’t be too unhappy to see me.” Said Jack
“I’m sure he’ll be happy to see us all.” I said.
Sarmoo then opened the door.
“Santa!” He called out. “My friend’s are here! There’s Emma, Benjamin and Benny Bear. And Jack’s here.”
“Jack? Jack Skellington?” Called the voice of an old man.
Sarmoo came over to an armchair facing the fire. But I couldn’t see who was sat in it, the chair had its back to us.
“Yes, he’s helped my friends get here.” Said Sarmoo.
I heard someone getting up out of the chair.
I saw the top of his head above the chair as he stood up.
I then saw an old mad dressed in red as he walked round the side of the chair.
“Father Chwistmas!” Benjamin cried.
“Well, if it isn’t Emma Donnahue and Benjamin O’Brien.” Said Santa Clause.
“Hey, how do you know my name?” I said.
“I know the name of every little boy and girl on my nice list.”
“I’ve been a good boy this year!” Said Benjamin.
“Yes, that you have.”
“What about me?” I asked. “I’ve been good haven’t I?”
“Of course you have, Emma.”
“I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but is there room on your list for me?” Asked Jack.
“Ah, Jack. Much time has passed since that Christmas long ago. I know your intentions were good and you meant well. So why don’t we start again.” Santa explained to Jack.
Jack sighed and smiled.
“After all,” Said Santa. “You’re not here to take over Christmas again, are you? You’re here to help Emma find her friends. So of course you’ll be on my nice list, Jack.”
“Oh, thank you, Sandy. You have no idea how grateful I am for your forgiveness.” Said Jack.
“But you’re not just here to find the children, are you Jack.” Said Sarmoo. “You wanna find the spirit too, don’t you?”
I was a little shocked.
“Hey, how do you know about that?” I asked Sarmoo.
“I know everything that has happened to poor little Anastasia.” Said Santa. “I have told Sarmoo everything. I even know of the dark spirit. But you won’t find it here. It hates the light and Christmas Town is full of it.”
“What do you know about the spirit?” Benny Bear asked.
“Not much more than you already know. I know that it is hiding in one of the holiday worlds, but I don’t know which one. Though I’m glad it’s not this one, I’ll say that.”
“In my dream, Annie told me that the dark spirit holds all the answers. Do you know what she meant by that?” Wondered Jack.
“Perhaps because it’s the spirit that’s been causing all the trouble, maybe you would need to ask the spirit itself to get your answers as to why it’s causing trouble.”
Santa Clause sighed.
“Oh, but thank goodness it’s not inhabiting in this world. Christmas Town is too happy and to full of light and goodness. The spirit dwells in darkness and hates the light.”
“So, maybe it’s in a world of darkness.” I pondered for a few moments. “I think I know now why we found it in Halloween Town.”
“Hey guy!” Called Benny Bear. “I don’t mean to cause a panic, but does any of you know where Benjamin’s disappeared to?”
I looked around me.
He was right, Benjamin had disappeared.
“Hey, where’s Sarmoo gone?”
But then, I heard a faint sound of laughing. It came from outside.
I walked out of the door and looked across the snow bank.
The elves had resumed their game and were pelting each other with snow balls once again.
But I saw a face I knew among them. Sarmoo.
He was talking to an elf dressed in blue, (and no, it wasn’t Benjamin. He wasn’t in his pyjamas anyway. He was dressed in his Halloween Town clothes).
But then, I saw Benjamin himself. He was gathering snow from the ground and trying to make a snow ball.
“Oh, Benjamin, let me help you.” Said Sarmoo, as he left his conversation and went to show Benjamin how to make a snow ball.
“There you are!” Said Benny Bear, running to his owner and friend.
“I’m pwaying with snow, Benny Bear.” Benjamin cried in glee. (At least we now knew where he disappeared to).
The elf dressed in blue looked towards me.
“Is that Emma, Sarmoo?” He asked.
“Yes. Let me introduce you.”
Sarmoo took the elf by the hand and walked through the snow to where me and Jack were standing.
“Emma, this is Charlie.” Sarmoo introduced his new friend.
“Charlie, eh? So you found Sarmoo’s heart.”
“Yeah. I was just rummaging in the snow to make snow balls with, and then as I was digging I found this white, glowing orb. And later that day, the other older elves found an unconscious little boy in the sleigh garage. It was just my instinct to put the orb back in his body. And then he woke up.”
“That’s exactly what happened with us.” I said. “Except for Benjamin. His heart belonged in his Bear.”
“Oof!” Sarmoo was suddenly hit in the back of the head with a snow ball.
“Hee, hee, hee…”
Sarmoo and Charlie turned round to where the fire came from.
“Hee, hee! I did it!” Came a laugh from Benjamin..
“Hey! Come here, you!” Sarmoo ran after him, laughing all the way.
Charlie gathered up more snow from the ground, ready to help Sarmoo fight back.
As Benjamin was slowly getting the hang of making snow balls and throwing them at everyone.
The only problem was that when anyone tried to hit Benjamin with a snow ball, it just flew straight through him. Due to his invincibility.
I walked over to the railing by the frozen pond and watched Sarmoo and Charlie help Benjamin with making snowballs and firing them over the snow barricade wall and at the opposing elves.
“Benjamin’s learning fast.” Said Benny Bear. “I can’t wait until we all go home, then I can watch him when he goes to school for the first time.”
“Yeah, if we ever get home.” I said.
“Oh, Emma. Of course you’ll get home.” Said Jack, hopefully.
“How can you say that?” I began. “How can you be so hopeful? It’s not up to you to get us home, it’s up to me. And already betrayed that responsibility.”
“But Emma, what happened to Annie and Nadallia wasn’t your fault.” Jack tried to reassure me.
“Look, Jack, as the leader of my friends everything is my fault. They’re my responsibility! And two are already DEAD!”
I wasn’t depressed, I was angry with myself.
“Why the heck was I chosen to lead these children? I may be the oldest, but I’m not the smartest. I’ve never led a dance class before, never mind leading ten children home from the strangest world with danger lurking round ever corner. I just can’t do this!”
“But, Emma…”
“Jack, look what’s happened to these’s kid with me as their leader!”
I wasn’t happy with what I’d done. (Darn right, I was furious)!
I marched over to the rail. I leaned on the horizontal post and looked over at Benjamin and Sarmoo playing in the snow, blissfully unaware of the dangers they may have to face.
But then, someone came up behind me and stood next to me by the rail.
“Look into the ice, child.” Said Santa Clause.
I did so, still a little angry and sad.
I looked at the frozen water and saw my reflection.
“Tell me, what do you see?”
“I see a ugly, metal kid, hopelessly destined to fail at all attempts.” I spoke.
“Do you know what I see?” Said Santa Clause.
I looked to him, I didn’t really care for his answer, but I chose to listen anyway.
“I see a highly prudent young woman with the confidence and potential to do anything if she put her mind to it.”
I shook my head. “Oh, Santa. I can’t do this.”
“Emma, you are cleaver than you think. You are far wiser than your friends, and they are relying on you to help them home. They haven’t given up, so don’t you.”
I listened to him, I suppose he was right in a way.
“And denying yourself of your worthiness won’t change the fact that you are the leader of ten children whom need you to guide them home safely. If you give up on them, none of you will ever get home. You must do the task you were given if you wish to return home safely. Who ever gave you this responsibility gave it to you for a reason. No one else can do a better job. Ha, I’m sure you wouldn’t want Benjamin in charge. Ho, ho, no.”
I looked towards the snowball fighting scene where Sarmoo was playing with Benjamin.
Benjamin was so thrilled to be playing with snow. He’d only ever seen it before.
And Sarmoo was Benjamin’s best friend, (besides Benny Bear).
I saw their happy little faces, smiling and laughing with joy.
It all made me ponder.
“Don’t let them down, Emma.” Santa Clause whispered to me.
I guess he was right.
There were other children out there to be found. My friends were somewhere out there, waiting for me to come and find them.
I guess I couldn’t disappoint them.
I continued thinking about it while watching Benjamin and Sarmoo pelt snowballs at the other elves, including Charlie.
I knew that Santa Clause was right, but that didn’t change the way I felt.
I still felt depressed and unhappy with myself.
Two of my friends were dead and there was this evil spirit that threatened to kill the rest of us.
And if I couldn’t stop it before, then I doubted that I could stop it if it tried to kill another one of us.
I had very little faith that I could ever get myself or my friends home safe and sound.
