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A Charming Carriage Ride Part 4
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2021-02-24 11:16:31A few minutes later, Serendipity realized the night sky grew rapidly lighter. The stars began to fade, and looking below, she could see nothing but fields of ice and snow.
“We’re almost to the dome,” Corey explained. “When we go through, you’ll notice a sort of an odd sensation, like you’re sliding through a thin layer of jam.”
That didn’t sound particularly pleasant to Serendipity, but she supposed she could handle it in order to get Pozzletot back. “All right. Is there anything in particular I need to do?” she asked.
“No,” he replied, “Only make sure you keep your whole self inside of the carriage. The magic knows what belongs and what doesn’t. It recognizes the carriage but not you. So, stay inside of the carriage.”
Serendipity nodded and promptly removed her hand from the railing, just in case her fingers would somehow be severed from her body. Corey laughed
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Serendipity stopped at each stall to pet the inhabitants on the head, feed them carrots offered to her by an elf she learned was called Snowshoes, and to scratch behind every ear. She went down one side and was just about to make her way up the other when she covered her mouth with both hands and gasped in excitement. “Look at him!” she exclaimed. “Isn’t he precious?”“This is our newest addition,” Snowshoes explained. “He was born last spring.”“Not even a year old yet!” Serendipity squealed as she stepped forward to pet the youngster on the head. “How sweet!” He began to lick her hands, and she leaned down and let him lick her face. Corey stood behind her, off to the side, a look of disgust on his face, his arms crossed. “What’s your name, sweet boy?” she asked the deer.“He hasn’t got one yet,” Snowshoes explained.“We’ve tried di
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As Corey led Serendipity through the town square, everyone they met greeted him by name, with a cheerful smile, and a welcoming nod to his newest recruit, though most of them had no idea who she was at this juncture. Serendipity would have liked to stop and speak to each of them--every elf, toymaker, child, even those she couldn’t quite name (perhaps they were fairies or gnomes?)—as they crossed her path, but Corey insisted they would have time later to chat with the current residents, and he continued to draw her along the snow-covered path, her arm still locked securely through his.Approaching the large structure Serendipity had marveled at from the air, she took a deep breath and stopped in her tracks, attempting to take it all in. Corey let go of her arm and stood a few steps in front, waiting for her to recover. “Is this Santa’s Workshop?” she asked, her hands clasped together in front of her face.“Yes, of course,” Corey
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“What’s that?” Serendipity asked, having never heard that term before. But before he could answer, she realized they had reached the top. The view of the room they were entering into caused her to jog the last few steps, pulling up her long blue dress and red coat tails as she did so, so as not to trip. “Oh, my!” she gasped again.Though they were not quite inside of the room yet, rather some sort of narrow foyer that led to the expansive room, she could clearly see where they were headed, and she had never in her wildest dreams imagined a place so beautiful. The floor seemed to be made of twinkling snowflakes, all knit together to make one glorious carpet. The ceiling was dark blue with what appeared to be millions of twinkling stars of all colors, though mostly in yellows, silvers, and golds, lighting up the room a full two-stories below where they danced in suspense. There were several glistening white pillars around the outer edges of the roo
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Before either of them could speak, a sharply dressed elf woman, with long black braids and a red and green dress came out of a door in the back of the room.She carried a silver tray with two steaming red mugs. “May I offer you some hot cocoa?” she asked, stopping next to Serendipity.“Oh, thank you,” Serendipity replied, taking the nearest mug off of the tray and raising it to her mouth carefully. She had not had hot cocoa since before her father had died, as her mother didn’t allow her any sweets of any kind, and she was delighted to see there were several marshmallows floating atop the thick liquid. Taking a small sip, she closed her eyes in delight; never had she tasted such a rich, thick, chocolaty beverage. “Oh, my,” she whispered before taking another sip and setting the cup down on a knitted square she could only assume was designed for such purposes.Santa was drinking his cocoa as well, but he chuckled in delight
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Corey’s cabin was not too far from the town square and the workshop, but he could tell that Serendipity was growing tired, so he took a leisurely pace, allowing her to determine the speed of their procession.The snow was still falling and whenever she thought that he was not looking, Serendipity would, occasionally, ensnare another snowflake with her tongue, as she had done so long ago in the accompaniment of her father. “Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked as they neared the street where his cabin stood.“I believe I am,” Serendipity admitted. “Although I am rather tired. This is a bit too much movement for what I am used to.”“I’m sure,” he agreed. “Well, we shall be at my home soon, you shall have your little friend back with you, and I shall ask my valet, Mr. Waddlebug, to fix you a spot of tea before we are off on our way back to England.”“Mr. Waddlebug?” Serendipi
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Shaking his head, Corey tossed the card back on the counter out of the way. Then, returning his attention to Waddlebug, he said, “Prepare the tea, and make sure that you put this in her cup.” With that, he pulled the small flask containing the powerful blue liquid out of his pocket and shoved into the mitt of his assistant who stared at it in trepidation. “What is it?” Corey asked, still annoyed.“Nothing,” Waddlebug said, staring at the flask. “It’s only… I’m not sure I want to be a part of this. I don’t think you should do it, make her stay if she doesn’t want to.”With a huff, Corey took the flask back, shoving it into his pants pocket. “Fine. Then, when the tea is ready, call me in, and I shall put it in for you. All right?”Without saying a word, Mr. Waddlebug nodded solemnly and watched as Corey crossed back over to the door. As always, his disposition changed as he
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Corey’s face fell. “You’ve made up your mind then?” he asked solemnly.“Mr. Cane,” Serendipity said with a sigh, “my mind was made up before I even left my home, now wasn’t it?”“Yes, of course,” he replied, the disingenuous smile spreading over his face. “Will you excuse me a moment? I think I shall go check on Mr. Waddlebug.”“Certainly,” Serendipity said, returning her gaze to the fireplace.As Corey made his way into the kitchen, he let out a heavy sigh. It seemed he was going to have to do this the hard way after all.“Whatever is taking you so long? And why is that mouse still on the counter?” he asked, eyeing Pozzletot closely.“Oh, I… forgot to release him,” he replied, clearly not wanting to let Pozzletot go just yet.“And then there’s a matter of the gingersnaps. The ones I baked yesterday were a b
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Shoving the empty flask back into his pocket, Corey picked up the tray and walked into the great room. Serendipity looked as if she had dozed off perhaps. Her eyes flew open at the sound of the door, but she smiled at him, a sheepish expression on her face, and he sat the tray down next to her, taking one of the teacups in his hand as he did so. “Mr. Waddlebug wanted everything to be perfect. Sorry for the delay,” he explained taking his seat across from her.“Gingerbread!” Serendipity exclaimed, breathing in deeply. “How delightful!” She picked up the remaining teacup and set it aside. “Aren’t you going to have one?” she asked, gesturing at the tray of neatly dressed gents.“None for me,” Corey replied, sipping his tea slowly.“I’ve never been much of a gingerbread fanatic.”“No?” Serendipity questioned, choosing a nice fat fellow from amongst the group and brea
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Standing atop the crest of Mt. Menzelfrap looking down at the only two paths that seemed to be options for a young woman running through the ice and snow on foot. Two separate staircases led down the side of the mountain, both treacherous, and neither more friendly looking than the other. He glanced down both of them but saw no sign of Serendipity or her tracks. Of course, with the wind whipping the snow around so fiercely, he could only see a few feet in front of his face. Once again, he yelled her name but only heard the reverberations as they echoed off the mountains around him.He used his magic to transport himself down to the bottom of the stairwell on the left, thinking she may have chosen that one since it seemed to be closest to home. When she wasn’t there, he magicked himself over to the other stairwell. There was still no sign of her. He ran his hands through his hair in desperation. Blindly, he turned about in the snow, trying to think of what he could do to
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“I hope you don’t mind our intrusion, Your Majesty,” Serendipity offered as she stood at her full height. “It’s just, my father used to read stories about you to me as a small child, and I am honored to have the opportunity to meet you at long last.”“Stories? About me?” Ingrid said, smiling. “How lovely! I hope they were all pleasant ones.”“Yes, of course,” Corey interjected. “How could any story written about you be anything but pleasant?”“Indeed,” Ingrid nodded.“And have you read any such stories about my husband, Jack Frost?” she asked, looking at Serendipity.“Jack Frost is your husband?” Serendipity asked, amazed.“Yes, thanks to Mr. Cane,” the Snow Queen explained. “He was able to get the council to approve changing a mere mortal into a legendary character just for my benefit. Wasn’t that swe
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Once Serendipity re-appeared in the main room, her cape, mittens, and hat on, Corey produced a matching scarf and wound it tightly around her, tucking everything in against the wind he knew they were about to encounter. “Are you ready?” he asked once she was bundled up.“Yes,” Serendipity confirmed through the layers. “How shall we get there? Will we take the sleigh again?”“No, this time, we shall travel by my magic,” Corey replied.“But, if you can magic me there with you, why couldn’t you magic me up those stairs yesterday?” she asked confused.“I could have,” he admitted. “I thought you should have the human experience of meeting Santa in the most regal way possible.”“Oh,” Serendipity muttered, still a bit confused. Then another thought occurred to her. “So, why couldn’t you have just used your magic to bring Pozzletot to me?&rdquo
