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A Mouse, a Flask, and a Decision Part 1
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Corey’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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Almost as quickly as Serendipity began her search, she heard a small squeaking in the corner behind a cupboard. “Pozzletot, is that you?” she asked hurrying over toward the sound. Sure enough, there he was crouched between a low cupboard and the wall. She hadn’t noticed the quick flick of Corey’s wrist that had summoned him to that location, nor did it occur to her to ask why he hadn’t simply used his magic to conjure the beast back into his possession once he realized the little mouse had stowed away to the North Pole in the first place.Rather, she was more focused on cuddling her long-lost friend, and snatching him up, she cradled him carefully in her hands, exclaiming, “Oh, Pozzletot, my sweet friend! I’m so happy to see you!” She smothered him with kisses and laughed as he squeaked in delight at the reunion as well.She felt Corey’s hand on her back before she realized he had crossed the room. “There we are
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When Serendipity finally awoke the next morning, sunshine was streaming through the window despite the thick green curtains, and she wondered how she had possibly slept so long. She hadn’t slept more than a few hours at a time in ages. Stretching, she glanced around the room and was overjoyed to see a still sleeping Pozzletot nestled on the pillow next to her. She giggled with glee as he scratched his nose in his sleep. She considered waking him but decided instead to let him sleep a bit longer and then quietly pulled herself from the bed.She crossed the room to the closet where she had hung her dress the night before, but upon throwing open the door, she was happily surprised to see a fresh frock hanging there. This one was in a bright blue, with a thick woolen cape hanging next to it, complete with matching hat and mittens.Beneath it sat a new pair of brown leather boots. “Oh, my!” she exclaimed, and bending down to snatch one up she saw that they w
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Serendipity shivered. “It’s a bit colder out there today, isn’t it?”“Yes, I believe so,” Corey agreed. “That’s why I made sure you had something warmer to wear today.”“Thank you,” Serendipity said thinking of the gray winter wear she had left in the closet. “You know, he does look a bit like an insect, it’s true,” she offered. “And he does waddle slightly, as well. I believe your assessment was rather spot on.” Corey laughed but did not respond, which prompted Serendipity to continue with her assessment. “Of course, if I were named based on my appearance, I should wonder what I would be called.”“Well, that depends,” Corey replied shrugging. “If you were named on the first day I met you, I would have to call you something very different than what I would name you on the last.”“And what would you call me today?”
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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
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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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“I do,” Serendipity nodded, looking into Corey’s eyes. “I’m not exactly sure what it was that happened to me when I was up there on the mountain, whether I truly had the opportunity to speak to my father through some sort of magic, or if it was just some sort of an hallucination brought on by my extremely cold state, but through that experience and talking to Mrs. Claus just now, I’ve come to realize that what happened to my mother and sisters was an accident. It truly wasn’t my fault, and I can’t spend the rest of my life feeling guilty or punishing myself.”A look of relief and a broad smile spread across Corey’s face. “Oh, Serendipity, it’s so wonderful to hear you say those words,” he assured her. “If coming here has allowed you to make that realization, and you should still choose to leave this place, never to return, then I should think this journey a success.”Serendipity s
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“There’s something else, my dear,” Mrs. Claus said, her hands resting on her knees. A smile played around her rosy cheeks as she took a deep breath and continued. “As you may know, in my former life, I was a schoolteacher.”“Oh, yes,” Serendipity nodded. “I had heard that was the case, though I imagine that was several years ago, seeing as though you’ve been Mrs. Claus for all of these years.” Serendipity responded, wondering where this conversation was going.“Did you know, darling, that there are many other intelligent, famous, successful, well-known people who also struggled their whole lives with the tasks of reading and writing?” Mrs. Claus continued, leaning forward to look more closely at the young lady.“What?” Serendipity asked, glancing from St. Nicholas’s smiling face back to his wife’s “Whatever do you mean?”“Oh, yes! People like
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It seemed to take hours for Serendipity to reach the cave opening, even though in actuality it only took a matter of minutes. The snow was pelting her face, making it difficult to see, and her hands were beginning to freeze now, too, right along with the rest of her body. Her footing the last few steps was unsure, and she nearly slipped as she grabbed hold of the rocky entrance way and pulled herself inside.The opening was narrow, and she had to crouch to slip inside, but once she finally made it through the entryway, though the temperature was still well below freezing, the lack of wind and snow seemed to make it more tolerable, and she collapsed on the damp floor against the mossy cave wall.Squirming in her pocket let her know that Pozzletot was still with her, though she did not know what shape he might be in. She didn’t dare take him out to inspect him as she didn’t want to further expose him to the frigid air.“Oh, Pozzletot,” she sa
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“Very good,” Corey replied taking off behind him. “And Hillstern, will you send someone over to alert St. Nicholas? He should be able to use the globe to find her. Perhaps he can transport himself to where she is located.”“I’ll send someone,” Hillstern replied. “If they can reach St. Nicholas in time…. It’s just, you know how hard it is to get an audience with him.”“Tell him it’s an emergency, and that I need his help,” Corey insisted, knowing the elf was right. He watched as Snowshoes took the red light from the wall and began to strap it onto the miniature reindeer the same way that Serendipity had shown him.“How can I help?” he asked.Pulling the strap tightly, the elf gave a stern nod. “That should do it,” Snowshoes assured him. “Now, can you transport us to where you think she might be?”“I have no idea where she migh
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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
