He sees you when you're sleeping...

Happy Holidays to one and all!

 

I did my annual 3D Christmas card this year, a tradition I've had for neigh on 10 years I think. This year I cheated a bit, I used mostly canned models I bought with only a few of my own. lol

 

I also jotted out a quick story to go with it, more of a rambling thing than anything else. Just for fun, and no it's not in any universe.

He sees you when you're sleeping:

 

Nicholas looked out the window to the world spinning below. "So beautiful. so, so ever so beautiful," he murmured softly. He looked around to the steel and plastic around him and then back to the world below.

It hadn't always been like this, on a cloaked space station orbiting Earth. No, up until four decades ago they had been based in their hidden Antarctic base, having moved there after humanity had begun exploring the North pole, forcing the abandonment of the base there.

"See something Santa?" a small female voice asked.

Nicholas turned to the female Alp and smiled. "No Siri, just admiring the view."

"Nervous?"

"After so long in the sleigh?" he chuckled, shaking his belly. The elf doctor kept reminding him to leave off the cookies and milk but he couldn't help it. He felt obliged to eat the things, and besides, he needed the burst of energy. He had been doing this job for centuries now. He and the other Santas. He smiled slightly. He had been the first though.

He looked at her reflection in the glass briefly. "No, I'm fine. The equipment test out?"

"Yes Santa, of course," she said with a smile and flick of her long pointed ears. He snorted. Of course it did. It wasn't like the bad old days centuries ago when they had first started this project.

Over a thousand years ago the Alps had crashed their ship on Earth. They had attempted to live with humanity, but the barbaric humans had either hunted them or worshiped them. They had withdrawn further and further north into what later became known as Scandinavia. Meanwhile the barbaric humans had taken the nature of the elves and created stories about them, demonizing them as nightmares and such. It was ever the way of his people, to see a threat in something they do not understand. At least until the past century. Now, hopefully, things were changing. They were starting to explore, to see with fresh eyes the wonder of new things. He hoped it would last.

When the Alps had retreated, they had left stories of themselves in their wake. Their species name had mutated into elf, even he thought of them as elves from time to time. Sometime in the past, he forgot the exact date, they had started interacting with proxy humans, taking in humans who had been abandoned or orphaned, and raising them as their own. There had been dark stories of changelings but he knew they weren't true. After all, look what they said about him! He chuckled softly, remembering some of the movies and books the other humans had made about him.

He had been one such waif. An elf family had taken him in, taught him their ways and raised him as one of their own. He in turn had traded for goods and materials for the elven community when he had come of age. At first they had needed a lot, but their stubborn use of their ship's recycling systems and greenhouses they had eventually created had helped them taper off their needs more and more every year. Eventually they had a surplus of material.

The crash had scattered their population and destroyed much of their technology. But they clung to some of it. Out of boredom and to stave off insanity some of the long lived elves had taken up hobbies, whether it be science, or engineering.

Frustrated by the lack of appropriate materials they had turned to making things of wood. Some had made toys, and the humans of the day had traded them or given them away to children. Thus the myth had been born.

Seeing a positive impact in human civilization, the elves had encouraged the practice. They constructed a base under the ice inside the remains of part of their ship. As human society grew the elves became increasingly uneasy about direct interaction, preferring Santa to do it for them.

They clung to their tech, and when human civilization had started to catch up, they had begun rebuilding their own from human materials.

They had tiny probes that allowed them to view people from afar. Cloaks to hide their people and equipment, much like this great station. It was quite large, enough to house the hundreds of elves, their craft, and most of the adopted humans.

Their medical science was state of the art, each of the elves were old, centuries old. Nicholas himself was ancient by human standards, blessed by good food and elven medical science. But even he couldn't deliver all the presents now, even with their time and dimensional shifting equipment. Thus, the Santa legion had come to be.

When he had first started out, oh so long ago, he had used a sleigh craft drawn by specially bred reindeer when he and others had traded in Scandinavia and Germany, it had become his calling card. Elven scientists had salvaged anti-gravity harnesses for his reindeer and sleigh, rigging it to expand his ability to trade. He smiled fondly, remembering their first wild ride. The reindeer had pissed themselves senseless until they had gotten the hang of it. He chuckled. They hadn't been the only ones!

Over time they changed their practices, instead of trading he took some of the waste or broken bits. But the elves insisted on some form of compensation, so he delivered toys and goodies for children. It became a tradition he at first hated, but now loved. Seeing the smiles on the children's faces made him feel like he was walking on air.

To make it easier on him and to keep with the traditions building around him they limited his deliveries to one night a year. Fortunately one of the elven scientists had recovered and rebuilt a dimensional shifter that not only slowed time, it allowed him to pass through walls or down from the ceiling as needed.

That Clarke guy had it right Nicholas mused, advanced technology really was indistinguishable from magic. He shook his head. Still, even with all their vaunted technology he could no longer do this job alone. So the legion had been born. At first a few, and now sixty Santas. Men and even a few women in the adopted human side grew up wishing to fill his boots. It amused him a great deal to think of what they would think a few hours into the job. But he had to admit, despite the exhaustion, he knew he would feel elated, completed, and thrilled when the evening was done. It was the same every year.

In the 19th century, the elves hadn't liked the humans continued interest in war so they had moved the base to Antarctica when humans began to explore the northern wastes. Their sense of safety hadn't lasted long, they had become uncomfortable when the humans started whaling off Antarctica.

The turn of the 20th century found a quickening in human development, which had in turn restored some of the long lost Alp tech. It had also  frightened the elves into exploring space once more. In 1947 they made contact once more with their species. A shuttle crashed in America, but the main explorer ship had successfully hid behind the moon.

Spurred by this contact, some of the elves had returned to their home, but others had elected to stay and continue their work on Earth with the Santas, refusing to abandon the charity they had started. He understood their thinking, his people needed a positive role model and treasured their sacrifice.

In order to fuel the demand for materials, they still recycled, but now imported raw material from the asteroids in the system. If humanity only knew what they were doing to help them! He wished he could make them understand, but knew they were still young, still ever fearful of what they don't understand.

They had also started to become greedy, something the elves hadn't expected, it was still foreign to their nature. The holiday was becoming commercial, which bothered some. There were trends some didn't like, he hoped something would alter them. He reminded himself to talk to the psych department when he got back.

They, like him saw his role as beneficial to humanity, encouraging charity, humility, and many other good qualities. He knew it did, at least around this time of the year. Despite the greed, people really did help one another. Every little bit helped, bringing the positive spirit out in everyone.

"Is the list finished?" He rumbled, tugging on his belt.

"And checked twice," Siri replied with a smile. "The probes report excellent results this year. The encouragement of recycling and the modification of human responsibility as stewards of the environment seems to be holding."

"Good," He said as he nodded. He heard a click of hooves. He turned to see one of the genetically engineered reindeer being led by an elf walk by. He nodded again and then returned to his mussing.

"We'll be ready for you shortly Santa," Siri said and then withdrew.

He snorted softly and nodded. He adjusted his hat and then straightened to his full height. "Time for another night of magic," he murmured with a twinkle as he strode past elves who nodded politely to him.

He entered the shuttle bay and smiled to his loyal crew as he stepped up to the sleigh. His wife gave him a kiss and a smile, better tonic than any bottle of rum.

He took up the reins and nodded to Siri. She nodded back and stepped back with the others as he flipped switches and the field around his craft and reindeer began to form, bending space around them.

 

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

 

 

I hope you and your families are doing well. I am about to go to see mine at my sisters.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

 

Chris Hechtl