𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝕺𝖓𝖊 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝕬𝖑𝖑
𝕾𝖊𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕲𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙 𝕾𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖆 𝕮𝖑𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝕱𝖑𝖞𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕽𝖊𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖊𝖗𝖘
I read the show flyer stuck on the wall of the supermarket as I pushed my trolley to my car.
Another Christmas show. Winter seemed to be filled with these shows, who have the exact same stories to tell.
I stopped looking at the time. The show was meant to start in 5 mins. I could just go and check it out.
What if I actually see her?
That's what I thought, as I rushed to take a seat amongst the spectators on the outside bleachers.
The show started with a narrator narrating the ever becoming poem A Visit From St. Nicholas. I remembered that night well, although it happened over 10 months ago. It's also when I lost her.
At the prompt of the narrator, the fake Santa Clause rode in on a sleigh dragged by a small herd of reindeers.
I quickly scanned the herd, although she was nowhere to be seen.
Disappointed, I left the stands and began walking to my car.
On my way, I thought back to how it all happened that night...
I had finished the present runs that night. Another successful Christmas and the elves and deers were about to turn in for the night.
That's when we saw it. A house that had been missed. This hasn't happened before and there was no protocol for what should be done.
A family of 5, with 3 kids who were all in the nice list. The Moore family.
I took a look at my sack of presents and saw the kid's gifts in it.
I decided that I still had a bit of night time to make it there and back.
I went to the stables and saw that all the Reindeer's were drained, except for one, the youngest and most active.
She was special indeed, filled to the top of her antlers with Christmas magic. This made her nose change color from black to red.
She jumped around as she spotted me, shaking off magic dust from her coat.
I looked at the other reindeers who were getting roused from Blaze's Caper.
It would be torture to strap them back up to the sleigh and fly them over 4,000 miles because of my forgetting 1 household.
It was a dilemma and I stood there looking from the sleigh to the reindeer in utter confusion.
Blaze, unknowingly to me she sensed my trials, performed a Christmas miracle.
For she went about, touching the other reindeers with her red nose.
One by one she hit them, using the nose to rub their fur. At first I thought it was just her usual playfulness. Not until Comet grunted and shook her fur, shaking off a healthy glow of blue magic dust. I noticed others were doing the same.
Utterly perplexed didn't even begin to describe how I felt. Then Blaze came to me again, clicking loudly.
I noticed that her nose, which was a healthy shade of red, had dimmed considerably.
She had somehow shared her magic with everyone else, so we could make this last ride and deliver this last present.
With great haste, I strapped them up to the cart. With Blaze heading the carriage, then in a group of two's, Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and the final two Dunder and Blixem.
"Ho ho ho, here we go."
I said, whipping the reindeers and watching them zoom. With Blaze in the lead the sleigh flew, smooth as a loom.
We took off in the air, and God it was cold.
The wind was blowing, the snow came in loads.
I managed to raise them up though higher than the snow clouds into peace, up there I changed into my coat of thick fleece.
And got ready to go back down as we were nearly at our destination.
Reaching there, I eased the carriage down, with Blaze first breaking down from the clouds.
The blizzard here was the worst. Immediately Blaze came through, the wind shook her off course. Spiraling down, the reindeers panicked, I tugged and pulled, managing to calm all of them but Blaze.
She strained and snorted, cutting her reins loose and flying into the night.
At the loss of their leader, the reindeers began panicking again. It took a lot of grit and muscle, yet I managed to tame them on air.
We were approaching the roof of the house. We were coming in a bit too fast.
I pulled up with all my strength as I yelled against the winds.
Now Dasher and Dancer, Now prancer and Vixen.
You too Comet and Cupid, work with me Dunder, please Blitzen.
>We must go up, you hear me. Slow down and circle the roof.
Thankfully they heeded my voice and we landed noisily but safely on the roof.
I stood and looked at the house, cross-checked the presents and began working at the chimney.
Just like always old Nick, squeeze the gut, hold your breath and slide right through.
I repeated the chimney mantra in my mind as I jumped in and met rather unexpectedly Moore, the father of the kids still awake.
I looked at my flat stomach now. It surely would be easier to slip through chimneys.
As I was walking back to my car, I noticed a certain bit of shimmer in the snow.
Something I haven't seen since that night, 10 months ago.
Red magic dust, it colored pink in the sunlight on the snow. With haste I rushed, following the trail as it led me down into the woods.
It had to be her.
I said to myself, the further I was going in, the more visible the dust became. Almost 10 mins in, it was glowing red and I was certain.
I climbed over a hedge, running past trees, sliding through undergrowths, physical activities that are now possible because of my lesser weight.
I followed the trail till I reached a cave. Turning on my phone torch, I ventured in.
I saw her alright. Blaze was lying down backing me, as I approached she immediately stood up ready to attack with her antlers
Come blaze...
Hearing my voice, her ears dropped and she became relaxed.
I took a quick notice of her, she looked sickly and her nose that was a bright red before was just barely a shade of brown.
She collapsed and I rushed to touch her.
Only then did I notice the blood on her neck, she was mortally injured.
I looked around and saw a wolf carcass on the floor beside the cave.
In front of my eyes my beloved reindeer, Blaze died.
I cried for hours, stricken with grief.
After burying her outside, I decided to head back to the north.
On my way out of the forest, I noticed a smaller reindeer, just a calf, barely 3 weeks old hiding by a tree.
I approached the calf and saw the brightest red nose ever. Even brighter than Blaze's.
She shaked her fur and the brightest red magic dust flew out, touching the leaves and making them float. I knew that this was Blaze's calf and I had to carry her with me.
Although I lost Blaze, I found Rudolph.