“I’ll put on the peppermint tea kettle,” Fern whispered to Savannah. It was almost closing time and the last of the day’s customers were slowly flocking from The Enchanted Land of Claus, waving goodbye to the elves and Mrs. Claus, and promising to return soon.
Savannah said goodbye to everyone before retreating to the lounge for her cup of tea when the familiar music of a girl’s voice made her turn back toward the doors.
“Mrs. Claus, Mrs. Claus!” It was Sylvene with Molly trailing closely behind her. She was out of breath but still jumping about excitedly.
“Here’s my letter, Mrs. Claus. I wanted to be sure Santa got it tonight. I hope it’s not too late.”
“Sylvene insisted we get the letter to you tonight,” Molly said apologetically. “The store is about to close, so give your letter to Mrs. Claus, Sylvene. I’m sure Mrs. Claus is very tired and would like to get some rest.”
“Yes, Molly,” Sylvene replied, handing Mrs. Claus her letter.
“Could you make sure Santa gets this tonight?”
Savannah knelt so she was face to face with the child. Sylvene’s face was so full of hope, and those wide brown eyes shown with the innocence that only can be seen in children who believed in the magic of Christmas.
“As soon as Santa returns from tucking the reindeer into bed, I will put this right into his hands. I promise.”
Sylvene threw her arms about Savannah’s neck.
“Thank you, Mrs. Claus,” she whispered. “You helped make my Thanksgiving wish come true. Maybe you can help with my Christmas wish, too.”
“Santa always does his best, and I will try my best to help him, too.” Savannah hoped that would suffice as she had no idea what was in the letter. The last thing Savannah wanted was to promise something to Sylvene that she or Santa could not deliver.
“I know you will.” Sylvene handed the letter to Savannah.
“I’ll put it safely in my dress pocket, and when I see Santa later, I will hand it right to him and tell him it’s very important.” She carefully tucked the letter deep into the folds of the dress pocket.
“Thank you, Mrs. Claus,” called Molly as she took hold of Sylvene’s hand and headed out toward the main area. Savannah watched Sylvene turned around, brightly smile and give her the thumbs up. Savannah returned the gesture as the two left, and the elves closed the wooden doors on another day in The Enchanted Land of Claus.
Savannah shuffled her overworked feet to the lounge where she could prop up her tired soles and indulge in the warmth of a cup of Fern’s peppermint tea. She also hoped some biscotti or a cupcake or cookie was left, as the elves were always baking treats. She made a mental note to whip up some fudge as she patted her dress pocket, knowing Sylvene’s letter was safe and headed into the lounge for a bit of post-workday crowd relaxation.