The trio passes from the warmth and the light into darkness, large and cool. Dimmed lights line the walls, letting Mars see just enough. Above her, way above her, past rafters and tools, is a roof of glass panels that reveals the incredible North Pole sky. The glow from ribbons of light, sometimes golden, sometimes green, sometimes a deep red, reaches only half-way down into the room, illuminating high on the walls a grandly carved mural of tools, tables, hands, toys, bells, ribbons, wood, nails, and glue. Mars stands still for a moment and lets her eyes follow the long, beautiful artwork, which wraps the entire room—even in places where windows grow from floor to ceiling. The carving interacts with the glass—sometimes etching over its surface in a light, clever way. Mars wonders about the elves who did the decorating. They must be the most extraordinary crafters in the world.
Jerome lets out a long breath behind her and Savvy. He says, “Look, we’ve got to pass through this here workshop to get to the main house so, what you are about to see is—”
Savvy stands a few paces ahead of Mars. While Mars strains her neck looking up, Savvy’s sight is much closer to the ground. “This is perfect! Where are the dolls made? Is Sojourner on one of these shelves over here? Let’s go look!”
“No. No, no, and no! You have to stay close to me and you can’t touch anything. This is not a place for little girls!”
The brief distraction of the beautiful ribbons above made Mars briefly forget her annoyance with Jerome. But now she makes a face and tries to think of something sassy to say, and it looks like Savvy is about to beat her to it. Jerome, too busy getting himself in front of them after closing the door to the stable, doesn’t seem to notice.
Compared to the cozy stable with its special little stalls, the workshop is cavernous; filled end-to-end with desks and tools, parts, and papers. It makes Mars dizzy to take it all in as they pass through. The girls pass within arm’s-length of tools, plans and packets from this year’s toys, and even a giant count-down clock now displaying a row of zeroes, turned off for a brief hiatus. Mars can only imagine the roar of noise and energy of all the hard work when the elves fill the room during the not-Christmas days. But today, it is empty. And clean. Very clean, actually, which is surprising to Mars now that she thinks about it. Like the elves had done their work, sent the toys out, and spent the rest of the night honoring the room with a good sweep, mop-up, polishing, and reorganization. The more Mars observes the room, the more she feels its energy—the pride of it. This is an important room and they are lucky to be in it.
Mars wonders if the room itself is happy to rest and be quiet for this one glorious day. Are they disturbing it with their footsteps and their bickering, as they had in the stables? She thinks about how they seem to mess up the flow of things no matter where they are.
Next to Jerome now, Savvy walks and skips, sometimes jumping in place while she looks around the room, sometimes standing in place and wiggling from head to toe. She is peak Savvy energy. Mars wants to be Savvy a little bit. This is exciting. Who gets a chance to go to the North Pole? That makes Mars laugh to herself for a moment. No one… because this place doesn’t exist. She has a thought for a moment that scares her—like maybe she’d somehow hit her head. Is she actually dreaming? Or some other weird thing? But yeah, nobody goes to the North Pole because well, all of that North Pole stuff is just a thing parents made up. Lord knows she wants to believe everything she was seeing, but… she knows better.
Savvy clearly doesn’t. Or doesn’t want to. “It’s totally ok that someone made a mistake, Jerome. It’s lucky-lucky that I’m here and can just get her myself! I’m going to look over here—those look like doll parts.”
“Savvy, no. You can’t. It’s not how this works,” Jerome hisses. He swings a right between a row of desks and then a left into a stack of shelves. They come out after so many rows of tools, parts, and supplies to another wooden door with little carved knives, spoons, and vegetables along the sides. “Listen here: this is what we’re going to do. I’m pretty sure that Mama Claus has the right magic to get you home. She’s busy, but she’s never too busy to help someone out if they need it, and I need it. Mama Claus gives one extra special gift every year and I’m going to ask for it. That will get you home. Y’all hear me?” He waits and gives both girls a stern look. His voice echoes in the big, big space. The ribbons of light, the beautiful carvings… the room seems to get darker and colder thanks to his tone.
Mars looks over at Savvy, who has stopped jumping and wiggling. Mars watches her as she tries her best to tuck it all in—the joy, the cheer, the excitement. Savvy wraps her arms around herself, closes her eyes, and frowns, but breathes. Mars had seen her do it in school sometimes, standing in the hallway instead of being in class because a teacher told her to get it together. Savvy knows how to do it… but it takes work. But the more Mars thinks about it, the more it doesn’t feel right. What did Savvy do but ask to look around an empty room? And who was this adult to yell at them, anyway?
Mars feels a little roar in her chest and a growl in her stomach. She is really going to get a headache soon. They need to find this doll, find Mama Claus, and get home. She rubs Savvy’s back and steps between her in Jerome, looking up at him with as serious an expression as she can. “You know, we’re here at the Workshop. I think you should just go get Savvy her doll, or go make her a new doll, or whatever, and then blink us over to see Mama Claus.”
Jerome takes his hand off the shiny brass door handle, crosses his arms, and closes his eyes with a sigh. Savvy looks at her friend with wild, wide eyes. She whispers to her friend, “Have you gone cray? We’re at the North Pole, Mars! Who asks to go home?”
“A girl who’s hungry and who doesn’t feel like gettin’ yelled at anymore,” Mars answers in her regular voice. She stands up as tall as she can and looks Jerome in the eye. “We didn’t ask to be here. You magicked us here so you can figure out how to magic us home without making us feel bad about it.”
Savvy grabs Mars’ arm, squeezes, and shakes her. “Mars—what about my doll? What about playing together?”
Mars feels that urge to tell Savvy to stop being such a kid. She doesn’t do that, though. She cares more about what Jerome will say.
Jerome doesn’t say anything. He looks down at both girls and doesn’t say a word.
Savvy shakes Mars again. “Mars—I wished to be here. A big Christmas wish. And it came true. And now I can get my doll! We can’t go home yet!”
Now Mars lets a little of her anger come out. She growls and levels Savvy a hard look. Savvy doesn’t let go or back away, she just squeezes harder. And Mars doesn’t shake her off. She just looks back up at Jerome and feels angrier. Why would he let Savvy go on thinking she somehow got them here?
“Jerome, my Mama is always telling me that big girls take responsibility for what they do.” She feels bold. Maybe too bold. But she needs a new vibe, and she is going to make it.
The elf looks down at both girls and heaves another sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Mars and Savvy both relax a little. Savvy still holds on to Mars’ arm, but she lets up just a little.
Jerome says, “You picked me up right as I was doing my magic so I could get back here. You’ve gotta understand, I’ve broken the One Liaison rule: ‘We go to them. They don’t come to us!’”
Mars nods in understanding.
“And I was magicking while you were wishing, which is magic by the way, and there was all that big energy in the space to begin with… and this is my first year as a Liaison so I’m just doin’ my best over here, and I guess what had happened was—”
“We all ended up here,” Mars says. Mostly to herself.
“And you’re embarrassed because you didn’t tell Santa about my Sojourner doll, right?” Savvy asks, waiting for her own apology.
“My Savvy girl, I don’t make the decisions and I’m not even allowed to make suggestions. Boss elves told me that over and over again! And they reminded me of this, too: Liaisons are just the eyes and the ears. Only Papa Claus decides what gets on the sleigh. And believe me when I tell you, it’s even more complicated than that. We be knowin’ all the kids, and what y’all hope for, and what y’all are dealin’ with in your lives, and sometimes there are meetings and last-minute changes. I’ve got my job and I’m just tryin’ to do it and things… things happen sometimes. Don’t you understand?”
The girls don’t understand. Mars wants to understand, but that was a lot of words and they aren’t all together. She just shakes her head a little to show she is paying attention. Savvy’s shoulders slump. Mars steals a last look around the workshop and thinks, why not just make the doll right here, right now? “Let’s go back, let’s make her doll and let’s get home,” she says.
Jerome shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “I don’t have that kind of magic! I’ve got get there and get back magic, not makin’ stuff magic! And the workshop is closed, so the workshop magic isn’t even available. There is no making. There is only going home. One way or another!”
“Well, good thing you can’t magic us back, huh? I’m gonna tell Santa myself! Neither of you can make me go home early!” Savvy declares with a swing of her hips.
Jerome looks annoyed again as he puts his hand back on the shiny knob of the simple door. Mars puffs her cheeks, then follows her stomping friend and the grumbling bigger-than-he-should-be elf.
* * *
While the pantry feels as large as the workshop they’d left behind, Mars can’t focus on the incredible and enticing objects on the shelves they passed by. The aromas that permeate throughout the room make her stomach growl with a new intensity. The buttery sweetness of cake dances with the yeasty scent of baking rolls, swirling and twirling with garlic and onion, cinnamon and cloves. There are the familiar smells of a roasting bird and maybe even a beef roast.
“Man, Chef Corps really turnin’ it out this year,” Jerome whispers to himself as they walk. Savvy stops from time to time to peer at a jar or attempt to touch a dangling pot or pan. The next pretty door they reach features chickens, broccoli, and garlic carved into the sides. Jerome hesitates, listening to the clangs, bangs and raucous laughter that emanates from beyond. There is a heat, too, noticeable and radiating.
“Ok, this is it. I am just going to talk to Mama Claus. Nothing else. Stay here and don’t touch anything.” Jerome instructs.
Savvy stomps her foot furiously. “Why would you bring me here and not take me to Santa?”
“Little Sis, I kinda brought you here. You kinda brought you here. Possibly we brought you here, somehow, someway, but—”
“—You just want me to have a bad Christmas!”
Jerome stops cold. He brings his hands to his chest. Mars thinks she can see tears in his eyes in the low light. “Of course I don’t want you to have a bad Christmas! You two are my girls! There are lots of little girls in the world, but in my eyes you are the two most special ones anywhere, ever! I’ve watched you play and wish and hope and pray all month long! I want nothing more than for you to have the best Christmas ever with all my warm elfie heart! I’ve been doing so much to make sure you have a good Christmas! I keep tryin’ to tell you, I don’t make the decisions! There wasn’t anything I could do!”
Mars is listening closely. “What decision?” She asks. He’d said something that sounded important and she leans in to learn more.
But Savvy shrinks and takes a step back, which distracts her. Is Savvy going to cry, too? Mars can’t help but think about of all the things she and Savvy had said in front of that silly little elf doll after he showed up in Savvy’s room after Thanksgiving. She thinks about all the secrets whispered, all the special hopes that had nothing to do with Christmas that she and Savvy shared. Sure, there was lots of stuff in their apartments that listened to them all the time, but she never thought a person might be listening to them!
Jerome keeps explaining. “I was trying to come home and start my Christmas! It’s hard being a liaison elf! All that traveling back and forth, never feeling at home anywhere. And even when it’s not the Season, I’m still doing work during the year to check in on your list status. Add training to that and, I’m just sayin’, it’s been a whole year and this elf is tired. I put my whole foot into my get-home magic. And you made a wish, which is powerful magic, girl! And all that mixed together and now we’re here. This isn’t my fault. I didn’t bring you here. You brought yourself here and that’s awkward for everyone!”
Mars nods. She tries to remember if she’d seen that elf doll any time before November and she also tries to remember if she had any good-girl lapses during the year. Both thoughts are ridiculous, really, especially thinking about lapses in her good-girlness. Yet, she has butterflies in her stomach like she gets on report card day. She’d already had her Christmas, but the butterflies are there anyway. Maybe it is better not to see Santa…or Papa Claus…or whoever he is. What if this changes their place on the list? Does it matter that she suddenly believes in the list again? What if Santa can change his mind on Christmas Day? Mars feels very grateful she left Ida in Savvy’s bedroom. She looks over at Savvy, who doesn’t seem to be thinking about the same thing she is. Savvy looks up at Jerome with the same fire, leaning in with expectation. She rolls her neck in an annoyed nod. “And?”
Jerome stifles a laugh and half-smiles, rolling his neck mockingly. “And can you please be cool? Mama’s kitchen on Christmas Day is a very busy place. It’s a dance and you’re gonna trip someone up if you are out of step. If we break something or disturb the kitchen too much, Mama Claus will have a fit! We’re going to go in and you’re going to stand right at this door. I’m going to talk to Mama and get her special gift. Then y’all will be home, I’ll keep my job, and Christmas will be perfect. Okay?”
“Are you serious? I can’t even see Mama Claus? For real?” Savvy squeaks. “I’m not going back! It’s the North Pole, and I want to see it!”
Mars whirls and grabs hold of her friend by the shoulders. “Savvy! Jerome isn’t the only one who is in trouble! My Mama said five minutes and your Mama was there! I’m pretty sure we’ve been here for too long! We’ve gotta go! Nobody wants to be in trouble on Christmas, not elves and not kids!”
At first, Savvy looks at her with surprise, and then like she is crazy. Her eyebrows curl in and a deep, deep frown bends her lips. She looks like she is going to say something just to Mars. But she shakes her head and blinks, a tear running down her cheek. “It’s just like back home—”
Mars’s anger drains down to her toes. “I didn’t mean to—”
“You got your doll, so you’re just good with it.”
“No, it’s not like that, I’m just worried—”
“How come nobody lets me have feelings?”
“What? Savvy, you can have feelings. I’m really—”
Savvy shakes herself free, bolts for the door, turns the knob and opens it.
“I’m not going back!” Savvy declares again before running into the golden light of the kitchen.