Santa's Puppy

by Catherine Hapka

  Happy blinked a few times to clear his mind, then looked around. Wherever they’d landed looked quite a bit like the North Pole. There was a thin dusting of snow on the ground. Everywhere he looked, he saw candy canes, tinsel, and pine boughs. There were even a few reindeer standing in the distance, though they looked a bit stiff. And there, surrounded by excited children, was a jolly red-suited fellow with a white beard who looked an awful lot like . . .

  “Santa!” Happy blurted out. “Hey, Juniper, look! Santa’s here! Now we can tell him about Peppermint Bark, and find out if he’s still in the sleigh, and . . .”

  He started to dash toward the red-suited man. But Juniper grabbed him by the ear, yanking him back.

  “Stop!” she said. “That’s not Santa, silly.”

  Happy blinked and rubbed his ear, looking from Juniper to the red-suited man and back again. “It’s not?”

  “No.” Juniper shook her head so hard that her long nose waggled back and forth. “Take a closer look. It’s not Santa—just someone dressed like him. It must be one of those human helpers he’s told us about.”

  “Human helpers?” That sounded familiar, though Happy couldn’t quite remember what Santa had said.

  Juniper nodded. “Humans who dress up like Santa,” she explained. “They find out what children want for Christmas and spread holiday cheer.” She glanced toward the helper, who had just lifted a tiny tot onto his lap. “The smaller children actually believe whichever helper is there is the real Santa. But of course, the older ones know better.”

  “Wow.” Happy was a little disappointed. “So that’s not Santa.”

  “Of course not. Anyway, use your noggin.” Juniper tapped the brim of her hat. “It’s daytime here, which means the real Santa has already come and gone. He likes to make sure the children’s gifts are waiting under the tree first thing Christmas morning.”

  “Oh, okay.” Happy glanced over his shoulder at the portal, which was located in a wall of fake snow behind where the Santa helper was sitting. “Then why did the portal spit us out here? It’s magical, after all—I thought it might be sending us straight to Santa.”

  “Hmm.” Juniper rubbed her chin. “That’s true, there must be a reason we’re here.” She snapped her fingers. “I know! Maybe Peppermint Bark is nearby.”

  Happy clapped his hands. “That must be it!” He looked around. “But where’s here?”

  Both elves wandered a little farther from the portal. As soon as they came out from behind the mass of excited children, Happy could see that they were in some sort of outdoor holiday market. There were stands selling hand-knit Christmas stockings, hot apple cider, snowman-shaped balloons, and other festive items. The red-suited Santa helper sat beneath a sign reading SANTA STATION. And up ahead, hanging over the whole area, was a sign made of blinking Christmas lights that spelled out JINGLE JUNCTION.

  “This is probably the most Christmasy spot in this town,” Juniper said. “That’s why the portal is here. But Peppermint Bark might be anywhere in town.”

  Happy nodded. “We have to find him!”

  “Yes.” Juniper’s long nose twitched as she smelled the air. “Time to sniff him out and drag him home.”

  12

  Holly Jolly Christmas

  “Back to square one,” Chris said with a sigh, staring at the spot where the portal had been. It didn’t look any different from the rest of the Christmas tree now. Peppermint Bark had pushed his way in between the branches just to make sure the portal wasn’t there somewhere, but he’d finally admitted it was gone.

  Holly shrugged. “At least now we know what we’re looking for,” she pointed out. “I mean, Peppermint Bark is still the only one who can smell the portal from far away. But I could see it pretty well just before it closed.”

  “Me too,” Ivy said. “It was a sort of swirly, shimmering spot in the air—like glimmering snow falling in just that one spot.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered dramatically. “I can’t believe we just saw a portal leading to the North Pole!”

  Chris glanced at Peppermint Bark, who looked dejected as he stared up at the Christmas tree. “Is there any chance it might open again?” Chris asked. “We could wait here and see.”

  “I don’t think so,” the little dog barked. “Once a portal closes, that’s probably it. At least until next Christmas. And I don’t want to wait that long to go home.”

  Chris didn’t answer. He still wished Peppermint Bark could stay longer. The more time they spent together, the more Chris wished they could stay together. Was this what it was like to have a best friend—one you wanted to be around all the time? He glanced at his sister and Ivy, wondering if that was how they felt about each other.

  Nah, probably not, he told himself. They just both like doing goofy stuff like shopping for hair barrettes and wearing the same silly necklace . . .

  “Okay, then we should move on,” Holly said, turning away from the post office. “Where do we look next? I mean, there have to be lots of portals in a Christmasy place like Poinsettia, right?”

  Peppermint Bark brightened. “Right!” he agreed.

  Ivy shivered and tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat and her chin into her ivy scarf. “Let’s walk while we figure it out,” she suggested. “I’m getting cold just standing here.”

  * * *

  For the next few minutes, Holly didn’t say much. She barely heard her brother and Ivy arguing about where else to look for portals.

  That was because she was trying to hide how freaked out she felt. Was this really happening? Was she actually helping a talking dog get home to the North Pole—and his owner, Santa Claus?

  Holly thought of herself as a practical person. A realist. Too smart to fall for dumb fantasy stuff like talking animals.

  But I saw that portal myself, she thought. At least, I saw something—and if Ivy says it’s a portal, I guess I believe her. I mean, I always knew Christmas was kind of magical, and it sort of makes sense that Santa would need a way to get around the world so fast . . .

  Just then a loud snort from Chris brought Holly’s focus back to the conversation. The three kids and Peppermint Bark were almost at the center of town by then, just half a block from Poinsettia Square. Ivy had stopped in front of the display window at Jakobson’s Toy Store.

  “We don’t need to hear all about Christmas folklore around the world, okay?” Chris said to Ivy with a frown.

  “But it’s really interesting!” Ivy insisted. “Especially the Christmas trolls in Iceland.” She waved a hand at the shop window, which featured a few fuzzy-bearded felt trolls among the snowmen and reindeer and penguins in Santa hats. “See, there are thirteen of them, and they come down from the mountains at Christmas to see which boys and girls have been naughty or nice—just like Santa. Kids leave out their shoes, and the trolls leave candy and gifts for the good ones and rotten potatoes for—”

  “Just stop!” Chris interrupted. “We’re supposed to be helping Peppermint Bark, not studying for a test on Santa Claus! Especially since we’re already running out of time, thanks to a certain someone who insisted on helping the Oumas even though they said we didn’t have to.”

  “Leave her alone,” Holly told her brother sharply. “And if you’re in such a hurry, come up with a plan, already.”

  “We don’t have time to stop and figure out a plan,” Chris said. “That’s my point! We have to find another portal!”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do,” Ivy insisted. “I figured since Santa is part of Christmas folklore, and the portals are in Christmasy spots, then thinking about other holiday folklore and stuff might give us a hint where to look.”

  “I hear you, Ives.” Even though she loved her best friend, Holly had to admit that Ivy got lost in her own head sometimes. “But it makes more sense to . . .” Holly trailed off and blinked at something in the little garden between the toy shop and the house next door. “Hey, did you guys see that?”

  “See what?” Chris was s
till glaring at Ivy.

  “That.” Holly took a step off to the side, peering into a green hedge covered with white twinkling holiday lights. “It looked like . . .” Her words trailed off again. She didn’t want to say what she thought she’d just seen.

  Now both her brother and her best friend were looking at her. “What?” Ivy asked. “What’d you see, Hols? A portal?”

  “No.” Holly shook her head. “Not a portal. I thought I saw . . .” She paused and cleared her throat, not quite daring to meet their eyes. “Um, it looked sort of like an . . . an elf.”

  “Really?” Ivy cried, looking excited.

  “No, not really,” Holly said quickly. “I mean, it looked like a little person in a long cap sneaking into the shrubbery there. But it was probably just a squirrel or something.”

  Chris looked dubious. “A squirrel doesn’t look much like an elf in a long cap.”

  “I know. I just think this talking dog thing must be going to my head or something.” Holly glanced at Peppermint Bark, whose ears were perked toward the spot she’d pointed out.

  “Are you sure that’s it?” he barked. “What did you see, exactly?”

  Holly shrugged. “Like I said, a little person, maybe yay high”—she held her hand at waist level—“dressed in a long striped cap and—”

  “Hols!” Ivy sounded more excited than ever. “Do you realize what just happened?”

  “Yeah, I started hallucinating Christmas creatures in the bushes—that’s what I was saying,” Holly said, rolling her eyes. “Trust me, I know how crazy it sounds, okay?”

  Then Chris gasped. “No, I get it,” he said. “Holly—you answered Peppermint Bark’s question just now. That means you understood what he said! Like, not just a word here or there, but all of it!”

  Holly blinked. She looked down at the white puppy, who was gazing up at her with his tongue lolling out and his fuzzy tail wagging rapidly.

  “They’re right, you know,” he barked happily. “You got your Christmas spirit back!”

  “I did?” Holly started to smile as she realized he was right. “Hey, I did. I can understand you now! Wow!”

  “Yay!” Ivy cried, grabbing both of Holly’s hands and spinning her around in a crazy little jig. “That’s amazing!”

  Peppermint Bark joined in the dance, leaping up to try to lick both girls—and Chris, too, when he joined in. “It’s a Christmas miracle!” Chris exclaimed. “My sister is almost normal again!”

  “Oh, please.” Holly gave him a shove as she continued to dance. “Like you have any idea what’s normal, you weirdo.”

  She was just kidding, but she saw her brother’s face fall. He stopped dancing and turned away.

  “Hey,” she said, feeling bad. “Listen, Chris—”

  Before she could go on, Ivy poked her hard in the shoulder. “Heads up,” Ivy hissed. “Mr. Brooks is up there!”

  Holly followed her friend’s gaze. Poinsettia Square was less than half a block away. Sure enough, Mr. Brooks was visible at the edge of it, waving his arms to direct some people who were carrying around tables and stuff. He seemed busy right then, but if he turned and saw them . . .

  “Grab that dog’s leash and let’s get out of here,” Holly told her brother sharply. “We can figure out what to do when we’re somewhere else.”

  13

  Jingle All the Way

  Chris walked a little behind the girls as they hurried down the block and around the corner. He couldn’t believe Holly had been so mean—and just when he was starting to think she was getting back to normal!

  I should have known better, he told himself glumly. As long as Ivy is around, Holly doesn’t care about me at all.

  “Okay, this should be far enough.” Ivy stopped in front of a pizza place with a CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS sign on the front door. “Mr. Brooks probably won’t leave Poinsettia Square until the festival is over tonight.”

  “Yeah.” Holly giggled. “He’s having too much fun bossing around the volunteers—like my dad.”

  Ivy giggled too. “Better him than us!”

  “Whatever,” Chris broke in. “Let’s just figure out where to search next, okay? Peppermint Bark, do you have any ideas?”

  The little dog wagged his tail. “Um, not really,” he barked. “Except maybe we should have lunch, or at least a snack? I’m kind of hungry.”

  Chris’s stomach grumbled. He realized none of them had eaten anything since those smoothies several hours earlier. “Okay,” he said. “But let’s make it quick.”

  He looked around. This block held not only the pizza place, but several other restaurants and shops. Normally this part of town was bustling with shoppers and diners, but today it was deserted.

  Holly was looking around too. “Where are we supposed to get food on Christmas Day?” she said. “Everything’s closed.”

  “Not everything,” Ivy said. “Jingle Junction is just a few blocks away.”

  “What’s Jingle Junction?” Peppermint Bark perked up his ears. “That sounds Christmasy!”

  Chris realized his furry friend was right. “Jingle Junction is the holiday market,” he told Peppermint Bark. “It’s open all day on Christmas. There are food stalls, places to shop, and even a Santa Station, where kids can thank Santa for their gifts and start making requests for next year.”

  “Santa’s there?” Peppermint Bark cried.

  “Not the real one,” Chris said.

  “Yeah.” Holly laughed. “Nobody would mistake skinny Principal Gonzalez as the real Santa! His belly always looks super lumpy and fake.”

  Ivy shrugged. “Maybe he’s trying to look more like St. Nicholas, the old saint who some people think was the original Santa. He was actually pretty skinny, since he gave most of his food to the poor.”

  Chris glanced at Peppermint Bark. “Is the real Santa Claus skinny?”

  The little dog barked out a laugh. “No way! Mrs. Claus keeps trying to get him to exercise more. But when he laughs, his belly still shakes like a bowl full of jelly!”

  “Whatever,” Holly said. “Let’s go to Jingle Junction. It’s super Christmasy, and it has food. Two birds with one stone, right?”

  * * *

  Jingle Junction was the most magical place Peppermint Bark had ever seen! It took up most of Poinsettia Park, a large green space near Poinsettia Valley University. The market was ringed with a chainlink fence made to look friendly and festive with lights and garlands of greenery woven through it and giant ornaments hanging everywhere. The sound system played Christmas songs, and people hummed or sang along as they hurried in and out through the wide entrance arch, which looked as though it were made out of giant candy canes.

  “Just like the real North Pole!” Peppermint Bark cried. “Our gates look sort of like that.”

  “Really? Cool.” Ivy looked impressed. “Wow, it’s crowded!”

  Peppermint Bark had to agree. He jumped aside as a giggling toddler wearing a Santa cap raced past.

  “Sleigh, Mama!” the toddler cried, pointing at a stall set up right outside the gate. Several baby strollers were parked there, all of them festooned with ribbons or garlands. There were shopping carts, too, including one that was decorated to look like a smaller version of Santa’s sleigh.

  “Nice workmanship,” Peppermint Bark barked, stepping closer to take a look. “That would probably fool the average reindeer.”

  The toddler’s eyes went wide. “Doggy, Mama!” he cried. “Doggy talk!”

  “Yes, yes.” The child’s mother shot Peppermint Bark a slightly suspicious look as she hurried forward and picked up the toddler. “Stay away from the doggy, sweetie.” She turned to the teenage girl running the cart-and-stroller stand. “I’d like to rent one of the strollers, please.”

  The toddler’s mother handed a small slip of green paper to the girl. Then the mom took a stroller, strapped the toddler in, and hurried through the gate, pushing him along.

  The kids had been watching the toddler too. “Bet he’s going to t
alk to Santa,” Ivy said.

  “Yeah.” Holly smiled. “I used to love coming here when I was little! One year we came the week before Christmas and I asked Santa for a pony that looked like a unicorn.” She laughed. “I was so bummed when there wasn’t one waiting for me under the tree!”

  “I love unicorns!” Ivy exclaimed. Then she shrugged, looking slightly sad. “I’ve never talked to Santa, though.” She glanced at Peppermint Bark. “Not even a fake one. They always had one at the mall in my old hometown, but we were usually out of the country when he was there.”

  “Well, you’ll love Jingle Junction.” Holly put an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “I’ll even take you to sit on Santa’s lap if you want.”

  “No—there’s no time for that,” Chris blurted out.

  Peppermint Bark tilted his head at Chris. The boy sounded awfully tense! Sure, Peppermint Bark was worried about getting home in time too. But it was Christmas!

  “There’s always time for Santa,” he told the boy.

  Chris just shrugged. “Anyway, we should hurry,” he said. “Let’s go in.”

  He led the way forward. Peppermint Bark followed—and almost bumped into his friend’s legs when Chris stopped abruptly.

  “Oh no!” Chris exclaimed, pointing to a sign hanging beside the arched entrance. “No dogs allowed!”

  14

  Merry Christmas Baby

  “Now what?” Ivy said.

  Holly sighed. Okay, so it was cool that Santa’s puppy was right here in Poinsettia, and there were portals to the North Pole, and all the rest of it. It was as if all the stuff Ivy was always talking about had suddenly started coming to life! And Holly definitely wanted to help Peppermint Bark get home. Still, she was getting tired of wandering around outside. Her fingers were cold inside her cute purple gloves, and she could hardly feel her toes.