by S G Read
They drove to the airport and had to get the reindeers on board followed by the sleigh which was now finished. Many hands had helped Byron and Charles to make it a sleigh to be remembered. They flew to the Nomads and landed on the M3 so that Santa could ride into sight on his slay with his two elves on their Harleys; one not as happy as the other. When the bags of presents were unloaded Bill drove off with a ‘ho ho ho’ and they reloaded the sleigh to fly to the Eden project. Again they stopped early and he rode into the project on the sleigh and delivered his cargo. When he rode back to the helicopter which was quietly parked with the door open the reindeers walked straight inside and dragged the sleigh up with them.
‘Getting into the part now they are.’ Bill declared to the onlookers.
They flew to Scotland and did the same there before going home via the East Anglia settlement with their presents.
Byron drove to the Eden project and was there before Santa was due, he went inside as any other visitor but one boy saw him and walked up to him.
‘Are you Santa’s elf?’ He asked.
‘Have you seen elves this tall before?’ Byron asked.
‘I was surprised when they were as tall as you.’ The boy admitted.
‘Well elves can look like anyone, so why did one chose to look like me I wonder?’
‘Can they look like anyone?’ The boy asked.
‘I think so, I don’t know much about elves but aren’t they green or something?’
‘That is just an outfit, don’t you know anything?’ The boy declared and returned to his game.
Byron walked on relieved. He found the address the girl had on her letter and took her mother to one side. Do you know what she asked for from Santa?’ He asked.
‘No.’
‘Well it is a little doll she used to play with so I need to know where you used to live so that I can go and get it.’
‘She has dolls to play with.’
‘That maybe so but she wants her old one and we will get it for her.’
The woman told him her address and roughly where it was and he hurried out of the settlement keeping clear of the little boy. He drove up the M5 to Bristol and crossed the bridge into Wales but after a few miles the Geiger counter he had with him, started to react and he had to turn back. He drove further up the M5 and tried each road into Wales until he found one which was clear of radiation. He stopped at a garage to fill up with fuel and took a map to help him before driving on but with darkness falling he decided to stay there for the night.
In the morning he left at first light, it was Christmas morning and he wanted to be with his friends. By trial and error he found the street, sometimes having to go different route to keep away from higher radiation levels. He stopped in front of the house and walked inside. Finding the girls bedroom was no problem but there were several dolls there so he put them all in a box and took them with him.
He drove back the same route he came in on as he knew it was safe and saw a man standing in a garden watching him. The man was not armed and did not threaten but just watched him. Byron stopped and wound down the window on his side.
‘Merry Christmas.’ He greeted.
‘It will be if Santa brings me back my daughter.’ The man answered.
‘Is that who you are waiting for?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well I hope she comes back soon.’ Byron said with a true optimism and started to drive on but something made him stop. He opened the driver’s door and stood up. ‘What is your name?’
‘Harry Andrews, why?’
‘I’ll let you know in a minute.’
Byron called Bill on a different frequency to the one Ralphy used. Bill was sitting in front of a full bottle of gin anticipating getting completely smashed.
‘Bill; what was the name of the person you wanted to find for that girl?’ He did not use the code as he did not know how.
‘Don’t remind me of that.’ Bill replied. ‘Why are you asking?’
‘I’ll tell you when you answer the question.’ Byron retorted.
Bill found the letter where he had pinned it. ‘Harry Andrews.’
‘Well there is good news and good news. I just collected the dolls we need’-
‘I thought it was one doll?’
‘It’s a long story, the second bit of news is I am talking to Harry Andrews ay the moment who is missing a daughter.’
Bill leapt to his feet. ‘Where are you?’
‘The back end of nowhere but I will soon be nearing the Eden Project with him in tow whether he wants to come or not and I want you there to deliver!’
‘I will be there if I have to use the reindeer all the way, to get there.’
‘I’m not waiting that long get Justine or one of her trainees to fly you down.’
‘I’m on my way.’
Byron stood up again.
‘My name is Byron Jones and we have been helping our Santa brighten up the Christmas for the children, one wanted her father to come home and his name is Harry Andrews!’
‘Where is she?’
‘Hop in and I will take you to her under certain conditions!’
Bill found Justine and told her what was going down; she called Barry to come as back up and they were soon driving out to the airport. They loaded the sleigh again and Justine was soon flying toward the West Country. She landed where she had last time and Byron drove up to the plane.
‘This is Harry Andrews.’ He said as they unloaded the sleigh. ‘And he is willing to do what you want.’
‘I can’t wrap him up; can I?’ Bill replied.
The answer was yes!
Before bill started for the Eden Project Byron drove in there again to ask about the doll but when the girl’s mother saw the pictures of the dolls and teddies he had collected, asked for them all so they were all wrapped together in the box.
The sleigh clattered into the Eden Project and slid to a halt in front of the place the first girl and her mother were staying. Byron in his elf gear knocked the door and the little girl was pushed out the door. She walked carefully up to the sleigh with her IOU in her hand. Bill stepped down, took the IOU and replaced it with the wrapped present. She did not wait but unwrapped it there and then, pulling out the doll she wanted and cuddling it.
‘Thank you Santa.’ She said gratefully and walked back inside leaving her mother to collect the rest.
Bill climbed on the sleigh trotted away saying ‘Ho Ho Ho’ as he went.
He drove to the girl who lived with her aunt, stopped outside and Byron did his thing again. This time the girl came to the door. When she saw the sleigh she ran outside to it but when Bill held out his hand for the IOU she did not have it and ran inside again. She walked back out crying, cradling torn paper strips in both her cupped hands. Bill looked down at the strips then took them in his larger hands before pointing to a wrapped package it the back. It was obvious what it was as it was shaped like a man covered with wrapping paper. She tore the paper of his chest but did not recognise his clothes, so hesitantly she tore off the loose fitting paper round his face to reveal her father.
‘Daddy.’ She cried and jumped into his arms.
He carried her down out of the sleigh and Bill had to turn away to cover the tears which were falling from his face.
‘Thank you Father Christmas!’ She cried as her father carried her inside.
Bill was fighting back the tears but still managed a ‘Ho Ho Ho away dancer.’
The sleigh clattered back out of the settlement but stopped to collect the post box as they passed it. He automatically checked inside and found a letter. It was late on Christmas day did he still have to find something for someone? He opened it and found a card with a simple thank you from the settlement; they had all signed it, somewhere.
He walked the reindeers to the plane and they walked straight inside where they knew treats were waiting and Justine flew back to the airport.
When Bill walked into his house, he put the bottle away and put th
e signed card in its place, then went out to join in the celebrations.
Everyone had opened their presents in the morning but with the shortage of wrapping paper they had been tied up with string and carefully opened so that the paper could be saved. Subsequently when the Christmas celebrations had finished and everyone was working again Ray took a team out and they went from house to house in several villages looking in attics for Christmas wrapping paper. They wore masks whether they had to or not on Ralph’s instructions and what they found went into the shop in a safe place for next year.
Winter had one more big blow and they had snow in January but by February the weather was unseasonably warm and they made plans. They started preparing land for planting and all over the area they went into orchards outside the settlement and pruned the trees there ready for the next fruiting.
There was no more really cold weather that winter and spring arrived with more of the same.
By July Ray was pacing up and down in the hospital waiting room waiting to be called in to Rebecca, who had been threatening to give birth for some time. They had decided early on to name a girl Miriam and a boy Martin but when Ralph found two distinct heartbeats as well as Rebecca’s it all went into the melting pot. They had even discussed it the previous evening just before Rebecca went into labour.
‘Any time now.’ Donna called through the partially open door.
Ray hurried in and put on a gown. Ten minutes later he was cuddling his first baby, Miriam. A minute later he was cuddling Martin.
Things had gone in a full circle now and now he thought he could start to live again.