Christmas Writing Challenge #2

Grumpy The Christmas Elf

Grumpy was an elf who hated Christmas. He was the slowest of all of the toy-making elves in the North Pole, and after three warnings, Santa sacked him. The first unemployed elf ever found himself out of a job, and out of cheer.

He moved around from town-to-town getting grouchier and grumpier the further he walked. Everywhere he went he would scowl at small children and steal bones from puppies. For years he roamed, and whenever he came into a new town, a storm cloud followed up above. Knowing what a miserable wretch he was, parents would pull their kids in from the streets and lock down the shutters.

One Christmas Eve when foraging for dead insects inside a bin Grumpy heard an almighty crash. He went to investigate. It was Santa. He had crashed the sleigh, again.

By time Grumpy arrived, Santa had gone looking for an phone to call the AA. Seizing his opportunity, Grumpy stole the now rickety-sleigh and flew off cackling. He had stolen more than just the sleigh, he had stolen Christmas. All of the toys would be his. All of the food would be his. And best of all he could laugh at all of the crying children.

That night, he flew around the world a dozen or more times, all the while followed by his dark cloud. And as the dawn started to rise, suddenly there awoke a cacophony of cries and screams as all of the children of the world awoke to find that Santa had not been.

Sat on a mountain top overlooking a town, Grumpy began smashing all of the toys into little pieces when he happened upon a parcel with ‘Grumpy The Christmas Elf’ on it. And it wasn’t the only one, there were dozens of them. One for every year that he had walked the earth.

He stopped and opened one. It was a gun that fired rainbows. He remembered years ago that he had wanted one of these. But not anymore. He tossed aside. The next parcel had a warm blanket in it and he remembered being cold and wishing he had a blanket for Christmas on the first year he walked the world.

He carried on, opening parcel after parcel. Each one, something that he had wanted or needed. Eventually, he opened the final gift. Inside it was a photo of him, Santa, and all of the other elves with the words ‘come home’ inscribed at the top. Grumpy began to tear up, and then as he looked at the pile of smashed toys he knew that he had made a grave mistake. There was only one thing that he could do.

Grumpy climbed back into the sleigh and flicked three secret switches under the dashboard. The sleigh sprung into life quicker than ever and soon he was moving so fast he was no longer visible to the naked eye.

Within minutes presents had appeared at the end of children’s beds and in stockings. There were no more screams and no more cries. Within an hour, Grumpy had delivered the lot.

Soon he returned to the place where he had found the sleigh. Santa was stood talking to a police woman who was taking down some details in her notebook. Santa ran over, and looking in the back of the sleigh reached out and hugged Grumpy.

“I don’t think I have ever delivered so many presents as fast as you just did!” Santa exclaimed.

Grumpy climbed out of the sleigh and tipped his head to the ground. He began walking away under the weight of all of the shame that he had amassed through his actions.

“Grumpy The Christmas Elf! Get back here!” Santa bellowed.

Reluctantly and nervously Grumpy turned towards Santa, head still hung low.

“Come home?”

Tune in tomorrow for another Christmas Writing Challenge