“You see,” Nana continued her story, “in North Pole Village, locks were unheard of, so most elves were unfamiliar with them. Only Santa, Ailfrid, and, of course, Elric, the wise old elf, who was the elder of North Pole Village, were aware of such things.”
“Have a seat,” he invited, indicating chairs for Santa and Ailfrid to sit in.“How may I help you?” Elric asked.
“Well,” Santa spoke first,“I'm having a bit of a problem this year. You see, folks aren't as trusting in the rest of the world as they are here at North Pole Village.”
Santa stood up and began pacing. “I'm sad that folks lock their doors and windows now. Also, they keep a fire in their fireplaces, which poses another problem. How am I going to get in to deliver all the fine toys the elves have worked so hard on all year long if I can't get into the houses?”
“A problem, indeed,” Elric answered. “Yes, a big problem but not one we can't solve with some thought.”
Santa sat back down and waited for the wise old elf to speak again. He and Ailfrid were on the edge of their seats.
“When I was but a small elf, several eons ago, my grandfather was the Shaman of North Pole Village. When I reached the age of 200, he finally shared a secret with me he had hoped would never have to be used,” Elric said.
He slowly rose from his rocking chair and retrieved a wooden box from behind a secret door next to the fireplace mantel. It was intricately designed with carved images of Santa of old, and his many elves happily toiling away in the toy workshop.
Santa and Ailfrid held their breath in anticipation as Elric slowly opened the box with gnarled hands that had made many toys when he was younger. Now his job was to counsel the younger elves and guide them in the right direction.
Inside the box was an unusual key.
“A key?” Ailfrid asked, confused.
“Yes, a key,” Elric replied,“But this is not just any key. This is a Magical Key. This key will open any door, anywhere in the world.” Handing the box to Santa, he cautioned, “Make sure you never let it out of your sight.”
“I will guard it closely,” Santa promised as he gazed down at the Magical Key in awe.
“Just remember,” Elric admonished, “You must make sure that anyone who holds the key guards it well. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, well. I wouldn't want to think of what might happen.”
Santa gave that some thought then said, “What would you think if I were to give a key to some special children to guard for me? Then I could collect the keys wherever I went, use them, and then return them for the children to hold until the next Christmas?”
“That would be an excellent idea,” Elric replied with a smile, “But only very special children can be allowed to have possession of such a valuable object. Don't you agree?”
He looked from Santa to Ailfrid to see if they agreed.
“We agree,” Santa and Ailfrid said in unison.
“Great,” Elric said. “Here is the Master Magical Key which is to be kept in this special box and retrieved only on Christmas Eve. Duplicates may be made and given only to very special children who can be trusted with it.”
“But who will make the duplicates?” Ailfrid wanted to know.
“You will have to come back here and if I approve of who you have selected to be keeper of the key, I will make the duplicate in my workshop,” Elric answered. “That is the one task I am still able to do at my age. Now, I must be getting to bed. It is well past my bedtime and I am growing weary. Please let yourselves out.”
Elric turned and retreated to his bedroom, leaving Santa and Ailfrid thinking of what he had just told them.
“I am so excited,” Santa said. “Tomorrow, I will start selecting very special children from the 'Nice' list for whom I will request a key. Will you be willing to help me, Ailfrid?”
“I would be more than pleased to do that,” Ailfrid said, giving Santa a great big smile.
Untying Mistletoe and Blizzard, they made the return trip to the toy workshop to start studying the 'Nice' list for girls and boys he could entrust with a key.
“That was a neat story,” Holly said, clapping her hands with glee.
“Yeah, really neat!” Nicholas parroted.
“Oh, it's more than just a story,” Nana smiled, remembering when Santa had left a key with her many, many years ago with instructions on how to guard it and what to do with it on Christmas Eve
Ṗutting on oven mitts, Nana pulled the golden brown cookies from the oven and set them on the counter to cool.
As she and the children boxed up the cookies to take to the homeless shelter, she hoped that this would be the year her two favorite elf helpers, Holly and Nicholas, would receive one, too.
———— Ailfrid means Elf Counsel.
Elric means King or Wise Ruler