The Yule Clause

Chapter Two. The New Santa

1994.

Bernard walked around the workshop with his sister making sure that everyone was in order for tomorrow night. As the new head elf, it was his job to oversee everything and to make sure that it went just right. And it had been going perfect for many years now, but this day he stopped and stared forward with a look of fear, surprise and a bit of confusion on his face.

Santa was on a roof delivering gifts when he lost his footing and fell off of it. "Bernard?" a voice asked.  He didn't recognize it at first, "Bernard!?" the voice said again, and this time he did.

He blinked and turned to his sister, who was looking up at him worried. "What did you see?" she asked, the other elves looked up from their work, they were worried as well.                                                                                                         "Poinsettia, could you handle things here?" she stared at him, because that was his job. Sure, she was with him, but her job is to keep him calm and jolly, apart from working at the wrapping station.  "Me? But Bernard I can't! I'm not the head elf." He smiled.                                                                                                                                                                                                     "You will be fine; I just have to speak with father." He ran off before she could speak. She turned and smiled awkwardly at the three elves staring up at her from the toys they were making. She went to check on something else. Once she did, the elves at the table started talking loudly as if they wanted her to hear them.                                                                                                "What is Bernard thinking?" one asked. "Yeah, she can't be in charge, she isn't qualified." another added. The third thought a bit. "Maybe she'll do fine, let's give her a chance." The first two agreed; they could hear Poinsettia and Quintin talking in south elfish,                                                                                                                                                                                      "I wish I knew what they were saying." The first one said. "Yeah."  The other two agreed. Sure, the North Pole elves wanted to know what the elves from the south talked about, but none of the north ones ever wanted to go to the South pole because just the thought of it sent shivers down their little spines. For that was the home of Krampus.

Bernard knocked on the door of Santa's office. "Come in!" he called, his son opened the door and walked in. "Father...can we talk?" he asked, closing the doors behind him. Santa was sitting at his desk double checking the list, he looked up and saw the worried look on his son's face. "Son, what's the matter?" "I just.... had this bad vision that something is going to happen to you on Christmas Eve." He looked at his father, who smiled. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." Santa promised.                                                                                                                                                                                             "This isn't like the one about Curtis making a copy of me, and it taking over, is it?" Kris chuckled. Bernard shook his head.                                                                                                                                                                                                               "Then you don't have anything to worry about. Besides, your visions don't always come true."  the elf wanted to believe his father, but he wasn't able to shake his feeling. "But this one is different!"                                                                     "How so?" Father Christmas was more concerned now.                                                                                                        "You fall off a roof!" the head elf shouted. His father ridiculed him. "That won't happen, I've been doing this job for years." "But Father what if-"                                                                                                                                                                "Son you're worrying about nothing." Bernard looked down maybe his father was right. "How are things at the workshop?" Mr. Claus changed the subject because he didn't want his son to worry about nothing. "Good, everything will be set for tomorrow night's flight." "Wonderful." Santa stood up, but then realized that his daughter was missing. "Where is your sister?"                                                                                                                                                                                                         "The workshop, I left her in charge so I could talk to you." Bernard explained, not sure how his father would react to that. Santa raised an eyebrow.  "You left her in charge?"     "Yes, but only for a bit. Better her than that chestnut-brain Curtis." Bernard sat on the couch. "Father, Poinsettia would be a great Head Elf maybe she and I could both be-"                                               "Bernard, I would love for your sister to be a Head Elf, but she isn't ready to take on such a big responsibility, and she understands that." Santa explained for the 100th time. "That's why I chose you for the job." Bernard nodded as he looked down, his father sat beside him. "But maybe someday that will change." The jolly old man said only to get another nod from his son. "Well, I should go back to work." The head elf stood up and started to leave but stopped when his father called to him. "Don't forget to stay calm."                                                                                                                                                  "I won't Father." Bernard smiled then left without another word.