A Clause Journey (The Santa Clause story) 🎅🏻

chapter 4= Curtis has an idea!

Y/n's POV

"Maybe you can be!" Curtis said after I told him what Father Time had said to my uncle and I.
"Alright guys! Can I get the room for a minute! Thank you! Thanks!....one minute! Take a cocoa break! Have a nice long break! Relax! Thank you!" Curtis said to a bunch of elves that were in the invention room and they all started to clear.
"I just want to show santa some improvements on the pantograph!" Curtis said. When the elves finally went and the doors closed, Curtis turned to my uncle, Bernard, and I.
"Walk with me!" We all walked around the pantograph with Curtis and he explained what he had improved
"I've tripled the RAM and reconfigured the circuitry paths!" Curtis explained. This went in one ear and out the other with me.
"I see you've externalized the power source...to make more use of the electromagnetic energy!" Santa pointed out.
"No! It's just there because it looks really cool!" Curtis said.
"Yeah! It does!" Santa said, chuckling.
"Wait, you tripled the RAM??" I asked.
"Curtis I see where this is going I'm not getting in that machine!" Santa protested.
"Right! And besides, creating a copy of Santa Clause won't solve our problems! It would be a toy!" Bernard said.
"Yeah! And the elves WILL know!" I said, emphasising the 'will'
"But this, would be a very special toy!" Curtis said, pointing a satisfied finger.
"How's that, Curtis?" I said, smiling sarcastically.
"Okay, I added a fuzzy logic circuit to the pantograph. The duplicate will look and think just like you! So when your with your family, dealing with Charlie, and looking for a wife-!" Curtis explained
"The toy santa will be up hear, melting in front of my fireplace!" My uncle concluded. I snickered.
"No! The toy santa will be dealing with business up here!" Curtis said, pointing a finger upwards.
"Y/n and I can deal with business up here!" Bernard volunteered, raising his arm into the air.
"Santa! If the elves ever find out we made a switch," Bernard said, putting his hands to his cheeks and gasping
"No! No! This machine is not the answer!" Bernard finished. Curtis gave an annoyed look at me and my boyfriend.
Then, a clatter came and a brown mouse came running across the floor.
"Hey! Hey! You! You! Shoo!" Curtis yelled. Then, the mouse suddenly jumped onto the conveyor belt of the pantograph and the machine started and the mouse entered the machine
"No, No! NO CURTIS!!!" I yelled.
All four of us ran to the other side of the machine and the mouse came out the other end followed....by a plastic mouse, looking at us as they both jumped off the conveyor belt.
"Look, you can't get much better than that," Curtis said.
"And I promise you it won't hurt a bit!"
My uncle started to contemplate before saying "I'm goin' in!".
He can't be serious?!?!
"Oh! I can't watch this!" Bernard said, going over to the corner and averting his eyes from the scene. I watched as santa stepped onto the conveyor belt of into the pantograph he went.
My uncle yelped in pain and I yelled
"CURTIS!!!"
Then, my Uncle came out the other end.
"It's perfect!!" Curtis exclaimed.
"That's because it's me, Einstein!" Santa returned. I sighed in relief as Bernard came running over.
"Santa, are you alright?" Bernard questioned, obviously worried.
"Yeah, I got a shock in there is there supposed to be a shock?" Santa went on. Then, Bernard and Curtis screamed and I was about to look until my boyfriend slapped his hand across my eyes.
"Ow!" I yelped.
"It's naked!"
"It's naked!" Bernard and Curtis said in unison.
"Throw something over him!" Santa said.
"Right!" Bernard said.
"Y/n, I would keep your eyes shut....okay, Snow bunny! You can open them now!" My boyfriend's voice came as he draped a blanket over the toy. It looked exactly look my uncle but the beard gave the toy-likeness away. It was disturbing.
"It's incredible!" Curtis exclaimed.
"Yes, it is..." Santa said, waving a hand across his face. I cringed at the toy as it stood stock still.
"Can he talk?" My uncle asked Curtis. Curtis gestured for my uncle to try out his speech.
"Hello?" Santa said. The toy gabbled and made a noise. "Hello?" My uncle repeated.
The toy fixed his, now, awake eyes on my uncle. "Hello?" He repeated.
My jaw hang agape as I looked over at Bernard and he was speechless also.
"Ho ho ho!" My uncle said, putting on enthusiasm.
"Ho ho...ho!" The toy said.
"Not bad!" My uncle said.

"Not bad yourself!"

"You know, I can't put my finger on it but there's just something about you that I like!" My uncle said.

"There's just something about you...that I like!" The toy returned.

"Watch him! I'll be right back!" My uncle sadi to Curtis before grabbing Mine and Bernard's arms and dragged us away from the situation.
"He's coming right back!" The toy said to Curtis. Curtis laughed and he returned a fake one.

"Bernard, y/n! I need you two to sort something out here!" Santa said.
"What do you mean?" Bernard said in a slightly high-pitched voice.
"What I mean is I gotta go and see Charlie and I want you two convince the elves that-...toy santa is me!"
"Uhh hm! Have you seen that thing?" Bernard said, looking at my uncle.
"I've seen it and I think that if you keep the elves at a distance and tell them...I changed my look! It'll work!" My uncle explained.
"I'm coming with you to see Charlie!" I piped up.
"What?" Santa said.
"I wanna see Charlie! And I bet you he wants to see me!" I protested.
"Fine! Bernard you need to do this!" Santa said, pointing an annoyed finger at my boyfriend.
"Oh, Santa we're in way over our heads here!" Bernard said, worrying about what's to come.
"If anyone can do this, it's you, number 1!" Santa said.
"Well I-...I'm not gonna lie to all the elves!"  Bernard shook his head and shrugged his shoulders in an exaggerated movement. My uncle gave a look as if to say could give it a try!
I knew right then and there that there was something off about this...