Chapter 31: A Charming Carriage Ride, Part 5

Serendipity stopped at each stall to pet the inhabitants on the head, feed them carrots offered to her by an elf she learned was called Snowshoes, and to scratch behind every ear. She went down one side and was just about to make her way up the other when she covered her mouth with both hands and gasped in excitement. "Look at him!" she exclaimed. "Isn't he precious?"
"This is our newest addition," Snowshoes explained. "He was born last spring."
"Not even a year old yet!" Serendipity squealed as she stepped forward to pet the youngster on the head. "How sweet!" He began to lick her hands, and she leaned down and let him lick her face. Corey stood behind her, off to the side, a look of disgust on his face, his arms crossed. "What's your name, sweet boy?" she asked the deer.
"He hasn't got one yet," Snowshoes explained.?"We've tried different ones out on him, but nothing seems just right, you know?"
"Yes, I do," Serendipity replied, nodding her head. "I had the same issue with Pozzletot. Now, you might think that is a strange name, but I tried all sorts of regular names with him before I finally settled on that one. He hated being called Harold or Frederick. But when I began to call him Pozzletot, well, that's when I knew we would be best of friends."
Snowshoes nodded, stroking his long gray beard as he did so. "That's kinda like me," he explained. "My ma didn't know what to call me either until she realized I had size twelve feet at two months old."
Serendipity glanced down. While he did have rather large feet, she was certain he was joking; surely, he was joking. "Everyone needs a name that fits," she said still staring lovingly at the eyes of the baby reindeer which continued to kiss her.
"Guess your ma named you right," Snowshoes offered, causing her to pause and look at him questioningly. "I mean, it sure is good fortune that you're here with us now."
For a brief moment, the weight of his words caused her to stop petting the creature, until he moved his head under her hand and made her realize she needed to continue.?As she did so, she said absently, "Actually, my father named me Serendipity."
"Smart man," Snowshoes replied.
"Yes, I suppose so," she said, not sure she agreed. And then, turning to the baby, she said, "Oh, I could stay here and pet you all night, darling, but I must go now." He licked her one more time, causing her to temporarily forget the wayward comment. "Such a sweet boy." She patted him on the nose one more time and then stepped away. Turning to speak to Snowshoes, to tell him goodbye, she noticed something odd hanging on a hook behind his head. "Whatever is that?" she asked.
He glanced up, not sure what she was referring to, and then realizing what she meant, he said, "Oh this? Well, this little guy is quick as lightening, and it turns out he's real good at finding things that get lost--like a stray carrot, or a jingle bell that comes off of the reins, or
"A giant elf slipper," Castleberry offered as he walked by with more food for Dunder and Blixen.
"All right, wise guy," Snowshoes offered. "Anyways, sometimes things get lost in the coal mine, or out in the snowdrifts, so we was trying to come up with a way to attach a light to this guy's head, so he could see better in them dark places, help us find missing stuff."
"Oh," Serendipity nodded. "And why is it red?"
"The light's red because it don't have the same kinda glare as a regular white light."
"I see. May I?" she asked, gesturing to take it off of the wall.
"Sure," he said, helping her remove the contraption. It was a simple red light, though how it was powered she wasn't sure--perhaps by that electricity thing Corey spoke of earlier--and it had two straps. Snowshoe showed her how it fit around the top of the baby reindeer's head. He stood perfectly still as they put it on him. "Only problem is," he began as the light slipped down off of the reindeer's head and over his eyes, "we can't figure out a way to get it to stay in place without it being too tight."
Serendipity pondered the design for a second. She could see what he was saying. If the strap that went around his head was any tighter, it would hurt him. The one that went under his chin seemed just about right, but that didn't prevent it from slipping down over his eyes. Then, she had an idea. "What if you hooked it around here, like so, over his ears, and then rested it on his nose?" she asked, demonstrating the best she could as she spoke.
"You mean, light up his nose instead of his forehead?" Snowshoes asked.
"Yes, that way, if it slipped at all, it wouldn't slide over his eyes," Serendipity continued.
"Hey now, that ain't a bad idea," Snowshoes replied, studying the design. "That ain't a bad idea at all!" Castleberry and Hillstent, who had been listening nearby agreed. "Boy, you're somethin' else, Ms. Fizzlestitch."
"Please, call me Serendipity," she smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should be off. I'm afraid I've made Mr. Cane wait long enough."
"Thanks a lot, Ms. Serendipity," Snowshoes called after her.
Serendipity turned and waved over her shoulder and then turned her attention to Corey, who seemed to be peering at her rather closely. "What is it?" she asked, holding back a grin.
"I'm just making sure you don't have any reindeer slobber on your face," he replied, leading her back out into the softly falling snow.
Serendipity glanced up in amazement; it had been years since she had walked in a snowfall. Still snickering at Corey's remark, she tipped her head back and let the snowflakes land on her tongue, laughing with joy each time she caught one. Finally, seeing him shake his head at her out of her corner of her eye, she asked, "What? Haven't you ever caught snowflakes before?"
"Perhaps. A long time ago. When I was a child," he admitted shrugging.
"Well, why not now?" she asked. "Oh, Corey, can't you see the magic all around you? or are you so close to it that it's blinded you?"
The twinkle in her eye caught his attention for a moment, and for just that instance, he almost considered taking her up on her offer. But then, seeing her rub her hands together, another thought crossed his mind, one with less wild abandon.?"I have a different sort of magic," he replied, "a more practical kind." With the wave of his hands, he produced a warm pair of mittens in a shade of red that matched her coat almost exactly.
"Oh, my," she gasped. "How ever did you do that?"
"Real magic," he said nonchalantly.
As she slipped the mittens on, her hands instantly becoming warm, she asked, "And do you think my sort of magic, the simple kind, to be childish then?"
"Not at all," he replied, shaking his head. "In fact, I think it suits you well. And I'm happy to see you so joyful."
His choice of words was not lost on her. Smiling, she slipped her arm through his and said, "I'm overjoyed to see you so happy."
He genuinely smiled then, something that was rare despite the amount of times he plastered a grin on his face each day. "Come along, Ms. Fizzlestitch," he said as he led her down the winding path amidst the twinkling lights, the draped greenery, and the bright red bows. "There's someone you need to meet."
"Is he magic, too?" she asked, fairly certain who it was.
"Oh, yes," Corey assured her. "He makes my magic look like child's play."
As they walked along, arm in arm, Serendipity couldn't help but think back to a long-haired blonde, frightened child who was desperately in need of some magic, and she wondered if that little girl could find it in her heart to forgive the one she had called upon so many years ago to save her--the one who had been nowhere to be found.