Chapter 33: St. Nicholas, Part 2

"What's that?" Serendipity asked, having never heard that term before. But before he could answer, she realized they had reached the top. The view of the room they were entering into caused her to jog the last few steps, pulling up her long blue dress and red coat tails as she did so, so as not to trip. "Oh, my!" she gasped again.
Though they were not quite inside of the room yet, rather some sort of narrow foyer that led to the expansive room, she could clearly see where they were headed, and she had never in her wildest dreams imagined a place so beautiful. The floor seemed to be made of twinkling snowflakes, all knit together to make one glorious carpet. The ceiling was dark blue with what appeared to be millions of twinkling stars of all colors, though mostly in yellows, silvers, and golds, lighting up the room a full two-stories below where they danced in suspense. There were several glistening white pillars around the outer edges of the room, all of them decorated with the same twinkling lights she had seen outside in the Village. In the center of the room was a large globe shaped object. As they approached, Serendipity realized it was, indeed, a globe, and if one were to peer inside, different continents, countries, even homes could be called to the surface so that Santa Claus could clearly see what was transpiring with each child and assign him or her to the correct list.?It sat atop a gold base, decorated with spiraling filigree, and while Serendipity longed to touch it, she dared not do so for fear of breaking it. On the other end of the room sat two large thrones, the arms, legs, and backs of which were decorated in spiraling red and white, like candy canes, with gold trim. They sat atop a small dais carpeted in red velvet.
As Serendipity stared in awe, Corey beside her with his hands folded in front, a golden door to the left opened, and a rather large, jolly looking man with a long white beard and bald head, save the long white tuffs at the side, dressed in red pants, a flannel green and red shirt with red suspenders, and large black boots, spectacles balanced on the tip of his red nose stepped out, a joyous smile on his face.
Serendipity's mouth fell open, and she threw her hands over her face, speechless.
"Serendipity, my dear," he greeted her as he approached, "it is so lovely to have you here at last."
Feeling the tears stinging the backs of her eyes, Serendipity stepped forward, her hands still covering her mouth. "Is it you?" she asked. "Is it really you?"
He laughed then, and it was everything she had ever expected it to be--jolly and joyous, full of good. He patted his stomach with both hands for a moment before reaching for her and pulling her in for a tight hug. "Of course it's me, sweet child. Merry Christmas!"
Despite her previous opinion, Serendipity could not help but feel intoxicated with joy at the touch of this saintly legend.?She wrapped her arms around him the best she could, the same way she had squeezed her father oh so many years ago, and felt waves of happiness overcome her enveloped in his sturdy arms.
After some time, St. Nicholas lightened his grip, and as she stood, he held her at arm's length saying, "Let's have a look at you. What a fine young lady you've become!"
Serendipity's hand nervously flew to her hair, and she was quite thankful that Maevis had insisted she tidy herself up before traveling as she couldn't imagine standing in front of Santa Claus himself looking the part of a paint covered vagabond. "Thank you," she said quietly. "It's so lovely to be here."
St. Nicholas said nothing, only chuckled in delight. Then, turning to Corey he said, "Mr. Cane, if you would give us a few moments, I shall summon you when Serendipity and I are done chatting."
"Yes, of course," Corey said, bowing his head in agreement.
Though Santa Claus still held her hand in his, Serendipity let go for just a second, turning back to Corey, throwing her arms around him, and saying, "Thank you."
He said nothing, only winked at her, and then, in an instant, he was gone, leaving Serendipity standing back in astonishment. Before she could put words to her surprise, Santa was saying, "Shall we?" and offering her his hand, which she gladly took, and he led her through the golden door from which he had appeared moments ago.
Inside was what could only be described as a cozy little cottage. There was a roaring fireplace, the mantel topped with large green garland adorned with pine cones and shiny Christmas bulbs in red and gold. The sides of the fireplace were flanked with penguin sentinels carved into the rich oak. Two over-stuffed chairs sat nearby, and a full Christmas tree, decorated with various ornaments of all shapes and sizes, mostly in red and gold, filled the back corner near a window covered with thick red drapes. "Please have a seat," Santa Claus said, offering her the seat across from him as he sat down in the larger of the chairs.
?Removing her coat and laying it on the back of the chair, she sat down in what she could only assume must be Mrs. Claus's chair, as there were several scraps of fabric and a pin cushion on the end table nearby. The blazing fire was near enough that Serendipity could feel the heat, though despite the proximity, she didn't feel overly warm.