Cailleach and the two Wulvers entered the Larsen Bedroom and Mr. Claus waited for the two young ladies to slip out of their brown suede dresses.
“I know what you’re thinking. Not this time, fat boy,” said Cailleach.
“Okay, so why are you here? Is it about the phone call?” asked Mr. Claus.
“No,” said Cailleach firmly.
“Then what?” asked Mr. Claus.
“Today is the Winter Solstice and I have a little speech for you to read,” said Cailleach with a Grinch-like smile.
Mr. Claus looked at it and said, “That’s it? It’s kind of short and to the point.”
“What did you expect? A Gettysburg Address?” asked Cailleach.
“I just thought it would be a bit longer is all,” said Mr. Claus.
“Today people have to get the message on their phones and they stop listening if it’s too long. Best to keep it short and sweet.”
“But it’s pretty innocuous,” said Mr. Claus.
“Yes, but we have a nice, short film queued up and ready to go. We just need the final voice-over from the star,” said Cailleach.
“Naughty or nice?” asked Mr. Claus.
“We don’t have stock footage of you walking barefoot over the heather or anything like that. So you do the math,” said Cailleach.
“Naughty it is then,” said Mr. Claus and mustered up a laugh trying to keep the conversation going.
“I can escalate it from naughty to downright nasty if you don’t read that text for me,” said Cailleach.
Mr. Claus remembered his wife’s advice to cooperate and held the piece of paper up and waited for Cailleach to turn on a very professional-looking microphone hooked up to a laptop.
When Cailleach nodded he read from the paper, “Joyous Winter Solstice everyone. Christmas has far too long been a bastion of avarice and greed. I oughta know. I implore you to get back to the roots of the celebration. I would like for all of us to focus on the true glory of Winter.”
He waited a beat and then looked toward Cailleach, “Does that work…”
He was interrupted by a very loud bell that must have been the front door. He knew things were about to go down.
