And guess what?
They’re dwarves dressed up exactly like you’d think they’d be in Santa’s village—the one we’d imagined when we were children.
Exactly the same, red and forest green jumpers, Santa adjacent hats and all.
We land smoothly and Stetson quickly takes my hand to help me out. Fire shoots through my body from the single touch as our eyes collide.
“Are you ready, Charlie?”
The question feels loaded.
“I don’t know.” I whisper out loud to him, and honest to God I don’t know if I am ready.
He smiles tenderly.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Once we’re outside and the cold frost hits my bare face, I realize Stetson didn’t lie about the freezing temperature. It’s colder here than it was when we went out to see the polar bears.
“Holy cow!” I utter as the chill settles into my bones.
“I told you,” he says as he walks me over to the awaiting dwarves. They’re lined up waiting to greet us like we just arrived at a five-star hotel.
“Charlie,” he says politely, “I’d like to introduce you to Bushy, Shiny and Sugarplum.”
WTF?
They wave and smile at me in unison.
“Nice to meet you,” their smile is infectious, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen any group of people look so damn happy before in my life.
Like they have perma-smiles and exude an aura that is just pure joy. It must be something in the air over here.
“Welcome to Santa’s village, Charlie Horseman!” The one whose name is Bushy says with flair. “Here in this village, nestled in the mountains of the north, Santa can hear the wishes of every child in the world!”
Wait, is that music I hear in the background? Where the hell is it coming from? Am I in a movie? Did I die? I look around the village, my gaze lifting to the mountains surrounding the small nook, protecting it safely from the outside world.
“If you listen carefully, you can hear their voices,” Bushy goes on to tell me as he cups his ear and leans in like the air is talking to him.
I stare at him all wide eyed and frozen.
“Try it, Charlie!” The woman named Shiny says as she cups her ear as well and smiles like she’s hearing something in the air.
I look over at Stetson in disbelief. He cocks a brow.
“Scared?”
“Seriously?” I return.
“Try it,” he urges.
I can’t believe I’m going to do it, but I do. I lift my hand to my ear and cup it like the dwarves and listen.
Just as I expected. Nada. Nothing. Zilch.
I don’t hear any child’s voice.
Just the whistle of the wind in the air.
