The Christmas Secret



The Christmas Secret



     'Did you see that?' Jacey pointed to the sky. It was a clear night and the stars shone brightly like sparkling diamonds. Most nights Jacey and her friend, Nick would sit up on the rickety railing of her veranda chilling and chatting. They had lived in a quiet rustic Australian country-town all their lives.

      'What? Oh, you mean that shootin’star?' Nick answered. 'It moved pretty fast. Probably an asteroid or meteorite or somethin'.

     Nick‘s my soul mate. Nice that he's my neighbour too especially when the most exciting thing that happens here in Wallawa is when travellers stop at our one and only pub. Jacey chuckled. After all, Wallawa is the Aboriginal word for "stop here"—not that they ever stay long. One night’s rest and they usually head off to somewhere more significant.


         'Maybe it was Santa Claus. It’s Christmas eve, after all.' She laughed. The full moon light danced in her toffee-coloured eyes.

     'Yeah, sure, I'll believe that when I see it. I stopped thinkin’ about that stuff in primary school.'

     'Don't say that too loud, he’ll hear you and it’ll be coal for you on Christmas day,' Jacey teased as she brushed a stray strand of her ebony hair from her mouth.  

     Nick's azure eyes met Jacey's brown ones and he grinned. Even in the dimming light, his white teeth were a stark contrast to his bronzed leathery complexion acquired from working on the land.

     'I hate Christmas, all the rellies wantin' to kiss and hug everyone, as if they’ve been visitin’ us all year,' Nick said. 'Christmas is just an excuse to shake off the guilt for never keepin' in touch.’ He frowned. ‘They only come this time of the year out of duty.'

     'Really, Nick, you’re such a “scrooge”.  Jacey made a face at him and then grew pensive. ‘One day you'll appreciate having a family. You don't know how lucky you are. I didn't even meet my grandparents. They died before I was born. Mum's having a baby now, but it took her all of my fifteen years to become pregnant.'

     'She coulda' had one of my brothers or sisters. We've enough of them to sink a ship.' He cocked an eyebrow at her and smiled.

     Jacey turned her head and returned his smile as she rocked across and nudged him with her shoulder. 'Stop.' She laughed. 'You're terrible. I would've loved to have grown up with six siblings like you.’

     'Bah...Humbug!’ They both laughed.

     ‘Anyway, I never got what I wanted for Christmas, ever,' Nick added.

     ‘Oh, what did you want?’

     ‘I remember writin’ one letter to Santa, when I was about six or seven, askin’ for a motor bike. Just so I could get away from this place and travel. Of course, I never got it, so I didn’ bother writ’n another one after that year. ’He stared at the ground a moment and then looked up at Jacey. ‘What ‘bout you? Don’you want to leave this place sometime? Pursue some dream?’

     ‘Yes, course. I want to work with people, help others. Not sure how yet, but it’ll happen one day, for both of us.’ Her eyes grew round. ‘We’ll take a road-trip together and stay away for months.’ Jacey’s eyes lit up as Nick smiled.

     ‘At least your mum managed to have you, at any rate, or we'd never have met. You're the only person that keeps me sane. What, with Mum want’n my help with the littl'ns runnin' round everywhere, plus Dad expectin’me to share so much of the workload on the land, it drives me crazy sometimes; I hate being the eldest'. He paused and smiled. ‘I look forward to our chill chats with no one else around.'

     'Do you, now? How sweet.' Jacey stuck her index finger on her chin and fluttered her eyelashes.

     Nick’s face burned. 'I...I didn't mean—' He rubbed his hand backwards through his cropped wheat-coloured hair.

     'Chill out, Nick; you’re my best friend. It would be weird if we were together...that way.'

     'Look, isn't that another shootin’ star?' Nick pointed and his eyes followed the path of the bright star as it moved in an arc across the ink-black sky, a blue-white light trailing behind it like a chiffon wedding train.

     'Actually, I think it's the same one.'

     'It can't be? It's goin’ the opposite direction.'

     An explosion ripped through the quiet of the night. The star crashed into the paddock a couple of blocks from Jacey's home. In the distance they saw a flash and then a red glow.

     'What in the hell?' Nick yelled covering his ears.

     Jacey jumped down from her perch. Nick followed. She ran out into the yard to get a closer look. ‘How come Mum and Dad haven’t come running outside? That explosion was so loud.’

     Jacey exchanged glances with Nick, who shrugged. ‘Maybe they didn’ hear it inside over the TV.’

     ‘You have to be joking, it was deafening. Should we go tell them?’

     ‘I s’pose we should, the military or somethin’ might wanna’ investigate.’

      ‘You go tell your dad, and I’ll go tell mine'.Jacey hopped up the stairs and opened the creaky screen door.  The wire had torn away in several places, so it could not be left open for fear of being infested by mosquitoes, flies and other flying bugs. With rusted-out springs, it slammed shut behind her with a crash. The woven grapevine wreath flopped back, hitting the wire, and then settled again.

     Walking down the  cream brick-lined passage, she turned into the living room. The smell of fresh pine needles filled her nostrils. She looked over at their beautiful Christmas tree lit up with fairy lights flashing off and on, reflecting pure white light into the exquisitely crafted silver and gold baubles, animating them as if they were dancing.  We may not have a lot of money but Mum and Dad save up all year to make the most beautiful Christmas tree in the world right here in our living room. The  the gold-leaf-embossed pattern glowed within the maroon and cream striped wallpaper behind the tree.

     Jacey’s mum sat in her rose-print art-deco armchair, knitting baby clothes. Her father, who was hidden behind the newspaper, sat in the other one.

      Black and white re-runs of Laurel and Hardy’s “Saps at Sea” played in the background. Jacey walked in just as Hardy's character Ollie was being driven crazy by the cacophonous G-minor horn, where he tears the factory apart screaming, “Horns to the left of me! Horns to the right of me! Horns, horns, horns!”

     Jacey’s father, John, turned the top of the paper down to watch and began chuckling. The newspaper rustled as his chortling grew louder.  ‘Marion, you gotta see this one, it’s one of their best.’ He let out several loud guffaws and got his handkerchief out to wipe the tears away from his eyes.

     Marion shook her head and smiled. Her eyes left her knitting, but her fingers kept working as she peered over the top of her glasses at her husband roaring with a laughter that resounded around the room. They were still young and vibrant, but the hard slog to survive on the land had taken its toll with their premature wrinkles and calloused hands, they both looked older in years than they were.

     Jacey couldn’t help but laugh with her father. She put four fingers over her lips and giggled. Seeing him laugh so hard was a rarity, and when he did, his whole face brightened. Her laughter drew her mother’s attention.

     ‘Hello, Sweetheart, finished chatting with Nick? You’re in early tonight. You didn’t have a squabble or anything did you?’

     ‘No, Mum, we never fight; you know that. I’m going back out in a minute, but wondered if you or Dad heard a loud explosion or anything a little while ago?’

     ‘I didn’t, but with your father intermittently roaring with laughter at this old show, it’s hard to hear anything. John...John! did you hear a loud sound a little while ago?’ He ignored her and kept laughing. ‘You ask him, Jacey, he’s not listening to me.’

     Jacey went and stood in front of the TV—hands on her hips. ‘Dad! Did you or did you not hear a loud noise a while ago?’

     John had folded his paper and put it on the side table, as he seemed intent on watching more of the show. ‘A noise—what noise?—no, didn’t hear a thing. Probably someone is setting off fireworks for Christmas. Now pop out the way, Cherub, this next bit’s hilarious.’ He waved his hands dismissively and went back to concentrating on the TV.

     Jacey's eyebrows creased and she held her chin with her thumb and forefinger.

     ‘Is everything alright, Jacey? You look worried,’ her mother said.

     Her mother’s voice distracted Jacey's thoughts. ‘I’m fine, Mum. Can Nick and I check the horses down in the paddock, please?’

     ‘Yes, sweetheart, just don’t be too long, it’s getting late. Say hello to him for me. I’ve a good feeling about you two.’ She glanced up over her glasses, and gave Jacey one of her “all knowing” smiles.

      Jacey rolled her eyes.

     ‘Check the sheep while you’re there, Cherub, that damn fox is been prowling again,’ her father said. His chest jiggled again as he returned to his chuckling.

     ‘Sure, Dad, will do.’ Jacey went into the kitchen and grabbed a torch out of the bottom drawer, closing it as quietly as she could, though it made a grinding and squeaking noise where the traction had worn. She screwed up her face and listened for her parents to call something out, but they didn’t. She pushed the torch into her faded blue jeans and tucked in her aqua tee shirt.

     As she walked toward the front door she glanced at the English made clock passed down from her grandmother. It had hung above the shabby pine table for as long as she could remember. The teardrop-shaped hour hand moved slightly within the oak case across the dingy white ceramic face. Jacey peered through the scratched glass cover. It crept just past the ten to read ten fifteen. Set in an oak case with a brass bezel, it had seen better days but although the white ceramic face was dirty and the glass cover scratched, it still kept perfect time

     The floorboards of the porch creaked as she walked outside. Nick stood at the bottom of the steps fingers anchored in his jeans pockets.waiting for her. ‘Well...what’d they say?  My mum and dad didn’ hear anythin'.’

     ‘Neither did mine. That’s a bit weird, don’t you think?’

     ‘So what do you wanna do?’

     Jacey whipped out her torch and spun it in her hand like a gunslinger with a six-gun. She switched it on and shined it in Nick’s face.

     ‘Hey.’ he said holding his hands in front of his face. ‘What’re you doing? Are you sayin’ we should go check it out?’

     ‘Why not? Our folks just think we’re walking in the paddock checking on the animals.’

     ‘Alright! Let’s go.’ With closed fists he jerked his elbows down pulling on his windcheater. 

     The two friends walked out into the dark, down the sandy path leading several metres away from the house. Fortunate the moon’s full. Tiny crystals amongst the sand granules caught the beams of light, making them sparkle. It’s like the moon's projecting a spot light just for us to follow.

     Instead of opening the large slatted gate at the end of the path, which Jacey knew made a terrible racket, she pointed to the side fence. We can’t go through that old gate; Mum and Dad would know we’re headed in the wrong direction. The old farm fence skirting their property had barbed wire all along the top to prevent predators or unwanted guests from entering. Jacey had snagged her clothes many times before and knew just how to avoid the barbs.

     This time, however, Nick went ahead and pushed the barbed wire down so Jacey could step over it. She rested her hand on his shoulder as she jumped the fence. ‘Thanks,’ she said smiling as she landed silently on the other side. She then did the same for him.

     Once over the fence, they headed towards the adjacent paddock, letting the beacon still pulsing with a red glow lead them straight to the crash site.

     Jacey ran ahead of Nick.  She was athletic and could outrun most kids in her school. I wonder where the sheep are--probably scared silly, and hiding in their shelter. ‘Do you think it’s on fire and that’s why the glow hasn’t faded?’ Jacey yelled back pointing the torch toward Nick.

     ‘I can’ see any smoke. Maybe it’s the ground-heat keepin’ it shinin’, I dunno. Anyway, will you wait up? We don’t want to race straight up to whatever’s there. It might be dangerous or have radiation or anythin’.’

     Jacey waited with her hands on her hips. ‘Maybe it’s an escape pod from the planet Krypton, and superman will be in a capsule.’ She laughed. 

      ‘Shut up! Weirder things have happened.’ The earnest tone in his voice gave her goose bumps.

     They slowed to a walk as they neared the site. Jacey turned to Nick and put her finger to her lips as they crept closer. They hid together behind dappled gum tree trunks thick enough to obscure them both.  Now let’s see what this is all about. She breathed in sharply—her eyes wide open—stomach churning. She saw Nick watching her feverish agitation. He smiled. She returned a coy smile and averted her eyes with a demure blush.

     They inched up to the nearest tree and were about to peer around to see what was there when a deep voice rang out: ‘Ah! Come on out, Nick and Jacey. I’ve been expecting you.’
      The two friends froze. ‘Come on, you two, I won’t bite; you’re perfectly safe. In fact, I need your help.’

     The voice didn’t sound threatening; in fact, it had a friendly and welcoming tone. Nick poked his head out from the tree they'd hid behind and stepped out gingerly.

     He rolled his eyes and called for Jacey to come out. 'Where the hell’d you come from? Have you escaped from a nuthouse or somethin’? It's okay, Jacey, we have a crazy person dressed up like Santa Claus here.'

     The area had definitely seen some form of crash landing. There was a burnt trail behind the sleigh-like vehicle that went on for several hundred metres.

     Jacey came out but said nothing. She stared at the person dressed in red and white. 'Nick, how do you explain the crash landing, then?' Wouldn’t be too quick to judge what’s going on here; he may be the real thing, but how am I to prove this to him?

     'He's prob’ly some crazy inventor tryin’ out his newest rocket-powered invention.'

     'Oh, Nick, such a sceptic. Why’d you stop writing to me after your letter about the motor bike? If you’d kept writing to me every year, your wish may have come to fruition some time.’

     'What? How?' Nick stared with wide eyes at the old man.

     Jacey covered her mouth and muffled a giggle. Knew it! He is the real thing.

      He was not portly, like all the stereotypical images everyone sees, but fit and trim. He had the traditional white beard but not as long as seen in images. He looked like an ordinary older man in a Santa suit and resembled the aged actor, Sean Connery.

      Nick scrutinized him. 'You don' even look like Santa Claus, he's jolly and—'

     'Fat? You can't be fat in this job, Nick. How could I keep up the pace I do if I had all that extra weight to carry around? I walk every day, believe it or not. In fact, I’m a bit of a gym junky.'

     'Oh yeah? So where're the reindeers, your sleigh and elf helpers, then?

     'Get with the times, young man. That might have been feasible once, but the reindeer just couldn't cut it once the world's population exploded. They've all been either put out to pasture, retired or passed on.  As for the elves, there never were elves. Oh sure, there are some short people amongst the large group of employees that work in the toy factory. It runs like clockwork. We even have some real cluey nerdy-types who work the electronic section, where we make all the xboxes, tablets and phones. As for the sleigh, that was retired years ago; this vehicle’s the latest jet rider—it’s sort of a cross between a fighter jet and a shuttle. All would be well except I hit a bunch of small meteorites which sent me veering off course. That’s how I ended up here.'

     ‘I don’t believe this, I thought our parents—and you—are you immortal or somethin’?’

     ‘No way, boy, I’m human, just like you. We work our guts out, and when it’s time to retire we watch several candidates for a few years, screen them for the job and choose one or two to take over.  Which brings me to our business–Jacey, I need you and Nick here to carry out a job for me. This thing,’--he kicked the fuselage of the jet-like flying machine--‘is going to take time to fix. I’m already behind schedule, so you two are going to have to continue delivering presents for the next few hours to give me time to fix this piece of junk.’ 

     ‘Oh, and how do you expect us to do that?’ Nick folded his arms and arched his eyebrows.

     ‘Still sceptical, young Nick? Well, perhaps this’ll change your mind.’ The old man went to the back of his vehicle and retrieved a remote from his pocket. He pressed a button that opened the back of his jet plane. Large metal flower-petals opened out like a time-delayed video of a blossoming flower from a bud to full bloom. Inside sat a large motor bike with a side-car. It didn’t look like a normal bike with its long angled strips running along the side of the bike, resembling spoilers on a car. There was a large space at the back of the side car and the inside was lined with plush leather. Both parts accommodated a canopy of polycarbonate plastic. Two large exhausts, looking like the bells on a trumpet, flowed back on either side.

     On pushing another button, an access ramp slid out and the bike moved like a remote-controlled robot down the slope, rumbling onto the ground and stopping.

     Jacey saw Nick’s eyes widen and smiled at the childlike expression he had on his face. I bet he didn’t expect anything like this.

     ‘You can use this; it’ll take you halfway around the world in a few hours. Now, it doesn’t move purely along roads—if you snap this lever downwards, it becomes a flying machine. In here you put the bag of gifts that needs to be delivered.’ He pointed to the space at the rear of the side car. ‘These are supplies to keep you from starving or going thirsty.’ There was an insulated container tucked in the side of the passenger car and the main bike. ‘I guess you can eat the snacks the families leave as well...Oh and the crash helmets—most important.  You’ll both have to wear them.  You’ll need to take this remote and press this button here.’ He pointed to a blue button that when pressed, fitted snugly into a depression. ‘You only use this when you arrive at the addresses you’ve punched in on the GPS. When you arrive at your destinations, it transports you inside the given homes to place the presents under the tree or in the stockings. Pretty simple, really. Pressing it again takes you back to your bike in a matter of seconds. You may feel dizzy the first few times you do this, but you’ll get used to it.’

     'That's all very well but how do we know which presents are which? Dont tell me you have a list and you check it twice—'

     'Nick...Nick, relax, each present has its unique pattern. If you look up on this monitor here.' He pointed to a miniature TV screen. 'Moving this switch turns it on. As you can see, this is like an x-ray of the stack of presents that sit behind the side-car passenger. When you arrive at your destination, the correct presents will automatically be pushed up for you to deliver.'

     ‘That’s impossible! We’re still only in the twenty-first century, so how could you have access to this much advanced technology?’

     ‘You’d be surprised, young Nick, just how much technology has advanced.’

     ‘What about our parents?’ Jacey asked. ‘They’re going to wonder where we are.’

     ‘Not if you go home now, go to bed and sneak out after they’re asleep. That’s the only way you’ll be able to pull this off.’

     ‘Okay, so we’ll meet here at what time?’ Jacey asked.

     ‘A minute or so after midnight, not a second later; we’ve a lot of area to cover before dawn.’

     Nick stood there with his mouth open taking in all that had happened.

     ‘Oy, Nick we need to go, now!’ Jacey swiped her hand in front of Nick’s eyes, breaking the dreamy stare on his face.  ‘We’ll see you back here at our agreed time.’ Jacey and the old man glanced and nodded at each other as she dragged Nick by his arm back toward the house.

     ‘Is this really happenin’?’ Nick asked shaking his head. The friends began re-tracing their steps back to Jacey’s home.

     ‘Yes it is! We have to help him. Think of all those little kids that’ll miss out on their presents if we don’t follow this through.’

     When they arrived home, they said their goodbyes and synchronised their watches. Jacey ran inside the door, which slammed again with a bang behind her. She was met by her father, who looked flustered and flushed.

     ‘Thank God you’re back! Your mother’s gone into labour. I rang the Flying Doctor Service several minutes ago—they shouldn’t be long now. I’ve asked Nick’s folks if you could stay there tonight and they’re fine with that. Grab what you need and head over to the Grantham’s. I’ll contact you as soon as I know anything alright?’ He kissed her on the forehead and collected Marion’s suitcase, which she’d had packed ready for the last two months. 

     Jacey ran up to her mum, who sat upright in her chair, and put her arm around her shoulders. ‘Are you gonna be alright, Mum?’ She looks pale; hope she’ll be okay.

     ‘I’ll be fine, Sweetheart, don’t worry about me.’ She grabbed her stomach and groaned.

     ‘Remember your breathing, just like we practised, okay?’ So glad Mum made me do those practice labour sessions from the book with her. It would’ve been better if she could go to Anti-natal workshops, but we're way too far away.

     Not long after, the rhythmic “wop—wop” of the helicopter’s rotors sounded. ‘They’re here, Marion, everything’ll be fine now.’ His voice sounded calmer.  He went over and grasped her arm helping her stand. Jacey held her other arm; leading her outside.  The paramedics ran to meet them, pulling a stretcher on wheels behind them. They laid Marion on the gurney, folded up its legs and slid her into the helicopter. John turned, blew a kiss to Jacey and disappeared into the fuselage as they raised the door.

     Nick had come outside with his parents at the sound of the 'copter to wish Marion and John well. His brothers and sisters were in bed fast asleep. Jacey turned and met Nick’s wide eyes with a weak smile. Her ebony hair twisted to and fro in the updraft of the rotors—strands blew about like Medusa’s snakes. Jacey held one side of her hair down and shaded her eyes as she watched the helicopter take off and the light gradually fade into the distance.

     Nick’s mother, Jill, came up to Jacey and put her arm around her shoulders. ‘Your mum‘ll do really well, Jacey, don’t worry about her.’

     Jacey turned and smiled at her.

     ‘Come inside for a hot cocoa and a few biscuits before you go to bed. You can sleep in Nick’s bed; he’s offered to sleep on the couch.’

     ‘No, I couldn’t kick him out of his bed,’ Jacey said, glancing at Nick.

     ‘That’s fine, Jace, our couch is quite comfy.’ Nick smiled.

     ‘There, it’s settled, grab your stuff and meet us inside. Nick will help you with your gear.’

     Jacey ran up the stairs into her house and Nick followed. The place was deathly quiet and felt eerie without her mother and father. The Christmas tree lights still blinked and illuminated the dark living room with flashes of light.  ‘So how are we gonna sneak out now? Don’t you have to share your room with your brothers?’

     ‘No, Mum and Dad made a rule. Once we turned sixteen we’re allowed to have our own room; I've had my own room for a year now, that’s why Dad built a second story on the house. It’ll be easy. Once everyone’s asleep we’ll be able to go, as long as none of my brothers and sisters wake while we wander through the house to the front door.’

     ‘Use this, it’ll make things easier.’ Jacey and Nick turned quickly, startled to find the old man leaning against the framework in the doorway of Jacey’s bedroom with his arms crossed. He offered Jacey the remote control he’d talked about before.
     Jacey’s hand went to her heart and she breathed out sharply. ‘Did you have to scare us like that? I could’ve screamed, bringing everyone in here.’

     ‘Sorry about that, kids, but I had to get this to you or you may not have been able to get out. So take this and use it. Just make sure you’re both in the room alone when you do. It’s a bit of a rough trip the first couple of times.’

      'How are you goin’ to get outta here now without being seen?’ Nick asked.

     ‘I have a spare, always keep a spare.’ He reached into his pocket and brought out a second remote. ‘You know, it’s like learning to drive. Your instructor has one set of pedals and you, the learners, have the other.’ He winked and depressed the button, vanishing in front of them.

     ‘Now do you believe, Nick?’ Jacey gathered a few things and folded them into a small suitcase. She walked into the bathroom and grabbed her toiletries. He’ll have to believe now, surely.

     ‘Yes, but why’d he pick on us? There’re millions of other kids out there he could’ve asked to do this.’

      ‘I don’t know, he crashed close to our house and with no neighbours around, perhaps he thought we were the safest option. Whatever the reason, we can’t say no to this, it’s too important.’

     Jacey glanced at the clock, which read 11.30. She grabbed the house keys hanging on the brass hook next to the fridge and turned off the lights as they walked toward the front door. She locked up and headed outside. 

     Walking into Nick’s house, Jacey expected to be inundated by Nick’s brothers and sisters but surprisingly enough they had slept through the whole thing. They must’ve been in bed for hours. I wondered why they didn’t come out when Mum and Dad left.  Nick took Jacey’s things, put them in his bedroom, and then joined her and his parents in their living room.

     ‘Well, Kids I’m off to bed; it’s late. Your dad’s already hit the sack, Nick. We’ll see you in the morning. I’ve left you a plate of biscuits and a hot chocolate each. But don’ eat Santa’s biscuits and milk by mistake, or he may not be very happy.’ Jill winked at them and headed up the stairs to her bedroom.

     Jacey and Nick exchanged looks and smiled. ‘No, he won’t be, will he?’ Jacey whispered grabbing a biscuit. ‘Well, I guess I’ll see you around midnight.’

     ‘Somehow I think we’re not goin’ to get much sleep; anyway, we only have about forty minutes before we have to meet him. Is there any point in us even goin’ to bed?’

     ‘No, probably not, but we should lie there for a while; otherwise our beds won’t look like they’ve been slept in.’

     ‘True. See you in twenty, then. I’ll come to you; my room’s a bit more isolated than our living room.’

     Both of them grasped their mugs of cocoa and walked in opposite directions.

     Jacey sat on Nick’s bunk bed and smelt his earthy scent lingering around her. She sipped her warm drink and smiled as the smooth chocolaty mixture coated her tongue and slid down her throat. She felt grateful for the comfort. So much happening—too much. I didn’t even ask how close her contractions were. Oh God, hope she makes it to the hospital. She lay down. And this Santa Claus—no idea what’s going to happen. Expect all will go well tonight. He wouldn’t have chosen us if he didn’t think we could do it, would he?

     Her thoughts were interrupted by a dark figure making its way toward her. ‘Jace, you ready?’

     'Is it time already?'

     She turned to see Nick looking down on her; she jumped up banging her head on the bunk above her. ‘Ouch!’ She screwed up her face and rubbed her head. Nick offered her his hand and helped her out.

     ‘You okay?’

     ‘I will be, once I find out Mum and the bub’s okay and tonight is over.’

     ‘We’d better get goin’; it’s almost midnight.’

     Jacey put on a warm jacket with a hood and Nick wound a green, red and blue tartan scarf around his neck, which hung on the hat rack near his bedroom door. Jacey felt for the remote in her jeans pocket. ‘Here goes nothing. Are we supposed to hold hands when we push this button, or what?’

     ‘You’re askin’me? I don’t know. We’d better, I s’pose, just in case.’

     Nick reached for her hand and the warmth made Jacey feel safe. Everything’ll be okay as long as he’s with me. Couldn’t do this without him.

     They closed their eyes as Jacey depressed the blue button. Dizziness overtook them and they felt like they were shooting down a steep decline on a roller coaster, and then up again. Jacey’s stomach churned and she felt like she’d left it behind in Nick’s bedroom. The next instant, they’d landed roughly on the ground a few metres away from the bike and the old man in the suit.

     ‘Whoh Ho! You two, not bad for the first time,’ he said laughing.

     ‘Very funny, old man,’ said Nick brushing the dirt off his clothes.

     ‘We weren’t to know what to expect, Nick. Relax, we’re not hurt.’ Jacey stood and banged her jeans. Dust floated around her, looking like little dancing fairies in the moonlight.

     ‘Next time you use the button, be sure you stand firm and you’ll land on the bike or closer to it. Well, off you go, time’s-a-wasting. See you in a few hours.’

     ‘A few hours, is that all?’ Jacey asked.

     ‘Yes that’s all it’ll take to get them done, but it’ll be longer if you don’t get going.’ The old man pressed a button on his remote and the bike rolled over close to the two friends.

     Jacey got into the side car and a harness-type seatbelt automatically clasped itself over her shoulders and around her waist. She took a deep breath and leaned back. The full-faced helmet moved down and secured itself on her head and under her chin like a racing car helmet. She watched as Nick mounted the bike and set himself up.  Jacey heard a buzz like an electric door of a supermarket. Both canopies rolled up and over their heads, securing them inside.

     ‘Can you hear me, Nick?’

     ‘Yes, I can, loud and clear, it’s like we’re inside a jet plane or a racing car.’

     The GPS had been set for them and all they had to do was start the engine by pressing a red button. The man in the red and white suit waved and then held up his hand, pressing the button on the remote. The handle to convert the bike into a flying machine swished down, and they shot off into the night sky like a rocket. The hum of the boosters was surprisingly quiet as they jetted off on their journey. The side spoiler-type railings sprouted what looked like metal fins on both sides. They must be to help it fly, I guess.

     Jacey and Nick’s faces were obscured, but the sounds that came from them as it took off made the old man laugh. Jacey felt like the insides had been ripped out and her tummy did flip flops. ‘Ohh, I feel so sick,’ she moaned. After the initial shock of the quick takeoff, her stomach settled enough to talk. ‘How’re you feeling, Nick?’

     Nick let out an excited whoop. ‘Whoa! That was so much fun.’

     Jacey rolled her eyes. ‘So are you steering this thing or is he?’

     ‘I am, but it’s virtually takin’ us itself, I just have to avoid any obstructions that happen our way. This’s so much fun, Jace.  Like playin’ a computer simulation.'

     'Glad you are enjoying yourself. Frankly, I feel like throwing up.'

     'Eat something, you might feel better.'

     Jacey unzipped the cuboid-shaped cold box, took out some sweet-iced dry biscuits to nibble on, and then sipped on a bottle of water. After a while she began to feel better. This’s not so bad. I’m getting used to flying, if that’s what you can call it.

     When the first place neared, the GPS beeped on the dash of the bike console.  'Well, this looks like our first stop, Jacey. Hold on, the bike’s takin’ us down.'


     Oh boy, here we go again. Jacey held so tightly to the inside handles that her knuckles went white. The descent was quite sudden, like the downward track of a chairlift. When they landed the bike's "wings" retracted into its sides and it went back to looking like a souped up motorbike, not some futuristic super bike.


     Travelling along the road, it stopped a few metres from their first destination. 'We're still in Australia, I think,' Jacey said glancing around.  Gum trees surrounded them and in the distance the occasional sheep could be heard bleating along with the rough, hissing screech of the common barn owl found in most farms all over Australia. 'We’re on a country road bigger than our town.'

     'Every town’s bigger than ours,' Nick replied, raising his eyebrows. ‘Turn on the monitor so we can get the presents for this place.’

     Jacey switched on the little x-ray screen and the presents rose to the top. Nick gathered them in his arms, and Jacey pressed the blue button. ‘Hang on to something, here we go.’They were transported inside a farm house where the owner’s Christmas tree was blinking multihued lights. Tinsel hung in every nook and cranny and a train sat on a circular track around the tree. Looking around the living area, she noticed it was not unlike her place except they had an open fire burning brightly and the room was much bigger. A dog barked in the distance as the two friends filled the green and red knitted stockings hanging down from the mantelpiece. Milk and biscuits were on the dining room table. Nick ate and drank heartily. Jacey pressed the button and they found themselves on their bike once again. 

     Over the next few hours they delivered all the presents with only a couple of slip-ups where children spied them inside, but it was so dark they were unable to see each other clearly. A dog at another place had a tug-of-war with Nick’s scarf, but other than that everything went smoothly.

     Arriving back near their home they released the canopy and the helmets retracted off their heads. Jumping out, the old man met them.

     ‘Great job, you two. I trust you didn’t have too much trouble.’

     Nick rolled his eyes. ‘It was a breeze; loved it, but I’m looking forward to my bed now.’

     ‘By the way, your mum has had the baby, Jacey, and all is well. You have a little brother called Matthew.’

     ‘Did she make it to the hospital?’

     ‘Not exactly; she had the baby on the helicopter—he just couldn’t wait to arrive, but all is well. She is in the hospital now and everyone is fine. You’ve saved me a lot of heartache and many children will be thanking you tomorrow when they wake to find their presents from Santa under the tree. I must be on my way now, however, but I’ll see you next year.’

     ‘Excuse me, did I hear you say “next year”? Nick asked. His brows creased and he cocked his head.

      ‘Yes, young Nick, you two are the chosen ones to continue my work every year until you're old enough to take over. This was a sort of test to see if you both could manage. I’ll transport you both to my home when the time comes for you to take up residence there.’

     ‘What? We’ll become Santa and Mrs. Claus?’ Jacey asked. ‘How can we—I mean we—’

     ‘It’s your destiny, Jacey and Nick. It’ll work out. You may not think so now, but you will end up together.’

     The friends exchanged looks and Nick’s face flushed. ‘What if I don’t choose to take this on, I mean I want t—’

      ‘To travel—you’ll certainly be doing that; and Jacey, you wanted to help people, well you did exactly that tonight, and there will be many more that’ll need you in the future. As I said, it’s your destiny. Well, must away, I’ve many more places to go—oh and Nick, look in your garage tomorrow, the bike you've craved  for so long just might be there now that you believe. By the way, this must be our Christmas secret, no one else can know—no one.’

      With that, the old man in the red and white suit blasted off, knocking Jacey and Nick off balance. ‘Ho, ho ho!’ he shouted. ‘Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.’

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