When people go on about “The True Meaning of Christmas,” what they are really talking about is “The True Meaning of Life.”

Elfed By Roachqueen, 2012

Summary:
What if Santa's elves did something other than make toys? And what if anyone could become an elf... without warning?

TF Content:
Rated G.
Elf, reindeer, human, age progression, and... Krampus. (Also mild ASFR elements)

About:
A Christmas story with Christmas TFs. The holidays inspired me to finish it-- but not in time. Three Kings Day is on Jan. 6th, so Christmas isn't over yet, right? It's really sentimental and a bit cheesy, but hey-- it's a Christmas tale, and if The Santa Clause 3 could get made, I figure I could finish this story.

I've been working on it since Nov. 2010 and it's my longest, with the most TFs. I can't do stories in parts because I'd never finish them. So it's LOOOONNNG. Like a novella, so don't do it all at once. If you can't wait, I've included an index to the TFs in the PDF! (spoilers)

Also, it took me a long time to proof it, but as usual, I probably didn't get them all. :-/



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ELFED

1.
The Elfing

Sometimes March was warm, and sometimes March was cold. This Ash Wednesday, it was snowing so much that the people who had come to the service that night and parked on the street would need to wipe the snow from their windshields thanks to the city's snowplows.

Eve Eaton, her sister, and her brother in-law were parked in a parking garage a block away. She lived in another city about two hours away, and was visiting her family over the weekend, as she usually did each month. There were four children in the Eaton family: Ethan, Elizabeth, Elaine and Eve, although only Elaine and Eve still lived close enough to visit their parents frequently. They had come in another car, and were still socializing at church.

Eve was Caucasian, overweight, average height, in her 30s, had brown eyes, and un-striking looks, but also had good hair, long brown and wavy. She wore a black pea coat and dark blue jeans with a pair of worn grey New Balance sneakers. She was with her sister Elaine, who was older, in her late 30s, yet thinner and prettier. She had long black hair, wore a red raincoat, black slacks, and black leather boots.

They were nothing alike at all, but the sisters had much more in common than Eve did with Elaine's husband of two years and boyfriend of four who was with them also. Jack Hutton, co-owner of a lumber yard, was 42 and older than both of them. He was over 6 feet tall, muscular and lean, with a close, short haircut, dark brown with graying temples, and wore a black Carhart coat, khakis, and black boots. Tonight, Eve was avoiding him, having had an argument earlier that evening. Jack could be difficult, but so could Eve and she knew it. It was all she had thought about in church.

Jack believed he was everything that Eve was not: successful, smart, industrious, and rational. Eve didn’t disagree. At this point in her life, she still had no significant others and few friends. Although she got along with people topically at work, she often argued with her family when she did see them. They were the people she loved the most, and yet she only yelled at them, not anyone else. Generally a loner, she kept to herself most of the time, and kept most of her time to herself. She was lonely, and crushingly so, but the truth was that being with other people didn't bring her happiness. Being with other people was only a source of worry for her, and she was only happy when she was alone. But she was not really happy then, either, and she wanted to do better. She literally prayed that she could do better.

As they came to the entrance of the parking garage, they saw a man dressed as Santa Claus leaning his back against a wall, with a donation pot sitting next to him. He didn't look like an average panhandler; his well-made costume fit him perfectly and his beard and age looked just right.

"Merry Ash Wednesday!" he said with a smile as they approached.

"I don't have any change," Jack said without looking, Elaine coming with him.

The Santa looked at Eve. "Hello there young lady."

"Hi," she said nervously. It wasn't only that he was a stranger, but also that she often didn't know how to act around strangers. She didn't stop walking.

"But you do have some time, don't you?' He asked. "God's hands on Earth are his People, you know."

She stopped. "In what way do you mean?"

"Haven't you been wanting to contribute more of your time to help others?"

It was strange to hear that, after having spent so much time thinking about it. "Well... I have been thinking of that, actually."

"You have been all night. You don't seem to know what to do with yourself."

"That's... true. How do you know?' She was cautious.

"Because I'm the real Santa Claus!"

She smiled. "Get out!"

"Really, I am."

"If you're Santa, what would you have me do? I'm no good with crafts, so I can't build toys." She smiled a crooked smile.

"These days things are different. Children have plenty of toys, and it's a technological time with no need for magic. So, many decades ago I changed the nature of my operation to suit the needs of the world. Instead of making toys, my elves go about doing unseen good deeds all year round, and instead of delivering toys on Christmas Eve, I manage the elves all year-- and create new ones."

"You mean you take people and turn them into elves?" It was so outlandish it was funny. "And they agree to that?"

"Not exactly. I don't ask them if they want to be elves first. I just do it."

"Well how do you know if they won't be angry about that, or if they're mean elves who won't help anyone, or if you're taking them from their families?"

"Their loved ones are protected from harm, and I know which people are the right people."

She laughed lightly. "Of course-- you know who's been naughty and who's been nice. But... nice people are supposed to get gifts, not get turned into elves, right?"

He laughed. "Ho, ho, ho! The current legends about me differ from the truth. I have a mischievous sense of humor. And after all, doing good isn’t something you do for the reward."

Jack and Elaine backtracked to make sure she was coming with them, and Jack seemed impatient when he found her still talking to the Santa-guy. "Come on, Eve. I want to get out of here."

Eve carried on her conversation. "Right, it’s supposed to be something you do because you want to please God, not because you have to."

He nodded. "Do you want to?"

She didn't hesitate. "Of course I want to. It's just... hard sometimes. I don't do nearly enough."

" Do you wish that you had some help? To make it easier for you?"

"Of course. But what would--" She felt her balance suddenly shift, and she looked down at her feet. Her shoes seemed to change in color, turning dark red and losing their definition. In a few moments, she was looking at a pair of curl-tipped shoes, not unlike those one might imagine on an elf. She smacked a hand over her mouth and her eyes became wide with surprise.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Santa laughed knowingly.

Elaine gasped and grabbed her husband's arm. "Look!" The snow falling in the sky seemed to stop in mid-air, as if time had stopped. The cars in the street stopped moving too, and the only things that remained in normal motion were the four of them. None of them doubted that what they were seeing was real.

Jack was stunned. "What the hell is this?" He was normally in charge of every situation, but at this moment, he had no idea what to do. Eve's jeans seemed to fall apart at their seams and then re-form into a skirt, turning forest green as they went.

Santa answered as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "I'm making her one of my elves." Her white socks crept up her legs and grew green stripes as they stretched out.

Eve was frightened to find that she could not command her body to run. Her hands nervously rubbed her changing clothes, trying to find a way to stop it, but everything squirmed and shifted under her fingers. "Please, just let me go home. I don't wanna be an elf!" She tugged at the striped socks on her legs, but it was comfortably tight and she could barely pick it up into her fingers. "Oh. Oh no." Her voice was small and fretful.

Even though she was less than a yard away, Elaine also could not step forward and grab her sister to try to run away; she found herself unable to move her legs when she tried. "Eve!" she cried out.

Again, Santa was unperturbed. "Do not worry. She will not be harmed, and will likely come to like it."

Eve was preoccupied with what was happening to her body, which was becoming shorter. She shook her head. "Oh no. Nonononono..." Her voice was low and even, but her eyes were wide with fear. "I-I don't-- I don't know if I want this." Her ears became longer and pointier, and the sight of them made Jack and Elaine gasp.

Santa reassured them. "It's frightening at first, but you'll understand it better soon."

Her coat turned from black to white as it seemed to shrink and become thinner, morphing into a blouse. Her green skirt, which had once been her jeans, seemed to creep upwards and form a single piece dress with one-inch wide straps over top of the white blouse. A small colorful floral pattern stitched itself on the hem of the dress, giving the outfit a sort of Norwegian style. She gradually became shorter, shrinking to a size of about four feet. She maintained her fat proportions, and looked very much like a large doll. Her face was white and rosy, and her lips were redder than before, while her nose became so small and pointy it barely appeared to have nostrils, yet she could breathe from it normally.

Her hair changed very little, remaining brown and wavy, but a hunter green stocking cap soon appeared on the top of her head, materializing out of thin air. The hat had a point ending with a tassel, and hung down onto her shoulder. A long silence passed as all observed what she had become. Although still surprised to suddenly be an elf, she appreciated that her dress was very tasteful, absolutely nothing like the "sexy" female elf outfits at Spencer's Gifts. But it was still quite “Christmasy,” and it made her feel awkward and almost freakish. With both horror and wonder in her voice, she inspected herself with her little elven fingers. "I'm—I’m an elf!"

The changes over, Santa patted her on the back. "All right. That's it. How do you feel?"

She breathed in. "I... I feel fine." The fear seemed to be gone, although uncertainty remained. She tugged at her clothes, and found that they were immovable, but didn't understand why.

Elaine realized she could move again, but was too afraid to grab her, not knowing what had happened. She hugged Jack tightly. "Eve... are you... are you yourself?" Jack just stared at Eve, having no idea what he should do or say.

Eve looked up at her sister, and was pained to see her looking so horrified. Suddenly she only wanted to calm her. "Yes Elaine, I think I'm all here, still. But I do feel different. I'm not scared, and I think this right. Right for me." Her hands wrung each other nervously. "Don't be afraid for me." She turned to Santa and asked, "You're not going to do anything to them, right?"

"Ho, ho, ho! No, not a thing. I'm only taking you to the north pole."

"Umm... how? Do you have a sleigh and reindeer?" Eve asked.

"I do, actually." He put a finger in his mouth and whistled loudly. A few moments later, a sleigh pulled by reindeer rose from the roof of a nearby building, and landed a few feet from them. It was exactly as one would imagine it would look, except that it had six reindeer. Eve, Jack and Elaine were amazed and a little frightened upon seeing such concrete proof.

The elf was more positive, and smiled. "Wow-how! It's just like everyone thinks it looks!" The reindeer were as real as the ones she had seen at a Santa Claus Land park as a little girl. She waved her fingers at them gingerly. "Hi there."

They greeted her back.
"A new elf!" "Welcome!"
"Hello there young lady!"
"Hi!"

She laughed. "Oh my gosh, you talk?"

"Yes," one of them said. "We're magic reindeer after all. And we used to be human like you!"

"Oh. Well, do you like... working for Santa?"

Another one answered. "We love it. And I think you will too." Elaine and Jack were still aghast of what they were seeing, but relived to hear such a friendly reception.

Jack remained skeptical, and finally felt able to act. "No way can you be the real Santa Claus," Jack accused angrily. "You're still kidnapping her and forcing her to do slave labor." His eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you are or what you can do, but you can't take her." One of his hands was a fist.

Eve was touched by and appreciative of his sudden protective bravery, but disagreed with his idea that it was kidnapping and slavery; even though he was indeed correct, those terms didn't feel accurate to her. She tugged at his pants. "No, no-- It's all right, Jack. Thank you very much for trying, but... It's O.K. I asked for this." She looked sheepish. "At church tonight, I prayed to God for forgiveness like usual, but I also prayed really hard for help, to be nicer. The people I love deserve better. I shouldn't be mean all the time."

A painful look appeared on Elaine's face. "Oh Eve, no... You're not mean all the time. You're only mean some of the time." She couldn't help but smile a little. It was the truth.

Eve smiled too as she hugged her sister's legs. "Well that's still too much. This is what I need to do."

Jack crossed his arms and sighed. "When can she come home?"

"That depends," Santa began. "Even I don't have control over that. Elves are summoned back when they are ready, and a letter falls from the sky on the anniversary of their Elf-ing telling them it's time-- although they don't have to go if they want to stay an Elf. However, if an Elf doesn’t become human after ten years, he or she will be an Elf permanently and any trace of their human existence is erased."

Both Jack and Elaine looked horrified, but Eve looked resolute. "So... I may or may not be allowed to come home, and I have ten years to do it or else it'll be like I never existed on earth and no one will remember me at all?"

"Yes."

She nodded slowly in acceptance. "That sounds about right. If I'm not ready, I shouldn't come back. If I can't treat my family any better, they don't have to deal with it or me."

Elaine felt a sting like she'd been slapped across the face. "Eve, no." She squatted down closer to her, looked her in the eye, and grabbed her shoulders gently. "Never think that! You come back, all right?" She hugged her tightly.

Eve hugged her sister back. "I'll try. I don't know if I can, but I'll try."

Jack looked nervous, and didn't know what to say.

"Are you ready to go?" Santa asked.

Eve stepped back from Elaine and looked up at him. "Yes."

Santa picked up Eve with a smile. "Let's go, then." The instant he took her up into his arms, Eve felt warm and much less nervous, trusting his touch, like a grandfather's. She hugged his strong chest. "Thank you Santa." She looked back at her sister and her husband. "Goodbye Elaine, goodbye Jack. I'm going to miss everyone so much."

"Oh Eve, I’ll miss you too.” Elaine smiled tearfully, now unable to ignore how sweet her sister looked. “You look too cute like this, Eve. Please come home.”

Jack nodded, still looking nervous. "Goodbye, Eve."

Santa lifted her into the sleigh, and sat down next to her. He said to Jack and Elaine, "You've both been helpful to her. Don't forget, unless she comes back within ten years, you two are the only people who can remember her, and if you try to talk about her to others, you won't be able to."

"How?" Jack asked.

"Magic." Santa smirked.

"Oh, of course," he said shortly.

Santa laughed as he picked up the reigns. "Farewell, and hopefully we will see you again on day."

Eve looked at her sister one more time with a little smile and a wave, just before Santa shook the reigns with a "Ho!" and the sleigh took off into the sky with an impossible mixture of speed and gentleness, magical sparkles trailing behind it-- exactly as any child would say it would look. After a moment, time began to move again, and Jack and Elaine found themselves staring at the starless urban sky.

Jack looked behind them and at the sidewalk where Eve and Santa had been standing just before the transformation began. "Look there," he said, pointing to the spots that had much less fresh snow that the areas around them, and in a few moments, they were covered and disappeared.

Elaine held his arm and leaned her head on him. "Oh Eve."

***

Santa flew Eve directly to the North Pole homestead. The sleigh was impossibly fast, and within less than twenty minutes, they were there. The place was protected from normal human contact, Santa explained to her, and it could not be found by any means-- not even Google Maps. The homestead consisted of what any school child might suppose it would: a farmhouse for Mr. and Mrs. Claus, a large stable for the reindeer, a large workshop factory, two long barracks for the elves to live in, --all made of pine wood-- and plenty of snowy yard space with a white and red pole in the center of it all.

After Santa landed the sled and drove it into the stable, he unhooked his reindeer and carried Eve to the elf barracks. "It's late," he said. "I'll take you to your room now, and you can worry about getting acquainted with the place tomorrow. You have too much to get used to already." Some other elves were milling about, and seemed curious about her. They came in various shapes and sizes and looked strange to Eve, but she knew that meant that she probably looked strange too. When he got to the door, Mrs. Claus opened it for him. It could not be anyone else-- she looked the part perfectly, with her white bonnet, red dress, and white apron.

She was as kind as anyone would imagine her to be, and seemed very pleased to meet Eve. She led them to a room on the second floor and opened its door. It was a small room, built especially for an elf; Santa had to stoop to put her inside. The room was longer than it was narrow and looked like a single-person dormitory in a college, but even smaller. The floors, ceiling, and walls were all pine wood, like the rest of the building, and all that was inside was a bed with a quilt and pillow on it, a simple wooden nightstand underneath a square 4-pane window with red drapes, and a large mirror on the wall.

"This will be your own room for as long as you are here," Mrs. Claus explained. “Tomorrow morning we’ll let you get used to things around here, and then we’ll start you off with some beginner’s work.”

Eve complied instantly. “Oh, OK.”

“Will you be OK tonight?” Santa asked.

“Uh… yeah,” she nodded back. “I’ll be fine.” She thought for a moment. “Wait, how do I change my clothes?”

Mrs. Claus smiled at her, but with a bit of mischief in her eye. “You don’t need to. The clothes you have don’t come off, and they never ever get dirty. I know it seems confusing now, but you’ll understand it better soon.”

Eve did look confused by that. “Oh. Well… OK then. Good night Santa. Good night, Mrs. Claus.”

“All right.” Mrs. Claus smiled reassuringly. “Good night, Eve.”

Santa closed her door for her. “Sweet dreams.”

She heard them walk away. Now she was alone, and able to ponder her situation.

There was a mirror across from her bedside, and she looked at herself in the moonlight. It was the first time she had been able to really look at her new form, and it took her breath away. She was too cute, just like Elaine had said. She looked as if she was wearing some make-up, which she never wore, and she was short and fat yet clean-looking, in an unreal way. She barely looked like herself at all. So this is what St. Nick meant about her having “too much to get used to already.”

It was the clothes that bothered her most of all—they were feminine and in an outdated way. What Mrs. Claus had said was true: No matter how much she pulled on them, the clothes would not come off. She could not even remove her hat from her head or the shoes from her feet. Her long socks didn’t feel too tight, but they were stuck to her as if they had been glued on, and she could not see where they ended; they seemed to go all the way up to her waist, but she couldn’t see that part. Her dress and underwear seemed to be sewn together in one piece, like a bathing suit, or leotard. She didn’t feel at all like she had to go to the bathroom, but it didn’t appear that she could if she did. She rubbed her belly, and although she still felt like flesh and blood, she could also sense that her body wasn’t at all what it used to be even on the inside.

Observing her reflection in the mirror, she felt a sudden flash of anger. She wasn’t angry at the Clauses or anyone else that she was stuck this way, but she was frustrated and felt confined. She looked cute and doll-like in these clothes, and she wanted them off. She tried to tear at her dress, and even tried to undo the stitching of the flowers on its hem, but found that it was, as she had suspected, invincible. She remembered the possibility that she might be trapped in these clothes for the rest of her life, and shuddered. “No, no!” she said under her breath. It was humiliating. "I want to go home!”

The instant the words came from her lips, she was ashamed at how childish she sounded, and her tears stopped. The thought of going home didn’t make her feel better. What good was she to anyone there?

Very suddenly, her anger subsided, and her body felt less like it was being fettered by her dress, and more like it was being hugged by it. She sat on the edge of her bed and looked at herself. She still didn’t like being trapped in her new body, but she was all right with the fact that she didn’t like it.

She smiled at herself painfully. "Humiliation... Humility. I see." She lifted the quilted blanket on her bed and slid under the sheets. As she did, she noticed that her stocking cap felt loose, and she took it off. Nothing else would move, but apparently she could remove her hat while in bed, yet not when she was out of it. She got up out of bed, and without even thinking, she put it back on again. "Oh!" She was sure that she had not meant to do it, and with a sigh she accepted that she was utterly enchanted, under the control of strong but benevolent magic. That she didn't need to sleep with her hat was good enough, and pleased by this tiny surprise release, it was not long before she was finally calm enough to sleep.


2.
Elf Life

Rather than starting work straight off the next day, Eve spent some time with the elves remaining at the barracks, getting used to the lay of the land. The reason why Santa Claus and his elves existed was mysterious, and not even the Clauses seemed to know why it worked as it did. It was known that the elves used to make toys, but at some time, they switched to doing charitable work. It has always been true that elves and reindeer were all people who had once been human, for rather than divine beings doing the work, it had to be humans helping other humans.

There were no rules or laws for Elves to follow and no such thing as punishment, not because they were free, but because it was literally impossible for elves to do anything they were not allowed to do. When Eve first heard this, she didn't understand what that meant, so the elf she was talking to told her to try to swear. When she tried to say some foul words, her throat and mouth paralyzed themselves, and she couldn't speak at all until she decided to say something else. As bizarre and invasive as this was, it was also relaxing, for they did not need to be afraid of doing wrong even by accident or worry about bad habits. Their human free will was partially suspended, although their minds and personalities were completely unaffected and they remained the people they had always been. The only mental effect they experienced were low-key but pervasive drug-like general changes in mood, bringing calmness and contentment. In other words, the "Christmas Spirit."

The elves did not have a single uniform, and each one looked different, albeit, following the usually garish myriad traditional depictions of Christmas elves that had been imagined in different cultures over the years. Since they were magical garments, they could not get dirty or tattered or even wet as they walked in the snow. As Eve had learned, Elves could not remove their own clothes, both literally and figuratively imprisoning them. They could take off their hats in their bedrooms, but only there and only that. The clothes were appropriate for elves but purposefully humiliating, to remind them that they were servants. Paradoxically, the elf garb was also silly enough that they could not take themselves too seriously, and the levity was welcome and helpful.

Physically they were all different as well, although they all had an unreal, almost toy-like quality to them, as they were magical beings rather than completely flesh and blood "living" creatures. They did not even need to perform certain human biological functions, which was fine considering that they couldn't take their clothes off. Since ideas about them varied worldwide, elves came in all shapes, sizes, and proportions, and each elf's appearance dependent on what that elf needed to look like. It was a mysterious mixture of many factors with no clear explanation, colored by emotion. They became what they really were, or what they wanted to be, or even what they feared becoming. Despite even the latter, the elves were usually not unhappy with their elf forms, and some of them loved the way they looked.

All of them enjoyed the health plan: elves did not ever get sick or hurt and did not need to be fed regularly, eating only occasionally when Mrs. Claus made cookies or other treats for them. They did require sleep, but only a brief four hours; it was likely meant to rest the mind rather than the body. They weren't immortal, but did live a long time. The very few elves who received tenth-year letters consigning them to remain elves for the rest of their lives did age and pass away eventually, but often lived to be over one-hundred years old and did not experience infirmity in old age. They grew old in appearance only, and, one day, they simply became tired, went to sleep, and turned to disappearing magic dust, leaving nothing behind.

Most of them did get letters to go back eventually, and when they did they looked exactly as they had the day they left, not aged a bit. They could choose to refuse to an invitation to become human again, which had happened a few times, and was a permanent decision whether it had been ten years or not. It was also not impossible to be elfed again later, but the second time around the transformation was automatically permanent. This way, the same people could not be constantly called and sent back.

The letter to go home would literally fall from the sky, in an ornate shiny silver colored envelope-- or gold if it was a tenth year letter. When and why they would get letters was determined mysteriously and not even Santa seemed to know how elves were selected and returned; usually they would be there a couple years, and it was very rare for them to be there less than a year. No elf or deer was there for punishment or needed to feel that they were, having been brought there under various positive circumstances. Many of them wished to improve themselves, others had problems they needed to escape, others simply wanted the pleasure of doing good, and some seemed to be there for no reason whatsoever. Regardless, none were angry or overwhelmingly sad.

Most of them were a little, tiny bit sad, though. It was a generally happy and trouble-free existence, but almost all the time, and especially at night, Eve and most other Elves longed to return home and be human again. Life as an elf or reindeer was good, but it wasn't quite as "real" as real life; without the free will responsibilities and risks of humanity, it didn't feel as natural, since they were all actually still human. Their little rooms were designed (by whom, no one knew) with a wicked sense of humor, for the mirror in every room was directly across from the bed, so when elves woke up and went to sleep they would have to look at their strange bodies. If the reminder felt too cruel, an elf could choose to remove the mirror and lean it backwards on the wall, which very few did. Eve liked her mirror where it was, and was fearfully fascinated with her appearance. There was hardly a night that went by that she didn't pray for her family's well-being, partly afraid that if she ever forgot them, they might forget her forever.

Although it was painful for elves to remember what they were before, it was a pain that they needed to hold onto, a pain that was an inexplicable source of joy while maintaining its sting. For Eve, being away from her family made her aware of how much they loved her, and how much she loved them. She was deeply regretful of every time she had raised her voice at them or neglected to call her parents. She wanted to see and touch them again, a yearning she had rarely felt before as a human. Yet she also worried that even if she became human again, she might go back to her old habits, in which case, she would prefer not to. That's when she would remember Elaine's voice in her mind. "[i]Never think that! You come back, all right?"[/i]

Those who were made to stay permanently were often also people whose lives were not better before, and there was little to be sad about. The good things that elves did made it all worth it. Elves were responsible for a variety of good deeds, over all the earth ranging from mundane to heroic. They built homes, made food in shelters, gleaned and redistributed unwanted good food meant to be thrown out, fought crime, cleaned up trash and toxic wastes in the environment, cleaned people’s homes, fought fires, re-painted lines in church parking lots, and many other such tasks. They even buried the neglected dead.

On the Claus homestead itself, elves did some work despite the cessation of their toy manufacturing operation. They made some toys and art for people, some custom carpentry and parts for homes, baked a variety of foods, knitted blankets and clothes, and so on. These items were most commonly distributed to the needy without electricity or people in countries were such handmade things were still valued- (made in the style of that culture, of course). The labor of the elves did not take away from possible jobs for humans, for no one knew that they work they did existed or could pay for it even if they did.

The prevalence of consumer capitalism in the modern age did mean that time spent on such things was usually better-spent on charitable labor, though, so most raw materials or things that people needed were taken pre-made. For example, winter coats could be procured and delivered much faster than sewing them. Since modern materials and things were needed, the elves simply took things from stores and used them. It would be stealing except that the owner would never notice they were gone, and neither would their spreadsheets or anyone else's.

All people who became elves were surprised at how they had never in their lives known what elves were doing even though they had been doing it their whole lives. Magic prevented awareness of their presence in the same way it obscured their absence as humans. If Elves built a house, it would appear on record as public state housing as if it had be commissioned, and any inspections concerning its origins and city code always were blind to the history of the house. They simply did not notice that the place had no builders attributed to it and it didn't seem strange-- but elf houses were always perfect anyway. Even people who had once been elves were unable to perceive elven activity upon becoming human again, even though they knew elves existed, and even if they tried to look for them. It made returning to humanity bittersweet; all the more reason for good elf friends to enjoy each other while they could.

Sometimes elves would be sent to "patrol" areas to look for trouble or people in need. They were able to intervene only to help people, but without speaking to them or appearing to them. For example, if an elf kicked a mugger, neither the attacker nor the victim would see the elf, and assume he had been hit by something else. If an elf saved someone from drowning, the human would not even perceive a hole in the water where the invisible elf was, not even on videotape on the evening news. Such episodes would be remembered by the victims as usually the work of "luck" and occasionally "angels."

If elves tried to contact humans directly or indirectly, such as by writing a name on a wall, their bodies would freeze up before they could do so, not moving until they tried to do something else. This also stopped them from wandering off to attempt to see their loved ones during missions.

Reindeer transported Elves to and from work sites, with either two elves on their backs or pulling a sleigh (there were dozens of various sizes), and were also used as packing animals to carry goods. The reindeer lived in a large stable in stalls as one might keep horses-- with hay, water, and feed, but their gates were not locked and they could open and close them with their heads. These people were particularly deprived of their humanity, having become quadruped animals, but like the elves, they were generally optimistic and enjoyed being there, like elves were. The turnover rate for reindeer seemed to be higher, though, and far fewer of them remained permanently after ten years. The elves treated them the same as themselves-- after all, they were human-- and commonly brought them carrots or other vegetables as treats if they found any. During their time off, they often did indeed play reindeer games, and anyone was allowed to join.

Elves and reindeer worked very, very hard; after all, it was their primary purpose. Each day they worked about seventeen hours, with the remainder for sleep and socialization, which was not only a diversion but necessary so that they could learn from one another. Unless Santa or Mrs. Claus granted an elf rest for a special reason, there was no such thing as days off or holidays, even Christmas. Since elven bodies and brains did not fatigue, they were able to do this without too much discomfort. The ease and lightness of their bodies was one thing that was an improvement over their previous lives, and they were stronger and faster than the average man. They enjoyed their work and the sense of accomplishment that came from toiling selflessly for the benefit of others, as well as the strength that had been granted to them to do it.

3.
Making Friends

While working on various jobs around the homestead about two months into her elfdom, Eve met another elf who asked her if she was partnered with a work crew yet, and if she'd like to come with hers. Eve said yes right away, and they spent that evening talking about their previous lives with one another in a common sitting area of the elf barracks. Jessica was, for an elf, extraordinarily ugly-- but in an exaggerated and cute way. Her blond hair was curly but unruly, puffing out from underneath a green cap with a red feather in it. She wore a red dress with no sleeves and a tight green long-sleeved shirt, with green and red striped leggings. She was also very fat, even for an elf, and had two larger front teeth with a gap between them which showed even when her mouth was shut. After some other talk, she told her the story of how she became an elf.

"You know how like in high school there were these 'mean girls' who were popular and really awful?"

"Yes?"

"Well I used to be one of those people. I was in college and I was hanging out with a sorority including some girls who I had also gone to high school with. We were like BFFs. But one day I got elected president of a club that this other girl Carla wanted, so she made up some lies about me and got everyone to stop being friends with me. It totally sucked. She was supposed to be, like, my best friend ever. But I had planned for our club to like do this food drive thing for the local food pantry, and now no one wanted to do it. So me and my last friend Janet did it all, putting out boxes on campus and taking the food to the pantry ourselves. I felt a lot better, and I thought to myself, 'I wish I could do this all the time.' Outside the place, we met a guy dressed as Santa Claus-- in June, which is like really weird. So we asked him what he was there for and he told me he was the real Santa Claus, and that he was looking for new elves."

"Oh yeah." Eve said, knowing what was to come.

"He said, 'If you became one of my elves, you'd be working to help people all the time,' and he asked if I'd like that. I said yes, and so did Janet. Time seemed to stop and he made a sleigh land in the street without any snow. So then our clothes started changing and we started getting all short and stuff and I was all like 'Aaaah! Nooooo!' and Janet was all like 'Omighaaaaad!"" She laughed as she remembered it. "It was like really scary at the time but now it's really funny. Janet stayed skinny, but I started getting fatter. When it was over, I felt fine, and he took us here and I've been here for three years."

"Is Janet still around here?"

"No, she got to go home last year. I want to go back and see her, especially because she's waiting for me now."

Eve told her that her sister and brother in law were waiting for her.

"That's good," she nodded. "It helps if you know that someone loves you back home."

It seemed odd to Eve that she and Jessica were working together. In the "real" world, as humans, they could never have been friends, being such different people. But as elves, they got along all right, and Eve continued to ride with her; and after working all day, she spent the remainder of the evenings with her and other elves.

***

One terrible day there was a great flood in India, and thousands of people lost their homes. When such disasters occurred, many teams of elves were sent to help rather than one. It was one of the more awful weeks for being an elf, and they did the job of helping recover people and bodies from the rubble of a mudslide, as of yet too dangerous for humans. The victims could hear them and see them for the purpose of being found, but as soon as they got to safety, they immediately forgot how they got there. The human rescue workers simply attributed the amnesia to shock and assumed that they had dug themselves out.

Everyone was working hard, but Eve noticed another elf who was particularly energetic and seemingly desperate to save everyone he could, yelling out to them, and yelling at his fellow elves if he felt they weren't going fast enough. He had a serious face for an elf, with large eyebrows that always seemed to be arched downwards above large blue eyes and a very large pointy nose. His face almost looked like a cartoon villain’s, complete with a dark brown beard so thin it was as if it was painted on, but there was no such thing as a villainous elf; Eve thought he was fascinating. His clothes were decidedly un-evil-looking: dark blue over-alls over a long-sleeved shirt striped with two shades of blue, light blue socks with curly blue elf shoes, and a simple robin-hood-like blue cap with a feather in it atop his head.

Hours later, when it was time for her team to leave and their sleigh arrived to take them home and bring replacements; she whispered to Jessica, "Who is that guy?" He was still working at it, seemingly unwilling to give up.

"That's Leon. He's... intense. He works really hard, even for an elf. And he most often works alone. Been here a couple years. He keeps telling people that he's never going to become human again, like it's a goal or something."

"Oh. That's..." Unable to chose between the words "good" and "sad," she let the sentence trail off. She watched him pulling a large house beam out of the mud by himself, struggling with it. "Would it be all right if I stayed behind with him?"

"Sure," she giggled. "If you can stand him!"

Eve just looked at her quizzically.

"I mean--" she corrected herself. "He's really quite nice. He means well." She hopped up into the sleigh. "You sure you want to stay, Eve?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Good night, Jessica."

After they left and the new group got to work, she ran over to where Leon was. He had been too engaged to notice that Eve hadn't left or that other had come; he was entirely focused.

"Leon! I'm sorry I didn't ask first, but I decided to come join you."

"Good," he said, not looking up. "It's what we ought to do." He pointed to another beam stuck in the mud. "Can you pull that up? I think I saw something here."

She did, and just as he had suspected, there was a leg. "I can see it!" he exclaimed. "Let's dig it out!"

They moved enough mud and dirt to pull the body it out. It was a young woman. They both sighed.

Leon shook his head. "At least now her family can bury her properly." Taking opposite ends of the corpse, they carried it to the row of bodies laid out on drier land. And they went on, adding more and more. Eventually, they did find a toddler alive, protected inside an intact portion of a house. Two other elves helped them break open a hole in the roof and pull the child out.

Then it was back to finding more bodies. After a couple more tiring hours, both Eve and Leon stopped. In an instant they became stiff and would not move, frozen in place except for their heads and arms.

"What's this?" Eve asked, confused rather than scared.

Leon sighed. "Our limit. Now we have to go home and sleep. If it wasn't for this, I'd never stop, probably."

"Oh, I see." A brief silence passed. "So, you do this all the time?"

"Not all the time. Most of the time, though."

"Well... thanks for the motivation.”

For the first time, he really looked at her face. She was cute, like many elves were, but when she looked into his eyes he felt a little jolt in his nerves, and looked down at the ground again.

"It's just something I feel I need to do. Think of all the people we helped today. The work is what I love about being an elf, even when the work is hard. It feels like my life has meaning." He put a hand to his chest and sighed. "This is it. This is why I like being an elf."

Eve nodded. "Yeah, I think so too."

He smiled. "I don’t ever want to go back to being human again. I was nothing, then.”

Eve didn’t know how to respond to that, but in a moment, a reindeer flew in and landed next to them. "Hey, Leon! Burning the midnight oil again, I see." Now that their transportation was here, they could move again. "And look who's here too! It's Eve, right?" He had a French accent.

"Yes." she nodded.

"Is it?" Leon looked a little embarrassed. "Oh, I forgot to ask."

The reindeer laughed. "So you never bothered to ask. Typical Leon."

"And what's your name?" She asked the reindeer as they both got on his back.

"I'm Henri," he said. "I was in the team that flew you to the north pole on your first night, coincidentally."

"Oh, well good to see you again!" The event was by now a happy memory for her.

The two elves hung on to the harness on his back, even though there was no danger of them falling, as he trotted along the ground and jumped in the sky. They arrived at the homestead with impossible speed, and he let the off at the door of their barracks. They all said good-night to one another, and Henri went to his stable.

Before going off to his room, Leon thanked her. "It was good having some help tonight. Thanks." He shook her hand.

"I'm glad I worked with you tonight, Leon. I'd like to do it again." He was unable to think of anything to say for just a moment, and she smiled at him. "Now sleep, Leon." She turned and started walking to her room.

Quietly he said, "Good night, Eve," before doing the same as she.

***

Elaine and Jack were mystified and slightly disturbed that no one they knew, not their siblings, not Eve's parents, and seemingly not even the IRS could remember Eve. They were unable to remind anyone of her, either; whenever they tried to say something like "Don't you remember Eve?" or "Isn't there someone missing?" their tongues and mouths would not move and they wouldn't appear at all like they were trying to speak. If they tried to write it down or type it or even point to her in a family photo, their fingers would not move. It was as if their eyes gilded over her, not noticing her at all. They found it upsetting but also comforting in that her parents and the others were not worried about her or missing her.

Elaine and Jack did worry about her, and could talk about her and their encounter with Santa in private. Since they were unable to do anything but wait, it did not affect their day to day lives much at all, and after a while, Elaine only thought of her occasionally. Eve did have her problems, and it seemed to Elaine that perhaps Eve did need to leave, and comforted that she had not done so against her will. She was relaxed, but remained concerned.

He didn't tell his wife, but Jack thought about Eve almost every day.

One winter night, Elaine heard some noise in the master bedroom bathroom, and looked at her clock to see that it was almost 5am. Her husband came into the room, dressed in a sweater. She asked him, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go shovel Ms. Rietman's driveway. We got almost two feet last night. She's too old move it all herself today."

"Oh... that's nice of you." She was pleased to hear that, especially because it was not like him at all. "What brought that on?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just sort of felt like it." He patted her hip. "Go back to sleep."

4.
Partners

Eve and Leon did run into each other on and off, either working or not. Leon still usually pushed himself to his limit, but was also known to occasionally spend some leisure time on the grounds, usually after some coaxing from Henri. He wasn't the only elf who had ever needed to be forced to stop working, but such diligence was always voluntary.

It wasn't an inequitable prison camp where Mr. and Mrs. Claus were privileged taskmasters; by asking other elves what they knew about them, Eve learned that they too had restrictions upon them. Just like the elves, they had once been normal people, and they could not take their own clothes off. However, being married, they were able to disrobe each other. They could not travel for their own personal reasons with the sleigh, and never took time off. Santa was responsible for collecting, advising, assisting, and returning elves, while Mrs. Claus looked after them while they were in their barracks. She also sometimes cooked food for elves to deliver to shelters and shut-ins, but since her primary purpose was centered around the home, she left the Claus homestead rarely. This troubled Eve a bit, and one day she asked Henri and Leon about it.

"She looks so happy when I see her. How does she handle being so housebound?" She asked.

Henri laughed. "Don't be so dramatic. She looks happy because she is happy, much like I am. She loves her husband, and he loves her, and they love their job."

"But that's stone-age misogyny, to think that it's all right for a woman's very being to be defined in relation to her husband, and to be virtually chained to her home."

She looked at Leon. "You're a modern guy. Don't you know what I mean?"

He nodded. "I agree with you. Buuuut..." He paused. "That being said, just like the restrictions we have, Mr. and Mrs. Claus don't have a choice, and given that that's the case, it's not an issue of humiliating her as a woman. I think it's really romantic that she'd endure that, that she'd willingly give up everything she is for the man she loves, so they can do good works, and even delight in doing so. I'd be in love with her too if I were him and I'd do the same if I were her. She's a fine lady."

Eve thought about it for a moment. "That is romantic." She smiled at him. "I didn't know you were a romantic guy, Leon!"

"Yeah, I am!" He smiled broadly. "If I had ever found the right woman on earth, I'd have walked across hot coals for her.

"Maybe you can still find the right elf?" Henri asked with an arched eyebrow (which no normal reindeer could do).

"Heh, maybe. I dunno." Leon shrugged and looked at his feet. "I'm not the smoothest elf around here and... it's not like we could be intimate or anything."

Eve's brow pinched upwards and she smiled serenely. "Well, that's OK. You're my favorite elf."

Leon looked up at her face and his nerves jolted a little. She looked prettier than usual, and she was looking him in the eye. For a moment, he was unusually speechless. He searched his mind for something to say, and just went with, "Oh, Thank you." A brief silence passed before he realized that he meant it. "Well Eve... how about you come with me on missions if Jessica goes home?"

Eve didn't hesitate. "Of course. I'd love to."

***

One morning some months later, Eve, Jessica, Leon, and some other elves were playing Frisbee outside before going out for a job when one of them pointed to the sky. There was a tiny glint in the air, which wafted about with the wind. Some of them recognized that it was a letter. Eve had only heard of other elves returning home after it had happened, but had not yet seen a letter herself. They watched it float down, and waited to see whose it was. After a minute or two, the shiny silver envelope landed in the snow near Jessica, and she picked it up slowly. Eve and the other elves there ran to her.

Jessica looked at the front of it and began to jump up and down. "It is mine! It's got my name on it!" She laughed as she opened it, and took out a white paper card with silver calligraphy script. She read it quickly, and squealed. "I'm going home! I'm going home!" The other elves cheered and hugged her, some crying as they did. Eve was elated, but also knew that this was goodbye.

Jessica and the other elves brought the letter to the reindeer stables and looked to see if Santa was still there. It just so happened that he was, and when he saw Jessica he smiled. "Ho ho ho! Just four years! I knew you wouldn't be here long, Jessica!" He took the letter from her, and it dissolved into sparkling dust, which disappeared into the air. "All right, time to take you home."

She gasped as she felt herself get bigger, and stared at her hands as her fingers began to lengthen. The other elves, Eve included, watched silently with wonder as they saw their friend become what she had been as a human.

Gradually she got taller and taller, and as she did her proportions became less and less fat, as if she were a clump of dough being stretched out. Her clothes changed shape as she did, changing into a mundane blue jeans and pink t-shirt combo, and her red elven shoes became a pair of sneakers. The nails on her fingers got shiner and longer, with French tips and nail gloss, while her eyelashes too became longer and darker.

Her hair became long, straight, and blond, while the shape of her face became more oval and her teeth became smaller and straighter relative to her mouth. Her lips, which were not defined at all in her elf form, got larger and pinker until they appeared full and plump, while her ears became shorter and lost their points, seemingly sprouting silver hoop earrings. The hat disappeared from her head, into thin air, just as it had come.

When it was all over, Jessica was a beautiful young woman, and as Eve suspected, not at all the kind of person she would ever have gotten to know before becoming an elf. Yet she had, and was grateful for her help and friendship. She wanted to hug her goodbye again, but now she was about three times her size.

Jessica laughed and gave Santa a hug. "Thank you! Thanks for everything, Santa!"

He hugged her back. "And thank you too, Jessica." He patted her on the back. "Now it's time to go back."

They went to the sled and organized his reindeer team, and as he did, Jessica knelt down and hugged her elf and reindeer friends. "Oh, you guys seem so short now that I'm big! You're so cute!"

"You were cute too," one of them said.

Eve hugged her tightly, and said "Thanks so much for helping me, Jessica. I really appreciate it."

"No problem." She kissed her on the cheek. "Are you going to partner with anyone after I leave?"

Leon was standing a few yards away, watching. "I asked her to come with me," he said. "If she still wants to."

Eve smiled at him. "I still do."

Jessica laughed, "You two will be perfect together."

A couple minutes later, Santa was ready, and he took her hand and helped her up into the sleigh. She waved goodbye as the reindeer pulled it outside, and flew off into the sky. Eve and the others watched it until it could not be seen, and then began to get ready to leave for work. Leon took her hand. "So, you're partnering with me now, right?"

"Of course." She smiled at him. "Let's get to work."

He smiled too. "That's what I like to hear."


***

Leon rode most often with Henri the reindeer, and when they were not with a larger team, he and Eve rode him together. He had been with Santa since 1934 and was a Frenchman, complete with the accent even though those who did not know French understood him through magic. Eve became friendly with him quickly, and later learned that he had gotten a letter to return home, but chose to remain a reindeer instead. Eve was curious, and she asked him one evening why he would choose to be a reindeer for the rest of his life. He said it was because he felt there was more for him in Santa's stables than on earth.

At age 17, he became ill with tuberculosis, and lost the use of his legs as well as his lung capacity. He survived, but was told that he'd never walk again. However, with months of therapy and prayer, he eventually was able to walk again. A week later he went walking outside the hospital with the aid of a cane, still happy for the miracle. He thanked God for granting him the ability to walk again, and said aloud that he'd do anything for Him from then on. But what could he even do at all? He still could not ever run again, and could not join the army as he had wished to his entire life, as his father and brothers had done.

He met a man dressed as Father Christmas on a street corner-- which was odd, considering that it was spring. He talked with the man, and told him that he was glad to be walking, but regretful only that he could not repay the God who had made is possible. The man told him that he really was Santa Claus, and could grant him that wish, and make him able to run again too.

He felt a tingling all over his body, and his clothes vanished except for his underwear. "I was shocked!" Henri recalled. "But I could also feel the strain on my body lessening. I felt lighter. I did not know what to think, and simply stood speechless and frightened as I changed, and into what, I didn't know." His arms and legs became a bit thinner, and they grew dark brown fur. Two nubs poked painlessly out of the top of his head, and his nose and mouth began to push out from his face. He tried to speak, but suddenly did not know how to make words. He gasped for air instead, and the more he breathed, the easier it became, his lungs able to take in more and more air as they healed. "Being able to take a deep breath again made me glad along with the fright-- It had been so long since I had been able breathe!"

His fingers pulled themselves into tight fists which hardened and turned into split hooves. He stared at them as his arms got longer and he wondered what he was supposed to do with no fingers, but lost his balance in a few moments as his feet pulled themselves onto their tips as they too hardened and became hooves. He fell forwards on his new front legs, never again to walk as a man. His bones snapped all over his body, conforming to his new reindeer shape. His face pushed out more, his antlers grew higher and began to split to make more points, and his fur became thicker especially around his neck. His ears became large and furry, his neck got longer and thicker, and as it did his field of vision changed as his eyes became farther apart.

It was over, and he was an impressive caribou. His rack was grand, with a great many points going upwards, and some shorter points going forward. His fur was dark brown and lighter brown around his neck, with light tufts of fur around his feet. Santa asked him if he was happy with his new form, and Henri found that he was somehow able to speak. "I told him that I was glad to be in a healthy body, even if it wasn't human!" Santa called for his sleigh, and harnessed him to the rest of the team. The harness felt more comfortable than anything he had ever worn.

"He told me to run when the others ran, and when we did, I had never been so happy." He laughed as he told her. "I could fly! A few weeks before that, I couldn't walk!" After all the years gone by, there was still joy in his voice. After ten years of hauling and flying elves, he got his tenth year letter (which an elf opened for him, since he had no fingers) and it said that he was allowed to return to his human life. He did not need much time to decide. "When I got the letter, I thought, if I go back, I won't be able to run anymore. Truthfully, I won't be as much use back there as I would be here. So when Santa asked me if I wanted to leave, I said no. So I've been here since then. And I love it."

Eve smiled. "I love it here too."

Henri lowered his head. "Yes, but... even though staying for the rest of your life is nice... you do have something to go back to, don't you?"

She sighed and put a hand to her chest. "I do."

"I remember your family that night. They looked very worried about you."

"I know." She looked worried herself just thinking about it. "It's true that they won't remember me if I don't come back, but I'll always know that they had wanted me to."

"Then you must hope for it." He nodded slowly. "And believe that you can go back."

"I don't know. I don't know if I'm really good for them or not." Her eyes looked heavy. "The fact that I'm calmer here doesn't mean I'm better now. I was always friendly with people at work, people I didn't know, but I'd argue with my family way more often. They're the ones who really knew me."

"If that's true, your sister really seemed to love you."

"Yes. I'm grateful for that. I don't want to let her down... but I feel like I always do."

"Well, You've never done that around here." Henri said firmly. "You should think more positively. It can be difficult dealing with family compared to friends because you can't choose family."

"That's true... but I didn't have many friends either."

"If it means anything, I consider you a friend of mine."

She smiled warmly. "Thank you." She kissed him the side of his muzzle. "I think You're a good friend."

***

Jack and Elaine got into their car, and for a couple minutes, they just sat in the clinic parking lot, not sure what to do next. Eventually Jack reached for the ignition key, but then took his hand away and slumped back in his seat. "You know who I've been thinking about lately?" He didn't look at her.

"Who?" Her voice was weak.

"Eve."

She was surprised to hear it. The extreme absence from their everyday lives made the name feel distant, and Elaine had other things weighing on her mind at the moment. "Eve? Why?"

"Not long after we got married, after a dinner at your parents house, you were talking to Eve about how you wanted to start trying to get pregnant, and one of the first things she said was 'If you need help, you can use my eggs or have me be a surrogate,' because she said she wasn't going to 'ever have a family anyway.' Flippantly, like she didn't even have to think about it."

Elaine squinted as she searched her memory. "Yes... I do recall her saying something like that."

"When she said that, to be honest, I recoiled inside. I thought, 'How dare you doubt Elaine can have a baby, and why would I want your eggs?' But I shouldn't have." He kept staring ahead at nothing through the windshield.

She just looked at him, not sure where he was going with this, and a little surprised to be hearing it.

He continued. "Before we went to church, the night she was... the night she went away, just after you and her and your mom had a fight, she came out to the van while I was de-icing it. Since we were out of earshot in the driveway, I told her what I thought of her. I told her that she was a fat, ugly, lazy, selfish bitch and that she should be ashamed of herself. I was totally sure she'd start screaming at me-- I was looking forward to having a fight with her myself, put some sense into her, I thought. But she didn't. She just stared at me blankly, got really quiet, nodded slowly and said 'all right.' Then she got in the car, and mentioned it to no one."

Elaine turned towards him. "This is the first I've heard of it. It she didn't tell me."

"Of course not-- she wasn't the kind to 'tattle' on people. She also didn't smoke or drink or hit anyone, either, but that didn't matter to me, did it? I didn't apologize. I felt totally vindicated, and actually pleased with myself for telling her off. I forgot about all about how kind she could be. I forgot that she had a degree and a steady job. I forgot that she'd said she'd give birth to a child for me." He sighed with mild frustration and leaned his head on his fist with his elbow on the armrest. "Maybe she did need to go, but still... if I had been a bit more tolerant of her, maybe she wouldn't have been taken away, or maybe if I had said goodbye to her properly when she left she'd be back already, and then, perhaps," He looked at her. "We'd have a baby now."

She sighed deeply. "Oh, Jack, I know that Eve could be difficult sometimes, but who could've guessed what would happen to her that night? I don't blame you for that."

He looked her in the eye. "And I don't blame you for this." He shook his head. "Nobody's getting blamed for anything here." They looked at each other silently for a few seconds, and then he leaned forward and hugged her. She hugged him back. "I love you, Elaine."

"Jack..." She squeezed him tightly. "Jack... "

"You've done nothing wrong."

5.
When Leon Became an Elf

One night Leon and Eve returned to the Claus homestead after a long day working to reinforce a levy with sandbags. Leon looked tired, which was extremely unusual for him. Eve asked him about it, and he denied that there was anything wrong. She insisted, and told him that she could tell there was something bothering him. He admitted that the town they had helped to protect that night was a place he had once lived when he went to college. Eve had never asked before how he had become an Elf-- it had simply never come up-- and tonight seemed like a particularly good time. They went to her room to talk about it, and sat on her bed.

***

He was an executive for a retail clothing company, and was known for being mercurial and having a short tempter. It wasn't unusual to be this way in the business and to some degree was even admired for these traits, but he was unpleasant to work with. He looked the part too: thin and pale with a short beard, dark brown receding hair, icy blue eyes, while always wearing a suit and tie.

Yet after work he went to church on the weekends and made donations to various causes. [i]"But they were all tax-deductible, of course," he added. He had been married for about two years at age 34, but that only last two years. "She said I spent too much time at work, which I did. She didn't work at all, and spent my money a lot. When she started living with me she
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