Cat 216: Christmas Elves

Chapter 216 Christmas Elves

The brat was sitting on a chair. The shopkeeper hadn’t tied him up or restrained him, and had even given him a never-ending lollipop—probably the reason he hadn’t left, since no matter how much he licked it, it never ran out. Why did the shopkeeper keep this troublemaker around, rather than shrinking him like the others? Did pity for children stay his hand?

Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo climbed from the child’s toes, which nearly touched the floor, up onto the tops of his shoes. His shoes were filthy, caked in mud—it was anyone’s guess where he’d picked them up. Then again, it said a lot: this child probably had no adults watching over him. Otherwise, how could he still be here unclaimed at this hour, especially today of all days—Christmas.

He was a blond, blue-eyed boy, his face sprinkled with freckles. Maybe from sitting too long, he was starting to grow drowsy; the speed at which he licked the lollipop had slowed.

Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo crawled from the boy’s thigh to his shoulder, then from his arm—leaned against the chair—to the tabletop.

Chu Mo said, “He looks about to fall asleep.”

Yan Jiyun replied, “But he’s not completely out of it. Still, dancing in front of him really feels idiotic.”

Chu Mo said, “Whether it’s stupid or not, we have to dance. Qi Feng and Qi Yunchu aren’t around, so who will ever know we pranced around here like morons?”

Yan Jiyun gritted his teeth. It was a choice between disgrace and disgrace; either way, it was the same. Putting on a look of tragic resolve, he bent his elbows. “Let’s do this!”

With a sense of no return, the two linked arms and spun circles atop the table.

Chu Mo asked, “This way, to the left?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Get into the rhythm a bit; as it is, it’s a mess.”

Chu Mo grumbled, “Hell, I didn’t even do this kind of stupid dance in kindergarten!”

Yan Jiyun retorted, “You think I ever randomly start dancing? I’ll count us in—one, two, we both spin left, or we could try holding hands instead? I learned two steps on a trip to a minority area once.”

Chu Mo nodded, “Fine, you keep the beat.”

Yan Jiyun tugged at his sleeve, “Here, to the right. One, two, kick! To the left, one, two, kick.”

They actually looked the part for a moment.

The two tiny figures in Christmas outfits danced before the child, their antics banishing his sleepiness.

He even forgot to lick the candy. Flattening himself across the table, he stared, unblinking, at the dancing pair.

He rubbed his eyes, and rubbed them again, but they hadn’t vanished!

What was this? Santa Claus? But they had no beards, so not Santa Claus. Then—they must be Christmas elves!

He darted glances to the left and right. The shopkeeper was busy at the other end, distracted by something. He could see the elves on the table; the shopkeeper clearly could not.

Afraid of alerting the shopkeeper, he ringed the two tiny elves with his arms, as if claiming his discovery.

Yan Jiyun said to Chu Mo, “He’s finally noticed us.” Only after their legs had grown sore from dancing—this kid’s eyesight was truly appalling.

Chu Mo said, “If I have to keep dancing, I’ll cramp up. I’d sooner do fifty pull-ups.”

The child couldn’t understand what they were muttering, so he leaned in and whispered, “Hey, are you elves? Did you come to celebrate Christmas with me? Will you give me a Christmas present?” Gift basket.

Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo exchanged glances. Showtime!

Though the brat was slow to catch on, he’d filled in a very reasonable backstory for them on his own.

Chu Mo whispered, “Can he hear us?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Should we try shouting? Or climb up to his ear and speak—surely he’ll catch that.”

Chu Mo nodded, “I’ll give it a try.”

He moved nearer to the boy, waved both arms and feigned delight, then called out, “Hello, we are Christmas elves, here to wish you a Merry Christmas!”

The brat grinned from ear to ear. “Amazing! I knew Santa was real! Will I see Santa tonight? Will he secretly bring me a present?”

Chu Mo cleared his throat and kept shouting, “He will!” Talking to the brat was exhausting; he turned to Yan Jiyun and said, “We’ll take turns. My voice is giving out.”

Yan Jiyun agreed. The next time the brat had a question, it’d be his turn to answer—but the kid just kept grinning at them, silent.

Chu Mo grumbled that it wasn’t fair.

Still, they weren’t here to play elves for real.

After being enchanted for a while, the brat finally asked, “How did you get here?”

Yan Jiyun replied, strong and clear, “We came through a rift in time and space. At the appointed hour, we appear to bestow blessings on all children. You are the one thousand and first to receive a blessing today. But—could you help us?” He saw no need to beat around the bush with a child.

The brat beamed, “What can I do to help? I’ve never met an elf before—I’ll never forget this!”

Yan Jiyun thought, Just as well. Pointing at the staff break room, he said, “A friend of ours got lost and wandered into that room. But after giving out so many blessings today, we’re utterly exhausted—too tired to fly, and too drained of magic to open that heavy door. Could you help us open it? We’d be very grateful.”

The brat nodded vigorously. “I can!”

Who knew he’d be so easy to fool.

Neither Yan Jiyun nor Chu Mo felt much guilt; they understood that NPCs in this game world were rarely as docile as they appeared, and the word “brat” was in his very nickname. Who knew when he’d show his true colors?

Having agreed, the brat glanced at the shelves where Qi Feng and Qi Yunchu were making noise—hidden so well they remained unseen.

The shopkeeper came back to the counter. Afraid he’d spot the elves, the brat quickly swept the two into his pocket.

The journey from table to pocket—typical for a brat of his age—was rough, and Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo were nearly crushed to death before finally catching their breath.

Chu Mo couldn’t help but curse, “Little bastard, nearly throttled us.”

Yan Jiyun patted his chest to steady his breath. “Can’t be helped; we still need him to open the break room.”

Chu Mo just grumbled, “The shopkeeper’s back—think Qi Feng can lure him out again?”

But they hadn’t anticipated what happened next. The shopkeeper approached the boy and said, “So, have you decided to call your parents?”

The brat’s mind was still on rescuing his little elf friends; stubbornly, he replied, “I don’t know where they are. I don’t have parents.”

The shopkeeper was speechless. He’d faced down robbers and yet this little brat had stumped him.

But the brat clearly had wits, shifting suddenly to pitiful mode: “Uncle, I haven’t eaten all day. Could you buy me something?”

The shopkeeper eyed him for a moment. “Alright. I’ll get you milk and bread from the bakery across the street. But after you eat, you have to call your folks to pick you up.”

The brat even managed a convincing, “Okay.”

The shopkeeper left, taking his wallet and phone.

Chu Mo said, “This kid isn’t simple. Didn’t make a peep when the robbers had knives to them. We’d better stay on guard.”

Yan Jiyun nodded, “I’ve noticed too. If we weren’t truly stuck, I wouldn’t involve him at all. My guess is the shopkeeper isn’t really sparing him; he’s hoping to catch his parents and shrink them too.”

Chu Mo clicked his tongue. “None of these folks are easy to handle. Whatever happens, let’s figure out how to use the printer.”

Yan Jiyun said, “Qi Feng and the others can’t let the boy see them; he’s got something on his mind. My first game scenario—the main NPC was a kid, an elementary schooler, brilliant, whole family… met a tragic end.”

Chu Mo caught the implication. “I get it—seen plenty of clever kids, even as young as four, who knew how to pull tricks. Don’t worry—I won’t be fooled by his cherubic face. Besides, his head’s bigger than the moon, and you can see the scheming in his eyes.”

The boy probably helped out of curiosity. At his age, perhaps his circumstances had sharpened his mind—but some part of him must still yearn for magic.

As the shopkeeper headed out, the child checked the door and dashed toward the break room. Qi Feng and Qi Yunchu, hiding with their silicone wristbands, trusted Yan Jiyun to handle the task—he couldn’t let their dancing go to waste.

Click. The door opened. Still stowed in the boy’s pocket, Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo found themselves carried inside and gently set down.

The boy’s enormous blue eyes gleamed with excitement. “Where are your Christmas elf friends?”

Thanks to the boy, Yan Jiyun had achieved his aim: access to the break room. But there was only Wen Ye to be found, and he shot Chu Mo a covert look.

Chu Mo understood. He and Wen Ye had a signal. He shouted a few phrases, which, when Wen Ye heard, let him know not to reveal himself yet.

Yan Jiyun, too, called toward the doorway, using the new code he and Qi Feng had agreed on earlier: “Maka Baka! Can you hear me? If you do, answer!”

Outside the door, Qi Yunchu and Qi Feng were about to go in when Qi Feng stopped short at “Maka Baka.” “Wait.”

It was his and Yan Jiyun’s walkie-talkie code. If they needed actual help, Yan Jiyun wouldn’t use that phrase—it meant things were dicey, perhaps with the kid.

Qi Yunchu was puzzled. “Why not go in? This is the perfect chance.”

Qi Feng replied, “Something’s wrong.”

So the two crouched back beneath the shelves, biding their time.

The brat was thrilled at the idea of elf-hunting. Seeing the two elves unable to find their friend, he offered eagerly, “Let me help you! He must be lost.”

Yan Jiyun feigned innocent delight. “Yes, let’s search together—thank you so much.”

He wandered off deliberately toward the cage where the two robbers had been locked. The boy quickly noticed the covered cage, and, curiosity piqued, yanked off the cloth—there, inside, lay the slumbering robbers. His memory did not fail him.

“Weren’t these the bad guys who tried to rob the store?” the boy exclaimed. “Why are bad guys small now?”

Yan Jiyun, confident the robbers wouldn’t wake soon, fabricated an explanation: “Perhaps our brave friend did it as punishment for bad people.”

The brat took it at face value. “So, can you make me small too?”

Yan Jiyun replied sadly, “We’ve used too much magic today—can’t shrink you right now. Besides, if we shrink you, we might not be able to turn you back.”

After mulling this over, the boy concluded, “Better not, then. I’m fine as I am.” He excitedly popped the two unconscious men into his pudgy hand. “I’ll take them out—don’t want the shopkeeper to see.”

Chu Mo whispered to Yan Jiyun, “I think he wants to collect them—look at how excited he is.”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Let’s find a chance to vanish in front of him.”

The boy’s attention was easily diverted, and they inched closer toward the heap of Christmas plushies.

Just then, the doorbell chimed: the shopkeeper was back, setting down the bag and heading toward the break room.

Yan Jiyun signaled Chu Mo to hide fast.

They retreated, getting nearer to a cardboard box, when suddenly a hand pulled them inside.

It was Wen Ye. “Follow me,” he whispered.

The brat noticed too, and crammed the two shrunken robbers into his coat pocket.

The shopkeeper shoved the door open, grabbed the child by the collar. “Don’t run around. Eat your bread, then call your parents to come get you.” Impatience crept into his voice.

He noticed the cage had been uncovered and the robbers were gone. “Hand them over.”

The boy clutched his pocket. “No!”

The shopkeeper reached for him, but the brat being his stubborn self, fled clutching his pocket tight!

The shopkeeper chased after him, forgetting to shut the break room door.

“You little brat—keep it up and see what happens! So ungrateful!”

Yet, like a child who’s gotten a toy all to himself, the boy did not reveal the existence of the Christmas elves.

After a moment, with the shopkeeper and brat quarreling in the gift shop, Qi Feng and Qi Yunchu hauled the silicone wristbands inside.

While the giants were distracted, they hurried to complete their own task. Gift baskets.

Yan Jiyun and the others at once slipped out from behind the box. There was no need for a lookout—the giant shopkeeper was impossible to miss.

The five divided the work. Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo clambered up to the desk, hauling up the silicone wristband.

Many hands made light work; Wen Ye and Chu Mo dropped the band down. At last, the printer’s screen flickered to life.

Clear lettering revealed the machine’s functions!

At the same time, the shop fell silent again. In the end, the brat had been subdued by the towering shopkeeper.