Amis Adieu - A Christmas Mystery

Ami Plays with Fire

I looked to my left, there was shattered glass and the wood floor was stained red. The air smelled of copper. I looked to my right, bits and pieces of fruit flew in every direction. Then there were birds, a swarm of tern birds tearing up the fruitcake with their beaks, launching it behind them. I looked forward. There were people, my fellow workers screaming and running everywhere. Knives were pierced into the walls of the dining hall. Their blades began to melt and the walls cooked with the heat of fire. Everywhere I looked was a burning jungle of madness. Where was Santa during all of this?

I looked up. Flames engulfed the ceiling. Beautiful yet terrifying plants of the workshop fell in front of me burning. It was hot. So hot.

I could hear voices. Everyone around me was yelling, "Fire! Help!" The golden warm flame engulfed the night sky through a hole in the roof.

And then there was me. Standing in the middle of the chaos watching the nightmare unfold. "I could really use Santa right now.." I thought to myself. "Where in the  north is he?" and more importantly--

"Where's Mal?"

. . .

Fifteen hours earlier.

"I overslept im so late!" I huffed while I ran up to the workshop main entrance. I was bundling a large load of boxes in my arms.

I yanked the doors open with one arm and squeezed in. I continued running towards the dining hall entrance on my left. 

"I'm late , I'm late!" said another boy with ginger orange hair, also sprinting towards the doors. We both ran with no regards for out surroundings until--

"BAM!" we fell back at the sudden collision of one another.

The ginger rubbed his forehead. "Ouch, watch where you're going!" he looked up to me, "Oh. Ami its you. Sorry about that" He walked over to me, who laid in my boxes whining. I looked up to my friend towering over me.

"sorry.."

Mal pulled me off the ground, we stood in the entrance doors of the dining hall and lobby. Mal looked at my large boxes. "Wow Ami, you seem to be carrying your fare-share of holiday pounds." he helped me pick up the mess.

"So tell me." Mal demanded. "What's in the boxes?"

I stacked them on top of one another. "Cleaning supplies." I looked over my shoulder to make sure no-one was elves dropping.

"Look at this." Mal watched me pull a paper out of my back pocket. The newspaper. I pointed to a small section. An advertisement.

Mal read the ad; "Don't got a place to celebrate? No need to throw a pity party! Rent a ballroom today!"

Mal clicked his tongue at the ads proposal. "I dunno Ami, seems kinda sketchy dontcha think?" We picked up the boxes and walked into the dining room together talking.
"Well i dont think its sketchy, there's tons of abandoned buildings all around the north pole." I stated. "Someone just found a way to make a business out of it." I pointed out one of the big windows. "You can see the one I rented from here." The ballroom was perfect, within walking distance and not too far from town.

Mal squinted out the window. "That's a ballroom? I always thought it was some weird hobo-house or somethin." he laughed. "Lemmie guess, the only catch is you have to clean it?"

I nodded. "Exactly"

"Still seems dangerous." We both bickered for a minute inside the dining hall.

"Santa gave me a budget, you know!" I blurted out. "I can't just rent the fanciest ballroom in all of Christmas Town!"

"You mean Santa gave us a budget."