Reindeer James

Chapter 6

"Hold still," Gabe said as he struggled to hook Ruby up to the loaded sleigh.

"Sorry, too excited!" The silver bells lining Ruby's harness jingled as she pawed at the snow.

James chuckled. She looked as antsy as he did whenever his mom made him put on a scarf and earmuffs before sledding. "The sooner you stay still," he said, "the sooner you can run."

Gabe gave him a grateful look as the reindeer stopped moving just long enough for him to attach the reins to her harness. "Atta girl," he said. "So, kid, you ever driven a sleigh before?"

"Dad's let me help him a few times." James climbed into the sleigh and took hold of the reins. The worn leather rested comfortably in his hands. "And my name's not Kid. It's James."

"Alright, James, I'm gonna give you a little crash course. Usually, your best bet is to stick to using the reins since reindeer can't always hear you well if the weather gets bad. If you need to do something complicated or super fast, don't hesitate, and don't worry about manners. YELL! Otherwise, she might not do what you need her to in time."

"Stick to the reins and yell. Got it."

"And remember, you're the boss. Reindeer are smart," Gabe said as he affectionately ran a hand through Ruby's fur, "but you are the driver. You need to stay in control. Otherwise, you will be in for a ride wilder than a blizzard."

Susie checked the pile of sacks loaded onto the back of the sleigh and brushed a stray sprinkling of flour off the bright red seat cushion. "I swear that stuff is worse than glitter," she muttered before flashing James a smile. "Thanks a bunch for doing this for me. I owe you one!"

"No problem! But, um, what's the fastest way to the bakery again? Gotta make sure we get there in time." James flushed with embarrassment as his stomach growled. By the time he got there, he'd need those cookies.

"Just follow the trail through Ornament Forest, and you'll be at the bakery in no time," Gabe said. "Try not to go too crazy on the sweets, alright?"

Before James could respond, Ruby yanked on the reins. "Let's get going!" she said as she sent the sleigh zooming down the path.

"Whoa!" James pulled back on the reins. "Take it easy."

Ruby slowed down a smidge. The sleigh creaked as the ingredients shifted in the back. "Aw, come on. Don't we need to get there fast?"

"Yeah," James said as he pulled a bag of sugar away from the edge, "but that won't do us any good if we don't make it there with everything."

Ornament Forest greeted them with the faint tinkling of glass in the wind. Fully-grown ornaments glistened like ripe apples on the needle-laden boughs while elves tended to the glass spheres that hadn't reached their full brightness yet. The woodland creatures harvesting the ornaments nibbled on candy as they worked.

A pure white rabbit bounced over to offer James a candy cane. Thousands like it hung throughout the forest, bending branches under their weight while still staying just out of reach of James and his growling stomach. When he was little, he and Clarice would spend hours smacking the candy canes against each other in mock sword fights.

Surely she'd understand if he let himself indulge for a moment.

Of course she would. Everyone was used to him screwing up. Even his own dad had stationed him where he couldn't possibly cause more damage than some ripped wrapping paper.