I Applied for a Delivery Job and Got Turned Into a Flying Reindeer?!

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One

"I can't believe it."

The sun was setting, but Justin had never seen Laetitia so awake. What seemed to be every living soul in the city had gathered outside of Celebration Hall, making the crowd from the other night look miniscule by comparison. Elves and reindeer either too old or too young to pull the sleigh were packed shoulder to shoulder in Aurora Square, their voices joining together as one to sing Christmas carols that Justin could hear even from the top of the hill.

"I'm really here," he whispered, eyes wide with childlike wonder. "This is really happening!"

It was December twenty fourth. Christmas Eve. A level of excitement that even the Reindeer Games couldn't match had hung heavy since the morning bell had rung. It had been a full day of celebration. Music playing on every corner, dancing in the streets. And the feasts! Lucas, Lena, and Willow, as well as Tanraak and Moryta, had dragged Justin to at least five of them over the course of the day—he was pretty sure there had been more, but he had lost count. Even when he'd said he was full, his friends had insisted that he keep eating, claiming he would need every ounce of energy he could get for tonight.

And so had begun the parade of food. Buttered rolls. Cranberry sauce. Stuffing. Mashed potatoes. Scalloped potatoes. Baked potatoes. Sweet potatoes. He had quickly learned that, when you couldn't eat ham, turkey, and other traditional Christmas meats, you replaced them with literal mountains of potatoes.

Sooooo fulllllll, he thought, his stomach still feeling like he had eaten an elephant. I'll be bleeding gravy instead of blood for a month!

And then had come the pies, the cakes, the cookies, the rivers of hot cocoa, apple cider, and eggnog. How the others had still managed to dance every time one of the predatory bands of musicians patrolling the streets had broken out into song, Justin had no idea. If he had taken even one step faster than a slow waddle, he...well, they would probably have dragged him back to the feasts they had just left.

And now, finally, the big moment was about to arrive.

The outside of Celebration Hall had transformed overnight. Now, rather than a path leading from the front door down to Aurora Square, a massive white platform had appeared. It stretched wider than the mansion itself, jutting horizontally out over the square below, before suddenly curving straight upwards just before it reached the tree.

And sitting right in front of the mansion...

Justin's heart began to race with excitement, his breath lodging itself in his throat.

"That's it," he whispered, "isn't it?"

"The one and only," Lucas said, nodding.

"Three thousand years old," Lena added with reverence in her voice, "and still as new as the day it was first made."

The sleigh. Painted a deep, regal red, with gold trim, and two gleaming bronze runners beneath. It was bigger than Justin had expected, nearly fifteen feet wide and more than twice as long. At the moment it sat empty, but Justin could see the leather reins draped across to lay on the driver's seat, and the huge compartment in the back where Santa's bag of toys would sit as they flew across the world.

Almost in a trance, Justin reached a hand forward, but then hesitated. It would be like touching Excalibur or the holy grail—something so legendary, so ingrained in the imaginations of millions of people, would surely burn a sinful mortal like him to ash if he dared to lay a finger on it. But when his friends gave him encouraging nods, he hesitantly pressed his palm against it...

Immediately, an intense wave of joy washed over him. He smiled, happy tears leaking from his eyes, and withdrew his hand.

It wasn't until later that he realized he didn't remember anything else about it. Had it been made of wood? Metal? Some other magical material that didn't exist on earth? Had it been warm or cold to the touch? He didn't know. All he knew was that the instant his hand touched the sleigh, the world had grown brighter.