Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (My Take on an Old Classic)

Chapter 3: A Visitor

A Visitor

Rudolph had reached an ancient glacier by the time Jack’s blizzard struck the Pole, giving him no choice but to find shelter in an ice cave at the glacier’s base.  His nose cut through the darkness in the cave, but it did little to light the darkness within his heart.  Sorrow and despair took up almost all available space in his mind, and the remainder was filled with thoughts of Karen.  He missed her already and he hadn’t been gone a full day, though the look on her face haunted him every waking moment.  The look of pure horror at what he had done, even though it had not been on purpose.

He curled up in a ball at the back of the cave, his pack under his head as a makeshift pillow.  He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the howling of the wind outside, but another sound captured his attention.  It was so soft he wasn’t sure he had heard it, but then it came again, slightly louder this time.  He pushed to his hooves and walked to the entrance of the cave, letting his nose act as a lantern.  What he saw made his eyes widen in shock, and he took several steps back as an elf that was half encased in ice limped into the cave.  His entire left side was frozen solid, and if you looked carefully you could see the ice slowly progressing over the rest of his body.

“What are you doing here?” Rudolph asked, “What happened?”

The elf sighed as he leaned against the cave wall, “Jack Frost attacked the Pole, turning everyone into ice sculptures.  I saw everyone being frozen before my very eyes, even Santa and Mrs. Claus.”  He coughed several times before continuing, “I was certain that Karen would be the last one frozen, but for some reason he took her as is and imprisoned her inside the factory.  My belief is that he wants to bait you into coming back so that he can freeze you both.  Please, you must find help and free the Pole.  You’re the only one who can save us.”

Rudolph turned away and sat down facing the wall, “You don’t want me to help.  I’d just mess things up even worse than how they are.”

“B-But you’re the only one who can help.  Everyone else is frozen.”  He glanced at his progressively worsening state, “I’ll be frozen before too long as well, leaving you as the only one who can save us.”

Rudolph stayed silent, sighing every couple seconds. When he didn’t hear the elf pleading with him anymore, he glanced back to find the elf had finally been frozen completely.  His expression was one of disapproval and it was almost as if his eyes still followed Rudolph as he moved over to the cave opening.  He stared into the blizzard and thought about what the elf had said.  If he was truly the only one free of Jack Frost’s icy hold, then wasn’t it his duty to do everything in his power to save them? 

He shook his head, “No, I won’t go back.  They’d be better off without me anyway.”  An image of Karen in an ice jail flashed across his vision, but he pushed it away, “She doesn’t want me to save her.  I’d just hurt others like I hurt Ace.”  He turned and walked back to his pack, “I’m just a useless freak with no chance of belonging anywhere.”  He kicked the pack against the wall and yelled to the ceiling, “WHY AM I CURSED TO BE ALONE WHEREVER I GO?!”  He hung his head and lay down as a tear fell from his eye, his breathing ragged and shallow as he closed his eyes.  He set his head on his front legs and tried to ignore the part of him that said to go back, though that single voice wasn’t alone for very long.