Trouble in the workshop!

Chapter 1- 21 days left

*This is the first chapter from my book. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I will post the link when it is available for sale!

21 Days Left

The workshop bustled with activity, the voices of the elves bouncing happily around the room over the noise of the machines that hammered and whizzed to produce a steady stream of toys.

A bell chimed through the intercom and everyone immediately stopped working to gaze at the small white box on the wall.

“Twenty-one days until Christmas!” a voice laughed over the speakers, echoing throughout the workshop. Despite the ever-increasing workload the elves worked as hard as possible each day so that the big man in the red suit could deliver all the presents on time. “We are nearly there now. I want you all to keep up the good work and make this the most successful Christmas ever. Ho, Ho, Ho!”

The bell chimed to indicate that the message was finished. The noise rose to full volume again as everyone returned to work and the machines throttled into full power.

In the corner closest to the door one elf stood all on her own, staring down unhappily at her new uniform.

Each elf wore a red and green-striped tunic which was tied at the waist with a red plaited belt. Their shoes were curled up at the ends, and their hats stood up straight on their heads. The small white baubles bounced on top and the bells on the tunic jingled as the elves skipped to each station.

The lone elf searched for the only person she was familiar with. “Penderel, what am I supposed to do?” she asked in a whisper. She stared down at the floor and slowly counted the pale blue tiles as she awaited the response.

Ruby had just graduated from Elf Academy and was now moving into the workshop to help in the preparation for Christmas Day. Ruby was so nervous that she could feel the shivers as they ran up her short body. “What if I’m no good at being an elf?” she asked, although her first question had not yet been answered.

Penderel laughed as she looked at her younger counterpart. She remembered her first day in the workshop and how nervous she had felt. She had come far since then and was now the workshop manager. She could not imagine having a better job. She was certain that Ruby too would love her career in the workshop once she had settled in and made some friends.

“Don’t worry your little head about that! I’m sure that you will be a brilliant elf!” Just as Penderel was about to continue, a distant rumble sounded and a candy-striped train pulled up beside the young bewildered elf.

The driver looked curiously at the newest recruit; usually recruits arrived much earlier in the year so that they would be trained before the busy season.

“To ease you in, I’m going to give you the easiest job in the entire workshop,” Penderel said, trying to assure Ruby, but it only increased her worry further. “All you have to do is gather the crates filled with the toys at the end of each elf ’s work station. Then place them into the carriages. Once it is full, Dexter will transport them to the sleigh.” She pointed to the train driver as she spoke. Dexter half-smiled at Ruby as she attempted to retain all the information that was being thrown at her.

“I guess...I could do that …” Ruby gulped.

Penderel laughed and patted her lightly on the back. “If you have any problems just ask Dexter or myself and we’ll help you out.” She felt that she should stay with Ruby longer to make sure she was comfortable, but with only three weeks left until Christmas she had a huge mountain of work to do and no time for delay.

Dexter walked over towards Ruby and reached out to her quivering hand. His handshake was too firm for Ruby’s liking, and something about him made her feel slightly uneasy. Ruby quickly pulled away her hand and his own hand fell back to his side.

“Come on, we better get some presents into the train before Penderel kills us.” He emphasised the last three words to see how she would react. Just as he had expected Ruby shook almost violently and her pupils widened with fear. She had originally thought that Penderel was a lovely person, but what did she truly know – she had only been here for an hour.