Norbert’s Marvellous Book Emporium #5

Freddie saves Christmas.

Freddie was feeling anxious, and he knew something was wrong. “Mum, Mum, He needs my help, I have to go,” he shouted, but his mum wasn’t listening.

Freddie had heard his brother talking about Norbert’s Marvellous Book Emporium and decided to go with or without his mum.

Freddie’s mum was not sure about this, but she went along. Packing in his bag some sandwiches and a drink, they set off.

Opening the door to Norbert’s Marvellous Book Emporium, Freddie was in awe, the smells of old books, the sounds and sight of children scurrying around, so the right book could find them. The air was alive with laughter and joyous cries, celebrating the start of their new adventure found within the pages of whatever book chose them.

“Yes, Master Freddie,” Norbert said, “How can I help you on this cold and frosty morning!”

“I, err, I need to get to the North Pole, Santa needs my help” Freddie couldn’t make eye contact with Norbert; he looked down at his hands.

Norbert scratched his chin, “The North Pole, you say, we have several books on Santa, and I wonder which one will pick you?” Norbert held out his hand, and a book from the highest shelf started to shake; dust fell as it popped out between two others.

Freddie couldn’t see over the counter, so he rose on his tiptoes. A book swooped down towards them. Freddie’s eyes widened in amazement as the pages fluttered like an angel's wings. It landed in Norbert’s hand, and Freddie grinned, “Awesome,” he whispered.

A teenager was standing at the end of the counter, looking upset. Norbert patted him on the shoulder, saying, “Sometimes it just isn’t your time, maybe, come back next week? And the right story will pick you.”

Turning around, Norbert took a bag from a shelf behind the counter, “Here you are, young Freddie, I think you’ll need this”

“Thank you. What do I do now?” He asked, taking the bag.

“Go into booth number one, (the out-of-order sign had gone). Take a seat and wait.”

Freddie hugged his Mum, “Don’t worry, I’ll be OK.” Sitting in the booth, he waved at his mum through the glass. The walls started to spin; he shivered as it started to get colder, and snow was falling on him. “This is Magical,” he said to himself.

The walls disappeared, and all he could see was snow, lots of snow, and a sign pointing to the North Pole. Picking up his bag, he started to walk. Moments later, Freddie heard noises coming from behind. As he turned, he could see two Reindeer dragging a sleigh. It stopped. “Freddie, is that you?” Santa cried out.

“Yes, yes, it's me,”

“Climb on, I need your help”

Freddie jumped on board the sleigh. “Strap yourself in, Laddie; it's going to be a bumpy ride.”

Santa called to the reindeer: "Go Vixen, Go Dasher." They took off quickly, pushing

Freddie got back into the seat. "I told you to hold on, Laddie." Ho, Ho, Ho.

The sleigh sped up, moving smoothly over the snow. When it was going at a steady speed, Freddie stood up, trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth.

Some miles later, Santa stopped the sleigh outside a big barn. “Come on, Freddie, I’ll tell you everything.” Both walked into the barn, inside were all the other Reindeer, resting on the warm hay, and the elves and Santa’s helpers were wrapping presents. The whole barn buzzed with excitement.

Santa sat down on a bale of hay; "Freddie, my boy," said Santa with a sigh, stroking his fluffy white beard. "We have a big problem!"

Freddie wiggled his ears and listened super hard.

"The Christmas Fairy has been stolen!" Santa whispered. "Stolen by grumpy goblins, they are hiding in the Crystal Caves on the other side of the snowy mountains."

"Oh no!" Freddie exclaimed, his expression turning serious.

"Exactly," Santa nodded sadly. "Without the Christmas Fairy on the top of the tree, Christmas will lose all its sparkles. And if Christmas has no sparkly, how will all the children have fun or presents on Christmas day?”

Determined to help, Freddie opened the bag Norbert had given him and took out a cloak. A hat, at the bottom, was a flashlight. Not wanting to wear them, he put them back in the bag. He tightened his boots and glanced out at the frozen river, “I will need two reindeer and a sleigh,” he said with confidence.

“This I can do, Comet and Blitzen are already to go, ho, ho”.

Freddie jumped up on the sleigh, took hold of the reins, “Well, we might as well get going,” He looked around to Santa, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring back the sparkle for all the children.”

Comet and Blitzen pulled with all their might against the strong winds. The sledge raced down the icy slopes, dodging snowdrifts and leaping over fallen logs. The wind roared in Freddie’s ears. Pulling to the right, then to the left, they soon arrived at the Crystal Caves. Jumping down, Freddie took a torch from the bag and made his way to the cave entrance.  

Standing in the Entrance, Freddie shouted, “Hey, Goblins, I have come to take back the Christmas Fairy.” He could hear giggles and laughter. “You don’t want to mess with me,” he shouted down at them.

“We’re not scared of you, little earth boy,” One of the grumpy Goblins shouted back.

Freddie walked further into the cave. He turned on the flashlight; shadows were flickering against the walls of glittering ice. Then the walls started to shake; Ice fell from the ceiling, showering Freddie.

Thud, Thud, Thud, Clang, clang, clang, he could hear footsteps coming from inside the cave; it was like a thousand men marching.

Freddie, searching for a hiding place, slipped behind a wall of frozen water. He pondered his next move as thudding and clanging sounds grew louder and nearer. Suddenly, the icy wall began to crack and collapse. As the wall disappeared, water rushed down. He thought, "What do I do, what do I do?” Then he heard a voice in his head. “Use the Cloak, young Freddie, use the Cloak” Picking up the bag, he took out the Cloak, wrapping it around his shoulders. He noticed his arms disappearing, then his legs, and then he was invisible. “An Invisibility Cloak, Wow.”  He said quietly. The Ice wall had now gone, and free-flowing water was in front of him, waving his arms in front of his face; all he could see was the wall of water.

“Come out, earth boy, we have you surrounded,” Clang, clang, clang, the chief Goblin shouted, still clanging his sword on his Shield.

“I can smell him,” one said.

“Not had an earth boy for a long time,” They all cheered.

With his heart pounding in his chest, Freddie summoned every ounce of courage and slipped out from behind the wall of water. Instantly, he was engulfed by a sea of Goblins, their weapons clanging in the eerie darkness. Holding his breath, Freddie crept silently through them. Suddenly, he saw the chief Goblin, who stood a foot above the rest. A battered bag slung across his back. Something inside the bag writhed and shifted. Freddie’s mind raced, “Could it be the Christmas fairy?” He clenched his fists. “I have to save her,” he steadied himself for the daring rescue.

Using all his courage, he untied the bag from around the Goblin's neck. Looking around, all the other goblins were focusing on the waterfall, stomping their feet and banging swords and spears on their shields. Freddie put his hand inside the bag, and the fairy started to wriggle, “Shush, little fairy, I’m here to help you.” 

Freddie stood motionless as the chief Goblin turned, beads of sweat trickling down his back. The fairy poked her head out and swiftly waved her wand. Instantly, every Goblin in the cave froze, some with their hands raised; others were balancing on one foot. “We have ten seconds,” The fairy said in a hushed voice.

Freddie opened his own bag, “quick jump in.”

“It’s OK, I can fly” With that, her tiny wings started to flutter. “Come, follow me.” The fairy headed for the tunnel. As they reached the end, the noise started again. Thud, Thud, Thud, Clang, clang, clang. “They must be awake, please hurry,”

Freddie ran until he reached the cave entrance, where he paused to catch his breath. A thick blanket of snow had recently fallen. “How are we supposed to move the sledge with so much snow?” He wondered aloud.

“Don’t worry; with Comet, Blitzen and my wand, anything is possible.

Freddie jumped on the sleigh and took hold of the reins. He held them tight and shouted, “Go Comet, Go Blitzen” The sledge jerked forward, but didn’t move, and again he shouted, “Go Comet, Go Blitzen.” The fairy was sitting on Freddie’s shoulder, “What shall we do?" He asked. “The Goblins have reached the entrance.”

The fairy flicked her wand, and the sleigh started to rise, “Hold on, Freddie, we're going up.”

As the fairy flicked her wand, a shimmering light surrounded the sleigh. The snow beneath it seemed to lose its grip.

 Freddie felt a tingling sensation in his hands as the sleigh began to rise. The fairy hovered beside him, her wings sparkling with every movement, and with another gentle wave, she made the sleigh float just above the thick snowdrifts. “We're off,” Freddie said as Comet and Blitzen started to pull the sleigh forward with ease, gliding smoothly over the snow.

Moments later, they were flying, “It won't take long to get back to Santa,” the fairy said as she settled back on his shoulder.

Look, I can see the barn!” Freddie exclaimed, steering the sleigh to the right. With a gentle pull on the reins, he guided them down for a perfect landing. As they touched down, all the elves and Santa’s helpers rushed out, cheering and applauding their arrival. 

Santa walked out of the barn. "Freddie, you're back, Ho, Ho, Ho," he said, holding his hands out. "Did you succeed?"

"Yes, yes, here is the Fairy. And now Christmas has got its sparkly back, and all the children will have fun and presents on Christmas day.”

Santa thanked Freddie, saying, “You’ve got the true spirit of Christmas, and a true adventurer.”

Freddie smiled, breathless but proud. He had crossed mountains, outwitted Goblins, to save Christmas, not with magic alone, but with courage and the help of the Christmas fairy.

And as the stars above shimmered, the wind whooshed around Freddie. He sat back and closed his eyes. Seconds later, he was back in booth number one.

“Master Freddie, how was your adventure?” Norbert asked.

"I had an amazing experience. I met Santa, raced across the North Pole, used an Invisibility Cloak, and rode on Santa's sleigh with Comet and Blitzen."

"Wow, slow down, young master Freddie,”

Freddie took a breath as he hugged his Mum, “And I outwitted some Grumpy Goblins that stole the Christmas fairy. I got her back, making sure all the children had fun and presents on Christmas day.”  

As Freddie and his mum left the shop, some men were putting up a ‘FOR SALE’ sign on the wall outside. “Mum, this can’t be right,” Freddie asked.

(To be continued)