Free Collection of Stories for Demented Children by John H. Carroll Page A

legal paperwork. Please forgive me for the oversight.”
    “It doesn’t matter. No one’s changing the
contract,” Jarlen said with a smirk. “The sugar plum fairies need
to go back to dancing and you need to visit the good little boys
and girls, Santa. Oof!” The last word came when Mrs. Claus whacked
him in the side of the face with her broom, slamming him into the
door, where he fell unconscious again.
    “That’ll be enough of that!” Santa’s wife
said. Everyone looked at her in amazement. “I wish I had known
about this enchantment earlier. I’d have done something about it
sooner.” She turned to Zannae. “Can you print that binding spell
out?” Zannae nodded and did so quickly. Mrs. Claus picked the paper
up off the printer and set it on the table. “Everyone be quiet
while I fix this.”
    They watched as Mrs. Claus began an
incantation. Her voice took on an eerie quality and her hands began
to glow as she moved them around gracefully above the paper. The
designs on the paper glowed the same colors that her hands did.
Suddenly, the paper burst into red and green flames. A moment
later, it disintegrated.
    “It’s done. The sugar plum fairies are no
longer bound to their contract,” Mrs. Claus declared. She wiped
sweat off her forehead and leaned on the table tiredly.
    “That was a great deal of magic you’ve used,
dear,” Santa said as he went over and took her into his arms.
    “We’re free!” Araedae declared triumphantly.
All three fairies flew up into the air and met in a spinning hug.
“No more skimpy outfits in the snow!”
    “You mean you don’t want to wear
those outfits?” Mrs. Claus asked wearily from her husband’s
arms.
    “No!” Araedae answered emphatically. “We
have to because of that stupid contract. We have to dance all
winter without any breaks. The cold and snow gives us
sugarbumps.”
    “Sugarbumps?” Santa asked. “Do you mean
goosebumps?”
    “No, we’re fairies. Goosebumps would be too
big for us and that’s a silly name anyway,” Zannae pointed out.
“We’re sugar plum fairies, so we get sugarbumps.”
    “Well I suppose that makes sense,” Santa
replied. “I want to tell you again how sorry I am. I didn’t realize
the elves had made such a terrible contract and bound you to it.
Let’s take care of it right away and then I have presents to
deliver! Ho, ho, ho!”
    Another Sugar Plum Fairy zipped in suddenly.
“Araedae! We’re out of sugar plums and I don’t think we can hold
off the elves anymore!”
    “Call off the attack! We succeeded!” Araedae
declared triumphantly.
    The newcomer did a spin in the air.
“Woohoo!” Then she zipped off just as fast as she had come in.
    “Attack?” Santa asked with a raised
eyebrow.
    “It’s alright, dear. They got the elves
messy with plum juice and knocked a few out with sugar cubes,” Mrs.
Claus explained. “Now, little fairies, what are your demands?”
    Araedae ticked off the list on her fingers.
“Sugar Plum fairies are to get paid in chocolate from now on. We
weren’t getting paid at all, you know.”
    “I did not know that. Shameful,” Santa
replied with a shake of his head.
    “Each of us will get a spa day every other
week.” Araedae knew they wouldn’t go for that, but they had to make
at least one outrageous request so the other side could bargain.
“From now on, we get to wear age-appropriate fur coats and
leggings.”
    “But we get to keep the tutus and stockings.
Sometimes fairies like dressing up super cute,” Sydae
interjected.
    Araedae nodded. “Yes, definitely. Also, we
want hot chocolate breaks a few times a day. But most importantly,
we don’t want to have to spend all winter at the North Pole
anymore. Sugar Plum Fairies like warm climates with no snow.”
    “Those are all very reasonable requests,”
Santa said with a nod. “I agree.”
    “The spa days every other week are not reasonable,” Mrs. Claus said, putting her hands on her
hips.
    “You should give Mrs. Claus a