Spero, Joe’s grandfather, and Joe climbed down from the sleigh.

“Take the sleigh and go hide,” Spero said to Levi David. “We don’t want to alert them to our being here. If we need you, I will call for you.”

“Where are we?” Joe asked, rubbing his hands together to warm them. An icy breeze sent chills right to his bones.

“This is the real nowhere land. It is a long way from everywhere else.” Spero said. “And this is where you begin.”

“Me?” Joe said. “I’m a bit confused. First, you guys pull this trick on me, making me think everyone’s forgotten me, then you tell me I have some special mission for Santa. Could someone, anyone, tell me why?” He folded his arms across his chest and waited.

“He is just like you, isn’t he?” Spero said.

“I told you he was, stubborn as all get out,” Joe’s grandfather said.

“Ah, I’m right here listening, you know.” Joe said.

Spero put his hands up. “Okay, you’re right. We owe you an explanation.”

*****

When the story was over. Joe stood in silence. Spero and Joe’s grandfather waited for it to sink in.

“So, I’m a, a what an elf? A kid? A freak? What?”

“What you are, Joe, is special.  Always remember it is not our differences that matter, we have a common purpose in living our lives. We are all just beings in the universe. You and I and a long line of people like us who were around for eons are here to protect the Spirit of Christmas from those who would take it from this world.

“Hard as it may be to believe, not everyone appreciates the true spirt. There are those who would want it gone from this world. Christmas reminds us of all the possibilities in life.

“It’s not the gifts themselves that are magic, it’s the wonder, joy, and imagination they bring. The act of giving, for no other reason than to see someone smile, is the most important proof of our humanity. But for that to happen, we must believe in the possibilities.”

Joe looked at his grandfather, then at Spero. “And I have to find this nowhere person and convince him of this?”

Spero and Joe’s grandfather nodded.

“Okay, I think we can handle this,” Joe said. “Let’s go.” He started to walk away, then stopped.

“You guys coming, or what?”

Spero nodded at Joe’s grandfather.

“Joe,” his grandfather said, dropping down on one knee and putting his hands on Joe’s shoulders. “You must do this alone. Whoever did this, this nowhere man, won’t appear to people like us. He’s certain, as people grow older, they forget to believe in magic. In many ways, he’s right. We could never get close enough.

“But he will not fear a child. He doesn’t think children really believe in these things. The saddest part is, he is also right about that. This world is changing. Kids spend less time using their imaginations. They are losing the ability to believe in possibilities.

“You have to get that back for them.”

Joe thought for a long moment. He always knew there was something different about himself. Some teachers would be annoyed at his not paying attention when he would be staring out the window imagining flying dragons, wizards, and trolls.

Even the ones that encouraged him had to reel in his imagination.

But he didn’t just imagine them, he saw them as if they were real. He often lived through these adventures and spoke to these creatures. The teachers would tell him how much they enjoyed the stories he would tell, but they never understood how real they were to him. Now it seems they were real.

In some ways, he knew this day would come.

“Okay,” Joe said, “a solo quest it is. Can you at least point me in the right direction?”

Joe’s grandfather struggled back to his feet, smiled at Joe, then pointed toward a bright star. “Follow that, young master, until you find what you seek.”

“What you seek? Young master?” Joe said. “You trying to sound like an adventure book character?”

“Is it working?” Joe’s grandfather said.

“Not at all,” Joe said.

Joe’s grandfather shrugged. “Ah well, okay. Go that way, I’m not sure the star will be any help.”

“Thanks,” Joe said, then walked over the ridge disappearing into the swirling snow.

“He will be okay, right?” Joe’s grandfather said.

Spero looked at the old man. “He will do as you and the others have done over the years. He will find a way. But we both know, it will not be easy.”

Tomorrow: A Being without Imagination

Joe and his grandfather stood next to the sleigh while Levi David and Wyatt James made some adjustments to things.

“Where are we going?” Joe asked.

“Well, I was hoping you had an idea on that subject,” his grandfather said.

“Me? How would I know…wait maybe I do.” Joe climbed onboard the sleigh and spoke to Levi David.

“You sure?” Levi David asked.

Joe nodded. “Almost certain.”

“Almost?” Levi David said,

Joe shrugged, then climbed back down to talk to his grandfather.

“What was that all about?”

“I told him where we needed to go first,” Joe said.

“And that is?” his grandfather asked.

“Nowhere,” Joe answered, a bit of a smirk on his face.

“Nowhere?” his grandfather said. “And where might that be?”

“Think about it. Where is the only place in the world where possibilities don’t exist?”

“I would say nowhere,” his grandfather said. “Possibilities are everywhere. But nowhere is not a real place.”

“Ah, but consider this, remember when we read the Sherlock Holmes books? What did Sherlock say about the improbable?”

His grandfather smiled. “Once you have eliminated the impossible, what remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”

“And what do we have? Someone took Santa’s ability to give the gift of possibilities. Possibilities exist everywhere. Yet Santa’s power to give the gift of possibilities is still missing. Therefore, there must be a place called Nowhere and that is where we will find whoever did this.”

His grandfather thought for a moment. “Here, let me have your cell phone.”

Joe handed it to him. “When you gonna break down and get your own phone?”

“I’m breaking down more each day. Why would I need to get one when I can just use everybody else’s?”

“What if I want to call you?” Joe asked.

“Nobody calls anymore. All they do is text and snipcheat.”

“Snapchat,” Joe corrected.

“Whatever, here,” he said, handing the phone back, “read this.”

“What is it?”

“Well, in keeping with the Sherlock Holmes theme, it may be a clue.”

Joe looked at the phone, scrolling through the webpage.

He’s a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody

He’s as blind as he can be
Just sees what he wants to see
Nowhere man, can you see me at all?

“What’s this?”

“A song by the Beatles,” his grandfather said. “I always knew they were inspired by some deep magic but never suspected just how powerful. They wrote this decades ago, must have seen the future.”

“What does it mean?” Joe asked.

“It means, my boy, you are right. There is a nowhere land.”

“Ready,” Levi David said.

“You know how to get to nowhere?” Joe asked.

Wyatt James chuckled. “Nowhere is a piece of cake compared to some of the places we have to fly to deliver presents.”

Joe and his grandfather climbed aboard.

“So how do you fly there?” Joe asked.

“We don’t,” Levi said. “Did you ever just go for a walk and just let your feet take your wherever they wanted to go?”

“Sure,” Joe said. “Sometimes you just want to be alone for a bit.”

“Well, that’s what we’re going to do,” Levi David said. “Reindeer love to wander. Given the choice, they’d wander their whole life. We,” and he waited for Wyatt to drop the reins,” are just gonna let them wander to, wait for it, nowhere. Hit it, girls.”

And as the sound of Levi’s voice faded, the reindeer took off.

Joe leaned over to his grandfather. “Did he just say girls?”

“Joe” his grandfather nodded. “They are all girls.”

“But I thought…”

“Yup, you and most of the world have been misinformed. All reindeer have antlers, the boys lose their antlers in the fall, the girls do not. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. And, of course, Rudolph.

“I know, Rudolph sounds like a boy’s name. But what’s in a name?”

“I never knew,” Joe said.

“Here’s a good trivia tidbit. Donner was originally Donder, got a bit mis-translated.”

“You are just full of this stuff, aren’t you?” Joe said.

“Oh,” Levi David interrupted, “he’s full of it alright. We’ve known that for years.”

“Me too,” Joe said, laughing.

“Hey, I’m very sensitive you know,” his grandfather said.

“Yeah, sensitive. That’s exactly what I think whenever I think of you,” Joe chuckled, then settled in to watch the stars overhead.

Tomorrow: The Nowhere Man