The holiday travel professional pulls out all the stops

The way ahead was nearly invisible in the foggy night. Chris holds the reins steady. The sleigh is full to the max. Furthermore, it’s the very middle of the night. It’s going to take every shortcut he knows, to make it on time. However, none of that will matter if he can’t see where he’s going. Fortunately, the team can see further in this mess than he can.

The wind is stronger now. Just ahead, bright flashes of lightning flicker and arc across the sky. He’s heading right into a storm. The team pushes on, seemingly oblivious to the chaos in front of them. In fact, it was their training, and experience that kept them moving. This wasn’t their first brush with a difficult journey. However, they were not invulnerable.

Chris struggles to see through the foggy grey all around. Their destination wasn’t much further. Once there, he could offload the gifts at each place on the list. Of course they had to land in this stormy weather. That is always the pickle with stealth delivery, no landing lights.

The Holiday Travel Professional

Chris sees something glimmer, in the distance. Then it glimmers again. As they move closer, Chris adjusts the reins. This signals the team to start their descent. So far so good, all things considered. This is only their third year doing this. Similarly, as far as Chris knew, he was the only one doing anything like this.

In fact, this is what got him in so much trouble last year during his holiday travel. He still isn’t sure why he lost his grip on the reins. That, of course, caused him to tumble out of the sleigh. Then he landed on the Parson’s roof. Fortunately, the thatch roof cushioned his fall. That’s where he got the idea about the chimney. Now, if all goes well, he will be able to finish, before dawn.

That is what he is thinking when they make contact. Turns out that glimmering object, was a newly installed drying line. Furthermore, it was full of drying laundry. The result is chaos. Chris is knocked sideways, then the sleigh bucks mightily. The jolt, is so jarring, Chris is thrown over the front of the sleigh.

Holiday Travel and All the Stops

All is quiet and cold. The air is crisp, and cool, with a scent of hickory. It takes a minute for his focus, to come back. Then he is remembering. The glimmering, and the mission. Then the surprise clothesline. Now everything rushes back in, and Chris remembers. He opens his eyes. And finds Parson Jenkins looking at him with unmasked exasperation.

Chris looks around but cannot see the sleigh anywhere. It, and the team, appear to be gone. Not only does this make no sense, but also it means Chris has lost all the presents. This is a contingency he did not plan for. What was he going to do now? Some of those gifts were sorely needed. He looks all around, and still sees no sleigh, or team of reindeer. Apparently, Chris was on his own.

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