The Seasons of Love book series follows a group of sultry elves in a slice of life adventure. Each book corresponds with a holiday or season.
Seasons of Love, Book 1
Thanksgiving: Cari & Milla Get Basted
by Teagan Cascade
Christmas Mountain, Late November.
"CARI CREAMBOTTOM! GET IN HERE!"
Cari Creambottom was distraught long before her supervisor's guttural scream rattled through the loudspeaker. Her pointed, curved ears drooped in shame. The slight Christmas elf knew she was in trouble after clocking in a full hour late.
"It was just a matter of time." Cari muttered under her breath. The stout elf sighed and cracked her pudgy fingers before hopping off her stool. She took a moment to glance up and down the serpentine conveyor belt. Her coworkers didn't move a muscle as they continued studying the endless line of wooden toy horses over the gentle hum of machinery. Her face grew sullen as she pondered. "What if this is it?" She asked aloud, voice cracking on the verge of sobbing. Cari scratched at her short, dirty brown hair. "What if today's the day I become one of those few incompetent elves fired from Santa's workshop?" Cari's tiny shoulders slumped at this possibility.
"I mean, forget the humiliation for a second. What would I even do if I get fired?" Cari continued the one-sided conversation as she strolled past the self-serve cafeteria. Cari wondered if she could endure the shame of returning to her family home on the other side of Christmas mountain. Then her anxious brain drifted to the alternative--self-imposed exile. Many elves that washed out from the Workshop banished themselves to a village on a remote part of the mountain. These untouchables were never heard from again. Cari shivered; a sick feeling churned in the pit of her stomach. "Santa's Reindeer, I don't even want to think about that." She decided, shaking the cobwebs in her head.
Cari noticed dozens of workers, a larger-than-usual crowd around the beverage dispensers. The line wrapped around the corner like a giant green caterpillar; each elf wore the same forest-colored jumpsuit with ruby red stitching accents. One overzealous elf climbed onto the steel counter and hoisted a cumbersome bag of coffee beans into the grinder. The scene was undoubtedly on-brand for this time of year. With the Christmas season officially looming, the production in Santa's Workshop would explode next week to accommodate the world's ever-growing population. Thanksgiving would come in a few days, and the elf workforce was set to shift into their usual extended shifts.
But Cari knew the Workshop's need for manpower wouldn't protect her from termination. 'I'd rather throw a bad engine overboard before I'd let it blow up the ship!' That was the saying of Mr. Merryton, her abrasive supervisor. Cari didn't fully understand the metaphor--and wasn't convinced Mr. Merryton did either. But that didn't matter. The only constant was Merryton's yelling for her to come to his office, presumably to issue Cari her third and final write-up for tardiness.
Cari dragged herself down the marbled floor as boxcars WHOOSHED along the rails suspended above. The open-aired factory towered for countless stories inside the massive Christmas Mountain. Though she wasn't the best worker, Cari loved her time in Santa's Workshop. The complex enjoyed several hours of natural light from the sky windows before the winter dusk crept inside this time of year. Then the tower's interior lights dazzled against each piece of machinery. She took the closest stairs and leaned over the side, watching the elves quietly assemble today's project, the classic wooden rocking horse. The conveyor belt spiraled upward at a methodical pace from the assembly floors up to quality assurance, where Cari worked, and off to final packaging and loading. She admired the whole lot's efficiency, even though she also admitted how amazingly shitty she found herself as a Quality Assurance Technician.
Marvin Merryton's office was near the main staircase. Cari always felt his lair was a little too close for comfort, his beady, judging eyes like two sharp emerald pieces of coal. She pushed gingerly on the door and met her boss's piercing pupils head-on. Marryton stared her down from his vantage point behind his messy desk.
"Close the door behind you." He snarled. His broad shoulders were flat against the chair, and one of his stubby fingers tapped with nervous energy on the thick oak arm. It seemed peculiar to Cari; Merryton usually played it more relaxed when berating his underlings.
As Cari closed the door, she started work on her excuse. Then when it didn't work, she'd resort to begging. When that didn't work, she'd try a deal of another kind, which related to the real reason she was late. "I can explain, sir." She started.
"Did you notice we're out?" He gestured to the desk corner where an empty mug sat. "We switched back to plain coffee this morning."
Cari breathed a guarded sigh of relief. "Yes, sir." She swung her hands behind her back. "We're out of the new eggnog we got from the Drow in our last trading session."
He shook his head with regret. "Once our guys started drinking the nog, productivity increased by almost 2%. It's an incredible blend of protein and caffeine."
Cari nodded with a smile. She could find little to agree with her boss on, but she knew all the elves had taken to the new drink. The sweet, filling cream had just the right dash of mint finish that tingled the tongue. Moreover, the eggnog seemed the only thing allowing her to focus better on her work. She began to wonder if ginseng was involved.
"I've spoken Madame Umbrow of the Drow Imperial Home Office. It sounds like they're experiencing a shortage as well. The Drow don't produce the nog, but she is willing to provide us access to the cave elves who do so 'we' can barter for ourselves. And 'we' actually means 'you.'"
"Oh," Cari blinked. "Cave elves? I thought the Drow *were* the cave elves." She asked with earnest curiosity as she inched her tiny feet to the chair in front of Merryton's furrowed brow. Cari tried to make as little noise as possible, and the faint squeaks of her no-slip soled boots did little to help. She kept her sparkling green eyes fixed on her boss's downcast face; she moved closer to sit.
"Yes, yes, we all know the Drow live underground." Merryton let loose an exasperated sigh. "But Madame Umbrow made the distinction, not me. It was so important to her to note that these elves were not a part of the Drow Empire that she said it twice, and--I DIDN'T TELL YOU TO SIT DOWN, CREAMBOTTOM!" He roared. His shout echoed against the shimmering silver walls as Cari jumped up to attention, stiff yet quivering. After panting for a moment, his face finally wavered, perhaps realizing his overreaction. "Go ahead and sit down, Ms. Creambottom. Do you have any questions before I send you out?"
"So," Cari started slowly, her shoulders tensed underneath the sudden burden of responsibility. "You want me to go to the Drow elf caves and talk to some cave elves that aren't Drow to give us more of her egg nog?"
"As astute as ever," His snide voice hissed through straight, thin lips. He rubbed his unshaven, portly chin, a feature indicative of so many Christmas elves. "Anything else?"
"Well," Cari rubbed her heels together as her legs dangled off the chair. "I'm a quality assurance specialist. Wouldn't one of our skilled buyers be better? Why me?"
"First, I wouldn't call you a specialist. I'm sending you because the line won't miss you," Merryton sneered. "Second, my conversation with Madame Umbrow led me to believe you'd be perfect for this mission. Maybe succeeding here will open up new paths for you."
Cari breathed a sigh of relief at Merryton's softened, nearly complimentary tone. Her ruby red lips curled upward as her chest puffed with confidence. She nodded with renewed enthusiasm.
"As you know, the Thanksgiving holiday begins in two days. Quality Assurance needs that eggnog to maintain the season's rigorous demands. We're depending on you, Miss Creambottom."
Cari grinned, elated. "You can count on me, sir." Rejuvenated, she turned to make a dash for the door.
