Ana heard her husband open the garage, unlock the back door, then take a few steps on the creaky hardwood floor towards the closet. She sat by the phone, frozen in a state of disbelief. Rob removed his coat and placed it neatly on a hanger. He then greeted his wife, barely looking at her. But even that cursory glance told him that something was wrong. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t respond.

“Have you had dinner yet? Where are the kids?”

“Yes, we ate. The kids went to play for a little while at Katie and André’s house,” Ana replied mechanically, staring blankly ahead.

“Have they finished their homework?”

“They’ll do it when they get back from their friends.” Ana stood up and headed to the bedroom to avoid further conversation.

As she was about to turn into the hallway, Rob asked her again: “Is anything wrong?”

Even that minimal show of concern transformed her state of shock into one of pain: “Tracy won’t be showing my art in her gallery anymore,” she turned to her husband, mortified by the bad news she had just delivered.

Into the Fold

Lenny thought he had kept his eyes open the whole time but realized his eyes were tightly shut. When he finally opened his eyes he was amazed. The Fold was hypnotic- like the world in miniature laid out on a slightly curving upward floor of sparkling stars. They could jump from point to point in no time at all- but so many points- so many homes- Lenny thought 5 hours was a lot of time but even here he wondered how it could be enough. How would they find what they were looking for? WHAT were they looking for? There wasn't an obvious hole like he thought there would be. Jack Frost’s mist showed a faint trail only for a small time then it cleared. After that they began to look into the twinkling lights of the scenery the Fold revealed.

Lenny took his restraints off when he saw the dwarves moving around and peering over the side of sled. He got up and balanced himself and made his way up to Santa. He saw the reindeer’s legs pumping up front and Santa cracked the whip and the lightning cracked. He watched the lights twinkle around in a spiral at a great distance around. Lenny knew from listening to Santa on the wharf this was a good sign, the Fold was at its maximum size. He pulled Santa’s sleeve and yelled into the hot and cold wind.

“What do you think we should look for?”

Santa roared back at him, “Something different!”

Lenny stumbled back into the sled and over to the dwarves and looked over the side. He almost threw up and fell back into the sled. The effect of the bent air and the crazily arranged landscape made him dizzy in a way he had never been. He had to beat this though and be of use. They had no idea what they would face so he couldn’t be a failure at simply looking over the side. He tried again and found that if he moved along with the sway of the sled instead of trying to stay perfectly still it helped some. Soon he was a lot better oriented and looked over again.

This is what Santa saw every Christmas Eve. They followed the track he always followed- up and down to some darker patches or anything that he did not remember from his last Christmas Eve run. Anything new that had appeared since last Christmas Eve got looked at and circled with suspicion. Surprisingly that was the wrong thing to look for.

Lenny had never been through this before and didn’t know what was new and what wasn’t. He just knew something was odd when after some time he noticed one particular spot. Jack Frost said to look for the wobble. He pointed out some things to the dwarves who explained what they were- well he thinks they did. In the rushing of the wind he heard very little of what they said. I can’t tell you what they said because the one mouse hidden away in the bags was not listening very closely right at that moment. He did finally climb out right when something very important happened.

Lenny noticed a small green patch. A strange color for any season, more like poisoned neon green- he pointed it out to the dwarves. They yelled it’s probably a reflection from clouds or other lights, or it might be raining there which would make it blur and move. They said they had seen that spot for decades and it never changed. They explained the air is closed on some places- they are not homes but water reflections or some such thing and look odd. It was one of them. But Lenny remembered something Jack Frost said quickly among all the things he said- that Santa has seen the same things over and over and might be looking for some large grand evil sign.

Watch for the wobble, he said, the heat that a hidden independent time pocket would need. He said you have to get right on top of one to see what it is- check out anything weird. Lenny crept forward and convinced Santa to swoop in a little closer.

It was the right move. Lenny’s gut feeling from years as a detective was something even Santa didn’t have. They circled close and saw a home and three children playing in the yard. Strange it was so green in autumn but could have been another temperature zone showing through this section of fallen leaf covered homes. To a passerby nothing odd- but Lenny saw the wobble and looked around at other homes visible not so far away- it was a strange pocket of time. It had to be.

Ana and Michael stood side-by-side, naked. At his sweetly voiced request, she wore only a red heart shaped apron wrapped around her waist. They washed together the dishes after having finished the paper-thin crepes filled with Nutella chocolate butter that Michael prepared for brunch. In an assembly line fashion, he washed the dishes while Ana dried them. From time to time, he planted little kisses upon her cheek, her hair, behind her ear and lightly caressed with the tips of moist fingers her nipples, the curve of her waist and the smoothness of her thigh. As soon as they were done, Michael took Ana by the hand and pressed her up against the wall. “Not again! So soon?” she feigned protest. He got down on his knees and lifted her apron. His avid mouth left round wet marks upon her skin while his tongue traced an uneven trail of moisture all over her stomach, her pudendum and her legs. His touch tickled and tantalized her. Her hands grasped his short-cropped hair. She drew his head closer to hers and covered his face with kisses. He delved into her with a sense of desperation, as if he hadn’t made love to a woman for years.

“How long had it been?” Ana inquired with a smile afterwards.

“Too long.”

“A whole hour?”

“Like I said, way too long,” Michael took her into his arms again. They began kissing, probing and pumping with their tongues, consuming each other anew. “Hey, you know what?” he asked once he came up for air. “I’m in the mood for some dark chocolate. Want some?”

“Sure. But, personally, I prefer milk chocolate.”

“You’re such a little baby!” he taunted her, adding, “Baby.” He got up and Ana admired his athletic body, as he made his way through the hallway into the bedroom.

To unknown battle

Back at the wharf Santa kissed Mz Clawz goodbye and she in turn gazed hard at Ruedov who snorted at her obviously responding to some kind of message. Then she and the dwarves who were driving got back into the trucks. The memory of such an elegant lady like Mz Clawz in her dark red gown effortlessly jumping behind the wheel of a massive truck and handling it like an old pro stayed in the minds of many of the officers fondly for a long time. She and the dwarves had been approached by a taskforce to hunt for the Piper and they were going to join them.

Staying on the creaking wharf an organized effort of solders, police, dwarves, regular people who had sneaked in, and the looming figure of Santa made a wild mix.
People practically fell forward preparing the sleigh and all along no one was really quite sure exactly WHAT was going to happen.

Suddenly, Jack Frost arrived, seemingly from out of nowhere. Santa had called him in. The reason he arrived so late was the officers back at the derelict mansion HQ had been questioning him. Jack Frost uses a tiny version of the fold to travel- so small only one person can fit and goes so fast you see nothing most of the time until you get to the arrival point. He goes from one hemisphere to another for winters on either side of the planet and sometimes comes back for cold springs and cold-snap summer nights and spends time on mountaintops studying and creating new kinds of frost and snow. They knew the criminals were using this same method of travel. Checking weather reports the officers were able to clear him of wrongdoing.

They sat down at the ice cream parlor. Ana was enjoying a chocolate yogurt soft serve while Michael finished up a lemon sherbet in its fruit shell. His gaze lingered on a couple sitting a few tables away.

“It’s not polite to stare,” she whispered to him.

“I was just thinking…” Michael began.

Ana stole a glance at the couple that had caught his interest. To her surprise, the woman wasn’t beautiful, the kind of woman Michael usually looked at, furtively, out of the corner of his eye, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Her male companion, on the other hand, was attractive and slim.

“I was thinking about how much I identify with that poor fool,” he finished the thought.

“What fool?”

“The one sitting across from that chubby woman over there,” he whispered.

“You’re judging a book by its cover. That girl might be a very nice and accomplished person. And the guy next to her might be a jerk,” Ana pointed out, also in a whisper.

“That’s what Karen would like to believe too,” Michael replied with a smirk. “But the truth of the matter is that when there’s such a big physical discrepancy in a couple, something’s definitely off. I began to notice this once we started dating.”

“What do you mean?”

“People don’t look at us with surprise or disapproval, the way they do when I’m with Karen. If anything, they look at us with envy. Or with this silly grin that says, ‘Oh, aren’t they cute together!’” He paused for a moment then added, “Once I met you, I realized that I was settling in staying with Karen.”

Ana felt flattered, as usual when her lover paid her a compliment. But at the same time, she was somewhat perturbed by his thinking. After all, one could always find a better looking or younger partner than the one currently had. By this logic, would Michael feel like he had settled for her when the next attractive woman came along? “I hope you care about more than just how a person looks,” she commented.

“I care about everything,” he grabbed her hand. “I care about how she looks, how she thinks, how she acts, how she screws and how smart she is. I want the total package. I want you, Baby.”

“And I you,” she reciprocated, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

At home with Santa

There is a lovely idea called 'folding space'. If space only had two dimensions: length and width, but no height, you could draw space onto a single piece of paper. Now fold this paper in half. Now the top and bottom are next to each other! If you could travel with a vehicle through space like this you could be next to any point at any time. This is a wonderous thing! What Santa does expands on this right here in our skies- he folds space, but gently around not sharply edged. What you see is more like a flattening spiral. But he still calls it the Fold. In this way he has many many destinations very close by to choose from- not just one next to another.

Santa comes out on the darkness of Christmas Eve, climbs into his Sleigh and hums deep and low and points to the stars with one hand. You feel a numbing in your ears as the very air begins to vibrate! He throws his other hand forward and the sky explodes open into a fiery spiral! It becomes like all the colors of blue and green you could ever imagine swirling and then you realize- its your own Planet Earth arranging itself for him. Its colors grow brighter and it becomes massive filling the skies over the North Pole.

“Let’s climb up on the roof together!” Michael suggested to Ana, on impulse. He hoped to entice her to make love outdoors, now that his home had become their turf, with Karen thousands of miles away.

Ana shook her head, taking a step back. “No way! I’m afraid of heights.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold you,” he emboldened her.

“You don’t understand. I’m really scared of heights. I get dizzy spells even in glass elevators,” Ana explained, hoping he’d relent.

“Trust me. I'll catch you if you fall. Come on!”

“No, I don’t want to.”

“Don’t ever say no to me!” he snapped at her.

When Michael looked into her eyes, Ana felt confronted by a different person. Her lover’s usually warm and flirtatious gaze now drilled straight through her. “Why are you talking to me like that?” she asked him, taken aback.

Michael abruptly changed his demeanor. “I’ll help you up,” he offered with a gracious smile, leaning over and extending his arm to her. “Come on, you little scardy cat,” he taunted her from above.

Ana had an uneasy feeling that her lover was playing a cat and mouse game with her, pawing her around, to see if she’d yield to his will. For a moment, she imagined that Michael was trying to lure her to her death, asking her to climb up on the roof with him only so that he could push her off. With a shudder, Ana dismissed such a crazy idea. “Stop insisting,” she said, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up at him, leaning over, his boyish face glowing, his dark hair glossy from the shimmering rays. “You look as beautiful as a god,” she remarked, hoping that flattery would appease him.

“Then come up here with me, my sweet Aphrodite.”

“Adonis, I can’t,” Ana held her ground, glad that it still lay under her feet. Michael motioned her up with his index finger, with the same gesture with which he brought her closer and closer as she drove towards him during their rendezvous. A force from within magnetically drew Ana to her lover, nearly overcoming her instinctive prudence. She took a few hesitant steps towards the ladder. She placed her hands on the rims and her right foot on the first rung. When she looked up, she saw Michael’s angelic face foregrounded like a beautiful portrait by the stretch of blue sky tinged only by thin wisps of pale clouds. Ana climbed up one step, then another.

The origins of "Christmas"

Everyone knew the fabricated, tame, version of Christmas. The Jolly Elfman, the cuddly reindeer and a cheery cookie baking Mrs Claus leading a team of toymakers were the things of happy dreams. It’s a cute story but not even close to the truth.

Since Rob and the kids went to an indoor water park that Sunday and Ana was allergic to chlorine, she stayed behind at home. As soon as she heard the garage door close, she ran to the phone. “It’s me,” she said.

“Hey Baby!” Michael replied warmly.

“I’m free for the next few hours. Do you have time to meet?”

“Don’t I always have time for you?”

It’s true, Ana thought. Every time I call him, no matter when, no matter how often, he always sounds so happy to hear from me. Her lover’s boundless enthusiasm enchanted her. “What would you like to do?” she asked him.

“I was planning to go furniture shopping this afternoon. Let’s just say my old sofa set has seen better days. It would be kind of fun to go there with you.”

“Okay…” she answered with slight hesitation. A furniture store didn’t exactly sound like the optimal venue for a hot date, but then again, Michael’s presence made everything sizzle.

“How about we meet at Artclub in half an hour?” he suggested a local furniture chain.

“Sounds good. I can’t wait to see you!” she said, punctuated her statement with kisses planted on the receiver.

“Me too, hmm, bye.”

Ana went into the walk-in closet to select her clothes, knowing that Michael was very particular about what she wore. She took off her jeans and put on a plaid miniskirt. She then removed her pantyhose and replaced them with the pair of black thigh-highs that Michael had given her the week before. On top, she chose a microfiber tee shirt with no bra, so as not to leave much fabric between her skin and his roving hands. At first she was hesitant about it, preferring regular pantyhose to the thigh-highs that had a tendency to roll down her legs when the elastic wore out or, if it stayed tight, left red marks upon her tender skin. But, as usual, Michael had countered her objections with the sweet cooing that made her melt inside.

“Why refuse me such a little thing? Don’t I always do everything you wish?” Then, the melodious refrain she couldn’t resist, “Come on, Baby, do it for me please.” She did, and not just to please him. Michael’s energy and spontaneity made her feel youthful, happy and alive, as if she had spent the past ten years hibernating in a rule-bound, lackluster life that lacked the energy and excitement of their passion.

The real Santa Clawz

People didn't just go about meeting Santa everyday. He stayed up North working and creating and living with his wife. No one was like him. He was not just zoned in the FGT in one country but zoned almost all over the world and was in his own bracket shared with no one. The Fairytale Gift Tax was created for him long ago so people could always have him come on Christmas Eve and bring gifts.

Karen surveyed the apartment to decide where to begin packing. The bedroom seemed like the most logical place. She opened the upper hand left dresser drawer and removed all of her underclothes, placing them at the bottom right side of the suitcase. She then pressed them down with her hand, to make sure there would be enough space left for the next drawer, which was filled with tee shirts and nightgowns. Last but not least, there was more than enough room in the suitcase for all of her sweaters: nine total to be exact. She deliberately left two of them behind, for when she’d return to visit him. Going over to the big closet, which they shared, proved somewhat more difficult. Seeing all of Michael’s shirts, suits and khaki pants made her wish to put her own clothes back into the drawers. Show some willpower, Karen urged herself. She began removing her shirts, dresses, skirts and pants from the hangers and folding them neatly into the suitcase. All that was left for the second bag were her eight pairs of shoes: two hiking boots, three pairs of pumps, two pairs of black heels and a pair of sandals.

I didn’t even need a second suitcase, Karen was surprised to note her own Spartan style. Her modest jewelry collection—consisting of five gold necklaces, including one heart pendant from her fiancé and a gold cross from her mother--would go into the second suitcase, along with her books. After packing all of her personal belongings, however, the suitcase was still half empty. Karen visually inspected the room, to see what else she needed to take along. All of her makeup, which she rarely wore, fit neatly into an oversized purse. Perhaps some of the cookware could go in here as well, she speculated, walking into the kitchen to confirm that hypothesis. She chose one pizza pan, a skillet and half a dozen plates, along with a few cereal bowls, cups and spoons, knives and forks. Some of them I should ship ahead of time, she thought, carefully placing the fragile dishes into a box filled with shredded newspapers. The flurry of practical activity momentarily distracted her from the reasons behind it. But once she finished the busy work and was faced with the material reality of leaving, Karen broke down in tears.

Arrival

The townspeople saw a red glittering line of lights snaking along the valley road a long time before they even arrived.

The mansion did have floors and rooms purposely hidden but they were empty. The bad news was delivered to them by the Town By The Sea's officers who had broken in and searched from top to bottom after being called with Mary’s news. But the children HAD been there. Ropes and dropped toys the parents identified were strewn around completely covered in dust. They set up a headquarters right there under the faded gilt ceilings. Lenny never realized what a dark and gloomy place the town was at night. The teams started to go door to door again. Even what looked like abandoned buildings they went into and searched.

Then on one sad lonely street, Lenny’s team was met by a man who wanted to lead them to the waterfront wharf. He was shy, he had an accordion and a little monkey- he didn't seem to be able to speak but gestured like he wanted to go to sleep- his folded hands placed on the side of his face. His little monkey did the same movement. They did this movement over and over while alternately waving, paw and hand, for them to follow. The team followed the man suspiciously, ready for anything.

The man and monkey led them to the wharf and gestured under it pointing and smiling, but before anyone could climb under- something climbed up at the end. Lenny saw something that sent a chill up and down his spine even worse than the one Lavender Mary had given him. He began to run. It was one of the missing children, the one with the injured leg.

The tiny boy was at the edge of the wharf wet covered in mud. He pointed out into the sky in silence.

Lenny yelled back over his shoulder "He's pointing UP."

Ana arrived home with a heavy heart. For the first time since the beginning of her affair, she realized that she’d soon be compelled to make a choice between her lover and her husband. She attempted to distract herself by doing household chores. Vacuuming, dusting, doing the laundry filled her hours on that afternoon. She folded Rob’s clothes with extreme care, even tenderness. When she hung up his work shirts, she caught a whiff of his cologne upon the suits and ties hanging in his closet. The mixture of familiarity, nostalgia and regret made her weak at the knees. Rob had worn the same brand of cologne for as long as she had known him. His clothes were redolent of the first blush of love, when she’d eagerly await each single date with him. But now, the air inside her husband’s office seemed saturated with her own anxiety.

“Hi there,” Rob entered the room noiselessly and touched her lightly on the shoulder. Startled, Ana turned around. “Do you have allergies?” he asked her, surprised by the redness of her eyelids.

Ana quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve. “I was just thinking about how much I miss you.”

Rob’s demeanor changed from serene to apprehensive. Was she going to engage him in one of those draining “us” conversations? he wondered. “Yeah, well, you hardly seem that eager to spend any time with me anymore,” he made a preemptive move, unwilling to take the blame for their mutual estrangement.

As beautiful as a floating young lady spirit is, people had begun to walk back to their desks or think about other things. The moment Lavender Mary spoke of what she saw the precinct froze. People appeared from every room and listened in a still yet frenzied state. Ghosts are naturally poetic and she did not speak fast enough to keep some from crying out 'WHERE?!'

Lenny knew she would go at her own pace and probably did not hear the cries of his fellow officers. Behind his back he gestured with his hand a 'hold on for a moment' signal. He could sense what she was sacrificing, something huge, to come to him. He imagined her using up her entire ghostly credit card on this visit and afterward she may never be able to come back. He let her speak at her own pace but she was soon forthcoming.

Feeling like he had overplayed his hand, Michael decided to make a gesture of reconciliation. He called Ana the next day, sounding contrite. “Hey, Baby…”

“Hi,” she answered curtly.

“Listen, I’m sorry about how I behaved the other day. Believe me, I’m painfully aware of how difficult it must be for you.”

“Actually, I was going to call you if you didn’t call me,” Ana quickly warmed up.

They agreed to meet at Huron Park. As soon as she saw Michael, Ana felt reassured that all was well between them again. Michael wrapped his arms protectively around Ana to feel her heartbeat through every pore. He rocked gently sideways back and forth, to soothe her nerves. “You’re in my bubble now. I won’t let anything hurt you.” His voice was tender, buttery.

Ana looked up at him. “Your bubble?”

“Yeah. Ever since I was a little kid I imagined that I had this bubble around me. It kept me safe.” Michael’s features became animated. “Just this past summer for example, I went to a convenience store in Phoenix. That evening, when I was watching the local news, I found out that it was robbed at gunpoint only an hour after I left. The bubble kept me out of harm’s way. Now you’re in my bubble too. It will keep both of us safe.”

She felt like asking him: What about my children? Are they in your bubble too? But she was afraid to spoil their reconciliation.

“Your kids also,” Michael read her mind. “I’ll take care of them, if it ever comes to that.”

They began walking hand in hand along the cement path. But Ana wasn’t chipper as usual. She recalled that the last time they were in that park together, she had run ahead of Michael and he had playfully chased after her. The lightness of their courtship was beginning to sink under the weight of pressure. Her gaze was disoriented, scattered like the dead leaves swept away by the autumn wind.

“There’s something on your mind,” Michael remarked.

She nodded in silence.

“You want to talk about it?” They stopped by a nearby bench and took a seat. He motioned her to sit on his lap, with her legs wrapped up around his torso.

“It’s the same old problem. But there’s no good solution to it,” Ana said quietly.

“Look,” Michael began, “I know you don’t want to hurt your kids. But even if I weren’t directly involved in this, I’d give you the same piece of advice.” He swept the bangs away from Ana’s forehead, to better gaze into her eyes. “I’d tell you, don’t bullshit your kids. Because sooner or later they’ll find out about us. Believe me, they’ll be much more hurt by the all the lying and sneaking around. You’re only compounding the future harm.”

“You expect me to tell an eight and a nine year old about our affair?” Ana asked, taken aback.

“Not necessarily. I’m just saying, don’t think you can fool them for much longer. Have the courage to reach a decision. I’ll understand either way. But you can’t sit on the fence forever. In the long run, your indecision will hurt everyone, including yourself.”