Weigh Out Way-In

CHAPTER 46

When sniffs turn into snuffles you know there is a smell or fragrance in the air that is drawing more and more attention. This is exactly what is now happening to the cleaning elves who have been lying on the bench in the huge hall of Santa's Hideaway after their bout of cleaning. The first elf is forced to sit up by this powerful smell. Then another elf can't rest any longer either and finally the last elf is up too. In no time at all they stand, walk, stride and almost run towards the room the intoxicating fragrance is coming from.

The elves open the door ajar silently and peek inside. They can see brown and golden yellow items giving out sweet-smelling steam on the worktop. There is nobody anywhere nearby so they sneak in and tiptoe their way to the items.

'Taste one, will you, my dear friend.' Outdry encourages his friend Washbucket.

'Can I?'

'Sure you can. There are hundreds of these lying around on the top. Nobody cares if a few are missing. And besides they always calculate there will be a 10 % loss anyway.'

'Really? Are you sure?'

'Yes, really. I once talked with one kitchen team guy and he told me about that.'

'Well, in that case I just taste a little of one of these and let you have the rest of it.'

He takes a bite, then another and another and another and... And It's gone, in two seconds.

'Hey, look. You didn't leave me any of it!'

He mumbles, 'Oh, sorry.' But the next cookie is already disappearing quickly into the never-ceasing suction of the black hole of his.

Outdry snatches one gingerbread and takes a bite, another and another and another and....

another biscuit and another and...

Dustey cannot resist them either. Soon enough he has eaten ten or so of them.

The first baking tray is empty now.

Outdry cries out, 'You two, look what you've done! You've eaten one fifth of all the gingerbread cookies! Washbucket, you washed down a bucketful of biscuits! And you Dustey, you sweeped the tray empty alright, didn't you!'

Washbucket hits back, 'You are the one who started all this. You forced me to try one.'

Dustey suggests, 'There are still other kinds of items left for the others, lots of them, and I think the gingerbread cookies probably aren't their favourite anyway.'

'Yes, you may be right. So let's try this kind next. Then we know why they prefer these to the gingerbread.'

So they started eating Christmas tarts. One by one they vanish from the worktop.

'These are really, really, really good.'

This statement Outcry doesn't cry out but sighs it out with great content.

Washbucket feels a bit uneasy and suggests, 'Let's go before anybody comes.'

'Don't you worry. There is pleeenty left still.'

'But...'

At the other end of the kitchen another door flies open.

'What!!!! Cleaning team in the kitchen. Doing a thorough wipe-out here, are you!'

Then Mrs Claus takes a firm hold of the rolling pin near her and storms towards the naughty elves.

The rascals leave the kitchen and the building more quickly than a 100-metre sprinter leaves his starting blocks at the Olympics final.

Mrs Claus marches to the main door that the rascals just left wide open and shouts, 'You'd better not show up today here again!'

Then she slams the door shut, trudges through the hall into the kitchen and sighs, 'Anyway, it seems they have done what was expected. The hall is now sparkling clean.'