The Santa Code Part 4

Time is the key to positive change. Michelle Liew

In Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the Santa Code, we meet Maybelle Snow and her wilful but intelligent niece, Juniper Juno. They encounter a difficult situation -someone has knocked unconscious the mayor of the town of Algaard, who is also its clockmaker.

The government of Algaard controls its people with the help of what is known as the Santa Code it makes its people obsessive about gift-giving, and is a way for the government to keep tabs on them.

The two ladies also encounter a mysterious cloaked figure, whom they come to know as Mr. Grunge, who wants to disrupt the code, and therefore Christmas.

The ladies visit the town’s library and discover that they key to stopping him lies in the ornate Golden key he has…and Mr. Tick’s sentinel clock.

Will they resolve this Christmas mystery?

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The sentinel clock in Mr. Tick’s workroom loomed large over the two ladies as they left the archives, though they hadn’t returned to it since they had found the clockmaker unconscious. The ticking resumed calmly, with no trace of its previous urgency. Maybelle gripped the golden key that Grunge dropped. Its intricate design came to life, dancing in the dim Algaardian moonlight.

Juno’s eyes flicked nervously at every shadow. “What happens if we meet Grunge?”

“Oh, he will return.” Maybelle’s reply was terse. “We need to be faster than he is.”

They finally arrived at Mr. Tick’s workroom. “This contraption is huge!” Juno stared at the clock, its gigantic form towering over them, a lost monolith. “How’re we supposed to find any secret compartments in it?

“Simple.” Her aunt, a persistent researcher, knew not to give up. “We find it.”

As they felt the clock’s surface, Juno caught sight of a drawer at its base. “Look, the key might open this.” She tugged at it.

Maybelle slid the key into the drawer and the panel that closed the clock’s pendulum suddenly swung open. A yellowed, ornately scripted compartment sat inside. Maybelle unfolded it.

“For Algaard’s sake, turn back time. The present pays the costs of the past.”

Juno’s teenage mind tried to make sense of the Cryptic words. “How does the present repay the costs of the past?”

“It means that meddling with time will have dire consequences.” Mr. Grunge’s voice came as a low growl. His shadow stretched across the workroom. He finally appeared, his trench coat flaring in the Yule wind.

Maybelle stood protectively in front of her niece. “Why do you want to destroy the Santa Code?”

“Destroy the code?” Mr. Grunge answered her with a hollow laugh. “All I want is to free Algaard of authoritarian rule. The code - it makes people obliged to gift-giving. It isn’t sincere. And it allows the government rigid control over Algaardians."

“You’re wrong, Mr. Grunge. Yes, the code is strict about Christmas. But it has kept Algaard alive. We’re a little robotic, but we’re alive.”

Grunge’s shadow grew larger. “Alright, turn back time if you must. But remember that it costs. Perhaps dearly.”

Juno stepped forward, youthful, wilful, but wisely resolute. “If we do nothing, though, Algaard will fall apart. Presents are disappearing. People are miserable. They are already protesting. We must stop these events too.”

Maybelle turned the key, ignoring Mr. Grunge's warning. The clock groaned as its gears turned. The workroom filled with a blinding light, as its hands spun backwards. Maybelle and Juno found themselves in Algaard about a decade earlier.

There was the familiar town square, vibrant but tense. As a younger Mr. Tick unveiled the sentinel clock, a small crowd gathered. Amongst it, they spotted a man whose features resembled Mr. Grunge’s.

“That must be Mr. Grunge’s father,” Juno whispered.

Maybelle nodded. He was protesting the seizure of his land as the crowd watched, suitably entertained. The chimes of the sentinel clock drowned him out, making them oblivious to his cries.

“We must stop this,” Maybelle stepped into the scene. But the parchment’s warning rang in her mind. The present repays the costs of the past.

Young Juno echoed her thoughts. “What if we make things worse?” But as they approached the elder Grunge, the sentinel clock’s chimes pulled them back to the present, and the young Grunge stood, his expression fixed, unreadable.

“The clock doesn’t want you to interfere,” he finally said. “Thanks for your kind intentions, but no one can undo the past. We can only try to move forward.”

“Then…Algaard is doomed anyway.” Juno slumped her shoulders. “What’s the point of doing anything?”

Mr. Grunge spoke, his voice softening. “To learn, young lady. So that young people like yourself can move forward. “

He disappeared into the shadows, his voice lingering. “But by choosing to try, both of you have already inspired change. The Santa Code is only strong and worthwhile if it inspires love. Remember that.”

The duo saw him leave, disappointment hanging over them like dried mistletoe. But as they stepped out of Mr. Tick’s workroom and into the streets, something happened.

For the first time in a while in Algaard, the frost was less biting. The town square had come to life. The faint melody of a Christmas carol sounded, the dulcet tones of young carollers harmonious. Lights that had dimmed some time ago brightened.

“What happened?” Juno’s voice echoed her wonder.

Maybelle noticed something else happening - the townspeople, who had once feared the consequences of living life outside the obsessed doctrine of the Santa Code, were not only Christmas shopping - they were gathering, having meals with friends, and going about their daily activities as well. Market stalls bustled with life again.

“The code isn’t just about the clock, or Christmas activities - it’s the spirit of joy, and coming together. That’s the spirit of Algaard.”

Just then, Mrs. Shark, once distraught because her grandchildren’s gifts had vanished, breezed past them, now chuckling, almost in glee. She pressed a bag of freshly fried fish and chips into Juno’s hands. “It’s Christmas tomorrow! Merry eve!”

“Have your grandchildren found their presents?” Maybelle smiled, caught up in Mrs. Shark’s now gregarious mood.

“No, but they’re sledding now! They know presents aren’t the only Christmassy thing about Christmas! But let's hope they tn up!

She ran off to join her grandchildren.

Juno, as usual, added to the now more vibrant atmosphere with her cheeky humour. “Grunge was right about one thing, though. Change has made Christmas...less about Christmas!”

Maybelle looked at her, amused. “So what’s it about, then?”

Juno demurred. “It’s about change….from within. It’s about celebrating the spirit, not just giving gifts.”

Maybelle nodded. “Perhaps he wasn’t such a villain. Sometimes, change moves us forward.” The chimes of the clock continued, no longer ominous but comforting, as if signalling a fresh start. Echoes of laughter came from the Algaardian streets.

“I guess we’ve solved the mystery of the Santa Code.”Juno poked her Aunt, a mischievous grin on her face. “But the next time we solve a mystery…please, no trench coats. Or creepy, shadowy men.”

Maybelle laughed, draping an arm over her niece’s shoulder. “We’ll see if there are any more of those types. But let’s enjoy Christmas for now. We’ve some shopping to do.”

As they graced the shops, Aunt and Niece realised something profound; they never needed a key, or to open a clock’s surface, to free Algaard. All they had really needed to do was foster a generous spirit.

For the first time in years, Algaard felt like home.

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Part 1 is here

Part 2 is here

And Part 3 is here.