Elf Madness

Elf Madness

     A scream so loud it probably shook the house. It definitely shook Sariani. She ran out of the Sleeping Quarters she was cleaning. And headed for the sound of the scream.

     Sariani found her screaming six-year-old daughter, who was still screaming, pointing to an Elf on a Shelf. Ciena finally stopped screaming and said, “what’s that Mommy?”

     “Ciena, that’s an Elf,” said Sariani. “I bought it earlier today.”

     “What an Elf mommy,” said Ciena. “I’ve never seen an Elf before. That’s why I screamed mommy.”

     “The Elf was a tiny Race that used to live on Omin,” said Sariani. “There haven’t been any here for about three thousand years. Don’t you like it Ciena?”

     “I think it’s ugly Mommy. And I want you to get rid of it,” Ciena said.

     What Sariani and Ciena didn’t see was that when Ciena said the Elf was ugly the Elf turned a little toward Sariani and Ciena. The look on his face said he was mad, maybe even angry, at what Ciena said. When Sariani and Ciena looked back at the Elf it was back in the position it was when Sariani put it on that shelf.

     The Elf liked being on that shelf. he could see everything in the room from that shelf. Which he did, look around that is, whenever he was along – or when anyone in that family wasn’t looking while in there.

     “You aren’t the boss of this family,” said Sariani. “Your father might think you are. But I don’t. You know in this house if we get something new we keep it for a week. If someone still doesn’t like it, we will discuss as a family. Then we will decide what to do with it.”

     “Okay Mommy,” Ciena said after calming down a little. “But don’t expect me to come into this room in the next eight days.”

*******

     The next morning the family left for work, school and daycare. As soon at the Elf saw them leave, he could see their transport from that shelf too – he just had to move a little to do it, he came alive. He might look like a status to Sariani with a flat bottom. But he wasn’t.

     Just before getting off the Elf seems to float up a little. But he didn’t. He grew legs. As he jumped off that shelf the legs could be seen as he appears to float to the floor.

     Once down on the floor the Elf starts looking around that room. First he looks at the Video Monitor. Then at the Music Maker. And then at the Data Monitor. The Elf liked what he was looking at. It could be seen in the big smile on his face.

*******

     A few hours later a Delivery Male, his name was Iamin, delivered something to that house. He knocked on the door. But there was no answer. Then he hit the Call Box next to the door. “Delivery Male here. I have a delivery for you.”

     “No one’s there,” said the voice of the man who live next door. His name was Bradim. “They left a few hours ago. And they won’t be back until after dark. If you check your paperwork I think you will see that I have the authorization to except any delivery to that house if they aren’t there.”

     looked at his paperwork. Then at the man next door. Just before he goes over to that man he thought he heard something from within the house. He’s not sure exactly what he heard. But he did hear something.

     “Are you sure there’s no one there?” Asked Iamin when he got over to the man next door. “I’m sure I heard something from within. Maybe it was one of the kids returning home.”

     “How do you know if there are any kids in that house?” Bradim was looking at Iamin with a suspicious look on his face.

     “I saw some play equipment in the back as I was coming up to the door,” said Iamin. “Besides, I know what in this delivery. We have to know what’s in the delivery - or we don’t deliver it.”

     “It’s not one of the kids,” said Bradim. “There are two girls living there. And they are six and nine.”

     “Maybe it was one of the parents then,” said Iamin. “Or maybe it was another relative – or a friend.”

     “There isn’t any relatives,” said Bradim. “And if it was a parent, or a friend, I would have seen them enter.”

     “Are you a Watcher? It sounds a little strange that you would know if some came home or not,” said Iamin.

     “I’m not Strange,” said Bradim. “I watch all the houses on this street during the day when everyone is gone.” Bradim showed a Data Pad to Iamin. “But only the back entrances. I can see all the front entrances from here. At my age what else am I going to do all day.” Bradim sat back down in a movable chair next to his entrance.

     “Then you need to call the Locals,” said Iamin. “Because I know I heard something in that house.”

*******

     It was almost an hour later before the Locals showed up. Like Iamin they first knocked on the door. Then they tried the Call box. When no one answered one of the Local put her Identity Disk against the door. And the door slide open – in both directions.

     Wainda was the Lead Local at the scene of a possible crime. And her partner was Krisic. There were four other Locals there. Two males and two females. All the Local on the planet of Omin worked in pairs with one being male and the other one a female.

     As Wainda and Krisic entered the house they both noticed admittedly something wasn’t right there. There were somethings missing from the entryway. Mostly it was a few paintings. They could see that because of what was left behind on the walls. There seems to be something else missing from that area too. Both Wainda and Krisic commented on that.

     “Didn’t the man next door say he didn’t see anyone coming or going from this house? Those painting that are missing look very big,” said Krisic.

     “I was thinking the same thing,” said Wainda. “Those painting could have been taken out of here without that man noticing it – unless he was in on it.”

     “But he’s the one who contacted us about the possible crime here,” said Krisic. “Of course, that could be misleading to cover his involvement.”

     “Maybe he did see someone,” said Wainda. “But he’s too afraid, or was threatened, to talk. We will have to talk to him about that after we get done here.”

     The next room the checked out was the Living Area where the Elf was supposed to be. But he wasn’t. Actually he was. He was found partially hidden behind a Sitter. From where he was on the shelf it looked like he could have fallen off that shelf.

     One look at the Living Area and Wainda and Krisic could see there were a few things missing from there too.

     Wainda walked up to where the Video Monitor was sitting when the Elf first looked around that room. She picks up a very tiny Video Monitor. “How old were the kids who lived here?”

     Krisic looked at the Data Notepad in his hand. “They are six and nine. Why?”

     “It looks like one of them left part of the insides to their Mini House down here.” Wainda showed Krisic a tiny Video Monitor.

     By the time they finished checking out the Living Area they found six more things that belonged in a Mini House. “All of these Mini House belongings were where something on a much bigger scale should have been,” said Krisic. “Doesn’t it that sound strange to you?”

     “Ever since we came in here I have felt someone was watching us,” said Wainda. “Let’s check out the rest of this house. I have a feeling we are going to find a lot more missing.”

     Just as they were leaving the Living Area is when the found the Elf. He no longer had any legs. Once again he had a flat bottom – just like a statue he is supposed to be.

*******

     When the family returned to the house just before dark they found a message waiting for them on the inside Call Box right next to the front entrance. The message said that the Locals were there. And why they were there. It also said that they need to look over what is missing. Then come down to The Division in the next few days with a list of what was missing. That family never got down to The Division.

     A few days later a female, her name was Effa, was showing the house to nice young couple. The house was completely empty. There wasn’t anything there – including the family.

     “What happened to all the belongings?” said the male. “Isn’t there supposed to be some belongings already here?”

     “Yes, there should be,” said Effa. “There are always some belongings already in a house for sale.”

     “Then why aren’t there any in this house?” The female said as she looked into a big empty Living Area.

     “We don’t know what happened to the belongings – or the family,” said Effa. “It looks like they just left overnight for some reason.”

     “It was probably because of the crime committed against them,” thought Effa. Then she thought, “Maybe it was because they were afraid whoever did it was going to return for the rest of it. Or maybe who did do it did return.”

*******

     The Elf was sitting in a normal chair. At least it was a normal chair for him. Next to him was another Elf. She was sitting in a chair right next to him.

     “You did good this time GroUm,” said his Mate Jesi. “I know we are going to enjoy everything you have found.”

     “I agree, Jesi,” said GroUm. “We should enjoy this for a long time. A very long time”

     GroUm and Jesi were looking at all the belongings GroUm found at the house he was just at a few days ago. But they were all the size of the ones that Wainda and Krisic found at that house. It wasn’t just the belongings GroUm had found at that house. There were also four tiny non-moving people there too. And two of them looked exactly like Sariani and Ciena.

The End?