So Father and Saskia set out from their fairy hovel and flew through the snow-covered forest. A fresh blanket of snow lay on all the trees and the ground and it muffled the sounds of the wild forest, which was nearly silent except for the soft chirping of a red cardinal. Saskia flew silently next to her father, wondering all the while what Father Christmas would be like, and feeling a little nervous about asking him to take her on as a new Christmas Fairy. The thought that he might say “no” hadn't occurred to her until now, and she grew nervous as they flew on. “Father,” Saskia said, breaking the silence, “what if Father Christmas tells me I can't become a Christmas Fairy?”
“That's not very likely to happen,” answered Father. “Let's go to him and find out, and not worry about that for now. Look, we are nearing the edge of the elf village now, I can see the lights.”
Saskia looked. She could see them too. The elf village looked very busy, there were elves scuttling all around, singing Christmas songs as they went about their work. Father slowed as the entered the village, and so did Saskia, looking at all the marvelous sights. Every house was decorated for Christmas, and the air was filled with the smell of fresh gingerbread as they passed the homes. Soon they came to the workshops and the sounds of hammers, and saws, and all sorts of toy construction could be heard. The street lead right into the center of town, where a large house stood with a sign over the door that said simply “House of Christmas.” They landed in front of it, and Father turned to Saskia and said, “Here we are. Father Christmas will be in here, go inside and ask to join the Christmas Fairies.” At Saskia's nervous look he took her hand and said, “You will be fine, my love. I will wait for you out here.”
4. Saskia flew up to the handle of the elf-sized door and reached out when she saw that there was a tiny fairy sized door carved right into the elf door. She flew over and pushed it open, flying inside the warm workshop. There was a young elf sitting at a desk in the front room, so she flew over and landed in front of him before he noticed she was even there.
“Hello little lady,” he said, peering down at her, “how can I help you?” She told him “ I am here to see Father Christmas.” But before the young elf could respond, Father Christmas stepped through a door to the right of the desk. He looked at Saskia and smiled warmly. She smiled back shyly.
“Hello, young fairy! Looking for me, ar e you? Welcome to my home, I dare say I can guess why you are here, but why don't you go ahead and tell me.” Santa said, in a warm gentle voice that immediately put Saskia at ease.
“Today is my Choosing Day, Father Christmas, and I would like to be a Christmas Fairy.” she told him.
Father Christmas smiled broadly and said, “Alright, my dear. Before you can join my Christmas Fairies, I must make sure you are ready for the job. Please tell me what your favorite thing about Christmas is my dear, and we will know if you already know the true meaning of Christmas.”
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