The Case of Candy Cane Lane
Part One
It was Dec 23rd the day before the Big Guy had to be on the road. Zinkle and Zorch were packing the sticks in bundles ready for delivery. Zinkle looked up with a satisfied grin. “This is the last of this year’s order! Santa will have enough candy canes for every good little girl and boy all over the world.” The wizened old elf picked up one of the striped candy canes and popped it in his mouth. The elves had been working in the candy cane workshop for the last six months.
He and Zorch pushed the red and white pallet toward the storage room past the busy hub bub of the other elves fulfilling their Christmas orders. Sandy was painting eyes on little stuffed dolls and Morris was putting wheels on yellow dump trucks. Zinkle opened the storeroom door. It was empty! “Where are all our candy canes!”
Zorch poked his head under Zinkle’s arm to see one very empty room. “All of our candy canes – gone! What is Santa going to put in all the children’s stockings? We can’t possibly make more by tomorrow” exclaimed Zorch.
Zinkle walked into the room “Maybe we can find a clue to catch the thief.”
The room looked very empty to Zorch but he followed Zinkle. They looked to the left – nothing. They looked to the right – nothing. They looked down – still more Nothing! Th Cen Zinkle looked up – something!
Part Two
Zinkle and Zorch, two very worried elves discovered all the candy canes ready for Santa to deliver were missing. Zinkle was standing in the middle of a very empty storeroom looking up. “What do you see?” asked Zorch as he squinted at the ceiling trying to see what Zinkle saw.
“I am not sure. Get the forklift so we can take a closer look. It might be a clue to the candy cane thief.” Zinkle said.
Zorch left and, in a few minutes, returned driving a red forklift wrapped in garland and twinkling lights. Strains of “Here Comes Santa Claus” emanated from the machine. Zinkle jumped on the front of the lift. “Take me up there!” pointing to a dark spot on the ceiling.
“Ah Ha! I gotcha!” Zinkle shouted. “Get me down!”
“What did you find?”
Zinkle held out a small pile a brown fur. Zorch nodded in a knowing manner. The two elves took off at a dead run toward the west side of Santa’s Village. They jumped over toy wagons, crawled under swing sets and knocked over a row of little toy soldiers eventually stopping at a building made of gumdrops.
They snuck inside and there he was! “Randy, what are you doing with all of our candy canes?”
The little reindeer peered over the missing candy canes. “I am going to deliver them tonight!” he said in a brave little voice. “I never get to go with Santa and I wanted to fly out and give them to the children myself.”
Zinkle gave Randy a soft pat “Santa will be very disappointed if he doesn’t get to deliver the candy canes. It is one of his favorite parts of Christmas.”
“I’m sorry.” Randy said looking like he was about to cry.
Zinkle said “You can be part of Christmas tonight. You can hand out candy canes to the elves at our Delightful Dining dinner.”
Merry Christmas!