A Difficult Decision

Jeremiah and Timothy the elves came to school one morning a little more subdued than usual. They didn’t really participate when Grandma Dragon asked everyone to recite their times tables, they seemed distracted during the pledge of allegiance, and they hardly ate any lunch. At play time, they walked around the large field outside, just the two of them, very slowly, just talking. No one really noticed their altered behavior except for Lavender who was always very perceptive.
“I wonder what’s wrong with Jeremiah and Timothy” she said to Abigail of the Mer and Bonny Fairy.
“What do you mean?” asked Abby. Bonny admitted that she too had noticed they were kind of perplexed lately and not acting like themselves. Lavender and Bonny explained to the new Abby of the Mer student that the two elves were usually really talkative and energetic, they loved to debate and to talk things out with the group in school.
“Oh” said Abby, “Yes, I can see how you would think they are acting differently. I don’t know them that well so I guess I didn’t notice.” Abby explained the conversation to Hanna Banana who came up to the girls mid sentence.
“Well I hope everything is ok with them”, Hannah said in a concerned tone.
By the end of the week most of the children had noticed how thoughtful and quiet the elves were but no one really asked the boys about it. They all seemed kind of respectful of what ever the elf boys were going through and were confident that if it was something they needed to know about, the boys would tell them.

Well, everyone soon found out the dilemma. It had been almost a year and a half since the elf parents were seriously injured in the car accident at the North Pole and they had all moved to Grandma Dragon’s castle. The grandparents of the elves were very sick and the next week Grandpa Elf past away on Monday followed closely by Grandma Elf the next night. Jeremiah and Timothy and their nicely recovered parents seemed to not be surprised at all. Indeed, Elves usually know when they are going to pass on and it comes as little surprise. The Elf parents announced that they were well enough to move back to the North Pole and resume their duties in Santa’s Village. The news spread through the castle like wild fire on an Iraqi field in the summer time. All the creatures were aghast that anyone would want to leave Grandma Dragon’s castle but they respected the elves for their dedication to Santa.

Jeremiah had told his parents that he wasn’t going to go with them and that he was going to stay in the castle with Grandma Dragon and his friends. He and Timothy had both argued and cried and begged their parents not to have to leave. The elf parents were very understanding and during family counsel they reminded their children of all the friends they had at the North Pole and how difficult it had been to leave that place. They explained that life goes on, and it’s really just one’s attitude that will determine how happy they are. In the end, the parents told Jeremiah, (who was the oldest) that he could stay and finish elementary school with his friends if he wanted. That was when Jeremiah really became confused. He did remember his life at the North Pole and all his wonderful friends at church, in scouts, on his little league ball team, his cousins and Aunts and Uncles and how wonderful Christmas time was at the North Pole. He started remembering how happy he was before his parents got hurt and how hard it had been to just leave there when Grandma and some of the children came on the Polar Express to visit them. That was such a hard time in his life and he wondered if this “going back” change would become happy and better like it had when he left. He rolled the memories around and around in his head, wishing he could somehow have both of the lives he had found. If he could only move the castle up to the North Pole or move Santa’s village down near the castle. But it was a silly idea. He would have to choose one or the other. He knew in the end he would not be happy without his brother Timothy and he would miss his mom and dad too much.

Late one night he slipped out of bed and went to the hot tub room.

The water heaters in the boiler room next door were humming softly and the bubbles were churning enough to make soothing water music. Jeremiah needed some time to think and pray alone. He slipped into his candy cane stripped swim suit and dipped his foot into the huge hot tub. Slowly, very slowly he finally eased into the water and just sat there thinking. This was the hardest decision he’d ever had to make in his whole decade of a life. He felt torn apart inside. Deep down he knew he had to be with his family but there were creatures in his life with Grandma Dragon that now felt like family to him and he wondered if he would ever see them again. He lifted his toes out above the surface and saw that they were wrinkled with time in the water. His fingers were wrinkled too. He was very relaxed and tired from thinking. He whispered a little prayer, “Please Dear Father, let me see my friends again someday after I leave here”. He felt a warm feeling, (like the warm water on his outside), wrap around his inside, and he knew everything would be ok.

He climbed out of the tub, wrapped a big warm fuzzy towel around his body and scooping up his pile of clothes, tip-toed back to his family’s apartment. He dressed and climbed up onto the top bunk of his bed, careful not to rattle the bed too much and wake up his brother Timothy.

The next day at school Jeremiah seemed happy and calm. Grandma noticed his worried expression was gone and during play time, she asked if Jeremiah would take a walk with her. He loved alone time with Grandma Dragon and so of course he was happy to talk with her. She told him to climb up her huge tail and onto her neck and they would take a walk around the castle. Jeremiah cried a little when he told her that he had decided to leave. “Well, my dear boy, you weren’t happy until you decided to go with your family, so I know you’ve made the best decision for you. I wanted you to stay… Oh, my! I wish you would stay! You make lovely boots and are a great student, but those things are nothing to the way I feel about just you. I love you dear boy and I will miss you so much” Jeremiah scooped his arms around Grandma’s huge neck and squeezed with all his might the biggest little Elf hug he could muster. He cried a little more and they both walked back into the castle and the school room.

The next few weeks were a flutter of packing, planning, giving stuff away, washing, mailing stuff to the North Pole and tying up all the loose ends that a family has to tie up before they move. Jeremiah’s parents were both strong and healthy and were able to lift boxes, pack kitchen stuff and do all the things necessary to move. It was comforting for Jeremiah to see them so well recovered and he remembered what his mother had told him about “Life goes on”.

“Yes”, he thought, “life goes on and I will be ok. Who knows? Maybe Grandma will come visit the North Pole again and I’ll get to see her again or maybe when I grow up and get married I can come and live in the castle again”. He started to get excited about all the new adventures that awaited him back home and was grateful that he had his brother timothy. What would he do with out him? He loved his brother so much and needed him as his friend forever. “Yes”, he thought, “everything’s going to be OK”