More in this series: Prologue, Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8, Ch. 9, Ch. 10, Ch. 11, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 14, Ch. 15, Ch. 16, Ch. 17, Ch. 18, Ch. 19, Ch. 20, Ch. 21, Ch.22, Ch. 23
An elf would whisper to another,
“Level snow . . .”
Friends replied with a mutter,
“Or high drifts blow . . .”
Then both would say to each other,
“Let it snow.”
The signal sounded quietly throughout
The whole North Pole and there about.
That old chant began to resound
Among the masses like one of those sounds
That can only be heard
By certain people whose ears are turned
Just the right way while others are perturbed.
“Level snow,
Or high drifts blow,”
Whispered by elves in different places.
“Let it snow,” is returned by varying faces.
Then came conversations—
Hard ones, and those of great expectations.
From low breaths in factories
To deep down in the grid
The selling point had to be
Communal, personal, and candid.
This is how a couple went . . .
“P.E.G. membership is higher than ever
The time for action is now or never,”
Cornnan urgently whispered
To those he petitioned for signatures.
He was charting for the Guild
All the workers with the will
To stand with the faction
And take collective action
In the form of a massive display
Shutting down the Capital Bank
With workers across all labor sectors.
Idly resisted
When Nicole insisted
That this was the best way
To make significant gains
In the standard for North Pole life,
And all of their rights.
“We have to be relentless.
We have to stand with the Guild and strike.”
“Strike at their heart,”
Hissed Cornnan to Connelly.
“We’ve all gotta play our part,”
Nicole pleaded with Idly.
“Together we’re strong.
Individually we’re small.
So we must all
Strike before our moment’s gone.
“The time is now!
This moment is ripe.
We know how.
We know where to strike.
“Sign your name.
March to the bank.
Together we’ll take
This leap of faith.
So join our ranks.
All there is to do is to sign your name.”
Connelly signed.
Idly declined.
Both were afraid
Concerning the march on the bank,
And how the goblins would retaliate.
They’d seen what had happened before,
Brutal beatings, arrests, destruction and more . . .
There were deaths, and what was it all for?
Higher pay? Better conditions on the factory floor?
Connelly thought,
“Living this way
Is like being dead anyway.
Plus, I’m likely to die on the job.
Beaten at work or beaten at the bank;
No difference, just the same goblins to thank.
Idly thought,
“I can’t live that way,
Causing disarray
Only to lose my job,
Or get killed at the bank
Leaving my family hopeless for elfsake.
Cornnan and Nicole spoke to every name on their charts,
Every elf on their shifts,
So no one was missed;
Determined to get
A full ninety percent
Of elves participating in this critical worker’s march.
They knew they were not alone
When they met in the deepest holes
To check in with more members of the Guild.
This was the way
The strategy was made,
And a mass coordinated strike built.
Pointed conversations to get everyone on board.
Names and numbers and daunting chores.
Lists upon lists checking twice,
Then two more times to be precise.
It is all elves together
Or fail forever.
Level snow
Or high drifts blow
Let it snow.
Whichever way it goes
The ice shifts at the North Pole.