NPE | Chapter 18
The North Pole Epic
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
Idly squeezed into the Capitol rotunda with her family.
It was full of elves, deer, bears and everybody.
But there was one elf more than anyone else she wanted to see.
She hadn’t seen her since the march’s beginning.
“Of course, she could be anywhere,”
Idly was well aware.
“She could be here, at the bank, or crushed by a bear.”
Idly had been strong for her family, fighting off despair.
She longed to see Nicole and tell her how much she cared.
She looked at every dingy hat and pointy ear
To see if Nicole could possibly be here.
The crowd was chaos.
Her family could easily get lost.
Idly’s eyes darted up and down
Watching her family while searching the crowd.
Cornnan sat on a caribou with two other elves. The bank was so packed the deer was basically a shelf. He was grateful to be out of harm's way for a moment. He had seen so much violence to lament. His right ear still bled Having caught a goblin fist to his head. At least that meant all the noise was slightly less, Though it was irritating if someone spoke on his left. Cornnan slumped against the caribou’s neck In a feeble attempt to get a bit of rest. The chatter echoed throughout the halls. Nurses ran to tend the injured’s calls. All in all it felt like they had all run to home base In a horrifying game of Hide-and-seek-chase.
Connelly served soup in a secret hole Between the bank and the Capitol dug deep in the snow. Tables of servers ran in a line like a river Though they could only serve two at a time Because of the width of the tunnel. The line on one side. The other for travel. The soup cooks poured ingredients inside A long heated container like a channel Releasing small dams at both sides When the serving pots needed refills for dinner. Connelly had been running food To those presumed Trapped by the goblins. It was nice to be in one place, Others coming to him for a change. Still, even that wasn’t without its problems. The line went in both directions further than he could see. Due to the echo, no one was allowed to speak So as not to attract the attention of the goblins. Befana had made signs like, “Shut your mouth Save a life.” And, “Do us proud Speak only with your eyes.” Connelly’s favorite was, “Body language is the language of love, So love your neighbors and shut up!” Signs for silence were posted at the tunnel entrances And along the walls enforced by elves pointing fingers with insistence.
Nicole ran through the tunnel grid Making sure no one was left behind. She checked tunnels, holes, and bubbles as she did For routine maintenance her whole life. But this time was faster As she worked with her team to prevent potential disaster. If goblins collapse the tunnels no one would be there. All would be safe in a designated P. E. G. shelter. That was the goal: Clear all tunnels and bubbles throughout the North Pole. As the team regrouped at the specified location They checked in and reviewed all destinations. When the all clear came They split up to the Capitol and the bank.