Page 12 of A Bear Ski Instructor Christmas

“Michael!” He heard a series of footsteps, and two little girls no older than eleven appeared in the doorway, beaming at him. They both wore sweaters too large for them, their blonde hair in messy pigtails. “Hi!”

“Hey, Sadie,” Michael said, grinning at the sight of the pair of them. “Katie. What are you two up to?”

“We just wanted to see if the skis were ready,” Katie replied. She was slightly taller than her friend, with a more oval face.

He resisted a chuckle. Everyone in Melinor knew who Michael was. Everyone wanted his help with something now and then, whether it was teaching them to ski or creating furniture. Even the kids in the village loved him. Michael didn’t mind the attention. If anything, it made him feel more a part of the community.

Still, it saddened him sometimes to see children around here. Frost Mountain was no place to live. Crawling with dangers from the cold to literal monsters and dark powers, this mountain was a death trap. It was no place for an adult bear shifter like him and certainly no place for children. His only consolation was that Melinor was mostly safe and hidden from the rest of the mountain. People who found this place did so by accident.

“They aren’tallready,” Andrew said before Michael could utter a word. “And even if they were, you two aren’t going to smell them this Christmas.”

Both girls pouted in unison. “Why not?” whined Sadie. “We want to learn to ski!”

“You’re not old enough.” Michael chuckled. “Reba would have my head if I let two children tear down Frost Mountain on skis taller than them. It’s too dangerous for you.”

“But—”

“No, Katie. Maybe when you’re older.” He stepped back from his craft and faced both girls. “Why don’t you two run along now? There’s a bunch of other stuff you can do. Build a snowman or something.”

“Snowmen are boring,” Sadie complained. Just then, her eyes lit up. “Will Santa be coming this year?”

At the mention of the word, Michael felt his grin widen. The little kids in Melinor mostly had no idea who their Santa was; quite unlike the older ones, who’d put two and two together and realized over time that Michael and Santa were never in the same room—like Batman, he liked to think sometimes. He’d been wearing a complete Saint Nick costume, white beard, stuffed belly, and all when he first arrived on Frost Mountain years ago. Why Santa was wearing skis, Michael wasn’t really sure, but he’d never given it much thought.

For the past couple of years, during Christmas, he’d put on that costume and paraded the streets of the village to the delight of everyone who cared to watch. The way Michael saw it, that was what Christmas was all about: spreading joy to anyone and everyone possible. You didn’t need to buy gifts to fill stockings and place under trees. On Frost Mountain, where there was no Walmart, sometimes the most you could do was give the people the threeHsthat came with the nostalgia of a Santa-filled Christmas: hope, harmony, and happiness, all condensed into the well-known “Ho, ho, ho!”

“Maybe,” he said. “If you two are good. Now, run along, will you?”

“Okay.” Both girls turned and disappeared.

Michael turned back to his skis and picked up the hammer.

“So…” Andrew said before he could resume working. “Is there any chance this Rachel woman could be one of…Santa’s elves?”

He burst into laughter, and Michael shook his head, struggling not to join in.

“What?” Andrew folded his arms across his chest. “You’re drawn to this woman, aren’t you?”

Michael considered replying in the negative, but if he’d admitted the truth to himself, denying it to his closest friend seemed needless. He nodded. “Why does it matter? Santa doesn’t have any sexy elves.”

“Might I remind you that Elena still has her eye on you?”

At this, he threw his head back with a groan. Reba’s daughter, Elena, had had her eye on him ever since he stepped foot in Melinor.

“Do I need to remind you that I’m not into her?”

Andrew shot him a smirk. “Why don’t you tell her yourself?”

Michael lifted an eyebrow at his friend. “She’s Reba’s daughter.”

“So?”

“So, I’m not sure I want to hurt the feelings of the village chief’s daughter by rejecting her.” He shrugged.

“You say it like it’s going to put you on Reba’s bad side or something.” Andrew shook his head. “Did it ever occur to you that you might already be hurting her feelings?”

Michael blinked.

“Look,” Andrew said, “you haven’t outrightly told her that you’re not interested in her. It’s been a little over a year since she made it clear that she had strong feelings for you. All you do is pretend to be busy or distracted. How do you think that makes her feel?”

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