Enya's Audition

Enya the Elf tugged on her green ruffled collar, glancing at her reflection in the toy store window as she hurried through the snowy streets, carrying a dainty elfin briefcase. Tinny Christmas music echoed from the town square, where the annual fir tree stood tall and strong and bedecked with twinkling lights.

Soon she would be at Santa's Workshop for her interview and audition. The thought made her breath catch in her throat. She ran a finger across the gold leaf-shaped ring her mom had given her one Christmas.

"Always remember you can be anything you want," she told young Enya. "Make the world a beautiful place, one small kindness at a time, and your life will be filled with satisfaction no matter what."

What greater kindness can I do than being one of Santa's elves? Enya quickened her pace as she reached the outskirts of town. It's every elf's dream!

Finally the red and green tin roofs of Santa's compound came into view past the pine trees. She skipped across peppermint stepping stones, along a path lined with candy canes whose hooks supported glowing lanterns. A signpost directed her to the wreath-bedecked door of Santa's office.

Enya reached for the reindeer-shaped knocker in the middle of the wreath and tapped it gently. Santa Claus himself swung the door open.

"Come on in, young lady! A few minutes early to your appointment, I see."

His eyes twinkled with such a friendly glow, it was hard for her to feel nervous. She sat down gingerly in an overstuffed pine green armchair in front of his desk, resting her briefcase in her lap. Santa served them cocoa and took his place behind the desk.

"I hope you didn't have far to come."

"No sir, not more than a couple miles."

"Now, tell me about yourself."

Enya had been preparing for this important question for months. She sat up straight, taking deep breaths and remembering everything she'd gone over in her rehearsals, trying not to be distracted by the aromatic cocoa and tempting cookies.

"I'm seventeen, graduated early from Tinseltown High with honors. I have big hopes and dreams of being a difference maker in the world, and I love drawing and working with graphics and design. I'm currently working on my degree in Graphics Design at North Pole University."

"Wonderful!" Santa riffled through some papers. "I see you specifically applied for the Graphics Designer position. What makes you think you'd be a good fit for this job?"

"I would make a great addition to your team because I'm studious, with attention to detail, and I am qualified to help design new toys and prepare any images and artwork which might be needed. My pencil art has won two awards. Would you like to see my portfolio?"

"Why certainly."

Enya unlatched her briefcase and brought forth a folder with a couple of prize ribbons pinned to it. Santa held it reverently as he examined her work.

"This is fine artwork, Enya, and you should be proud of it. Tell me, where do you see yourself in five years?"

"Ooh!" Her eyes glistened. "I see myself pursuing my dreams and achieving my goals. I want to create the most beautiful artwork I can and put it to the best possible use. I know I'll have to start small, but every small goodness has a ripple effect…"

Am I being too vague, overgeneralizing? Maybe he wants specifics… Santa's warm smile was inscrutable.

"One's philosophy is crucial," he declared. "Our hard work doesn't always bear results we can see firsthand. Yet we continue on because we are confident in the wholesomeness of our enterprise."

"Exactly!" Enya couldn't resist clapping her hands. "Oh Santa, when can I begin? I'd love this job! I'm passionate about art and design. I think you need—"

"Not so fast, young lady!" Santa held up a hand. "I need to see your team skills now. Let's go out to the workshop and see what the latest project is."

The workshop was a whirl of activity. Elves scooted back and forth carrying tools and boxes. They sat at work desks with blueprints and prototypes. They wrapped and packed and labeled and sorted. Enya's head spun trying to take it all in.

Santa guided her to a table where two elves were sitting with paints, tape and stencils, applying designs to miniature porcelain tea sets. The girl elf looked up and smiled at Enya. The boy elf kept his eyes on his work.

"Meet Evan and Elycia." Santa gestured to them. "You need to familiarize yourself with many types of tasks. Just sit and watch them for a few minutes. After a bit, Evan will ask you to help." Santa walked away to a different area.

Enya watched quietly without interrupting the other elves. She thought about how she would improve the pattern and redesign the shape of the teapot if she were in charge. Then Evan handed her a paintbrush and a teacup.

"It's easy. You can do it."

Enya spent the next couple hours going from table to table, helping out with a variety of odd jobs. She did as much as possible, even when it was something she had no previous experience with, like piecing together windup walking dachshunds or coding different types of packages for shipment.

She even loaded heavy boxes onto a sled, wondering as she did so if she would ever get the chance to do her dream job in design and development, or if being hired as one of Santa's elves meant being stuck with the menial work.

At the end of it, Santa thanked her and sent her on her way.

"We'll be in touch within the week."

The next few days were agonizing. Enya went over every moment of the interview and audition a million times in her head, wondering if there was something she could have done differently, if she had made a fool of herself somehow, if she should have said this instead of that or worked a little faster or smiled a little more…

Finally, the call came.

"Enya, we've decided you would make an excellent team member. Your multitasking abilities are impressive, but we will place you in the graphics department, assisting the head design elf. You can begin working tomorrow." Santa's voice sounded extra jolly over the phone.

"Oh, I can't wait! I'll do my best at whatever I can. I'll start small and do my part to spread kindness across the world, just like my mom said! Thank you, Santa."

notes ▼

Words: 1097.
Written for "12 Days Of Christmas 2024" 
Prompt: Can't help my elf! Write a holiday-themed vignette (1100 words or less) featuring an elf auditioning to be one of Santa's elves. What does the audition entail? Does the elf get a callback? Or do they keep waiting tables in Tinseltown?