Behind the Red Cloak

Dear Worldwide E.L.V.E.S Stations ,

I am Sally Wintergreen, new leader of the N.P.S. or North Pole Society. I send you this letter to inform you of recent events that may lead to our previous leader's death. This year my stations are ordered to be on high guard, our arch-enemy is becoming more dangerous by the minute. Some even say he was our old leader's long forgotten brother. His name is unknown by our analysis department, but he seems to go by the name Hades.

Hades wears a dark cloak of shadows that flow behind with grace, but anything these robes touch loses its energy and becomes fatally ill. He is very thin and has ghost-pale skin, his eyes are thin and gray and he is bald of all hair. Hades voice is low-pitch and smooth and his face is usually expressionless, unless he's full of rage. Hades is a cruel man, he's hates the very idea of Christmas and secretly plots to destroy it. He is said to be a god, controlling the underworld at his will, and by using his dark ring he takes the souls of depressed.

Last week Hades paid the central station a visit. He has grown stronger than I could have ever feared. His infamous ring he carries around can now feed not only on the depressed souls, but also the scared. My soldiers were immediately taken once they saw Hades face, their deaths will be avenged. These are the entries out of our leader's diary -- -- Santa Claus.

I sit in my warm study, the pattering of feet below tell me that the soldiers are already at work. The workshop is being prepared for Christmas next week. I review my list and look through my records so that all that are good can be honored. My list doesn't only inform the soldiers of all the presents that need to be made, it is a protector. All names I write onto the scroll become magical engraved into its fabric, protecting the person from the fingers of evil. Hades has been silent for years and I believe he's planning something so this year will have the most names yet, even the naughty deserve to live.

In the middle of reviewing my list twice I was interrupted by an elf. He urgently burst through my door, his face pale and terrified.

"He's back master," the soldier uttered through feverish pants,

"The dark one has returned."

I lifted myself from my chair and quickly paced to my wardrobe. I hold only one outfit other than my robe, my velvet cloak and pants. These pants were laced with holy and the cloak has been dipped in blessed water, without this Hades cloak of shadows will make me fatally ill and maybe kill me.

I hurried down the intertwining stairs of my workshop; I could no longer hear the soldiers. The workshop was quiet and gray and the walls seemed to have lost their life, he is here. I rushed out the long heavy doors and walked into the wintery courtyard.

Hades stood in the middle of the courtyard; his posture was slouched, his eyes were a dark gray, and his cloak moved across his body as if it was alive.

"Hello old friend," his voice was low and melancholy, "It's been a long time."

Hades calmness wasn't surprising; he is used to death so everything else is either boring or enraging to him. I looked around at the lifeless bodies of my soldiers, some were ill from the shadows of Hades cloak, but others lay lifeless in the grayed snow. "You are forbidden here leave at once before I take drastic measures," I readied myself to call reinforcements, " The damned don't deserve to walk in such a holy place."

"I have come to take back what is mine," Hades declares.

"I have nothing of yours, Hades!"

"Oh really, every year you save millions of people's lives by helping them through near death."

"Make your point demon!"

"My point is your stealing them from me and I want them back,"

" -- " I was silent, his remark struck me.

"By Christmas Eve I will have your soul in the Underworld with me, along with your wife's and soldiers," with this Hades disappeared in the shadows of his cloak, with the eeriness of his threat lingering in the air.

It has been a week since the threat was made and only a week lies between now and Christmas Eve. Hades is not fooled by our present giving acts anymore. He realized our true intentions were to connect our realm with God's. We have begun to believe Hades is a human form of the devil himself, but the thought is preposterous. The devil has been trapped for thousands of years. I was scared myself, Hades is unpredictable and he has gotten more powerful. Soon after another event occurred. He sent another message; this one was grotesque and horrifying.

It was a gloomy morning; I looked out my long windows into my courtyard. As the morning sun rose over our icy mountains I saw something. I hurried out my doors and down the stairs, accidently awakening some of my soldiers. As we walked into my courtyard the snow showed an even darker shade of gray, even in this morning sun. In the center of my courtyard was a tree, sprouted in the same spot Hades once stood. The tree was old and gnarled, the leaves crumpled and black as they hang limp on the gray branches, in the topmost branch was a single pear, but the most grotesque thing about the tree of hell was the nest in the lowest branch. The nest was made of the shadows from Hades cloak and inside was a partridge.

The sight sickened me; the partridge was dead and gray. Inside the beak of the dead bird was a letter engraved at the seal with the sign of the Underworld, a bleeding heart. Inside the letter was a poem written in dried blood and written on an old parchment.

I take souls and I take hearts but who can really tell them apart

The world is torn with hatred and pain

But to me it's all the same

People have torn and ruin the land

So I smite them with my black hand

But a man in red and white thinks this isn't right

Well is it the right thing to do

To kill a man that killed me too

Merry Christmas,

Your father, Hades

After seeing this letter our leader suffocated a slow and painful death. Our forensic department discovered that note was another one of Hades dark incantations. So now as Christmas Eve draws near, I want to call all squadrons. I am ordering all E.L.V.E.S to help us in the war with the Underworld.

Sincerely,

The New Santa Claus