Beep beep beep beep

"Unngg... Shut up," you groan as you slam your hand down on the snooze button.

You turn over onto your back and close your eyes. Last night's rush hour was hectic, just as Grandma predicted. People were coming in and out for hours; the last person left five minutes after closing time. The store even ran out of a couple items near the end.

You sigh as you turn over onto your side again, looking at your alarm. You reach over and turn it off before it has a chance to sound. You struggle as you try to sit up, and your body aches during the process. You manage to sit up straight and you look around your room.

It's hard to see anything, as it is 6:30 and the sun has yet to rise. But after a while your eyes become accustomed to the dark and you manage to make out the shapes in the room.

You've been placed in the guest bedroom in the apartment above the shop. The meticulously placed Christmas decorations stay up year long, so there is a fine layer of dust coating each object in the room. Looking closely, can see where the dust has been wiped away from the handles of the wardrobe when you put your clothes away, and the window seal when you leaned out to view the downtown area last night. You see your suitcase lying on the floor, with some socks hanging out. You wonder if you packed warm enough. You were freezing yesterday with only your winter coat and you think maybe you should buy some gloves or a hat.

As you are pondering that question, you realize that you can see your own breath. Confirming any doubts you had regarding your lack of warm clothes.

"I suppose I should get dressed," you said to yourself, "before I begin to grow ice crystals,"

You dangle your feet over the edge of the bed, wincing as they touch the icy floor. You fumble over to the wardrobe and grudgingly take off your pajamas. You quickly put on your undergarments and find a fluffy sweater and a pair of pants to wear. After putting on your shoes, you head to the kitchen to get something to eat.

Walking into the kitchen, you find that it was pleasantly warmer than your bedroom. You must remind Grandma to get you a portable heater, you tell yourself.

You see a plate of chocolate chip cookies sitting on the counter, next to it is a glass of orange juice.

"Ew orange juice with cookies?" you say. However, the protests of your stomach beat away any pickiness you have. You eat four cookies but then you are too parched to go on. Your hand hesitates, hovering over the glass of orange juice.

"This can't taste good..." you say as you pick up the glass and begin to drink. To your surprise, it's not half bad. You eat 2 more cookies and drink the rest of the orange juice. You hear your Grandma downstairs talking.

"Who is she talking to?" you wonder aloud, "There can't be any customers this early in the morning,".

You walk downstairs into the shop to find your Grandma talking on the phone. She sees you and beckons you to come closer.

As you walk over to her, you see that she is wearing one of her many Christmas sweaters. Today's sweater depicts a snowy scene, complete with snowmen and snowflakes, and the words Let it Snow written across the top.

"I'd rather it not," you say under your breath. You think the concept of snow is exciting, but you had never liked the cold that accompanied it.

"Hey, can I put you on hold for a second? Okay," your Grandma says to the person over the phone. She presses the mute button and sets the phone on down on the counter.

"Sorry about that, it's my friend Maurice, you remember her? Big glasses and always wears socks and sandals? She can just talk for ages on end. Did you find my cookies?" She asks.

"Oh yeah, I think I've met her before. Yes, they were delicious, thank you," you reply.

"That's good because I'm sending you on an errand," she says opening the cash register.

"Whaaaat? Seriously Grandma? This early?" You whine. You don't really mind doing errands, but you did not want to go outside in the freezing weather. There wasn't any snow on the ground, but it was still cold.

"Yup, seriously. Our supplier called to say that we can pick up our stock. I need you to go pick it up," she says, still rummaging through the register.

"Can't they deliver it?" You ask.

"They can, but not for such small orders. It's just the things we ran out of last night. So it won't be too much, I'm sure you can handle it," she says, "Ah here it is. Dumb receipt," she hands you the receipt.

"Give this to the man at the desk, he'll give you the boxes," She said picking up the phone again.

You take the receipt. "Wait where am I going? Do I have to take a bus or something?" you ask, hoping you don't have to take a bus. You never liked public transportation.

"Don't worry, hun. It's just a couple buildings down the street. The big package building with the green sign and yellow box ya know? The downtown area isn't very big so I'm sure you can find it. It's called Packaging on the Go or something like that," she replies.

"You don't know the name of your supplier?" You ask in disbelief.

"I never really bothered to memorize the name. I've used them for so long. I'm pretty sure it's written in the receipt. I'll have some hot cocoa when you get back. So hurry before it gets cold," She says answering the phone again and continuing her talk with the unfashionable Maurice.

You let out a long exaggerated sigh as you look at the receipt. It says Pack n' Go. Grandma was pretty close, you admit to yourself. You then stuff the receipt into your pocket and put on your coat. You walk over to the door and peer outside. You could feel the cold radiating through the glass.

As you step out into the street the first thing you notice is the cold wind that bombards you as mind your own business.

"Dumb wind," you curse under your breath, allowing the wind to lick your teeth, freezing them in the process.

The second thing you notice is the ice. It's hard to see, but as you take your first step your feet slides from underneath you. You catch yourself, thank goodness, but your heart is racing from almost falling on your butt. After a couple minutes of careful penguin walking, you realize that you forgot to ask which direction Pack n' Go was. You look back at the direction you came from and weigh your options.

I could head back and ask her. Or continue this way. If it's just down the street, I have a 50% chance of heading the right direction you contemplate. You decide that if you are right then you must be close by now so you might as well continue until the street ends. Downtown isn't very big so I won't have much longer until I reach the end you tell yourself.

As you continue walking, you notice is that you are the only person you've seen on the street. You could see the people inside of the shops, getting ready for the day, but there was no one outside.

It is pretty early you think.

You continue walking, cursing the cold weather as you shiver. After a few minutes, you see a building with a green sign with a yellow box on it across the road. The sign says Pack n' Go.

Aha! I was right you congratulate yourself as you cross the street and enter the building.

You walk inside and it is almost as cold as it is outside. You grunt in disappointment and walk over to the counter. Sitting behind it is an old, old man with big glasses and a balding head. His head hung low and his eyes were closed. You stand there awkwardly for a couple of seconds, wondering how you should continue. You decide that you probably wake him, rather than wait for him to awaken naturally.

"Excuse me? Um, sir?" you ask meekly. The old man doesn't stir.

"Excuse me, sir!" you ask again, this time slightly louder. This time, the old man adjusts his position but remains asleep.

He must be a really deep sleeper, you think to yourself, I would have definitely woken up by now.

You shake his shoulder slightly and begin to shake harder. "Sir wake up!" you demand. The old man continues his peaceful slumber.

You sigh. You didn't want it to come to this, but you have no other option. You take both of his shoulders by hand and begin to shake violently, yelling in his face.

"SIR PLEASE WAKE UP!" you scream. The old man shifts and slowly opens his eyes, unnerved by your yelling and violent shakes.

"Aaahhhhh," the old man yawns, "Ah who is there? I am terribly sorry, it seems as if I fell asleep on duty. Fu fu fu!" He chuckles.

You are surprised at how much energy it took to wake him, and how he wasn't even alarmed by your method.

"Hi I'm from Joulupukki, the Christmas store down the street," you tell him, "My Grandmother sent me to pick up the items we ordered,".

"Ah, you must be (y/n)! Your Grandma has told me so much about you!" he replies happily, "she said you were a, uh, what was it again? Oh yes, a lion tamer! You look rather short to tame lions, but stranger things have happened," he says squinting at you through his glasses.

"What? I'm not a-"

"Do you have a receipt?" he cuts you off mid-sentence

"Oh uh yes," you reply digging around in your pockets, "Here it is," You set the receipt on the counter.

"I'll go get your packages then. Wait here, lion tamer," he says getting off of his stool and slowly walking into the back room.

"But I'm not a..." you try to refute, but he has already left the room.

Why would Grandma say that I am a lion tamer? He must have misheard... you reason with yourself. I don't think that you can even become a lion tamer at this age... Well, maybe an apprentice at least. I would have to work in a circus. Are there any circus's that stay in one spot? Or are they all traveling? I wouldn't want of part of a traveling circus, but if there was one that was stationary....

You are still thinking of the possibility of your new lion taming career when he returns with two large boxes on a rolly cart.

"Here you go, young lion tamer! They're quite heavy, but I'm sure you've handled worse in your animal business! Fu fu fu!" he laughs at himself. He sits down behind the counter and immediately falls back asleep.

"Good night," you tell him under your breath, impressed at how quickly he fell asleep. You attempt to pick up the boxes. You immediately regret doing that and try to set them down again, and end up dropping them the last few inches.

"How can they be so heavy!?" you exclaim in disbelief, "Didn't we just run out of Mr. and Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shakers!?" This was one of the most popular items in the store last night. It seems people want even their spice containers to have Christmas Cheer.

You stand up and take a deep breath. You exhale, counting down from 4.

Alright. I can do this. You tell yourself.

You bend down and grab the edges of the bottom box.

Remember lift from your legs, not your back. You remind yourself.

You stand up, lifting the boxes very ungracefully.

$hit I can't do this! Abort mission! Abort mission! You scream silently. No, I must remain strong. I must return home with honor. My lions are counting on me. What would they do if I were to die here? You tell yourself. You somehow convinced yourself to hold on.

You manage to wobble outside, but your arms are getting weaker every second and they are beginning to spaghettify.

C'mon! I can do this!! You cheer yourself on.

You begin to cross the street, and, unfortunately, you had forgotten how icy the street was. And it didn't help that your center of balance was all messed up because of boxes too. You were so focused on not dropping your boxes, you failed to realize that someone was walking behind you.

Then all of a sudden, your foot went flying from underneath you. Except this time, you weren't able to catch yourself.

You remember your heart pounding and seeing the sky as you descend backward. You quickly close your eyes and prepare yourself for the impact.

You wait.

After waiting for a short while, you realize that you have yet to hit the ground.

"What the?" you say out loud, opening your eyes.

As you open your eyes, you see that you have not fallen, but rather someone has caught you from behind.

"Moi moi! Are you alright?" a voice says from behind you. You are then lifted up, allowing you to regain your balance.

After standing upright you turn to face your savior, but the boxes you are carrying block your view.

"Uh, yes! Thank you," you say as you struggle to look over the boxes.

"Here let me," the voice replies taking the top box from you with ease as if it weighs nothing. This absence of weight relieves you and you adjust your grip.

"Ah thanks," you reply. Your eyes then meet with the deep violet eyes of a boy with light blond hair. He stands a bit taller than you and has a strong build. You notice that he is wearing mittens and warm winter coat. You are momentarily frozen as you admire the boy standing in front of you.

"I saw you carrying those boxes and it looks like you were struggling and so I went up to you to offer assistance and then you-" he rambles, stopping in mid-sentence as if he is shocked to see you.

"Ah! You're the girl from Joulupukki from last night!" he exclaimed happily, "I'm Tino!"

"What?" you ask, breaking out of your frozen state, "Tino? I'm sorry there were so many people I couldn't possibly remember...." You say stopping, as the name Tino does ring a bell.

You suddenly remember why the name sounds familiar.

"Ah! Tino from the note! You were the one who left the money!" you say a bit louder than necessary.

"Yes! I'm glad to meet you! You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you," he says smiling.

"Oh no, it would have been fine. I did like that nap, though. Thank you for leaving the money that was really cool of you. And thank you for the candy cane in my cocoa! That tasted really good!" you say excitingly, almost dropping your box.

"I'm glad you liked it! I always think they taste better that way," he replies, "Are you taking these boxes back to Joulupukki?" he asks

You then realize that you have been standing in the middle of the street this entire time. How silly you both must look to anyone watching you from inside the buildings.

"Oh, uh, yes! These are items we ran out of last night," you say walking towards the sidewalk, trying to pay close attention to the icy road.

Tino follows. "Wow, it must have been busy?"

"Yeah, and yesterday was just our first day of sales. Everything gets cheaper every day closer to Christmas,"

"How wonderful! Joulupukki is my favorite store in this town. I haven't seen you here before, though, have you recently moved in?"

"Oh no. My Grandma owns the shop. I'm just helping out for the holiday season,"

"Oh okay," he replies. You thought you heard a tinge of disappointment in his voice. But you dismiss that thought, thinking it was probably nothing.

You see the beginning Joulupukki, and turn to Tino to thank him again for helping you, but you are quickly interrupted by a sneeze. And then another.

"What's the matter? Are you cold?" Tino asks.

"Oh, maybe a little. I don't think I packed warm enough for this visit-achoo!" you say, sneezing again, almost dropping your box.

And before you can say anything to protest, Tino puts down his box and pulls out a white beret from his pocket and places it snugly on your head.

"Wha? Thank you but you don't have to..." you say

"Nonsense! You should have it! Besides it looks better on you!" he says picking his box back up

"Oh, thanks," you say as you feel your face warming up. But you can't tell if you're blushing or if the hat is working miraculously fast. You vote for the hat.

You arrive in front of Joulupukki. You turn to Tino.

"Thank you again for helping me carry the boxes. I don't think I would have survived," you tell him.

"I'm happy to help! It is the Christmas season after all," he responds.

You walk into the shop, Tino following closely behind.

"You can set it down here," you say as you struggle to set your box down without it dropping too far. Tino sets his box down with ease and looks at his watch.

"Oh no! I'm afraid I have to go. It was nice meeting you..." he says, waiting for your response.

"(y/n)," you respond.

"It was nice meeting you (y/n)! I'll make sure to visit again later!" he says heading towards the door.

"It was nice meeting you too Tino! And thanks again!" you call out after him.

"Moi moi!" he responds as he opens the door and runs hurriedly away.

You stand in the middle of shop staring at the door for a couple of seconds, just comprehending what had happened. You usually enjoy being alone, but for some reason him leaving left you a bit disappointed. A part of you wishes he would run back saying, Oh I was wrong, I'm not late for anything! Do you want to continue talking? You shake your head, dismissing the thoughts.

You reach up and take off your gifted hat. It is a well-made, fleece beret that looks like it has hardly been worn. You smile as you fold it and put into your pocket.

"Grandma! I brought the boxes! Where's that cocoa you promised me?" you yell up the stairs into the apartment.

"Welcome back! See it wasn't so bad! It's all ready, come on up," She promptly yells back.

You climb the stairs and find our grandma sitting at her small kitchen table with 2 cups of cocoa and another plate of cookies. You sit down across from your Grandma, accepting the cup she hands you.

"Oh wait, Grandma, do you have any candy canes?" you ask standing up.

"Yeah, there's a couple in the candy basket on the counter. Why?" she replies.

"For my cocoa," you reply.

You walk over and see a bundle or candy canes along with candy ribbon and peppermints, neatly tucked inside a basket with a ribbon tied around the handle. You take one of the candy canes, unwrap it and place it into your hot cocoa.

"When did you think of doing that?" your Grandma asks.

"A friend taught me. It's really good, do you want to try?" you ask.

"Maybe next time, I already drank most of mine. And speaking of that, when you finish I need you to change the Today part of the sale posters outside," she says taking a bit of a cookie.

"Aw really? I just got back inside. It's freezing out there," you pout.

"Which is exactly why I am going to stay inside!" Your Grandma replies teasing you

"Jeez. Fine," you comply.

At least now I have a nice hat to keep me warm. You think as you drink your peppermint cocoa.

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Ahhhh I'm so sorry it's so long! I just kept going, and going and before I knew it, it was over 3000 words!  (｡T v T｡)

I will try to make the next chap a bit shorter. (ノ*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)