Elle is Scolding
Things were still in a bad way at the North Pole. Snowvid 20 was ruling everyone's lives, more outside the workshops than within, but it was hardly a mercy. Rules were getting tighter and work was feeling workier than ever before. Masks were now mandatory anywhere with a roof unless you lived there, meaning most of the elves had restricted vision and were getting agitated from hot air and a more challenging form of breathing.
Even though the elves were following the rules, now ones that didn't make any sense kept coming in and as a result, Elle also had to dictate new rules in the workplace to accommodate whatever laws were being passed. Eventually, things began to get too much. One lunch hour, a group of elves were chatting over their half empty table.
"You know what I think?" Emily spoke first. "I think we should take action, enough is enough right?"
"What do you suggest we do?" Wendy asked.
"I'm saying-" Emily stopped to look around and make sure no one was in ear shot. "I'm saying we should go on strike!" she whispered.
"Shh! Are you kidding?!" Elsie gasped. She adjusted her glasses which nearly fell off in shock! "I don't think there's ever been an s word in Santa's workshop, never!"
"Yeah well I've been talking with Tinker, you know tinker?"
"Tinker with the funny walk?"
"No, Tinker with the birth mark on her ear." Emily corrected. "Anyway, her family history goes all the way back to the workshop's beginnings and she says there was actually a strike-"
"Shh!" the other elves demanded.
"Okay, s word back when Santa changed his uniform from green to red. The elves were being made to wear red suits and white wooly hats so they went on strike and you know what? A single day later, everyone was permitted to wear the traditional green uniforms and crimson hats like what we have now. My point being that all we have to do is go on strike and then we can have everything our way again."
"That's different!" Wendy explained. "You're talking about a dispute over dress sense, this is a legal affair we're dealing with, a nationwide pandemic!"
"Look, I need people to back me up on this otherwise we might continue to be needlessly dictated by these rules that are making work impossible! We simply can't go on like this!"
"Alright, I'm in!" Elsie agreed.
"Wendy?"
"Count me out, you're mental."
But Emily might not have seemed so mental as Wendy thought. A lot of elves were interested in the idea and after a week, Emily put the idea of a strike forward towards Carol, the shop steward of the union.
Despite everyone's best efforts however, Eldon was soon aware of the oncoming strike. Emily says Wendy ratted them out, Eldon says he was bound to find out, Elton says that Thomas Elfison being the dim elf he was proposed Eldon joined the strike. But now that Eldon knew, Elle was bound to find out.
"They're going on what?!" Elle nearly choked on her dinner.
"Yeah, they reckon they're going to strike to persuade you to lift all these stupid rules!"
"How can they do this? We have a duty to the children, to the world!"
"You should just remind them that it's the law making these rules and not yourself."
"I do remind them that but clearly it's not enough." Elle was at a loss for what to do.
The next day, the staff turned up to work. But instead of working, they were keeping out the ones willing to work, rioting and demanding change. The workshops were a nightmare until Elle turned up; by now she was ready and confident.
"There she is! Right, we want change!" demanded Emily. Elle was helped up onto a crate and then addressed the staff.
"Can I have your attention, please?" The crowd surprisingly fell quiet.
"I understand that these are stressful times and that not all of the rules are to your liking. Unfortunately these rules are the law and we can't change our situation. We are making the best of a bad-"
"Rubbish, Snowvid is probably a hoax!" called out an elf.
"You run these workshops, you're in control!"
The elves started rioting again so Elle looked to Eldon and signed something to him. Eldon got back in the car and beeped the horn until the crowd fell silent.
"Thank you! Can I ask if anyone has given any thought to what might happen if we don't finish our work on time?" Elle sternly asked. "There are children all over the world who depend on our annual tradition to bring joy to them in the winter. There are people who wish it was Christmas every day, there are people wishing they had a Christmas at all, even people whose only solace in this cruel world could be a Christmas! It's not all about the presents by any means, but our gift to them is a show of selflessness and commitment. We set an example for the youth, serving as a reminder of what comes from teamwork, kindness and an optimistic spirit. If you're really willing to strike out and boycott your promise, are you really willing to risk letting everyone else down?"
Not a word was spoken, no one dared to speak up. Even those who disagreed knew they would be in for it if they spoke up. There was silence, until Emily humbly placed her sign on the ground. The same surrendering gestures were followed by Elsie, then Tinker, then Thomas Elfison and so forth. The revolution had come to a halt, but Elle wasn't done there.
"And one more thing, have any of you thought to check the news this morning?" The elves all exchanged confused looks between each other, everyone had either been too concerned with their protest or too put off by the depression nature of the news as of late. "Let me tell you that anyone who watched the 6 o'clock news will know for a fact that a cure for Snowvid has been found, it is set to be distributed in tablet form in about a fortnight's time and our old normal should return in about four months time."
All of the elves cheered, even the ones who hadn't been protesting. Elle had saved her business and brought hope back to her staff. Once again she made a delivery, this time of great news. She had also reminded her staff just what it means to be an elf at her workshops and it was safe to say that for the rest of her career, there was no more talk about strikes and no secret rebellions going on behind closed doors. Peace had been welcomed and accepted by all and the wrokshops, though still struggling in this time for difficulty, were a merrier place once again.
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