When the movie Aladdin came to an end, the elves cheered. Ms. Claus grabbed my arm with both hands and smiled. “What a wonderful movie Santa. I especially liked that Alladin and Jasmine were able to start their lives together. Reminds me a little bit of us.”
Blushing, I squeezed her hand and was about to reply when I heard one of the elves yell my name. Turning, I watched Quentin rush up beside me.
“Whoa, slow down. What’s the hurry?” I asked.
“The movie gave me an idea, and I wanted to run it by the two of you before heading to my workshop. Envision a magic carpet made for kids. How much fun would that be?”
The elf disappeared before we could voice an opinion.
Shocked, Anya looked at me. “He can’t be serious, can he? After all, the movie was just a cartoon. It was just pretend!”
“I never underestimate the abilities of my research and development manager.”
Just then Highstep, my elf in charge of the reindeer, approached us. “Did I hear that right? Quinten is going to make a Magic Carpet?”
“That’s what he said, but I’m not sure how.”
“Well, I hope he doesn’t intend to replace your sleigh and reindeer. I would be so disappointed if we could not help out at Christmas.”
“He wouldn’t do that. I’m sure it is just a challenge. Quinten does have a way of making things that surprise us all.”
A few days later, Anya and I decided to pay Quinten a visit in his workshop to see if he had succeeded in creating a magic carpet. When we arrived, the elf was busy at work. Without looking up, he said, “Glad you two are here. I’m about ready to test the rug to see if it will really work.”
Quinten stood and took a step back to look at his masterpiece. The carpet was a colorful pattern of reds and greens with some silver and golden threads mixed in to add to its beauty.
“Exquisite,” Anya murmured as her hand slid across the carpet’s fiber, “and so soft.”
Quentin beamed with pride.
“Are you finished?” I asked and walked around the four by six-foot carpet.
“Yes! Time to test it out!” Quinten grinned, hopping onto the carpet. With a whoosh, it zoomed out of his lab and zipped above the heads of the other elves working on the assembly line.
“WAAAAH!” Quinten yelped as the carpet suddenly did a loop-the-loop and shot straight up to the ceiling and crashed with a loud THUD!
Quinten tumbled into a pile of teddy bears. Quickly, the other elves rushed over to help him.
“New invention?” asked Trixie, the head gift-wrapper.
Quinten groaned. “Yeah… still working out the bugs.”
The creative elf gathered up the carpet and headed back to his workshop. He looked at Anya and me and smiled. “Don’t worry, just need to make a few adjustments.”
We waited outside his lab and were surprised how fast he could work to correct the problems. Soon he was ready for another test.
This time the carpet floated gracefully. One of the elves opened the door to the outside. When Quentin flew above the ground, the silver and gold in the carpet shimmered in the sunlight.
After several minutes of testing the magic carpet, Quinten landed it right in front of Anya and me. “You want to give it a try Santa?”
“Ho, ho, ho! Let’s see what this beauty can do!” As soon as I sat on the carpet, it gently lifted into the air. But then—ZOOOOM!
The carpet went wild! It spiraled through the sky, swerving between candy cane lamp posts. It veered to the right and headed for the open door to the workshop. Anya and the elves ducked when the carpet whizzed above their heads and dipped dangerously close to the toy conveyor belts. “WHOA,” I yelled. Then, SPLAT, the carpet hit a huge barrel, causing peppermint sprinkles to spill all over the floor and me!
I laughed as I stood up, covered in red, green, and white specks. “That was quite the ride, Quinten!”
The elf sighed. “Okay, maybe it still needs a little work.”
The next day, Quinten invited Anya and me to return to view the improved version of his invention.
“The carpet needed a way it could be steered by the rider, so I sewed a magical candy cane control stick into the fabric and added reindeer-inspired stabilization charms. I know it’s going to work this time. You want to give it another try Santa?”
“Of course.”
Though Anya gave me a warning look, she moved aside as I once again stepped onto the magic carpet.
After Quentin opened the door, I guided the carpet to the outside. This time it soared smoothly over the village, dipping and gliding effortlessly. When I returned, I gave the imaginative elf a nod. “You’ve outdone yourself, Quinten.”
The elf danced across the floor and punched the air in victory. “Can’t wait for production to begin. We should have these ready in time for the Christmas season.”
When I heard my wife moan, I knew what was coming.
“Wait a minute, Quentin. Isn’t this toy too dangerous for children? What would happen if they took it outside or got hurt?”
The elf nodded. “Maybe so, but I could sew in a warning label and directions into the carpet for parents.”
“You could,” Anya took a deep breath and added, “but many people don’t bother with warnings or care to read directions.”
I held up my hand, and sat down by the planning table. “I’ve been thinking…. What if this were created for children who are wheel-chair bound or have disabilities and can’t explore their neighborhoods, parks, forests, lakes or any place where the ability to walk is necessary.”
“Good point, Santa,” Quentin replied as his hand began scribbling notes on paper.
My wife smiled. “Now that would be a great gift, especially if you constructed the carpet to hold a child and an adult who could steer it so that the boy or girl actually saw what often they can’t in real life.”
I gave my wife a side hug, and the two of us looked over at Quentin.
Busy designing a new carpet, the elf ignored us. “Need to improve weight allowance and balance. Yeah, then the steering device would have to……”
We grinned and left him muttering to himself. Anya slipped her arm through mine as we walked towards the kitchen. “I think this calls for a treat. What do you say, Santa?”
“Definitely. After all, celebrating the creation of a magic carpet is as good a reason as any to bring out the hot chocolate and cookies.”
Notes From Santa
I hope you enjoyed today’s story. Stories are posted on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, except December. Santa’s next story will be posted on Saturday April 19, 2025. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until the next time . . .
To read other stories about Quinten please check out:
Reindeer vs Technology – June 1, 2020
Santa’s Improved Sleigh – March 16, 2020
Find Cincy Santa (@CincySanta) on:
Facebook – Instagram – Threads – Blue Sky – X (Twitter)
Illustration Created with Microsoft Copilot
Another Awesome story Santa!! The idea for children with disabilities is really a Great idea! And it would be even a better idea for those of us flooded in – instead of hiking in and out to get to our truck, or not getting out at all, it would be a Wonderful idea! Thanks again – Loved your story!!