Read Online Arthur Christmas by Justine Fontes - Free Book Online Page A

forced me to come!” He turned to Bryony and added, “Elf, back me up, if you want a career.”
    Arthur couldn’t believe his big ears. “ I forced you ?”
    â€œYou see? Look!” Grandsanta said, pointing to the reins in Arthur’s hand.
    Steve knew better than to believe the wily old man. “What did you want, Grandsanta? Let me guess, hmm … a picture of you in the sleigh delivering the gift, to show me how it’s really done?”
    Grandsanta stuffed away the camera guiltily and lied, “No!”
    Steve went on, “You know the picture they’ll have tomorrow? You led away in handcuffs! The Santa who was seen by everybody on Earth, the Santa who ruined Christmas!”
    â€œRuined it!” Peter echoed.
    Grandsanta grabbed the reins away from Arthur. “We’ll fix this, Steve! We’ll be back home in a wobble of a reindeer’s buttocks, and Eve can go back in mothballs, you can forget she ever existed.”
    Arthur took back the reins. “You can’t just go home! What about Gwen?”
    â€œGwen!” Steve exclaimed. “For that you’d threaten my whole operation?”
    â€œOur glorious future of absolute perfection!” Peter added.
    Realizing his ambitious assistant wasn’t helping his cause, Steve said, “Get me an espresso, Peter.”
    â€œBut it’ll ruin Gwen’s Christmas if Santa doesn’t come,” Arthur explained.
    â€œHe’s not normal, Steve.” Grandsanta grabbed for the reins. “Jingle this and silent that, he’s obsessed! We’ll come quietly!”
    Once again, Arthur took back the reins. “Steve, you said if there was any way to get there, you would! Well, this is it! Look! The old sleigh is perfect!”
    The image of Eve that the Hoho sent looked so far from perfect that even Arthur had to admit, “Oh … well, anyway, it goes really fast even with bits missing. And we’ve got quite a few reindeer left … and if I’m sick again I can be sick in a bag!”
    â€œI’ll wrap him one!” Bryony promised.
    Then Arthur begged his brother. “Steve, please.”
    Support elf Sarah Wilko chimed in, “We can help them, sir!”
    â€œNo one missed, sir!” the elf named Deborah added.
    â€œAll correct presents present and correct, sir!” another elf agreed.
    All around Steve, elves sprang into action, punching in 47785BXK to put satellite images of Gwen’s house on the big screen.
    Arthur urged, “If you help us, Steve, we can do it!”
    Everyone in Mission Control and on the Hoho screen stared at Steve. Then an over-eager elf named Thomas Jack piped up, saying just the wrong thing. “Grandsanta and Arthur would be the heroes of the night, sir!”
    Peter dropped the espresso cup.
    Steve argued, “Come home now! The whole Gwen thing, it’s emotional thinking, Arthur. If we all just gave in to Christmas spirit, there’d be chaos!”
    Grandsanta grabbed the reins. “We’re on our way, Steve!”
    But Arthur grabbed back the reins, even though Santa refused to let go. The skinny young man was surprisingly strong, but so was his aged adversary.
    Arthur cried, “No! Santa will want us to get to Gwen! Ask him, please!”
    Steve paused for a moment, and then smiled wryly. “Arthur, this is Dad we’re talking about. He went to bed! Santa’s just a part he plays. It’s a suit. He’s not interested.”
    Every cell in Arthur’s body rebelled against this horrible idea. “You’re wrong! He’s lying awake worrying his beard off about Gwen!”
    Steve pressed the big red SANTA button on the nearest phone. Arthur expected his father to pick up on the first ring, or maybe his mother. Instead, after several rings, the answering machine clicked on.
    Santa’s jolly, recorded voice began, “Ho, ho, ho, getting some shut-eye, please do not disturb um