Photo by: Joy Pixley
Professor Articus Swoope stood on a hill covered in scrubby trees. He made adjustments to his machine saying, “This machine will literally track Santa Claus!”
Jennifer May (reporter at large) said, “But tracking Santa should be impossible.”
Swoope intoned, ” ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ My machine can actually peer into hyperspace. This is where and why Santa moves so quickly.”
“How is this possible?”
“It’s all due to my Hyperdecacompallitating Antecontripulator Module, or HAM. There! It’s ready. Now I’ll know if Santa is bringing me that Nintendo NES Classic.”
Jennifer saw a flicker of light in the corner of her eye. “What was that?”
Swoope looked over at his worktable. “My God! It’s here!”
“What?”
Swoope held it up triumphantly. “It just appeared! An NES Classic!”
“That’s great,” said Jennifer, “But isn’t your machine on fire?”
***
Aboard Santa’s sleigh, Santa said, “You sure his machine, his HAM, won’t work?”
Bill the Tech Elf held up some critical cooling components. “Positive.”
“Good,” said Santa. “Hopefully his new Nintendo will make him feel better.”
______________________________
Written for Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers.
EagleAye
Momus News 
Poor Professor Swoope, foiled again. That’s what he gets for trying to unravel Santa’s mystery. He’s lucky Santa’s a good sport — at least he got his game!
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Yep. Back to the drawing board! Some things are best leave as a mystery, like the wonderful magical things. Santa actually likes Swoope and thinks he’s a “good boy,” but there are lines one shouldn’t cross. 😉 Thanks Joy. Great pic by the way. 🙂
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I agree — some lines shouldn’t be crossed. Like messing with Santa’s secrets. 🙂 Glad you liked the photo. I happened to have my phone with me that day on my morning walk and took a ton of shots of the eerie fog, and some of them turned out pretty good. I used another shot from that day for the previous story I wrote about Hennar and the never-ending mist (it’s linked in my post).
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That’s the way to do it. You take boatloads of pics hoping for one just the way you want it. Is that California? It looks like the coastal areas to me.
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Yes, southern CA. We’re about 4 miles from the ocean, as the seagull flies.
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I almost broke my tongue trying to say, Hyperdecacompallitating Antecontripulator. LOL you really had fun with this one, didn’t you Eric 😀
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Haha! I actually can say those out loud. It’s easier to say them when you’re the one that invented the words. 😉 And yeah I did have fun. I love making stuff up. 😉 Thanks Lyn! 🙂
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Hahahaha! He thinks he is so smart but Santa Claus is smarter than him! I’m sure his new Nintendo will make him feel better, after all that is all he wanted to know. LOL! Cute Story!
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Santa is an ancient being, so he’s seen a lot. Swoope isn’t the first guy to try and unravel secrets. Santa’s got a trick or two (or a thousand) for dealing with guys who try to work out the magic. And yeah, having his beloved Nintendo has softened the blow for Swoope. 😉 Glad you had fun. Thanks so much! 🙂
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A fun read! Loved it! 🙂
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Great to hear that. Thanks most kindly! 🙂
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Chuckles. Thanks for making me smile Lovely story.
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Most cool. Smiles are all I hope for (chuckles too). Thanks very much! 🙂
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This is cute. Lol this guy and his Santa technology! You can’t track Santa. Santa is beyond science! Good thing he’s getting his Nintendo, all will be forgotten!
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No doubt. Santa is too slippery to be nailed down so easily. He’s got thousands of years of experience dodging watching eyes. Still, he knows how to make a failure not feel so bad. 😉 Thanks so much! 🙂
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We supply fire extinguishers [🙂🙂🙂] I loved the story
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Haha! How lucky. Please send some to professor Swoope. Thanks so much, Mike! 🙂
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I’m not sure Bill the Tech Elf had anything to do with it. Tracking Santa is NORAD’s job, and they don’t like any amateurs trying to swoop in into their area of expertise.
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Nah, NORAD is just jealous. They’ve been using radar for years with poor success. They just don’t want anybody showing them up. 😉
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Science can do anything apart from curing the common cold or, apparently, tracking Santa Claus.
Excellent story!
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Haha! Very true. Thanks so much! 🙂
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Santa is an elusive elf, but a giving one.
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Exactly. Things could be worse, he could be an ever-present scrooge. Who’d want that? 😉 Thanks so much for stopping in. 🙂
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We all knew how generous is Santa. This one only proved so. Great writing.
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Yep. We all need reminding of how thoughtful the merry old elf is. Thanks so much! 🙂
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The lengths they will go for a Nintendo game! Enjoyed the read thank you 🙂
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Haha! Yes it’s surprisingly popular. Glad you had fun. Thanks so much! 🙂
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