Forgotten Gifts
Andrew Jack

The man in the red suit tightened his black belt another notch. He was going to have to punch some new holes in it soon. He was no longer fat enough for the uniform. It had been a gift from a close friend, a long time ago. He hadn’t been jolly for longer than he could remember.

“Sir?”

The man in the red suit looked up into the silver eyes of the sidhe. Its long pointed ears were rotated towards him, waiting for an answer.

“Yes?”

The elf cleared his throat. “We are approaching completion of the charms. We’ll need you ready to fly at nightfall.”

“Already?” He’d never gotten used to how tall the sidhe were. All of the books about his workshop had underestimated the stature of the sidhe by at least six feet.

The elf glanced down at his feet. “Yes.”

“It’s all right, my friend. We knew this was coming.” The man in the red suit placed a hand on the elf’s shoulder.

The elf, whose name was Danan, shrugged his hand away. “We know every year. This year is different. The enemy is stirring.”

“You say that every year. And we really need a better name for them.” The man in the red suit straightened the jacket under the belt. He remembered the day the suit had changed colour from dusky grey to red. They’d all celebrated, sure that now they would be safe. He didn’t remember the night well, but he was sure he’d seen more of one of the sidhe noblewomen than he normally did. He smiled at the memory.
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