“Achoo!” Santa’s nose was swollen red and his body was burning with fever. Christmas had been a grand success but unfortunately, Santa was down with the flu.

“I’d told you to carry a flask filled with hot water and wear ear muffs. You never listen,” said Mrs. Santa Claus.

“May I have a cookie…Achhhhoo!”

“Nope. Only hot soup.” Mrs. Claus had a stern face.

Santa frowned at the thought of having soup.

Meanwhile, all the nine reindeer who were standing outside Santa’s tent overheard their conversation. They felt bad for Santa.

“We must do something to cheer up Santa,” said Dasher and Dancer together.

“The thought of having soup must be driving him crazy,” said Prancer.

“Why don’t we make soup with Santa’s favorite ingredients?” suggested Vixen.

“A brilliant idea. It’ll work like magic,” said Donner.

“Yippee! Let’s get cooking guys,” shouted Blitzen.

All the reindeer nodded in affirmation. 

They rushed to the North Pole Market and purchased the items for their signature Santa soup: chocolate chip cookies, potatoes, brownies, carrots, milk, marshmallows, spaghetti and cake.

“I’m sure Santa is going to be impressed by the delicious soup,” remarked Comet.

“True! Let’s start cooking right away,” said Dasher.

The reindeer dropped all the ingredients inside a huge stock pot along with some chicken broth and placed it on a stove. They took turns stirring it. After two long hours, the soup was ready.

“The soup smells great, guys. Who wants to taste it?” asked Cupid, adding a dash of salt and pepper.

“I think we should let Santa taste it first,” said Dancer.

All the reindeer agreed. They poured the soup into a flask and went to meet Santa.

***

“Yum! Best soup ever,” said Santa, licking every bit of it.

“Can we bring it every day until you feel better?” asked Rudolph. 

“I don’t wish to trouble you, dears. It’s fine.”

“Come on! We’d be happy to make it for you.” They all unanimously agreed.

So, the reindeer brought their signature soup for the next five days. Finally, on the seventh day, Santa seemed much better.

“I feel great now. Thanks for the soup. I don’t think I’ll need it anymore. Let’s celebrate,” said Santa to the reindeer.

“Awesome!  We’d like to taste our signature soup too,” they said and poured themselves a generous serving.

But as soon as they tasted a spoonful, their faces contorted and they closed their eyes in disgust.

“Eeww! I feel nauseous,” yelled Prancer.

Everyone expressed their discomfort.

“Santa! The soup tastes horrible but you gulped it happily. Why didn’t you tell us?” asked Vixen, feeling puzzled. 

“The flu had blocked my nose and turned my tongue tasteless thankfully,” said Santa and burst out laughing.

“Besides, how could he? You all served him with so much love. It is the best treatment that he has ever received,” said Mrs. Santa as tears of joy trickled from her eyes.

Santa couldn’t agree more. All the reindeer hugged Santa feeling very happy and grateful. 

 

********

This story was written for a prompt given by Penmancy in the month of January. The narrative had to revolve around the theme of food.

It was first published here.

Picture Credit : Wepik ( AI generated)