Trapped beneath the ice!

Oh my goodness.

I have not written in two weeks because I’ve been trapped!

In the ice!

Beneath the North Pole!

With goblins!!!

It all began with Gimlitin, head of the dwarves at the North Pole.

He came to deliver a report about the tunnels beneath the North Pole.

As you may remember, I had proposed that we look into the tunnels beneath the pole. We wanted to see if they might be useful to help connect the building. We also wanted to look at building more tunnels.

Gimlitin found me at the paint shop. I was checking out some new shades of red and green to use on toys.

“Well, this is a little too pink for me,” I said, holding up a sample.

Fantanti, The head paint elf, was about to say something when cold air and snow blew in through the door.

A bundle of fur came in and shook.

Snow flew everywhere.

“Hey,” Fantanti blurted.

“Sorry” the fur ball grumbled.

Gimlitin.

“What brings you out on such a snowy day, Gimlitin?” I asked.

He took off his hat.

“I’ve been searching for you,” he said gruffly. “I have news about the tunnels.”

I turned to Fantanti.

“May we use your office?”

“Anything to get this moisture away from my paint,” he squeaked.

We went into the office.

Gimlitin shook again. Some snow got on Fantanti’s desk.

“Sorry,” Gimlitin grumbled, not sounding very sorry at all.

Fantanti left.

“So?” I said.

“We have found something that might be a problem,” Gimlitin said.

“Serious?”

“Very.”

“Go on.”

“As you know, the North Pole is built on ice. Not good solid rock. Ice.”

“Yes,” I said.

“Ice moves. Not like good solid rock.”

He paused, waiting for me to day something. Probably about the superior quality of rock.

I nodded.

“”Well, he said,” it’s moving faster than expected.”

“Do you know why?”

“Not sure. My gut feeling is global warming. The ice cap is melting on the edges. The ice is moving faster.”

“Are our buildings in danger?”

“Could be. They are certainly moving”

“Moving?”

“Igf you look at the old charts, the village is about 50 feet further south than it was when it was built.”
It had never occurred to me that North Pole Village could move. But of course it would. It’ built on ice, and ice moves.

“It’s making a mess of the tunnels,” he said. “Some of them have closed up. There are also cracks in the walls of some, and new caves are opening.”

“I see.”

“I think we need to reconsider all our plans. The green house. New tunnels. We may even want to think about having to move the whole village.”

Wow.

“Are you sure?”

“About as certain as I can be with ice. It’s not like good solid rock.”

Yes.

“I think I want to see,” I said.

“I can take you down tomorrow. It’ll take about two hours.”

Boy, was he wrong!

(More tomorrow. Right now I need more hot chocolate!)