STRIKE

 

This is my contribution to Sunday Photo Fiction for December 21, 2014. Every Sunday a new picture prompt is given. The weekly challenge is to write an original story with no more than  200 words. It’s supposed to have a beginning, middle, end, and follow the picture prompt for the week.

The link for all other stories is as follows:

http://sundayphotofictioner.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/sunday-photo-fiction-december-21st-2014/

Genre:  Humor Fiction

Word Count:  200 Words

STRIKE By P.S.  Joshi

All was not well at Santa’s workshop high in the town of Mountainous. Most people think the workshop and village sit right at the North Pole, but that’s a myth. For security reasons, it’s high in the mountains of Alaska and well-fortified.

The elves had done something strange; they’d gone on strike. These were a new breed of elf, different from their forefathers. They demanded more than minimum wage. They also wanted free food service, shorter hours, and longer breaks. Housing and free education for their children weren’t enough anymore.

Head elf said, “We dedicate our lives to serving Santa. It’s only fair we have our demands met.” They’d used an elf gorilla tactic and waited until December.

Santa lost his temper for the first time in over two hundred years. It did no good. The elves stood firm. Their lawyer said, “We’ll take it to the Supreme Court. It will make the TV news, and there’ll be a scandal.”

Mrs. Claus was worried. Santa was losing weight. It would spoil his public image. She hadn’t heard a “Ho, ho” in days. She convinced him to sit down at the negotiating table.

Santa finally gave in to the terms.