Editor’s note: This is the sixth chapter of a 12-part fictional holiday tale that is running daily until Christmas. Parents are encouraged to read aloud with their children.

“Unbelievable!” Jasper cried, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

“Christmas elves?” Kellan squeaked.

Juniper nodded. “From the North Pole.”

“The North Pole!”

“Yes, you know … where Santa lives.”

“Where Santa lives!”

“Are you just going to repeat everything I say?” Juniper asked him.

“So let’s say we believe you,” Katie said, and Kellan’s eyebrows shot up at the calmness in his twin’s tone. “You want us to do what … babysit you? For how long?”

“I do NOT need a babysitter. I need companions. I just want to experience Christmas the way human children do. But I assure you that I have decades of wisdom and experience already built up. We elves learn differently. We age the same as you physically, but intellectually we age very quickly.”

“So it’s real? All of it? All the stories kids are told?” Katie shook her head and took Kellan’s hand, feeling a little overwhelmed. He squeezed hers back.

Juniper nodded, looking up at them with understanding and sadness.

“Your stories are all true. And thankfully there are enough people who still believe to keep the magic of the Christmas spirit going. Santa couldn’t do what he does without it. But sadly, most stop believing. They might keep the Christmas spirit in their hearts, but they don’t think the magic is real.”

“Adults still believe?” Kellan asked skeptically.

“Of course. In their hearts they’ve never stopped.” Juniper looked up to her brother and smiled. “You’re never too old to look up to the sky on Christmas Eve and believe.”

Jasper smiled back at his sister. He had to admit that having two mature humans watching over her would make him worry a lot less. He needed to get back to help with Christmas prep, and knowing she was being looked after would help him focus on his work. With a sigh, he held his right palm out flat. A small bottle appeared, full of light brown liquid that resembled maple syrup.

“Yes!” Juniper exclaimed, throwing her arms around her brother’s waist. “Thank you thank you thank you, Jasper!”

He looked at Katie while patting his sister’s head.

“You each need to take a drink of this. After that, Juniper can tell you anything you want to know. On Sunday, I’ll be here to take her home. Once she leaves with me, you won’t remember she was ever here.”

“We won’t remember any of this?” Kellan asked, surprised.

Jasper shook his head.

“Too risky. Even if we trusted you, we can’t risk our whole world being exposed. The gingerbread juice will fix that. But its magic also wipes memory clean as soon as the connection between our worlds is broken. It’s only ever been used in a handful of emergencies throughout the centuries; a wandering elf here, a lucky child discovering Santa there, but it’s effective. That’s the price.”

“But if more children could catch Santa in their houses, wouldn’t they stay believing forever?” Katie asked.

“That’s not how it works, you see. Believing isn’t seeing. People could be convinced that what they saw wasn’t real. The Christmas spirit has to come from a deeper belief, in here.”Jasper placed his hand over his heart.

Katie and Kellan exchanged a look. “I mean … if Juniper comes home with us, it kind of works out perfectly. Our parents are out of town helping our grandma, they won’t be back until Christmas Eve,” she said, and Juniper clapped her hands excitedly.

“Oh, that’s perfect! Can I stay in your room? Oh! Can we do each other’s hair and look through magazines? Can we eat cheeseburgers? And onion rings! Do you have a TV in your room? The only TV we have at the Pole is a huge one in the recreation center. And all it plays is Christmas movies.”

Katie chuckled at her enthusiasm and looked at Kellan. “It would be fun to have this experience. Even if we won’t remember, I guess it’s still once in a lifetime.”

Kellan shrugged. “If this is what you want, let’s go for it.”

“OK, count us in,” Katie said. “But we’re going to be busy. We’ll be building and painting, cleaning and doing a ton of other tasks. I hope you’re not afraid of some hard work.”

Juniper laughed. “I’m a Christmas Elf of the North Pole. I hope you can keep up with me!”

Before they knew it, Katie and Kellan each were taking a sip of the most delicious juice they ever tasted. They looked at each other, expecting to feel different, but they didn’t.

What they did feel, though, was that everything they thought was make believe was about to become very, very real.

Read Wednesdayás newspaper for chapter 7 of this Christmas tale.