text: This was written for the wonderful u/Say_Im_Ugly's Discord Secret Santa story exchange. My constraints were from /u/stickfist: Gnomes, a lost package, and a midnight deadline. The mailman shrugged as he stepped off the Wilkinson’s porch leaving six-year-old Charlotte pouting. “I’m sure the package will turn up,” Sarah Wilkinson said to her daughter. “And if it doesn’t, Gramma will send you another.” From the well-tended lawn, the trio of gnomes stood in silent vigil of the girl’s disappointment. Tears welled in her eyes, her pout became a frown, and a sigh drooped her shoulders lower than ever before. “Come in, Charlotte,” Sarah sighed. “We’ll call the post office in the morning.” All was still on the lawn until dusk arrived. It started with the wrinkle of a ruby-red nose, then a wiggle of their porcelain toes. With a sneeze, all three gnome brothers woke from their daytime slumber. “Lok, Log, hurry! We haven’t much time,” Ori announced as he straightened his tall red hat. “For snacks?” Log queried, his hollow gut rumbling beneath his belted potbelly. “For fun?” said Lok, Log’s twin in all ways but the length of his moustache, long ago chipped in a strangely fashionable way. “For mischief!” Ori reminded them. As they did every night, all three trotted about the Wilkinson’s property with mayhem on their minds. Ori took the lead for his hat was the tallest. “I have grand plans this night!” he promised, as they crawled in through the dog door. That the Wilkinson’s had no pet was forever a boon. “What’s first?” Log asked, picking at his teeth. “And next?” Lok wondered aloud as he tripped over nothing at all. “The blankets, my brothers. We start with the blankets.” And off to the living room Ori led them. “First, we collect each one misplaced and left unfolded. Then, we put them in the grand blanket chest.” “Where they should be?” Log frowned. “That sounds odd.” Lok scratched his nose. “It’s perfect! Mother Sarah always insists Father Glenn put them away but he doesn’t, so she’ll never find them there!” “It’s brilliant!” Log mused. “True genius!” Lok squealed. Both twins clapped and they set off to task. In minutes they’d collected and folded each blanket and tucked them into the chest by the fire. “Hurry brothers, find all the shoes and bring them to the front door,” Ori said and they scampered off in all directions. In minutes they’d found every shoe, sandal, slipper, and boot - both lost and not- and gathered them. “Now, put the lefts on the right and the rights on the left,” Ori said whilst wringing his hands. “Father Glenn will wake and come down to put on his shoes for work and what shall he find? Left on the right? How will he dress! He’ll be late and lose his job for sure!” “How devilish!” “What madness!” And off the brothers went to work. Once they’d finished with the very last slipper, tucked in neatly and arranged from smallest to largest, Ori motioned for his brothers to huddle. “I’ve saved the best for last, a true mischievous deed that struck me this afternoon at a quarter past three.” “Go on!” Log insisted. “Do tell!” Lok echoed. “The package. The one Daughter Charlotte is missing.” Ori grinned. “I know where it is.” The twins gasped in unison. “I propose a mountain of mischief, a truly daring task. We take the package that tumbled into the garden and...” Ori paused for effect. “Place it on Charlotte’s bed!” Log and Lok looked confused and exchanged quizzical frowns. “Isn’t that helpful?” Log asked. “We’re not helpful, are we?” Lok sounded most distressed. “Pish pish, not at all! She’ll be utterly confused. Can you imagine it? The thing that wasn’t there the night before is there the morning after? Discombobulating! Madness indeed!” “Huzzah!” The twins shouted together, but Ori quickly hushed them and they tackled their final task. They rolled the package from the garden and with each turn Log nibbled on the corners. Twice Lok tripped; over shoes, over carpet, or nothing but himself. Through the hardest work they’d ever done yet, the three brothers dragged the package up to Daughter Charlotte’s room. Then on to her bed they climbed and pulled and climbed some more. All three brothers huffed and leaned against the package just feet from the sleeping six-year-old girl. “Just imagine the squeal in the morning, brothers,” Ori said between breaths. “We’ll hear it all the way on the lawn!” “Of delight?” Log wondered. “Or relief?” Lok worried. “Of confusion!” Ori assured them triumphantly. But with a look out the window at the high moon, Ori gasped a quick breath. Clocks chimed about the house. Midnight was arriving. “Hurry, brothers!” Ori declared, straightening out his tall red hat. “To the lawn before midnight falls!” With a yelp, the gnome brothers scampered from the pastel sheets, a full night’s work of mischief done.