Close inspection showed something written on the shoe, but it was too small and sparkly to decipher with the naked eye. And was that a smudge of coal dust? Our magical Agency magnifying glass would clear it up in two shakes of Donner’s tail, but it was seriously cracked in the crash and a new one would need to be crafted. I consulted the Elf.B.I. database again on my phone, and found a glass shop in nearby Roslyn that showed promise.
Just past the roundabout on SR903, I dropped the elf help group off at the mining company to see what they could learn about our storage unit findings. Santa, Tallymaker and I proceeded to the NWIC (Old Company Store from the coal mining days) building in Roslyn, home to Fused, an artisan shop filled with a dizzying array of brightly colored glass objects, from practical to fanciful. Owner Tony Davey was finishing up teaching a glass ornament-making class near the back of the shop. When the smiling students left with their projects proudly in hand, Tony asked what he could do for us. Tallymaker pulled an ancient scroll out of his leather satchel and showed Tony the secret plans for crafting a candy cane-framed magnifying glass, known in olden times as a Glass of Seeing. Mr. Davey easily intertwined heated lengths of red and white colored glass and looped them around to form the candy cane frame. The custom lens was going to take some time, so he suggested we sample a snack from across the way while we waited.
Walking into Roslyn Candy Co., we realized what a good recommendation it was. Alesha and Otto introduced us to their impressive selection of chocolate truffles and other candies. I opted for the Salted Caramel Pecan Pralines. Sigfried picked the Northern Exposure inspired Chocolate ‘Moose’ Pops. Santa has a soft spot for marshmallows, and these handmade ones dipped in chocolate made him grin like a little kid, well, in a candy store. While we happily munched on our sweet treats, Tallymaker dropped a quarter from our change, which rolled across the floor to a trap door that we hadn’t noticed before. “Where does that go?” I asked in the most professional way I could muster around a mouthful of chewy caramel goodness. “Oh, it’s where we mine the special Roslyn coal candy for Santa,” Alesha said with a wink. Claus didn’t confirm or deny the claim. He just popped another marshmallow and led the way back to pick up the Glass of Seeing.
Tallymaker scooped up a handful of snow from the top of the Coal Miners Memorial wall and sprinkled it over the lens of the newly made magnifier. While the No. 9 Mine’s magic coal dust conceals, under the right conditions Roslyn’s coal-linked snow reveals. The detective glass began to glow with a snowflake blue-tinted light. I held the magnifier to my eye and examined the petite shoe. The sparkles dispersed, and the letters rearranged themselves into a readable message: “To follow the Cardinal Rule of Upper County Eating, follow your nose to find the path to the hot bath.” Okay, now these riddles are getting harder. It was kind of funny to see so many usually jolly faces scrunched up in concentration, the mental wheels turning almost visibly.
