42 - They were wearing matching masks.
joneworlds@mailbox.org

I'm out  for a walk  the other night,  and there's
this  mini-mall out  past the  old town  hall that
caved  in the  other year.  Not really  any stores
left  in that  mini-mall I  think, well  maybe old
Turk is open and trying to sell some junk when the
gout's not  so bad.  But anyways, there's  still a
street lamp lit by the turn-in, and as I'm walking
past  I  see  someone  walking  out  of  the  mall
there. And I  see it's elf, and  they're walking a
dog on a leash. And  they've got this red wool cap
on with blinking micro-LED christmas lights pinned
onto  it.  The  kind  what   runs  off  an  AA  or
something.  And I'm  thinking that's  pretty cool,
when I notice there's more.  This elf is wearing a
covid face mask -- and get this, the dog, which is
some shaggy black poodle  or something, is wearing
one too! A matching one!

And you  know, the  Olds can't  get the  covid, so
this one's just rocking the  mask for the style of
it. (And of course the  dog too.) But I never used
to see  elfs with dogs  years ago when  they first
started appearing  around here. I think  it's just
another of those bits  of homo-sap culture they've
sort of  picked up and  made their own.  Like with
clothes. They take human  clothes, and mod them up
until they're new  and cool. Once I  saw some elfs
who'd took all these colorful mens' ties, cut them
into pieces and sewed them all dangling from their
shirt arms, like feathered  wings. Or they'll hang
a digital  wrist watch  on their head  with string
somehow,  so  that the  time  part  is hanging  in
middle of their forehead. And they've totally gone
to town with the  vanity covid masks. Rhinestones,
embroidery, shiny  foil, all  that. Maybe  one day
we'll stop wearing  those, but I bet  you the elfs
never will.  But the christmas-light  hat tonight,
that's a  new one to  me. I got  to get me  one of
those.