Hemel Hempstead, UK
Yesterday’s puzzle was quickly solved and the compass needle was at least moving again. But Santa thought it prudent to have one of the tech elves check everything one last time, just to be sure.
A few moments later, the worried look on the elf’s face told Santa the news was bad. The elf said, “So sorry, Santa, but the current needle won’t last for your entire EMEA journey. You’ll have to get a replacement – and the UK is the only place you can get a new one. You’ll have to amend your original route and fly to the UK first.”
The elf added, “But the current needle should get you to England without too many problems.”
With the slightly alarming words “without too many problems” still echoing in Santa’s mind, they quickly finalised their preparations and took off. Soon they were flying over the English Channel towards the UK.
Yet as they approached London, they could see thick banks of fog ahead of them, into which they had no choice but to fly. Over Hemel Hempstead, they then suddenly lost one of the parcels containing the all-important wish lists.
They were just about to start panicking when one of the helper elves cried out, “Found it! The parcel is in the warehouse. The only problem is, it’s locked!” The elf fastened his remote scanner back onto his toolbelt. “Anyone got a lock pick on them?”
“You can’t open the warehouse door with a lock pick,” said a UK elf who was assisting them. He added, “Instead, you’ll have to find and remove a rogue symbol that has found its way into the fog chamber. Only then will the warehouse door open.”