|  Author | Topic: A Holiday to Remember By Eleanore Stasheff (Read 138 times) |
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Karma: 0 |  | A Holiday to Remember By Eleanore Stasheff
« Thread Started on Feb 7, 2005, 6:38pm » | |
A Holiday to Remember
--An Eidolon Cast Winter Holidays Present--
by Eleanore Stasheff
CHAPTER 1
The snow was falling in thick white flakes, illuminated by the lamplight near the garage and the tiny white lights decorating the house. It covered the ground in a glittering river which the wind swept into mounds around the house. The purple and black bruised sky above melded with the winter landscape in a perfect harmony of dark and light.
It beautifully reflected her life, Maria thought as she gazed out the window of the remodeled farmhouse, since darkness and light has played such big roles in her past. Duality. Such a strange thing, duality.
They would be arriving soon. She could see the freshly shoveled walk drowning in snow once again and she hoped the weather wouldn't stop them all from coming. Not that snow could stop some of them. They, after all, had no need of cars or anything like that. They'd simply appear inside the house when they were good and ready to arrive.
She stepped back from the big bay windows, letting the velvet curtains slide closed, and turned to look at the living room one more time to make sure everything was in order. The spacious room was festooned with garlands, holly, white sparkling Christmas lights, and candles galore. A mammoth tree stood in one corner, its branches so heavily laden with decorations of all kinds that it was a wonder it was still standing. Magic, she supposed. After all that's what made the fire glow five colors and the star on the top of the tree shine so brightly. Mordecai had actually tried to convince her it was a real star the first Christmas they were married, but Maria had taken more then enough Astronomy to see through that. She didn't tell him she knew of course, until he offered to hang the moon in their bedroom for a nightlight. Then she protested. Just a little.
The house, of course, was his idea. She did agree that they needed more space with the children, and she liked the idea of a farmhouse where her spirit sorcerer husband could come and go as he pleased with few people noticing and no one commenting. And of course the children had begun to discover their magic so the lack of neighbors was especially appreciated whenever they decided to make the cat -- or themselves -- fly. Little Morpheus was already taking after his name sake and had declared that doors were useless.
However, the house was not the typical farmhouse that had stood there when they moved in. Mordecai had insisted on turning it into a small mansion with twelve rooms (the maximum she would tolerate) all furnished as richly as his magic would provide and Maria would allow. She didn't want to spoil her children, but she also wanted her husband to be able to relax in luxury on the rare occasions he could stay at home for more then a few days.
Maria wandered into the kitchen to check on the meatballs and other horsderves she had insisted on cooking herself. Most of the food for the dinner party was being provided by magic means, but some traditions she wanted to keep. As she stirred the eggnog slowly, mixing in a few more dashes of nutmeg, she looked at the pictures on the fridge: A family portrait from when the twins were born, a recent picture of just the children (was Aglia really almost ten?), a picture of Mordecai's family reunion with his siblings, a photo of herself and Zelda from five years ago, a couple of cute shots of their cat Sanjaya (a “gift” from Baste, that was clearly as intelligent and human in mind if not body as anyone in the house), and an old photograph of herself and the other Maria. She stared at that last one wondering where Mordecai had found it since it had not been on the fridge that morning. In it the other Maria was being tackled by a much younger version of herself, back when she was still known as Marion Smith, who was wearing a ridiculous Santa hat that was a size too big. Maria's glass of eggnog was splashing all over Morpheus who was running in the background reaching out to catch Maria as she fell. It was a photo taken by Atropos in the midst of an action, an action she remembered very well.
“Ouch!” Maria hit the floor with a thud, being fiercely hugged by Marion, and Morpheus cried out as his new shirt was drenched in eggnog.
“damn it!” He exclaimed, “I don't even like milk!” He waved it away with his hand, changing his shirt from a blue t-shirt to a dark green sweater in the process. From the other side of the room came deep, amused chuckling. “It's not that funny!” Morpheus fumed.
“From where I'm standing it is,” Atropos replied, checking the digital camera and laughing out loud. “Your face is priceless. This is my new favorite photo.” By now Maria had finally managed to catch her breath and looked at Marion with a puzzled expression.
“What was that for?!?”
“It's the only way I can truly express my gratitude!” Marion declared.
“ It's just a book and some clothes, Marion,” Maria remarked.
Marion shook her head as she rolled onto the ground and got up. “It's not just some clothes and it's way more then a book.” She walked back to the decorated tree in the corner of the room where they had been before the tackle. Picking up first the outfit – a maroon short sleeved, button down shirt, a white tank top, and black jeans – then the book, a copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology, she turned back to Maria. “The outfit is first I haven't felt guilty about getting from you because it's Christmas – and that shirt is my favorite color – and the book is one that my mother used to read to me and when she died my father burned it.”
Maria stared at her in silence, then finally smiled. “I'm good! I get cookies for that.” And with that she headed back to the kitchen to fill up another plate with Christmas goodies. Marion followed her and picked up a piece of fudge to nibble on.
“Thank you, Maria. For everything.”
Maria simply smiled that charming little smile she had. “You're welcome.” Marion walked back to the tree and pulled a large folder from under it, then handed it to Maria. Maria stopped mid-cookie to look at it. “What's this?”
“Your present. I have no money so it's the best I could do,” Marion explained. Maria put down the cookies and nog, dusted off her hands on her jeans, and took the folder. She opened it to see a beautifully drawn pencil sketch of herself, Morpheus, and Atropos. “I only made one but it's kinda for all three of you. A family portrait, sort of.”
“It's beautiful,” Maria replied. “I didn't even know you could draw.”
“I don't much, but I've taken some art classes in the past and it was all I could really think of to give you.”
Maria looked at Marion and smiled. This time Marion was the one who got tackled.
Maria smiled as she gazed fondly at the picture, then wiped away an annoying tear that had decided to roll down her cheek and turned back to the eggnog. She finished it up, put on the kettle for hot chocolate and pulled some cookies out of the oven, setting them aside to let them cool. When had she become so domestic? Oh yeah, she had kids. It was strangely fulfilling too.
She walked into the dining room and put away the late essays she was grading from last semester, clearing off the table. People would be arriving soon. She just hoped Mordecai and the children would be back in time. Maria celebrated the Winter Solstice with her family, nothing elaborate just a few simple traditions and a ceremony, so Christmas was really Mordecai's holiday. He got to run it as he wished and it was the one time of the year when he always took the three days to spend with the children. The first was Christmas Eve where he would take them to see the Tree of Life lighting ceremony at the Council Hall, then to the Sorcerer's Winter Festival, which was a winter wonderland version of Disney world where all of the magic was real. That was where they were now. The second was Christmas Day, where he simply stayed at home with the family and did no work at all. The third was the day after Christmas when he would take them to work and letting them play in the world of Dreams (though not the conscious Dream World of course).
The children loved Christmas, just for that reason – they had their father's undivided attention for three whole days. To his credit Mordecai did a wonderful job of balancing his work and his family and though the first took most of his time, his family always knew that in his heart they came first. And though he couldn't be with them much he more then made up for it when he was with them.
Maria headed into the library, glancing at the hall clock on the way. 6:30. She still had time to read a chapter before they got back. Pulling her favorite book off the shelf, Edith Hamilton's Mythology, she walked back into the living room and sat down in one of the comfortable, plush velvet chairs that faced the fireplace.
She glanced at the large family portrait over the mantelpiece and smiled, thinking wistfully of how quickly her children had grown, though like their father she never seemed to age. Maria sighed and opened the book to one of her favorite myths and began to read, waiting for them to come home.
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Arcana Jester
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« Reply #1 on Feb 7, 2005, 6:40pm » | |
CHAPTER 2
The world seemed encased in a huge snow globe. Whirlwinds of sparkling snow and shooting stars fell from the cobalt blue heavens but melted away long before they hit the ground. Below the mystical sphere was a winter wonderland of sparkling rides, magnificent ballrooms and banquet halls, ice gardens full of glittering crystal sculptures, and snowy hills and forests with horse drawn sleighs meandering through small, twisting paths. The lights from the amusement park rides shined brighter then the full moon on a cloudless night and although there was a scent of crisp winter spice in the air, the temperature was only cold enough to create a pleasant little chill. There was only one word to describe this place: magical. And of course it was.
This was the sorcerers winter festival, held annually in a remote corner of the Sorcerer's World. Rainbows shot through the sky in a constantan pattern as sorcerers arrived from all around the mortal world and beyond. Even the Primes were said to be celebrating this annual event.
In a distant bend in the ice garden's maze stood an unlikely pair, deep in conversation. One was a young boy, the other a much older man. The boy was no more then seven or eight, bundled in a sleek dark blue leather jacket over a plain t-shirt and jeans. His short mass of curls was a bright green, but as he stood there it changed into a brilliant purple, and amber-gold eyes surveyed the other man with a questioning gaze.
“How much is my soul worth again?”
The man gave a sinister smiled. He was dressed in the black satin dinner coat, slacks, and red silk shirt of two centuries ago. The man played with a very large knife as he repeated the figure. “Unlimited fame, wealth, and power while you're alive.”
“Magic power?” the boy asked.
“No, corporate. Magic would cost more.”
“That doesn't seem fair,” the boy replied. “I mean, it is my soul.”
“Okay fine,” the man agreed, “unlimited corporate power and magical powers limited only by the sorcerers' laws. Do we have a deal?”
The child crossed his arms in a thoughtful manner and his hair slowly changed from purple to blue as he considered the option, then shook his head. “Nah, I kinda like my soul.”
“Morpheus!”
The man and the child both turned to see Mordecai and a little girl, younger then the boy, walking towards them. The little girl was bundled in a light rose jacket that covered a pale pink dress. Mordecai's trademark black leather jacket was accented at the neck with a home made burgundy scarf, and he had a brown velvet sack slung over one shoulder. The breeze blew his curly hair around his face as he glared at the man. “He's off limits, Ford. Now and forever.”
Ford turned to Mordecai and smirked. “He has freewill, doesn't he?”
“Not at seven he doesn't.”
“Hey! That's not fair!” Morpheus exclaimed.
“Tough. Deal. ” Mordecai replied.
Ford made an elaborate mock bow. “My apologies, I didn't realize he was one of yours.”
“I doubt that. Regardless I'm going to have a long talk with Luke about this.”
“About what?” Mordecai turned to see Lucifer standing behind him. Gone was his usual black cloak and suit, replaced with a uncharacteristically cheerful blue sweater and kakis. One hand was in his pocket, the other held onto the base of a large purple and green spiral of cotton candy which he proceeded to take a large bite from.
“Your demon is trying to recruit my kid,” Mordecai explained as if it was obvious. “You know my children are off limits.”
“I must have forgotten to mention it to him.”
“He only takes souls under your orders.” He paused, then turned and called to the dark gardens, “Aglia! Zoey! Time to go home!”
Lucifer shrugged. “Not tonight. He gets his usual present for the winter holidays. He gets to be Satan for one night, sun down to sun up, and I get a night off.”
Mordecai frowned. That was a brilliant idea. Why didn't he think of that ages ago? He just put Tony in charge of the Devas for his three day break.
“But, no harm no foul,” Lucifer added, eating more of the cotton candy. “I assume you've taught them not to trade their soul for anything?”
“Of course.”
“Then nothing to worry about.” Lucifer finished the fluffy candy and tossed the stick over his shoulder. “Tonight we're all at peace, remember? No fighting during the festival.” He turned to Ford and added pointedly, “and no working. I suggest the mortal world. Christmas Eve there's always people willing to sell their soul for instruction manuals that aren't in Chinese.” He paused and frowned. “Except for the Chinese of course. I give them instruction manuals in Ebonics.”
Ford simply shrugged and looked rather bored, then disappeared in a burst of flames that cracked and sizzled to sparks that faded before they hit the ground. Morpheus stepped over to his father's side, his hair a strange mixture of red and gray. “I did say no, daddy.”
“I heard you, that was very good son,” Mordecai praised him, then stood up and called to the dark gardens behind him again. “Aglia! Zoey! I'm not going to call you again!”
Within minutes another girl, older then the boy, arrived, her dark purple leather jacket billowing around her as she jogged over to her father, her arms full of stuffed animals and magical objects. “Zoey and I had a run of luck at the mind reading both.”
“I don't want to know the details on that one,” Mordecai smirked and opened up the velvet sack. Aglia stuffed them all inside, but the bag looked no bigger then it had before she added them.
“Zoey! Get your butt over here now!” Suddenly the lower half of a small child appeared walking towards them and stopped in front of her dad, then turned so that her butt was facing him. Mordecai rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Very funny, Zoey, now bring the rest of you. Pronto!”
The rest of her materialized a few seconds later, giggling and dancing around him in dark green and black leggings and long shirt, like a twisted Santa elf. She started dancing off on her own again, but he grabbed one of black ponytails and pulled her back.
“Ow, daddy! That hurt!”
“Then don't try to walk away when I asked you come over here.”
Zora laughed at her twin who glared at her father, sticking her lip out in a little pout. Lucifer chuckled at Zoey. “That one's got potential.”
“Don't even think about it,” Mordecai warned him. Lucifer just smiled and walked back towards the carnival. Mordecai turned to his children. “It's time to head home.”
They started begging and pleading in unison for just a little longer – there were still stalls they hadn't seen, rides they hadn't been on. “Next year,” he promised as he pulled a star out of his pocket. “There will always be next year.”
The children's protests faded as they crowded around him. Zora grabbed his leg, holding tight as Aglia put a protective hand on Morpheus and Zoey's shoulders. Mordecai threw the star straight up into the sky. A moment later they were engulfed by a sparkling rainbow of color that fell from the heavens and sucked them into its shimmering hues.
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Arcana Jester
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« Reply #2 on Feb 7, 2005, 6:42pm » | |
CHAPTER 3
The swirling snow was sliced briefly by the rainbow that shot down from the sky, deposited five figures on the ice covered ground behind the farm mansion, then disappeared back into the cloudy sky. None of the figures fell, having traveled by rainbow before, and Mordecai hurried them inside as quickly as he could.
Maria woke up when she heard the back door slam shut and realized that she had fallen asleep. She shook herself awake, set her book aside, and headed into the kitchen as Mordecai emerged from there carrying the twins' coats. He set them inside the hall closet and kissed Maria as she passed him on her way to the kitchen.
“How was it this year?” she asked, savoring the brief moment alone with him.
“Ask the children, but I had fun,” he replied. Suddenly the children burst into the hallway, nearly attacking their mother in their enthusiasm.
“Mommy it was great this year!”
“Better then ever!”
“I won tons of stuff!”
“I got to travel to the moon and play mini-golf!”
“I wanted to go to, but daddy didn't let me!”
“I went.”
“Daddy let you?”
“No but I went anyway.”
“No fair!”
“Guess what? Guess what? Daddy saved us from a man eating cotton candy!”
Their voices combined into a cacophony of the night's adventures and they grabbed Maria and dragged her towards the living room to make her listen to more. She laughed and silenced them with a single command, then said, “why don't I pour you each a mug of eggnog and you can tell me about tonight one at a time.”<br>
They cheered and ran into the kitchen. Maria turned to Mordecai with a slightly pained expression. “How much did they bring back this year?”
He grinned, took the bag off his shoulder and dumped the contents on the floor. By the time it was empty there was a mound of magical items up to their waist.
“You're picking all that up.” Maria looked annoyed as she surveyed the pile but smiled despite herself. “At least there's nothing alive this time.”
“The dragon wouldn't fit.”
Maria laughed then frowned. “You are joking, right?”
“No, I'm not,” he smirked. “Zoey's got great aim with a lightning bolt.”
“Thank you for not bringing it home.”
“I left it outside,” he replied. She stared at him and he grinned. “That was a joke.”
“Thank god.” Maria turned and headed towards the kitchen then stopped and turned back to him, gesturing to the front door. “People will be arriving soon. Could you shovel the walk again?”
He sighed then went to the door, opened it, and held his arms out in front of him. The snow stood up at attention. Then he moved his arms apart, hands first like Moses parting the Red Sea, and the snow split down the middle and leaped off the walkway into neat little piles at the side.
“Don't forget to salt it,” she reminded him. He rolled his eyes, flicked his wrist, and the chore was done.
* * *
The empty halls echoed with the sounds of two pairs of high heeled shoes. A moment later a tall, elegant blonde stepped into view, dressed in a pretty pink Evelyn Lordes suit, custom tailored to accentuate her curves. “Have the Neilson ratings arrived yet?”
Behind her a young red head in a tweed jacket struggled to keep up with her boss's long strides. “Yes, Ms. Madison, and The Curse has grabbed the number one ranking among action adventure shows once again with the new spin-off – Ghost Hunter – coming in third.”
“Not bad for a first season spin-off.”
“Not bad at all.” They turned the corner and marched down the long entrance hall to Madison/Marino Studios. At the fountain near the entrance Terri paused and turned to her assistant.
“Thank you for running the last minute numbers and I do apologize for keeping you so busy on Christmas Eve.”
“I'm Jewish, remember? Besides, I thought you were neo-pagan or something. Don't tell me you're taking the weekend off for a Christian Holiday?”
“Hardly,” Terri remarked with a smirk as she tugged on her rose satin-mink gloves and her assistant handed her the cloak she was carrying slung over her arm. “Still, most of the staff is off and why not take a few days R&R. That goes for you two. Three days paid vacation – lord knows we don't need it – and if I find out you've tried to come into work before Tuesday then I'll fire you, understand?”
“Yes sir,” the woman replied with a grin. “Can I take a company car.”
“I'd be insulted if you didn't.” Terri put on her cloak as the woman dialed a number and spoke on the phone for a moment.
“Charles is here with the limo.”
Terri turned towards the front entrance once again and the woman fell in line beside her, walking with her to the door. They stared for a moment at the dark expanse of cold snow and orange parking lot lights as the silver limo pulled up beside the curb.
“Maybe we should move the studio to California?” the assistant suggested.
Terri dismissed the idea. “Too many bullets.”
“What?”
“Never mind.” She glanced at her watch. “I should just have enough to time to swing by the manor and change.”
“Where are you going to tonight?”
“A reunion.”
“Family?”
“Better.” Terri pulled the hood of the cloak up to shelter her face then opened the door. “Take care, Julie. I'll see you on Tuesday.” With that she headed out of the building and hurried to the limo, detesting the cold. A livered man in a chauffeur’s hat opened the door for him and she thanked him as she got into the car. Once he was inside he tipped his hat to her in the rearview mirror.
“Where to Ms. Madison.”
“Home, Charles, but keep the motor running. I won't be long.”
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Arcana Jester
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« Reply #3 on Feb 7, 2005, 6:54pm » | |
CHAPTER 4
The snow was whirling around the steel steps as he descended from the plane. Thank god it had touched down before the worst of the blizzard hit. He gripped his briefcase tighter as his toes touched the icy pavement at the little airport quickly being hidden by the snow like a pile of dust swept beneath a rug.
Inside it was like a ghost town, except for the people getting off the plane with him and a few people who had gathered to meet them. Christmas Eve. Late travelers. He looked around at those being reunited (like the two lovers standing the corner stealing a kiss), or those meeting for the first time like the elderly couple being introduced by a young woman to another young woman and a man. But the reunion that touched him the most was when a little girl, no more then three, bundled up in a red sweater over a green jumper grinned so broadly you could see all of her missing teeth and ran towards a man in a dark coat covering fatigues, shouting at the top of her lungs as she flung herself into his waiting arms. “Daddy! Daddy you made it home!”
He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat as he watched the child clutch her father's legs as he moved across the room to gather her mother in his arms and the family was together again at last. After all, he had no children and his wife was a long time in her grave. But he would see her again, if he tried hard to make up for his past, then when he died he could be with her. Maybe they could start again in another life someday. Who knew? Besides the GO and the Primes of course.
He sighed, then took a deep breath and headed over to the Rent-a-Car center to pick up his rental. Receiving the keys he headed out the door and over to the green station wagon parked in the back. The last car. And it had cost an arm and a leg (thankfully not a real one like Urshanabi had threatened so long ago), but at least he was able to afford it this time around.
Turning the car on and letting it warm up, he watched his breath hang for a moment in the air as the night grew colder with each snowflake. He found himself staring past the windshield into nothing and thinking. Being an assistant professor of mythology at Indiana University was wonderful, but it didn't pay all the bills so he had found a creative way of supplementing his income. Life was good and he had saved up for this trip for quite some time, mostly from the royalties and book contracts he'd gotten for his last three spiritual bestsellers. Comforting From Beyond had done particularly well. Mind you, it wasn't his name on the covers. He didn't want that. He preferred to be a ghost writer for others, and even with the money he did make he kept only enough to pay for his bills and put aside a little for special trips like this one. The rest went to various charities.
Heh heh. Ghost writer. That was ironic, and very amusing.
Well, the car was warm enough now. He pulled out the directions to the mansion, looked them over one more time, then switched gears and drove off. It had been a long time since he had been there. Six years. More like seven, actually. God he missed seeing them – even Mordecai, though he never thought he would have. And he missed being Uncle Skyler sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time.
Startled out of his thoughts by a dark figure silhouetted against the snow, he almost didn't see her until after he'd passed her, but slammed on the brakes and moved back, making sure he hadn't imagined it. Nope, there she was.
It was a little girl – not much older than the one in the airport. Maybe five or six. She was a curly, blonde cherub with blue lips and a white face with a gray purple pallor – a frozen angel dressed in stripped pajamas. Standing there by the side of the road – that's all she was doing just standing there looking lost. He rolled down the window, letting the snow fall into the car and looked at her.
“Hey kid, are you okay?” Clearly she wasn't or he would not be seeing her. Still it was a good way to start talking to her. She shook her head. “Do you need help?” She nodded. “What I can do to help you?”
She looked away shyly, then looked back. “Mommy told me not to talk to strangers.”
“That's good advice, but I'm okay, I promise. I just want to help you. What do you need?”
She looked down then back at him again. “I want to go home.”
He opened the car door and gestured for her to get inside. “I'll take you there. You can trust me.”
With the wide innocent eyes of a child staring straight through him, she slid into the car beside him and closed the door. Suddenly the temperature in the car dropped by at least twenty degrees, but he knew from experience that turning up the heat would do no good. He looked at her expectantly and she looked straight ahead at the expanse of snowy road in front of them. “Go straight, then take the first right you come to.”
They drove in silence for a while until she gave him another direction and he followed it. After ten minutes or so they finally arrived at a rundown farmhouse in the middle of an over grown yard with poorly tended fields on all sides of it. He pulled into what had once been a drive way and parked. The girl got out of the car and he followed her up the steps and into the house.
It was completely abandoned. It had been for several years by the looks of it. The girl seemed puzzled, then looked at Skyler. “I want my mommy. Where's my mommy?”
The girl did not notice the old brown stains of dried bloody sneaker prints leading down the dirty carpet and out of the house, but he did. He took her ice cold hand in his and lead her up the stairs. There was a stain like a puddle of blood at the top of the staircase with bits and pieces of old police caution tape scattered around it, stuck to the railing and the wall. He made his way past it to the middle of the hallway, then bent on one knee so he was closer to her height.
“Which room is your room?”
She pointed to one on the left and he lead her into it and looked around the ruins of a little girl's bedroom. On one wall there was a small vanity that must have been white once with a mirror that was somehow intact. He led her over to it, then cleared off the top of debris and set up a small “alter” with a blue candle and a bowl of incense. Then he recited a blessing on the house and a call for the spirit of the girl's mother to appear in the mirror. It was a spell he knew well, taken from an old Sumerian scroll and he had successfully used it many times. Tonight was no different.
Within seconds the mirror clouded, then a misty blue light shrouded a scene of a meadow that appeared to have had most of the color drained out of it. A young woman appeared and stared at Skyler. “Why have you called me Hunter?”
Her voice was distant and sounded like someone was speaking clearly in the air while you were under water, strange and echoing. The little girl at his side ran to the mirror and slid her hand through the mist, reaching for the woman. “Mommy!”
The woman saw the child and smiled a look of relief and joy and pulled the child through the mist and into the mirror and the meadow with her. They hugged for several minutes in a reunion more touching than the one at the airport. At last the woman looked at him and he smiled.
“Hunter no more,” was all he said. The candle went out and he made his way out of the house, heading back to the car. As he got there he heard someone screaming and saw three people running across the field towards him. They were all bloody and burned. One even had a hole in his chest. All were dressed in fine, once expensive clothes from several decades in the past.
“Thank god!” one man exclaimed. “You're the first person we've seen!”
“Our plane has crashed!” a woman cried, hysterical and in tears.
“You've got to help us!” an older woman pleaded.
Skyler sighed and closed the door of the car. It was going to be a long night and he was going to be a little late.
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« Reply #4 on Feb 7, 2005, 7:01pm » | |
CHAPTER 5
His lungs felt like they were going to burst as the man ran down the long, dark hallway as fast as he could. The sound of a hundred marching footsteps sounded behind him and bullets flew past his head. Suddenly the hallway fell away and he plummeted two hundred through blackness that was icy cold and gripped his heart in a steel vice. Then he landed with such force he was sure he had broken every bone in his body. He opened his eyes and screamed. Fires burned all around him and the man looked in horror at the dozens of mutilated bodies -- burned, bloody, and broken – that crawled towards him with hunger in their vacant eye socks. A disembodied hand grabbed his throat and pushed him down as a skeleton, oozing blood out of every joint, grabbed his leg and began to devour his flesh.
The man screamed and looked up as the flames rose higher in a burst of cackling laughter. A figure appeared out of the fire, silhouetted against their scarlet and gold tongues licking the air. Dressed in obsidian black velvet robes that sparkled and glittered with gold embroidery and a dark purple cloak encrusted with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires she stood there –a powerful demon with her dark hair curling like the flames flickering around her. Her eyes blazed red and black, her fingernails were like claws and as sharp of ten silver daggers. He whimpered in terror as this Mistress of Hell glared at him, then threw back her head and laughed richly and loudly, clearly taking joy and pleasure at his obvious fear.
“You have offended the gods, puny mortal!” she shrieked and suddenly she had grown six arms and three heads, snakes and scorpions hissing in her curling mass of fire black hair. Each hand held a weapon and she drew closer to him. “You made a deal with the Devil and you expected to walk out of it?!?”
She laughed again and he knew any moment he was going to pass out from sheer terror. “I – I – I'm sorry! I didn't know he was--”
A loud beeping interrupted them, combined with a strange buzzing/humming sound and the demon paused, listening. She yelped and a moment later the heads and arms were gone and she looked rather human as she reached into her robe and pulled out a silver cell phone. “Hold that thought!”
He frowned and watched her answer, too bewildered to continue speaking.
“I had my phone on vibrate and ring. Silly me. Now what did I set my alarm for? Let me check.” There were several short beeps as she played with her phone. “The party?!? Oh geez, that's tonight?!? Oh right, right, right! nuts, I'm late!” She dialed again and put the phone to her ear. “Hey, Amanda, are you busy right now? No? Good, I need you to finish up a nightmare for me. Get in here ASAP. Yeah, fires of Hell – you know the standard section for a 113. ”
She hung up the phone and looked at the confused man on the ground. “I don't normally do these personally cause if I did everyone I'd never sleep, you know. But this is for a fellow spirit sorcerer so I said I'd give it a go, however, I'm late for a little reunion so I'll have one my protégé’s take over. That's okay right? She's very good, I promise. You'll be almost as scared as you would be with me. Sorry, I have to go. I'll need to change.” The woman looked down then snapped her fingers and transformed herself into a beautiful young brunette dressed in an elegant black and silver evening gown with a dark purple fur wrap. “It'll just be a minute.”
“Uh...okay,” the man replied. This was weird. A moment later a perky young dark haired woman appeared next to the brunette.
“You needed me, Master Zelda?”
“Yeah, I need you to finish the 113. It's for Luke, so make it good.”
“Will do. Where were you?”
“I had just gotten to the six arms and the three heads part.”
“Okay?”
Zelda turned to the man again. “This is Amanda, she'll be your Nightmare Demon for the rest of the dream. Enjoy!”
With that she disappeared in a pillar of flames, leaving the man alone with Amanda. “Okay, just give me a minute to get into character.” She paused, deep in concentration, and grew six arms, three heads, and changed into a terrifying demon from Hell. “Okay, let's go...”
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Arcana Jester
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« Reply #5 on Feb 7, 2005, 7:13pm » | |
CHAPTER 6
Zoey wrestled with the window for several minutes before she got it open, letting in cold, crisp air and swirling snow. She searched the skies above and the ground below, but there was no sign of who she was looking for. Suddenly a dark form, silhouetted against the dim light from the Christmas decorations on the house dropped from the roof and hung upside down in front of her. The figure's eyes blazed a vibrant, pulsating red and she hissed, showing ice white fangs, then flapped her arms and revealed elegant black and green iridescent wings. Zoey's face changed from surprise to delight and she threw herself into the upside down figure, knocking her off the roof and sending them both tumbling out the window and heading for the ground.
The figure used the wings to stop their decent and pulled the little girl into a warm embrace as they landed gracefully on the snow banks below. Immediately the feathers and form melted into a woman dressed in a sultry black sequined evening gown and she winked at Zoey. “I just can't scare you, can I?”<br>
Zoey laughed. “Save it for the dreamers, Tantie Z! I'm too old to be scared!”
Zelda grinned. “You certainly have grown, haven't you?” Zoey smiled proudly, then Zelda added. “You're what? Two feet tall now?”
Zoey pouted, sticking out her lower lip and frowning. “I'm bigger then that and you know it!”
Zelda laughed and grabbed her in her arms, whirling her around until they were both dizzy. Zoey shivered in the cold and Zelda reached into the dark and stormy sky and pulled out two thick and soft storm grey velvet cloaks, then put one on Zoey and lastly herself. She bent down and leaned in closer to Zoey. “Do you want your present now?”
Zoey nodded vigorously and Zelda took off her cloak, then swirled it through the snowy bank and pulled it back revealing a large Pegasus – jet black with huge raven's wings of the softest feathers, purple and black mane and tail, and the sleekest coat that Zoey had ever seen. Its eyes were a dark indigo that glowed that the planets in the sky at dusk and it snort purple smoke and breathed black and blue fire when it reared it's head.
“What is it?” Zoey asked in awe. Zelda grinned and pet its side affectionately.
“It's a Night Mare of course,” she replied, then held out her hand to the little girl. “You can't keep it, but I'll take you for a ride and you'll be the first mortal child (well half mortal at any rate) to ride one.”
Zoey whooped with excitement then ran to her Aunt who helped her onto the mare's back. Zelda swung into the silver jeweled saddle behind her and took the reins. “Hold onto me tightly.” Zoey turned partially so that she was nestled inside the front of Zelda's cloak and she wound her little hands tightly in the thick fur. With a guttural sound a flick of her wrist the beast had taken flight and the land was just a dot in the distance.
* * *
The party was underway by the time Terri arrived. Maria greeted her with a yelp and a tackle of a hug, quickly followed by little Aglia and Morpheus.
“It's been forever!” Terri hugged them back, then presented the children with the gifts she had brought. They tore them open and discovered onset VIP passes to the filming of their favorite TV shows as well as other little Hollywood themed toys and they thanked her and ran off to taunt their siblings. Maria and Terri headed into the main room and Terri caught her first glimpse of the twins since their birth. Little Zora was standing behind her father, shyly peeking out from behind him at the older Zora who was talking to Mordecai, but looked at little Zora with a smile and warmth unusual for her.
Little Zoey was nowhere to be seen.
Naturally most of the sorcerers had gotten there after the fashionably late fifteen minute mark. Atropos was hitting the egg nog rather hard and had usurped an entire plate of chocolate fudge over to her corner of the room where she was taunting Baste about not being about to have either due to her lactose intolerance, to which Baste kept reminding her she didn't like milk anyway, then betting Atropos she couldn't walk in a straight line, which of course she could because it would take a HUGE amount of VERY spiked nog to get Death drunk. Although considering the number of people who were sneaking over to the nog and spiking it that just might happen tonight.
Terri made her way over to Mordecai and gave him her usual greeting which consisted of running up to him and shoving a pen and an 8x10 in his face, then shouting, “Oh my god! It's Michael Marino! Mordecai! Mordecai! Can I have your autograph?!?”
He in turn wiped out a pen and an 8x10 and shouted back at her, “Oh my god, it's Terri Madison! I love all of your shows! You're my hero! Can I have your autograph?!?”
They promptly signed each others photos, then hugged as everyone else laughed. Terri bent down next to little Zora and smiled sweetly. “You must be Zora. You're as beautiful as your namesake.”
Little Zora blushed. Big Zora grinned. “Nice one, mortal.”
“I try.” She stood up and looked around. “Where's Zoey?”
Mordecai frowned. “She was here a minute ago.” Maria took the cue and went to look for her. After all, if Zoey had sneaked off on her own chances were that it was not to take a nap.
* * *
The Sorcerers' Fair was nothing compared to a flight around the world on the back of a Night Mare with her favorite Aunt, Zoey realized as they took flight again from where Zelda had explored a lost Aztec temple ruin with her and explained all about heart excision sacrifice. They'd had a tea party on top of the clouds, explored a ruin, raced with a pack of wild horses on the Mongolian planes and danced at the ghost ball in a ruined castle in Ireland. It was a fabulous Christmas present and Zoey was quite sad when the mare deposited them outside her bedroom window.
Zelda dismounted into the room, then pulled Zoey in and sent the horse flying away with a simple hand gesture, then grinned at Zoey. “Did you have fun?”
“Tanti Zelda, that was the BESTEST present in the whole wide world!” Zoey declared and threw herself into Zelda's arms, hugging her fiercely.
“Well, it's about time you brought her back.”
Zelda and Zoey both turned to see Maria sitting on the edge of Zoey's bed, legs crossed and wearing a slightly unamused expression, though clearly it wasn't genuine since it didn't reach her eyes.
“I was giving her her Christmas present,” Zelda announced.
Maria stood up. “I see. Could you inform me next time you plan to steal her away for a little while?”
“Were you worried?”
“Not really, since I know you're the only one she would let kidnap her. Still, it would be nice to know.”
“Sorry,” Zelda replied without relish. “She's fine.”
“I can see that.” Maria looked at Zoey. “Did you have fun?”
“It was the BESTEST thing EVER!” Zoey declared, almost protectively as she placed herself between Maria and Zelda. Both women were highly amused and touched by the gesture. Formality gave way as Zelda ran to Maria and threw herself into a hug. After a few moments of hugging all around they headed back to the party.
Downstairs the party was in full swing. Julian had arrived – the last of Mordecai's siblings to appear – and Zora had demanded a group photo of the surviving siblings be taken. They lined up, oldest to youngest, using the tree and fireplace as a backdrop and Baste took the picture. Mordecai stood at the end of the line, being the youngest one to survive and looked at the other four: Zora, Danea, Julian, and Xianling. All beautiful, all powerful, but all – like him – felt something missing. There was sadness as their eyes met each other while the photo was being set up. There should have been more. Twelve magical children were born. Five were left. Mordecai knew they, like him, were thinking of another Christmas night a millennium ago.
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Arcana Jester
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« Reply #6 on Feb 7, 2005, 7:20pm » | |
The winter sky flashed with streaks of lighting and blazed with bursts of fire bolts. Mordecai huddled under the thick fur and held his little sister – his only younger sibling – close, covering her ears to the deafening sounds of the supernatural battle that raged outside. The only sound louder then the battle was the screaming of their father and mother as they fought each other in a rage worse then ever before. Shialiu was crying in his arms, her face turned away from the noise. His eyes were grim, his jaw set as he stared past the three siblings standing guard over the huddled group of children, frozen to their spot in front of the cold fireplace, shivering and tearful, worried and scared under blankets that gave them little warmth and even less comfort.
Zora, Trilan, and Julian stood in front of the nine frightened children, dressed in armor, holding enchanted swords and spears, protecting their siblings and waiting to see who won.
Two stray lighting bolts flickered dangerously close to the group, followed by half a dozen fireballs that forced the group to scatter and set the blankets ablaze. Zora leapt into the burning pile, pulling out the children as Trilan and Julian cast spells to put it out. Mordecai threw off the fur and grabbed Shialiu, pulling her to safety and dousing her burning nightgown with a dousing spell, then helped Zora as she pulled the last one from the burning pile. Any burns were quickly healed as the older children hurdled the younger ones into another room for safety. Zora and Trilian barked orders as Julian conjured strong, warm cloaks for everyone and within minutes all twelve siblings were ready to flee the castle.
But flee to where? The Council? Zora knew the head Amar well and knew he would protect them but before they could leave their was a horrible scream and then there was silence. Zora and Trilian left the group in Julian's care and the siblings huddled together in fear. A moment later the two eldest siblings were thrown back into the room, hitting the hard stone wall hard enough to knock them out as their father entered the room, brimming with newly gained power and grinned so widely his face was almost split in half. Mordecai would never forget that moment, staring into his father's eyes gleaming with power and madness. The man let out a deep laugh that chilled his children to their core, then gazed at them hungrily.
“Merry Christmas, children. I've just killed your mother. Now, who's next?”
There was a flash of light and Mordecai was brought back to the present with a start. “Um...I think I blinked.”
“I totally blinked,” Danea agreed. “Quick take another one.” They all plastered smiles on their faces again and moved closer, arms around each others shoulders then there was another flash.
“I think this is the first time we've all been together in what is it? Seven years?”
“Something like that,” Xianling replied. “Who wants fruitcake?”
“Did you make it?” Julian asked.
“No.”
“Okay, then I'll have some.” He received a smack on the back of the head as the others laughed and headed for the buffet. Maria walked over to Mordecai and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He smiled.
“You looked lost for a moment there,” Maria murmured to him.
“Memories,” was all he said and Maria knew to ask no more.
“Howdy stranger,” Zelda called out across the room, then ran over to Mordecai and hugged him.
“Oh yes, you're terrifying,” Mordecai remarked sarcastically.
Zelda frowned. “I'm off duty, and so are you.”
“I'm not!” Atropos called out as she stood up. “I gotta go grab a soul. I'll be right back.” She turned and walked out through the window, disappearing as she went. Baste sighed and looked at her hosts.
“I gotta run too, but I'll be back. Gotta help deliver triplets.” She flicked her tail and disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.
“You know the coolest people, parentals” Aglia commented, waving goodbye to her favorite aunts.
Maria rolled her eyes and looked at Mordecai. “Oh now, we've become a parental unit now. Adolescence must be starting.”
“Already?”
Terri joined them and looked around. “As anyone seem Skyler? He's coming right?”
Maria nodded. “He said he was. I know he's been looking forward to it for several months now.”
“So where is he?” Zelda asked.
* * *
Skyler knew he was late, but that wasn't his main concern as he lay at the bottom of the steep gorge where his body had been thrown. Just his luck someone wanted to steal his car on this night of all nights. If he hadn't been trying to help those ghosts he wouldn't be here now. And he could have fought them off instead of getting jumped from behind.
God the pain was so intense. The snow was stained with his blood, his back was broken and at least one leg was as well. Also the cold was getting to him, each gust of snow laden wind was a dagger being shoved into his already battered body. damn criminals. damn ghosts. Don't think that, he told himself. Not when you're so close to being with her. No regrets now. Maybe it's for the best. You'll see her again. Just think about that...
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Arcana Jester
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« Reply #7 on Feb 7, 2005, 7:31pm » | |
CHAPTER 7
It was still snowing. Two hours and the snow drifts were higher then ever. The driveway that led from the road to the house looked icy and slick. Terri stood by the front window looking outside, searching for any sign of Skyler. She glanced back into the room but everyone else was talking, laughing, playing board games and cards. No one but her seemed worried.
Of course she was the only one here who didn't have some sort of magical powers, inherited or begotten or merged – well, except for being able to see ghosts. She was mortal. So was Skyler, and that's what worried her.
“Any sign of him yet?” Maria's voice asked from behind her. She turned to see Maria looking as worried as she felt. It was nice to know she wasn't the only one concerned after all.
“No. He should have been here by now.”
Maria nodded and took a long drink of eggnog, obviously lost in thought. At last she spoke again. “I'll see if Mordy can locate him.”
From the other side of the room Zelda watched Maria and Terri talking over by the window. She knew what they were talking about.
Skyler.
He should have been here by now, she was certain of that. She knew something had happened to him, but she also had that deep sensation throughout her – almost like a voice but never that tangible – telling her not to worry about it. Everything was as it should be. Of course that could mean that he was lying somewhere in the snow dying, but if that's what was happening then that's what the GO wanted and she couldn't interfere. It was best to keep the children distracted while the parents chatted and fretted, so that's what she was doing.
“Tell us a story!” Zoey exclaimed, resting comfortably in Zelda's lap as she sat by the fireside. Aglia and Morpheus were seated in front of her and little Zora was sitting in Aglia's lap.
“What kind of story?” Zelda asked, always amused (and terribly indulgent) of her god-daughter.
“A Christmas story, silly!” she replied.
“Tell us about a Christmas from when you were a child,” Aglia suggested.
“Yeah, what was it like for you having a spirit sorcerer father?”
“He wasn't nearly as good a father as you have,” she declared, then fell silent as her mind drifted back to a time she had always tried hard to forget.
“Mommy when are you coming home?”
“Not for another month. Don't ask again.”
Zelda sat on the bed of the guest room Cory had decorated for her. She practically lived here now since her mother was rarely in the country for more then a few weeks at a time. She held the cordless phone tightly in her little hands and spoke into a receiver that was almost a size too big for her head. Cordelia stood next to her bed, looking down at her with concern and compassion.
“You said you'd be back in time for Christmas. You promised!”
“I said I'd try. I didn't promise.”
A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared out the frost covered window. “Mommy, do you love me?”
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, then her mother spoke again. “Pass the phone back to Aunt Cory.”
Tears were falling like a hurricane now as Zelda screamed and threw the phone at Cory who dodged out of the way then picked it up. “Zandra, I'm calling you back in five minutes and you better answer the phone.”
She hung up and tried to comfort Zelda as the little girl plunged under the covers, pulling them over her head as she cried into the large, soft white bunny rabbit Cory had given her for Easter. Cory tucked the covers around her and sat on the bed beside the sobbing bundle.
“Whatever she said, I'm sure she doesn't mean it,” Cory told her quietly.
“She hates me!”
“She doesn't hate you.”
“Then why isn't she here?!? Why are dead people so much more important then me?!?” Zelda cried. Cory tried to hug her, but Zelda pushed her off from under the covers.
“I hate her! I HATE HER! I HATE HER! I HATE HER!”
Cory simply sighed and turned off the bedside lamp. “Good night. Aunt Maria will be here tomorrow, you'll be better then.”
“No I won't!” Zelda screamed. “I hate her! I hate all of you!”
Cory sighed again and left the room. Zelda's sobs began to quiet down as she listened to Cory dial the phone, heading down the hall. She could hear the conversation even as Cory headed back downstairs.
“Zandra, do you have any idea what you're doing to that poor girl?!? She's your daughter for god's sake!” There was a pause, then Cory spoke again. “I don't care who her father is, she's YOUR DAUGHTER! And you're treating her like trash! If you don't care then do us all a favor and don't come back next time. That will be a hell of a lot easier to explain. Don't you dare hang up on me! Zandra, I'm warning you...”
The conversation faded as Cory moved out of Zelda's hearing range, leaving her all alone, crying in the dark on Christmas Eve. Zelda knew there was no such thing as Santa – she never had believed in him, even though Cory had tried her best to make her, so even that simple distraction was gone.
Eventually her tears dried and she ended up staring at the shadows on the wall from the lights in the hall and outside the windows. Suddenly the shadows started moving and she smiled, knowing her dark friend had come to visit. Though never more then shadows on the wall it was the only friend she felt she had. It moved and stretched and formed into a face that grinned at her, then became a jester image juggling bowling pins and dropping them on its head. She giggled watching the play.
It stopped and motioned for her to keep watching as it changed into the shadow of her mother, then into another shadow joined in, shaped like an older woman with snake like braids in her hair. The younger shadow woman pointed a gun at her mother and Zelda grinned. The young shadow turned to her and shrugged, waiting for her to give the word. She nodded and the shadow shot the shadow of her mother. Her mother gave a silent scream and shadow blood oozed on the floor as the other shadow continued firing. Zelda began to laugh and clapped her hands as the mother shadow lay prone on the ground and the young shadow bowed to her.
Then the shadow looked up at the door to the hallway with a start, then turned back to her and put it's finger to it's mouth in a gesture that told her to be quiet. Zelda quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep as the door to the room opened a little more, letting in more light from the hallway. She could feel people standing there watching her and then heard Cory's voice.
“She's finally asleep, poor little dear.”
“Thank the gods that she has you at least.” Another woman's voice. Maria. Aunt Maria was here.
“I swear if Zandra doesn't clean up her act I'm going to try and adopt Zelda, then at least she'll have a mother.”
“How does Richard feel about that?”
“Richard can deal.”
Silence.
“Have you talked to Zandra?”
“I gave her a serious chewing out tonight. Maybe it will do some good.”
“With Zandra? Not likely.”
“You never know. It's Christmas. Miracles happen.”
The door closed again almost all the way and the voices receded down the hall. The shadow formed on the wall again and made a gesture of putting both hands together under it's head, telling her to go to sleep. She took the hint and settled down for the night.
“Um...Aunt Zelda?”
Zelda was brought back to the past with a start. She looked at Aglia and smiled. “Maybe that's not the best story to tell. How about I tell you about the time your mother and her best friend, and me of course, stopped the world from ending?”
“Is that the one where you hid under a table where everyone could see you and somehow didn't get caught?” Morpheus asked. Zelda paused, then nodded.
“Yup, that would be it.”
“Oh goody, I like this one,” he announced and settled down as she began.
Meanwhile Maria had asked Mordecai to check up on Skyler. He conjured an image of where Skyler was and Terri gasped at the sight of Skyler bloodied, bruised, and turning blue as he lay unconscious in a snow bank several feet from an over-turned car.
“My god,” Maria exclaimed. “Is he dead?”
“He's not on my list.” Atropos walked over to them with Baste beside her. “Not that I collect everyone, but I will collect him and his time is not tonight.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Zelda asked. She'd been watching them out of the corner of her eye and as soon as she saw Skyler she left the children with Zora to watch over them. “Let's grab coats and go!”
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Arcana Jester
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« Reply #8 on Feb 7, 2005, 7:36pm » | |
* * *
He had lost all feeling a long time ago and had finally succumbed to the overwhelming desire to close his eyes and fall asleep. Now he was drifting, feeling himself fly from earth and through the stars towards a point of pure light. He had never traveling this way before.
Then he felt it. One tiny tear landing on his face and sliding down his cheek.
No, it wasn't a tear. It was a snow flake.
But it was so soft and warm. Even the cold air didn't chill it on his face. Out of sheer curiosity he opened his eyes another feeling another one land on the bridge of his nose and discovered it wasn't snow.
It was a feather.
A white feather.
He looked up at the cloudy, dark skies and a face swam into view. A beautiful Native American female face that glowed with a warm white aura around her. A face he had never seen, but he somehow knew who it was. Who it had to be.
White Feather.
Then he felt warmth seeping into his body as the smell of burning wood drifted towards him and he turned his head to see a ring of fire surrounding him, but it wasn't hot to the touch – merely warm and burned with a soft golden red flame that seeped through the snow and into his toes and fingers. Another face appeared next to him and this one he did recognize. The shock of red hair and pale white face belonged to Red Fox.
He felt a warm hand on his forehead and turned to see a tall, slender black woman sitting by his shoulders, glowing with golden light. Gold Ring. He recognized her too. She helped him as he struggled to sit up, watching the fire melt into his clothes and warm him without the pain that usually accompanies warming of limbs. At his feet knelt a young woman, no more then sixteen or seventeen who was decidedly Asian in origin and wore a green kimono type of robe embroidered with flowers of all colors. A green glow surrounded her as she set her hands on the earth and the snow melted, the grass became green and lush, the earth warm like a sandy beach on a summer day, and flowers sprouted between his fingers.
Standing behind her was a tall man with a long white beard, though he himself looked aboriginal or Hawaiian. He wore nothing but a dark blue loin cloth and tattoos of fish, shells, waves, and seaweed all over his body in various shades of blue and green. He held a mug of steaming liquid which he passed to another man who stood between him and white feather.
This man was small with jet black hair, silver beard, and deeply tanned skinned – looking definitely middle eastern. His clothing was shades of gray and reminded Skyler of carvings of characters from the Epic of Gilgamesh. He passed the cup to White Feather who set it at Skyler's mouth and Skyler took a deep drink, still starring at the woman in white beside him.
The liquid was warm and comforting like a mixture of flowers and soup and sunshine all at once. He looked down at himself and realized that his wounds were gone, completely healed.
“Thank you.” It was all he could say. They simply smiled and nodded then stood up and stepped back, fading into the snow storm that blazed around him like he was inside an inverse snow globe.
Mordecai, Maria, Zelda, and Terri arrived just in time to see the six figures – all glowing in various colors: white, red, gold, green, blue, and silver – disappear. Mordecai and Zelda exchanged glances as Maria and Terri ran to Skyler and helped him to his feet.
“Are you okay?” Terri asked.
“I think so,” Skyler replied. Then nodded. “Yes. I'm fine now. But I wasn't a minute ago. White Feather was here and Red Fox and Gold Ring..”
“All the primes,” Mordecai finished for him. “We saw them too.”
“Good, cause I thought I might have imagined it.”
“Let's get you inside fast,” Terri insisted as Mordecai and Zelda linked hands around the small group. Within minutes they were back inside the front hallway of the mansion.
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« Reply #9 on Feb 7, 2005, 7:39pm » | |
CHAPTER 8
The snow had finally stopped leaving those who weren't magical stranded there for the night. Most of the guests had gone and it was very late. The children were in bed, the fire was burning low and Maria and Terri brought in a tray of mugs filled with hot cocoa for the three people who remained awake, sitting beside the fire.
Skyler, Mordecai, and Zelda each gratefully accepted a mug in turn and Maria and Terri joined them were they sat. For a long moment there was silence as they all stared into the little flickering flames of the dying fire. Terri was the first one to break the silence.
“I thought the Primes didn't interfere with us mortals.”
“Rarely,” Mordecai agreed. “Unless they're asked to by the G.O.”
“Why would they save me?” Skyler asked.
Mordecai shrugged. “Clearly you have something left to do. Something very important.”
“It wasn't your time tonight,” Maria agreed. “Smile. It's a good thing.”
Skyler did smile at that then turned to Zelda. “I notice you didn't come until AFTER I almost froze to death.”
“Would you rather we didn't come at all?” She mocked. “Cause we can throw you outside in the snow and lock the door anytime you want.”
“That's okay, really.”
Silence as they sipped their cocoa. Maria looked up at the star glittering on top of the tree, then out the window at the dark night.
“Merry Christmas, everyone.” Almost in unison they all replied.
“Merry Christmas.”
“And God Bless us,” Terri added in a high pitched, Muppet voice. “God bless us every one.”
The others glared at her.
“Sorry, I had to. It was too schmaltzy to go out on that note.”
THE END
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