The Gnorbu and the Crystal Woods

     Nearby, there is a boulder leaning against another, like a pair of poorly-shelved books. Colette decides that she can squeeze in the space between them and escape from the snow. But the cold persists. She cannot move her hands: her mittens are frozen stiff from the river water too. She yanks them off and does her absolute best to warm her hands by rubbing them together (she once saw a grownup behave like this after losing their gloves). But then, wouldn’t it be better to sleep? She feels curiously drowsy, all of a sudden.

     "Oh my goodness, it’s a Gnorbu."

     "She’s so little."

     "See? I had a feeling someone was lost in the Woods tonight! You ought to listen to me more."

     Someone has shaken Colette awake, but she cannot seem to open her eyes. Everything feels quite awful and heavy—heavier than her frozen dress, in fact. Someone has picked her up, and then, Colette drifts away again.

     Colette has no semblance of time, but she wakes up eventually. Someone has tucked her into a little bed, and she realized she has been covered in two—no—three quilts. She cranes her neck to look around. The room she is in has a crackling fireplace, which she thinks is very nice. There is a window, and outside the window, there is sunlight. Her dress, coat, and mittens are folded atop a small chestnut box. Colette’s eyes blink and widen: her plushie. Where is her plushie? She tries to throw the blankets off, to get up, to look for it, but the room spins when she sits up.

     "You’re awake." Colette searches for the voice. It belongs to a Blue Vandagyre sitting in a chair next to the bed. Why didn’t Colette see her before? "We found you in the storm two nights ago. Mimi thought you wouldn’t make it, but I knew–I just knew—that there’s a little fighter in you." The Vandagyre sounds relieved. There is a smile in her voice. "You were lost in the Crystal Woods. How did you end up there?"

     Colette blinks at her. She cannot speak: not yet. It will be many more days before she finds her voice. And besides, she doesn’t know how the river carried her so deep into the woods, or how she clambered out of the water. The voice she heard calling her name has long since faded into the smallest echo in the back of her mind. She doesn’t even know where her plushie is. Colette feels very perturbed. The Vandagyre smiles.

     "You can live here with me until your family comes for you. I’ve already passed the message along, and hopefully it will reach your parents soon. Here..." Colette didn’t notice before, but the Vandagyre is holding a bowl of something steaming. It smells incredible. She puts it on the little table next to Colette’s bed. "Something to help you get back your strength. You can call me Ms. Carol." In her feathered hands rests the Jinjah plushie.

     ***

     On the 27th day of the Month of Storing, Colette awoke to ice. From the sunlight ricocheting off the glassy walls and the frozen ceiling, the Gnorbu was glad to know she had survived until morning. But where was—

     "Pinecone!" The little Gnorbu shot up from wherever she had been sleeping: a soft bed piled excessively high with quilts, apparently. Strangely, despite all the frozen decor, the air was warm. Colette padded across the room towards what looked to be a door fashioned from snowflakes caught right out of the sky. She pushed it with all her might until the door gave in to her demands. The Gnorbu shot through and marched directly into a peculiarly soft wall. No, not a wall. A coat.

     "You’re awake," a voice, silvery and clear like an icicle, greeted her. Colette gazed up, tilting her neck as far back as it would go: a pair of crystalline eyes peered back at her. She was suddenly, regrettably, very conscious of how short she was. She took one step back.

     "You’re the Snow Faerie," she managed. To this, she was endowed with a hearty guffaw from her host. "I’m sorry, I did not mean to offend!"

     In truth, most Neopets knew who the Snow Faerie was, only most simply called her Atelia. Only those few fortunate—or unfortunate—enough to be rescued by her ever addressed her as The Snow Faerie, and fewer still reserved quite as much reverence in their voices as this small Gnorbu.

     "No, no, it’s quite alright, little one," said the Snow Faerie. She tucked a strand of midnight hair behind her ear. "I’m very happy to see you on your feet. That was quite an awful blizzard you were caught in, and so early in the season too! It’s a good thing I found you and your friend when I did."

     "My friend… Is Pinecone with you?"

     The Snow Faerie’s pale visage melted into an affectionate smile. "Yes, he’s here. Would you like to join us for some breakfast? I was just about to fetch you—I’ve prepared waffles."

     Colette felt something tighten in her throat. "I doubt he’d want to see me, right now."

     The faerie raised one perplexed eyebrow. "Now why would that be?"

     Tightly, Colette explained how her treatment of Pinecone the night before had pushed him to rush into the Crystal Woods. How the Alpine Society had raced after him into the woods, but how Colette had been separated from them and had spent the better part of the night looking for Pinecone. The story poured out of her, and the Snow Faerie listened.

     "So you see, it was my fault, " she said, tugging at her tangled strands of hair. She was making an extraordinary effort not to blink. But she did have to blink eventually, and her tears spilt out.

     "Oh my dear…" The Snow Faerie rushed toward the sobbing Gnorbu and wrapped her in her arms. "Would you like to know what I see? I see a little Gnorbu who owned up to her mistake, who rushed into the Crystal Woods to save a friend she may not always see eye to eye with, but whom she cares deeply about. I see someone who ought to be applauded for her courage and humility, not reprimanded."

     Colette wept and the Snow Faerie tightened her hug.

     When all the tears were spent and Colette could do nothing more but breathe, the faerie left to fix her a cup of tea. She returned with a satchel. Colette recognized it as her own.

     "You had it with you when I found you." The Snow Faerie undid the clasp and removed the worn Jinjah plushie from inside. She placed it in Colette’s arms.

     "What you want, little one, is all the control in the world, is it not? You worry about everything, because you are afraid no one else will. No one will remember to fix supper, sweep the halls, gather the wood… "

     Colette blushed, her eyes fixed on the plushie.

     "But what you need, is to let go of this control. You cannot control the world, Colette. And you do not have responsibility over people’s actions. You cannot change, save, or fix them: they have to do that on their own. Please unload that burden.

     "The Alpine Society can survive even if you aren’t there to remind everyone of their duties. Look at how quickly your family rushed to Pinecone’s aid, without needing your say so. And you, little one, deserve to be unloaded of this burden you’ve so unfairly placed on your shoulders."

     The Snow Faerie gently took the Jinjah plushie from Colette’s hands. Softly, she whispered into its invisible ear and then, to Colette’s astonishment, blew out a wisp of glittering snowflakes, which settled onto the plushie’s stitching.

     One moment passed, then another. And suddenly, to everyone’s astonishment (but most of all, Colette’s), Canelle, her plushie, which had been an inanimate cornerstone of her life for 15 years, leapt from the faerie’s hands and onto the Gnorbu’s lap.

     "A gift," said the Snow Faerie, "for your bravery, humility, and most importantly, for taking my advice to heart. There are bigger opportunities for someone who cares as much as you: I only hope this little Jinjah helps you find them."

          Colette was too stunned for words. The Jinjah hugged her hand.

     "Come. The waffles will have surely grown cold by now."

     ***

     After breakfast, Pinecone and Colette (and Canelle) were settled into a Bika-drawn sleigh waiting outside Taelia’s chateau. The Snow Faerie was well-acquainted with the workings of the Alpine Society and wished them safe travels down the mountain before sending them on their way.

     "Do give dear Ms. Carol my best! " She called after the departing sleigh.

     The sleigh (which Colette recognized to be a Happy Valley model, what with its impressive array of jingle bells attached on all sides) meandered at a leisurely pace through the trees. Coco and Pinecone were both still wary from the previous night’s adventure, and neither said a word. In fact, neither had exchanged a word —not even over waffles. And so, Colette and Pinecone festered in this tense silence, and all the while, their sleigh jingled merrily along. It was torture.

     A few miles outside of the Ice Caves, Colette decided she could not stand the silence any longer.

     "Pinecone … I just wanted to say I’m really sorry," she said without looking at him. "It was wrong—so—wrong of me to yell at you last night. I didn’t know you had been working all day, and if I had known, I certainly would never have asked you to gather the wood last night."

     A pause stretched where Pinecone did not speak. Colette hazarded a glance through her curls of hair.

     "I still would have done it," he finally said. Colette looked at him. "Even without you reminding me twenty times, I still would have remembered to fetch the wood after my shift. You’re the one who won’t trust me—or any of us, for that matter."

     Colette felt a flutter of anger in her chest. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

     "You’re completely right, " she finally said. "You have every reason to be angry with me, and it’s true that I am overbearing. It’s something I have to work on, I suppose." She eyed the little Jinjah sitting beside her. It gave her a wave.

     "All is forgiven." Pinecone let out a small huff: "...you better not lay off too much though. I know some of the less responsible kids could do with some overbearing every once in a while."

     Colette smiled lightly, and the tension began to thaw.

     ***

     The sun was high in the sky when the sleigh reached the Happy Valley town square. From there, Pinecone and Colette walked home to 52 Bika Lane. The silence between them was decidedly more amicable this time around. Eventually, the manor’s roof emerged above the treetops, dressed in a fresh layer of snow. At the backdoor, Colette scratched and knocked the usual passcode for entrance, but when no one answered, she gingerly pulled the handle. The door swung inwards and into the cold foyer. The place was deserted.

     "They must all still be looking for us," said Pinecone.

     "Hello…? Anyone home?" said Colette.

     They padded further into the manor and entered the kitchen. Embers from an old fire glowed tiredly in the hearth. And the room was frigid: evidently, no one had been home to tend to the fire in quite some time. Colette heaved some logs over the embers and coaxed a flame back to life while Pinecone wandered through the rest of the house.

     Suddenly, the Korbat cried out: "Oh!" This compelled Colette to rush after him. Indeed, when the Gnorbu reached Pinecone, she could see what had made him exclaim. A Yellow Cybunny was curled up against the front door, sound asleep.

     "Gwen!" Colette shook her awake. As it happened, Gwen was not particularly fond of being shaken to consciousness. This fact was made painfully clear when Colette received the business end of Gwen’s protesting limbs. "Ow—GWEN!!"

     Finally, reluctantly, the Cybunny’s eyes opened. When she saw who was peering down at her, she scrambled up to her feet. Colette rubbed her bruising arm. Pinecone giggled.

     "Oh no, I’m sorry, did I… PINECONE?! COLETTE??!!" With no warning of any kind, Gwen leapt toward them and squeezed them into the tightest hug either had ever received in their young lives. "You’re safe! Oh, I’m so relieved, we better tell the others—wait, what am I saying? Ms. Carol and the others are probably still in the woods right now… OH, how are we going to find them now?"

     Colette was able to calm the Cybunny for just long enough to assure her that everything would be alright. After insisting that Pinecone goes to bed (and after his strong protests had dwindled into snores), Coco and Gwen lit every candle, every lantern, and every lamp in every room. No bulb was spared, no fire allowed to dwindle. They turned the manor into a veritable beacon, and, hoping the rest of the Society would see the glow through the birch trees despite the abundance of sunlight outside, they settled into the kitchen, and waited.

     Tea was brewed. Spoons and mugs were clinked. The glow and crackle from the fireplace emitted a warm and comforting ambience in the room, and Coco would have been content to settle into this quiet, but she needed to know what had happened back in the Crystal Woods. So she told Gwen, starting with the instant the Gnorbu had realized the rope was gone, and that she was well and truly alone in a blizzard.

     Gwen corroborated the tale. "We were walking along the river and decided to turn back when we could no longer see the town," she said. "That’s when we first realized you were missing. So we retraced our steps, but it got so dark and I couldn’t see two feet in front of me. Finnian and the other youngsters could barely stand up, they were so tired. We went back to the manor and decided to begin our search again once the sun rose. Ms. Carol suggested I stay behind while everyone else went back out there, just in case…" Gwen sighed. Colette saw that her breath prompted ripples in her tea. "Anyway, it stopped snowing hours ago, so I’m sure they’ll be fine."

     Colette reached over to squeeze her shoulder: "They will," she said quietly. "I, uh, wanted to apologize for all the trouble I caused yesterday…. I was so demanding and… and petty, and it was so wrong of me to behave like that. You don’t have to forgive me. In fact, I understand if you hate me forever."

     "Oh Coco! Of course I forgive you! We all make mistakes, I’m happy you could make things right." Another wave of relief washed over Colette. "But back to business: you’re telling me you met the Snow Faerie?"

     The Gnorbu giggled. "Yes! And she is everything you’ve heard, and more…"

     ***

     In the late afternoon, just as Colette had introduced her enchanted Jinjah plushie (much to Gwen’s delight), the front door flew open, and a tidal wave of exhausted Neopets washed into the kitchen.

     Gwen sprung up from her seat. " You’re home! " she called, and she held her arms wide open for the sea of Neopets scrambling into her embrace. Colette sat up too. She brewed more tea and silently served the masses.

     "I’m sorry for the trouble I caused," she told them, "thank you for being so brave." Ms. Carol, who had returned with the others, placed a wing on Coco’s shoulder. "Oh, aah… the Snow Faerie says hi…"

     Pinecone awoke at eventide, surprised to see the manor hustling and bustling with life. Indeed, existence seemed to putter on as usual, everyone supposedly having put the drama of the day behind them. Colette and Pinecone regaled everyone with stories of their adventures in the Crystal Woods, and for once, Colette did not ask anyone to please help with the dishes (and soon, she realized the task could be accomplished without her meddling).

     ***

     On the 1st day of the Month of Celebrating, Happy Vallians young and old awaken to the town decked out in millions of twinkling lights, shimmering tinsel, and bobbling orbs (no tree is spared). They also awaken to a throng of tourists: the first of the season, here for the Advent Calendar and the Winter Starlight Celebration. Most Happy Vallians are secretly unenthused by this particular development.

     In the town square, Gwen and Colette pushed their way through the masses. Hidden within the Gnorbu’s wavy locks of hair perched an ordinary Jinjah plushie (Wait—Did that thing just wave at me?)

     "Pinecone must be swamped with customers right now," said Coco.

     Gwen nodded gravely. "Everyone always waits until the last minute to purchase their trees."

     Indeed, Fir’s Tree Farm was as packed with shoppers as it was with Christmas trees (by Colette’s estimation, the shoppers each numbered one to a tree). Trees were being bartered and fought over, and in the midst of it all, a Korbat did his very best trying to keep everyone happy.

     "This is MADNESS, " he said when he saw the pair, " why does everyone always wait until the last possible minute for a tree?! "

     "Oh dear, " Colette tutted, "I hope you’re not too overwhelmed with work."

     "We just came by to bring you some borovan, we have a few more errands to run in town."

     An impatient customer hauling a tree seven times his size (by Colette’s estimation) nearly knocked the cup out of Pinecone’s hand, and the Korbat promptly ushered them all out. Gwen was still laughing by the time they stepped outside. The two continued their unhurried walk, enjoying the smell of warm spices wafting through the air.

     "Did you ever read that book I got you?" Colette said suddenly, "the one about sledding?"

     Gwen paused. "No, not yet Coco. But soon!"

     Colette frowned. "If I’d known you wouldn’t read it, I wouldn’t have—" She bit her tongue and swallowed back the bitterness. Gwen raised an eyebrow.

     "I am going to read it, Colette."

      I know, I know, I’m sorry," she sighed. "I know you will, that was unkind. I’m still trying to be better… You can absolutely read the book in your own time, or not at all, it’s your decision and I’m just happy I could surprise you with a present!... " Now she was just tripping over her words. But Colette was indeed trying to be less overbearing! She felt a blush rise to her cheeks as the Cybunny burst out in laughter.

     "What will we do without you, Coco?" she sighed. The Gnorbu blinked at Gwen. Without her? How had she known? "You’ve matured so much in these last few days. I think we both know you’re ready to leave the manor."

     Leave the manor. Yes—upon her return from the Snow Faerie, Colette had also realized how well the Alpine Society carried on without her. To her amazement, 52 Bika Lane had not burned down in her absence. At first, the Gnorbu had felt bashful: why had she struggled for so long to keep everyone accountable? Evidently, they did not require her bossiness as much as she had thought. And then, Colette had felt an ease settle into her shoulders and stomach, as though a great burden had been lifted. So: leave the manor…

     "It’s scary, but I think I’m ready too," she finally conceded. " I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I think I’d like to start looking for my… for my other family." Colette wondered where her past might take her. And what’s more, the Crystal Woods seemed a lot less frightening these days. She remembered the waterfall.

     The little Gnorbu glanced at Gwendolyn, and saw her eyes were damp.

     ***

     That night, Colette sat in her bed and patted her Jinjah on the head. Next to Canelle was a raggedy acara plushie, missing a button eye. Finnian, amazed by her enchanted Jinjah, had begged Coco to repair his own stuffed toy.

     "You’re like a doctor for plushies! " he had giggled. Now, the little green-eyed acara snoozed peacefully by the window.

     A tiny smile tickled the corner of her lips. With her needle, she sowed a shiny green button back onto the plushie.

     "There," she said, "Finnian, I do believe the operation was a success."

     The plushie yawned and rubbed its eyes. Its button eyes. Colette’s own eyes nearly popped out of her head. She glanced up: Finnian was still dozing. So, the Snow Faerie had hoped that her newly-enchanted Jinjah would help Coco find bigger opportunities.

     Well, indeed, this new development may open a few doors yet….

     The End.