Special Delivery

      They were staying with a family friend by the name of Lofty. He had lived on the mountain for years and had been thrilled to hear that the Marin family was coming for a visit. His cottage was off the beaten path, near the summit. The cottage was quaint, snow-laden with windows that shone with a friendly glow and a plume of smoke rising from the chimney. There was plenty of room to host the family of four.

      “Simon!”

      “Lofty!”

      The two old friends embraced.

      “Here, let me help with the bags,” Lofty offered, leading the way inside.

      Aubrey, the Marin’s twelve-year-old daughter, was fluttering excitedly but darted inside after her Uncle Lofty.

      Once inside, they unloaded their bags inside the conjoined bedrooms before gathering in the main room. A roaring fire was in the hearth, steaming mugs of cocoa and sugar cookies awaited them. They settled into the plush chairs gratefully.

      “so, what do you want to do first?” Lofty asked.

      “I want to do everything!” Aubrey fluttered her wings in anticipation.

      Lofty chuckled. “We’ve got plenty of time! But how about we give the ‘rents a rest and stick close to home for today? Tomorrow, I’ll start showing you around, alright?” He cast Simon and Eliana a wink.

      Aubrey sighed. “Alright, I guess.”

      “Besides, I need someone here to help me build a snowman. I can’t do it all by myself.”

      Aubrey immediately perked up. “I can do that!”

      “Can I help too?” Odhrán asked.

      “Of course you can!”

      “The more the merrier!” Lofty agreed.

      The Marin children dashed out the door. Lofty paused at the door to give Simon and Eliana another wink.

      “Thank you,” Simon mouthed.

      “Anytime!”

      With their children safely occupied, Simon and Eliana took the opportunity to unpack and settle in. Tired from their travel from Shenkuu, they checked on their children. They were having the time of their lives in the snow.

      “Dad! Look what I made!” Aubrey pointed to a rather misshapen snowman with a top hat tipped at a jaunty angle, a nibbled carrot for a nose, crooked coal smile, a red and green striped scarf, rather scrawny sticks little more than twigs and zigzag buttons.

      “I helped,” Odhrán added.

      “It’s the best snowman I’ve ever seen!” Lofty declared.

      Aubrey chuckled. “You can’t say that. You helped make it.”

      “No, I agree with Lofty,” Simon said with a nod. “It’s the best!”

      “Besides, Lofty’s an expert. He would know,” Eliana added.

      Lofty grinned. “I’ve got the kids for a while longer if you’d like to nap or just have a minute to yourselves.”

      “Oh, a nap sounds wonderful,” Eliana admitted.

      “You don’t have to tell us twice,” Simon added. “But don’t hesitate to wake us if they need anything.”

      “Of course. Now go,” Lofty urged with a flick of an ear.

      Simon and Eliana drifted off, knowing that this would be the most relaxed they’d be for the rest of the month.

     * * * * *

      Terror Mountain, despite its name, had plenty to offer. The Marin family had an expert guide in Lofty and he shared his love of the mountain with them. They followed the baby Yurble from the summit to the valley, visiting not only the main shops but also the places only known to locals. Lofty was well-known and wherever they went, they were greeted with a warmth that was a sharp contrast to the frigid temperatures. For Simon, it was wonderful to experience the mountain again and this time share it with his family.

      “You know how you’ve been asking to complete a snow faerie quest?” Lofty asked Aubrey one day.

      “Yeah? Are we finally gonna do a quest?” Aubrey asked. “Please say yes!”

      “No, you’re still too young to complete a faerie quest but,” Lofty hurried on as Aubrey drooped, “that doesn’t mean you can’t meet her.”

      “What?! When?”

      “Today after lunch.”

      “Yes! I can’t wait!”

      After lunch, the entire family headed to the large snow building that Taelia the Snow Faerie called home.

      The snow faerie greeted them warmly. “Lofty, always a pleasure. Simon, it’s been too long. This must be your family.”

      Simon made the introductions.

      “I can’t believe I finally get to meet you! My Uncle Lofty kept saying wait but I’ve been waiting forever! He also says I’m not old enough to help a fellow faerie out.”

      “Well, your Uncle Lofty doesn’t know that I’ve got a special mission that I’ve been waiting for a fellow faerie to help me with,” Taelia lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone.

      “Really?”

      Taelia nodded. “Yup. You think you’re up for it?”

      “Oh yes! I can do it!”

      Taelia removed a scroll from one sleeve. “I need you to fetch me the items on this list. I’m relying on you, Aubrey.”

      “You can count on me, Taelia!”

      With that, Aubrey darted off, Odhrán in tow and Lofty trailing them.

      “That went off without a hitch,” Simon observed with a grin. “Thank you for being willing to do that for us, Taelia. I truly appreciate it.”

      “Anything for a friend,” Taelia said with her own smile. “That should keep them busy for a while.”

      Simon laughed. “You don’t know Aubrey!”

      With their children occupied, Simon and Eliana were able to enjoy a nice visit with Taelia.

      “It’s been wonderful catching up but we’d better go,” Simon said after a while.

      “Yes, it certainly has. Enjoy the remainder of your trip,” Taelia said.

      Simon and Eliana strolled through the snow hand in hand.

      “I’m glad we decided to come here,” Eliana confided.

      “Our kids certainly love it,” Simon said.

      Darkness fell early on the mountain but that didn’t stop them from enjoying their rare moment of alone time. They weren’t surprised when Aubrey, Odhrán and Lofty found them not too long after that.

      “We finished the quest!” Aubrey exclaimed, exhilarated at their success. “Taelia says we set a record!”

      “Wow! Well done!” Simon praised, including both of his children in his smile.

      Odhrán did not have his sister’s energy. He was definitely starting to droop after their adventure.

      Simon scooped his son into his arms, ready to call it a day.

      “I need to stop in at the Community Hall so you can head back without me,” Lofty said.

      Simon and Eliana exchanged a glance.

      Simon looked back at Lofty, shifting his son more comfortably in his arms. “No, it's fine. We can go with you.”

      So it was that they found themselves in the Community Hall. It was easily the largest building in the village. It looked almost like a warehouse rather than a cottage. It was partially filled with boxes and miscellaneous items. Volunteers were busy at work sorting through the donations that had come in that day.

      “How’s the drive coming?” Lofty asked Granny Hopbobbin.

      “Great!” Granny Hopbobbin exclaimed. “We’ve got donations galore piling up.”

      “That’s fantastic!”

      “The only thing is that I need help delivering it all.”

      “Simon and I can help. Right, Si?” Lofty volunteered.

      “Oh.” Simon swallowed nervously, hating being put on the spot. “Well, I, uh…” He couldn’t think of a reason to refuse.

      Had he not been charitable enough already? He gladly donated points and supplies when asked. Must he really donate his time and labour as well?

      “Come on, Si! It’s the charitable thing to do,” Lofty cajoled.

      “Alright, I’ll do it.”

      Granny Hopbobbin clapped her hands together in delight. “Splendid, dears!”

      * * * * *

     So it was that Simon found himself on the eve of the Day of Giving, hauling a sled through the snow. It was (over)laden with an assortment of wrapped presents. It was far heavier than he had anticipated.

      “I’m so going to feel this tomorrow,” Simon muttered.

      “You good, Si?” Lofty checked, merrily tromping through the snow as if he were going for a stroll instead of hauling a sled just as burdened as Simon’s.

      Simon glanced at the thick grey clouds that covered the sky. Snow fell thick and fast so that it was difficult to see far ahead of them. “I can’t believe we’re still doing this, given the blizzard and all.”

      “Blizzard?” Lofty chuckled. “This isn’t a blizzard! We’ve got a couple of days to go before our next one’s due!”

      There went his last hope of getting out of this, Simon thought. He shook himself, trying to remind himself of the reason he was doing this in the first place. It’s for a good cause, it’s for a good cause, Simon repeated to himself.

      “Let’s get going! We’ve got a lot of families waiting on us!” Lofty exclaimed, dashing ahead to take the lead.

      With a grunt of effort, almost slipping in the snow, he got the sled moving. To his pleasant surprise, the sled moved smoothly and he was able to pick up a decent pace. With effort, he was barely able to make out Lofty’s sled ahead of him. He was almost starting to enjoy it when the sled suddenly jolted, having hit a hidden rock in the snow. He stumbled to a halt to see that a present had tumbled from the sled.

      To Simon’s surprise, a pink Warf popped out of the box.

      “Lofty!” Simon called, though his voice got carried off by the wind. With a shudder, he realized he had lost sight of his friend.

      Trying not to panic, the yellow Ogrin coaxed the pink Warf towards him. The little Warf came willingly. She wasn’t hurt, just a little dazed from her fall. She shivered in his embrace. Neither of them were a fan of this journey so far.

      “Don’t worry, little one. I won’t put you back in the box. You’ve got a nice, warm home waiting for you.” Simon frowned. “We just have to find it.”

      Simon settled the Warf in the sled, sheltered as much as possible by the other presents. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing. With a weary sigh, he once more began to haul the sled. Now he needed to figure out how to find his way. Almost impossible in this world of white, with no landmarks to go by.

      Simon felt like he was walking into the void.

      Then the yellow Ogrin saw something. A white spot appeared in the snow. Whiter and brighter, somehow. He blinked but it was still there. Slowly, the spot took shape.

      It was a Christmas Vandagyre.

      “Excuse me! Could you help me? I seem to have gotten myself turned around,” Simon called.

      The Vandagyre held a wooden staff. Rather than speaking, she used the staff to point the way.

      “Thank you!”

      Simon drew closer only to find the Vandagyre had disappeared. He shook his head. He was cold, tired and sore but he wasn’t that far gone. He knew what he had seen. So where had she gone?

      Simon didn’t have an answer. Instead, he kept going. This scene repeated itself twice more, the Vandagyre appearing to guide him without making a sound before disappearing. He didn’t try to understand it; he was just grateful for the help. At last, he reunited with Lofty.

      “Glad you made it!” Lofty exclaimed with a grin.

      “As am I,” Simon admitted.

      They delivered their presents to various families across the mountain. Everyone they gave gifts to was grateful for them. The pink Warf ended up with a little pink Gelert. The two of them were thrilled with each other. So on it went.

      Simon was happy to help. As they travelled, the sled grew lighter. Despite getting lost, he had made it. The happiness and cheer of those that received the gifts was the best of all. It somehow warmed him from the inside out.

      At last, they finished.

      Simon and Lofty dropped off the now empty sleds back at the Community Hall. Then, they headed back to Lofty’s place. Though tired, they settled in front of the always roaring fire.

      “We did good today, Simon,” Lofty said.

      “Yeah, even though I almost didn’t make it,” Simon confessed.

      Lofty sat up, the worry at once apparent in his eyes. “What do you mean?”

      “I got lost in the snow.”

      “I thought you were right behind me the entire time!”

      Simon shook his head. “The sled got jostled and one of the presents fell out, releasing that pink Warf. I had to stop to rearrange the gifts. I tried calling out to you but I guess you didn’t hear me.”

      “I’m sorry, Simon. I should have realized-”

      Simon held up a hand to halt his friend’s apology. “I don’t blame you. It turned out alright in the end.” He flicked his ears in thought. “Do you know a Christmas Vandagyre?”

      Lofty was a friendly sort. As a longtime resident of the mountain, there were few he didn’t know. Perhaps he could clear up the mystery.

      Lofty frowned. “Can’t say I do. Why do you ask?”

      “I met one while I was lost. She pointed me in the right direction. Her guidance was the only reason I found you.”

      “Did you happen to catch her name?”

      “She never spoke a word, only pointed me in the right direction.”

      “I can’t say for sure but it sounds like you had a run-in with the spirit of Christmas.”

      Simon’s eyes widened in surprise. He wasn’t one to dismiss such things. Nor was Lofty the type to joke about it.

      “She manifests in different ways. One doesn’t always see her but wherever goodwill and peace can be found, she will be in the midst. She is drawn to charitable or kind acts. It doesn’t surprise me that she helped you.”

      Simon nodded. “I’m glad she did.”

      “She not only saved you but all those depending on you to deliver their gifts.”

      “She saved the Day of Giving.”

      * * * * *

      On a nearby slope, a Christmas Vandagyre stood blending in seamlessly with the snow. The snow, miraculously, had cleared and the stars shone brightly. Peace and love could be found in abundance this night. Her work here was done. A sudden wind kicked up a flurry of snow.

      The Christmas Vandagyre was gone but her presence could still be felt in the bright eyes, sweet smiles and full hearts of those that had given and received even more in return.

     The End.