Writers Workshop

The Christmas Fairy

PART IV

The next morning, the girls discussed Shalen’s mysterious message in-depth. “How on Earth did he give Uncle Mike a gift? And is that gift a chance meeting with Asherah?” asked Cora.

“I know Asherah is part of this. I can feel it in my bones,” said Emma, wisely. Cora nodded assent. The rest of the weekend and following week flew by as the girls schemed and planned Uncle Mike’s Christmas gift. Now, on their winter break from school, the two spent more time in the library, but Shalen wouldn’t reveal himself to them again. “What are we going to do? Christmas is next week and I’m no closer to figuring this thing out,” a frustrated Cora fumed. That evening fate once again intervened.

“Come on scaly bottom, we’re off to get some ice cream,” Uncle Mike pronounced with a sly smile on a reddened face. Cora’s jaw dropped at the sight of her uncle. Hmm, what’s he up to, she wondered. On the way to the shop, Mike stopped by Emma’s and picked her up. Cora wasn’t aware that Mike talked to Emma’s parents the day before about taking the girls out for ice cream. Cora hopped in the back seat with Emma. Both girls giggle excitedly. Mike wasn’t known for planned surprises.

At Baker’s, they ordered their ice cream and sat down. “Well ladies, what’s on the agenda for winter break? How about we sail around the bay?” Mike asked. The girls nodded assent and plans were made for the next day. Emma would sleep at Cora’s house and they would go out for a leisurely ride in the morning in Uncle Mike’s small sail boat. Mike arranged all of this with Emma’s parents the day before as part of the girl’s surprise.

The next morning, they quickly prepared for a day at sea. The group stopped at Baker’s for sandwiches to take for lunch before heading to the docks. As they bustled down the dock, they saw someone standing by Uncle Mike’s boat. One look at her uncle and Cora knew who the willowy figure was. “Hi girls,” said Asherah. Incredulous, Cora just stared at Mike who was beaming from ear to ear. “Ladies, you remember Asherah. She’s sailing with us today.” Mike proudly announced.

“That’s why you bought an extra sandwich. You said you were very hungry!” laughed Cora. Mike and Asherah dated a couple times while the girls were in school. He wanted time to get to know her before sharing her with Cora. Today’s sail was to be the big announcement that Mike and Asherah were dating. She was still a mystery to him, but he felt comfortable in their relationship and was ready to share the news with Cora. They headed out of the marina and into the bay. Mike was surprised at how easily Asherah handled sailing. Once they were in shallower waters, Mike pulled the sail in and they basked in the early winter sunlight. Asherah looked at Cora and said, “My dear, it’s time for a swim. I want to show you something.” Cora balked, saying it was too cold and she didn’t know how to swim. She couldn’t go into salty waters without a tail sprouting where her legs should be. Asherah chortled, jumped into the water and gave the trio a surprise of a lifetime. She launched herself out of the water like a dolphin. She had a tail where her legs were previously! Asherah was a mermaid. Mike just smiled, as he already surmised this was the case. Emma’s eyes bugged out of her head as she stared incredulously. Cora giggled and jumped into the water, sprouting a beautiful tail of her own. The mermaids splashed about while Mike explained the phenomenon to dear Emma. Her expression changed from confusion to joy. Mike knew that the girls were as close as any friends could be and that it was time to let Emma in on the secret. As the two girls were reunited, Emma grabbed Cora in a cold, wet hug. “You were so beautiful and graceful out there! I’m so happy to be a part of this now.”

“Oh Em, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. It’s been so hard keeping a secret from you. You are an amazing person and I feel bad for hiding that,” Cora cried.

“No way, Cor. That isn’t something you just blab about. We have to be very careful who knows. And you, Asherah! How is it there are two mermaids here?” Asherah explained that mer-people are always attracted to each other. When she returned to the area, she felt a pull on her heart that could only mean another mer was nearby. She had been searching from town to town until she stopped into Baker’s for ice cream. The pulling sensation was so strong there. When she walked to their table, it nearly overtook her. Swooning in front of strangers wasn’t something she wanted to do, but she had to know which of the three was a mer. When she approached Cora, her heart skipped a beat. “The same thing happened to me!” exclaimed Cora excitedly. Another mer, she thought. What were the odds? I think old Shalen would have the answer to that one. The group spent the rest of the day sailing around the bay. As they approached the dock, Mike invited Asherah to join them for Christmas and she agreed.

Two days before Christmas, the girls hid out in the library bathroom again. When the last person left the building, they tip toed to the library to find Shalen. “Shalen, are you in here,” Emma called out. “We want to thank you. Asherah is wonderful. We love her!” Cora cried.

A dim light could be seen around the corner of a distant bookshelf. The light grew as Shalen approached the girls. “Well, if it isn’t the twins. How annoying.” He rolled his eyes dramatically at this announcement. The girls laughed and thanked him again. “What makes you think I had anything to do with that?” he asked. “Oh Shalen, what are the odds that we would find each other, otherwise?” Cora said. “Are you celebrating the holidays with your people?” “We don’t celebrate the way you humans do. We work on those days, sprinkling fairy dust on gifts. I think I’ll sprinkle sneezing dust this year, just for kicks,” he declared. The girls laughed at this. “Well, I hope to see you at my house. I’ll leave some food and a present out for you, just in case you decide to stop by,” said Cora. Emma nodded agreement. “Uhm, what do fairies eat?” asked the ever considerate Emma. “Boogers and toe nails,” replied Shalen. The girls found that idea particularly revolting. He laughed then and told them that he loves to snack on the cookies and milk the children leave out for Santa. As he visited as many houses as possible, gifts weren’t necessary. He couldn’t possible carry gifts around from house to house. With that, he bowed and bid them farewell. They returned the bow, knowing they would probably never see little Shalen again.

Christmas morning came on bright and clear. Cora anxiously awaited Uncle Mike’s appearance by the Christmas tree. She checked all the new packages that showed up over night. Yes, Santa definitely was here. Oh, she wished she could stay awake long enough to see him. Maybe he could have helped solve her dilemma with Uncle Mike. She so wanted him to be happy, but as nothing else new seemed to happen over the last few days, she was sure Shalen couldn’t help. Finally, Uncle Mike strode in from the kitchen, coffee cup in hand. As she excitedly opened the mystery gifts, she felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. Uncle Mike, too, seemed to be affected by the moment. His smile, deep and wide, made here heart swell with love. Perhaps a little Christmas fairy sprinkled their gifts with joy. There were a few gifts with no label on them. Before she could ask who the gifts belonged to, the doorbell rang. Puzzled, Cora looked at Mike for confirmation of the guest. He smiled knowingly and casually (rather slowly) strolled to the door. Asherah came bustling in, arms loaded with gifts for Cora and Mike. “No way!” thought Cora. “What’s going on?” she asked. Asherah just laughed, handing a good sized box to Cora. “Open this one first,” she said gleefully. Cora thought it would be fun to shake the box and try to guess its contents. Both Mike and Asherah jumped alarmingly and shouted, “No!” at the same time. A startled Cora nearly dropped the box. Nervously, she began to open it. Is this a puppy or something, she wondered. She removed the wrapping paper and carefully lifted the lid. Out popped Shalen, like a Jack-in-the-box toy. He laughed at her shocked look. “Wait a minute. What’s this?” she demanded. How on earth did this happen? Asherah and Shalen know each other? Mike seemed to be in on the gag as well. She looked from one to the other, as they giggled over her confusion.

“Ok,” said Uncle Mike. “Asherah told me about Shalen, who told her about another mer-person in the area a few weeks ago, but wouldn’t say who it was. She wanted to meet you, but wasn’t sure how. Then one night she got a strange craving for ice cream and the rest is history.”

Cora looked at Shalen, still puzzled about one thing. “How did you know Uncle Mike and Asherah would get along? What if they didn’t like each other? Wha” she began. Shalen just grinned. “Little one, your uncle loves you and you are a mer-person. He was drawn to you, as some humans are. He was bound to be drawn to another mer. Besides, I’m a Christmas elf, I know everything,” he replied smugly. They all laughed and began to open gifts together. Uncle Mike even had gifts for Shalen, to the little imp’s surprise. A warm glow emanated from him as he opened his gift, a miniature Christmas sweater. With a sniffle and a tear, he thanked Mike. He’d never been the recipient of a gift before. This was new territory and he knew that he’d found others to call family.

This was a splendid Christmas indeed. Cora got her wish for a happy Uncle Mike. Mike got his wish for a happy Cora. Asherah and Shalen received the gift of love they didn’t know they needed. It truly was a perfect Christmas for all.