***
I woke up. Not that I wanted to. It's just that someone appeared to be tapping morse code on my back, over and over and over again, in the sensitive area right between my shoulderblades, where the batteries that powered my voice and blue hands lie. The code went dot, dot dash dot dot, dot dot dot, dot dash. My name. E-L-S-A. The reason I actually know morse code is that when I was back on the shelf in Wandering Oaken's, that's how the dolls would communicate, through tapping on the inside of their boxes. I learned it pretty quickly, and I didn't think it would actually come in handy until now. I had only ever really used it to talk with Molly during those late nights from across the room. The code kept repeating. E-L-S-A. Either this person was trained well, or it was just pure, strange coincidence. But then it was W, B, 4, 7, Q, I... what the heck?"Elsa...Elsa. Wakey wakey." It was Olaf. I guess it made sense that he knew morse code now. He had the other Olafs probably did the same thing.
"Mmm, no. Goway." I replied, covering my face with my arms.
"Are you dead?"
I made a sound like a snort mixed with a chuckle. "No."
"Are you tired?"
"Yes."
Olaf stopped talking for a moment. "Yeah, well, I can't let you sleep today. Something big is happening."
"Oh, when is it not?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes with a closed blue fist, still tight from last night's deep sleep. The light of the room shocked me as my pupils strained to dilate. My heart fluttered, pleased to find itself in She's room once more, surrounded by the dolls I knew, and well, loved. Except for the few occasional times when I felt like I didn't. "What day is it?"
"Approximately 10:43am on December 19th, 2014," said Loki. "We let you sleep in again."
"Thanks, Mr. Calender." I joked. Apparently I was awake enough to crack a joke.
Still, no one laughed. Their loss. "So, do you know what day it is, Elsa?" Napoleon asked. I guess he was here, too.
"Um, just barely. I only know what happened yesterday. That was when I ended up at MyLittleMegara's house, right?" I cleared my throat, my voice still groggy from sleep. I sat up and swung my feet over the side of the dresser and stretched them out.
"Well, I didn't know who took you, but yes, you were at another house for a while yesterday. So that means today is-."
"Ah," I said, with sudden understanding. "She's Christmas party."
"That's right." said Benny.
"And we're going to get involved with it somehow?"
"Well, we're at least going to spy on them a little. Just to see what it's like, that's all. Now come on. Magneto, Dorothy and Bell are downstairs waiting."
"But, but..." I protested, scrambling to get up. There was no doubt that I wanted to see what Christmas around here was all about. Compared to all the stuff that I could see today to all the stuff I had already seen, this could be a huge learning experience, and something I could write in the blog later. But people would be here, people other than She and her family. I couldn't risk getting dollnapped again. Not like it was intentional or anything, or even that it was a bad experience. But it wasn't like I was signing up to get shipped away again. And it only happened yesterday. Merely hours ago. I was still kind of scarred. And scared.
Not like I had a say in anything, of course. The very time where I did not want to do anything was the right time where everyone else wanted to. They filed out the door without giving me a backwards glance to make sure I was following them. I wasn't. Except for Olaf. He was the last to leave, fixing me with a worried look. I remembered that he was the one who had watched me unwillingly leave the house yesterday.
I made a waving motion with my hands. "You go right ahead, Olaf. I'll catch up with you guys in a minute."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh yeah. Go on! Have fun with your friends."
Olaf seemed convinced that I was fine, and he waddled out the door. I heard him calling for them to wait up once he was in the hall. Once Olaf was out of earshot, I took a deep breath and let it out again. I was so not ready to get out and explore yet. I still needed time to adjust to my surroundings. And then I might be okay.
Today was Sunday, so the humans would all be out at church for an hour or two, with no other signs of life on the inside of the house unless from the dogs and the other dolls that were wandering around. We still had some time on our hands to kill.
I remembered checking She's calendar yesterday (It was a Frozen calendar, and December was Sven's picture) and it said that her cookie decorating party today (that is, if I read it correctly) was to be from one o'clock to four. Three hours with new humans in the house. I wasn't sure what to think, but figured that hiding in She's room all day wouldn't be a fun time for me. Better get out and about now and then just hide later when the new humans arrive.
With a plan in mind, I crept out the door and down the hallway, but without any sort of direction of where I was going. Right? Left? Upstairs? Downstairs? Could I creep by any place not occupied by a human? The only thing I could thing I could think of to do was follow She. She would know exactly what to do to prepare for a Christmas party. Maybe I could learn some things from her about Christmas, and just by watching.
But She wasn't here right now. And I didn't have anything to do, so I decided to run out and try to locate where all of my friends were. Maybe they were doing something fun.
My first target was Dorothy and/or Bell. I hadn't seen them yet this morning, because according to Benny, they were already downstairs waiting for all the fun to happen. But the first person I saw wasn't any one of them. It was actually Loki.
He was standing by a corner in the dining room, back to the wall and looking over his shoulder towards the direction of the garage door, where the humans always entered through when coming back from church. What did he think he was, a super spy? Eh, whatever. I approached them with caution.
"Hi, Loki. What's up?" I asked, trying to seem casual.
"The sky." He muttered, though he didn't laugh at his own joke.
"Well, what are you doing then?"
"Waiting for She."
"Anything else besides the obvious?"
He shook his head. "Nope."
Geez, this guy was boring today. With a short farewell, I left him and pursued another person. This time, it was actually Dorothy and Bell, who were actually sitting on the branches of the human's living room Christmas tree. Bell was wearing a new outfit, one that was white and read with a little hat to celebrate Christmas. Benny and Napoleon were standing underneath, were a few wrapped presents lay already. Each group seemed to be having their own conversation. My ears picked up the females, who were commenting on how the new color-changing lights the humans put on the tree look so much prettier than last years, and the males were looking serious and talking in hushed voices. But as soon as I was in earshot, Napoleon broke off and waved his flag at me.
"Morning, Elsa! It's good to see you up and early!" He seemed extremely cheerful as always, strange to see after what I had seen him look like seconds ago. Tired and depressed, versus lively and energetic. I wondered what he was hiding. Did it have something to do with his amnesia? Or even further back, whatever he and Benny had been talking about weeks ago that had made Benny so down in the dumps that we made him cookies? I wasn't sure. And I wasn't sure if I wanted to find out, either.
Benny gave me a nod. He didn't mask his emotions as well as Napoleon could. He looked upset about something, with a quiet look in his eyes and a mouth that didn't bother to force it's way into a smile.
"So um," I wasn't sure where to begin. "Anything new?"
"The humans are due home within a quarter-hour." said Napoleon.
"Just say it like it is, fifteen minutes, not a quarter-hour. That doesn't make any sense." Benny grumbled.
Napoleon scoffed. "It is perfectly normal to say quarter-hour! Why, I've known many a person that uses that term!"
Benny raised his eyebrows in a challenge. "Oh really? Why don't you name five?"
The brothers started an argument. I took a worried look up at Dorothy and Bell. They shrugged at me, but nothing more. I guess they didn't completely know what was going on, either.
I couldn't help but feel guilty for having an indirect influence on the nutcracker brothers' foul mood, so I trudged around some more, planning to do a short circle around the house's ground floor and then head upstairs today. I had only been awake for a few minutes, but already the day had been a real bust. I hadn't found any traditions for my blog, and on top of that, no one seemed to be in a good mood. Why did I even allow myself to get up today?
I found myself in the center of the stairs towards the Room She Lives In, my steps soft and slow as my mind tried desperately to turn the situation around. Maybe things would be better later, who She returned home. There would be new people in the house, and then everyone's emotions would be positive and not all distant and stuff.
When I opened the door to She's Room, I was surprised to see Olaf. He was sitting on the nightstand my the window, humming a mixture of various Christmas tunes and swinging his legs back and forth over the ledge.
"Olaf? Why are you back here?"
"Oh, you know, just sitting around and waiting for She to come home."
"Anything wrong?" I asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.
"Nope. There's just nothing to do. So I thought that I'd come back here."
I thought for a moment. Clearly Olaf and I were stuck in the same rut. Nothing to do, no one that wants to talk. As an idea crossed my mind, a small smile crossed my lips.
"Hey, I've got an idea."
Olaf jumped down from the nightstand and ran over to me.
"Really? That's great 'cause I'm really bored right now."
"She has a set of speakers in her room," I began, pointing to the purple box-shaped thing on her dresser. "I figure if we can find her phone, we can connect it to the speakers and listen to some Christmas music."
Olaf beamed, then began to jump up and down. "Really? Because that would be great. I'm just, really, really, bored."
"Me, too, Olaf. But first we have to find She's phone. And then we can play some Christmas music, okay?"
"Okay!"
Luckily the snowman was quick to agree to anything fun, and he was also extremely good at finding things. After a minute of struggle, we got the phone to stand on the speaker as I selected She's music app and browsed our choices. In no time at all, Olaf and I had the dresser cleared off and we were dancing and singing the songs that had been scarred into our heads since the start of this month. We belted out "Deck the Halls" and "The 12 Days of Christmas" and then hummed along to songs we didn't yet know the meaning of, such as "Angels We Have Heard" and "O Holy Night."
But Olaf didn't like Carol of the Bells. That one seemed to scare him a little, so we just skipped over it. I don't know why, exactly, but it might have been the giant choir of swelling, haunting voices. Fortunately, the next song was "Frosty the Snowman" no doubt Olaf's favorite, so that's when we found out that we're really bad at kick lines.
While listening to the last few words of "Baby, it's Cold Outside," Loki barged in the room and somehow was able to get up onto the dresser in under three seconds. He gave me a look and said, "She's home."
"Wow," I said, tugging the phone off the speaker. "You made it up here in good time."
"Well, I was right by the door when it opened. The humans are still getting settled into the house, so we might have a few seconds before She gets here."
Once the phone was disconnected from the speaker, "Here Comes Santa Claus" cut off, and Olaf said "Aww..." and had to stop his little Christmas jig and get into place with the rest of us.
Loki was right. It wasn't long before She entered her room, a little frazzled, picked a recent shopping bag off her floor, and ran out again, the door close to latching behind her, but it didn't.
"Um..." said Olaf. "What just happened?"
It wasn't long until we found out answer. "The guests are here!" The older female human called. The door was opened and "hellos" were exchanged before the humans outside even had a chance to knock. There was a stomping of feet, and a loosening of shoes, and then warm welcomes into the kitchen. The kitchen, was apparently, a happening place. I guess it was the best place to make cookies.
"I didn't think that much time had passed already." Loki muttered, staring at the door impatiently.
"Why don't we go investigate?" I offered. "It's been more than five minutes. If She was coming back, She would have done it a while ago. Besides, the party guests are here. That should leave us an hour or more to look around."
"Wait a minute..." Olaf said, and all of us were quiet immediately. "Yeah, let's go." Leave it to the doll without ears to hear for any suspicious movement outside, right?
"Are you sure?" Loki asked. It wasn't a question directed to Olaf, asking him if he was sure it was safe to leave. It was more for the both of us, asking if we really wanted to go out.
"Of course. Let's go. I'm curious."
Olaf nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Okay then." Loki said, opening the door. He had kind of a "don't blame me if you get hurt" tone to his voice. We followed Loki downstairs. Olaf was right, everyone was in the kitchen, so the front two rooms, as well as the stairs, were safe. On the way down the stairs, I noticed something that I could put in my blog as Christmas traditions. The decorated Christmas trees. Why hadn't I thought of that before? She's house wasn't the only one that trimmed fir trees for the holidays. I knew this now that I had been to MyLittleMegara's house.
The party was definitely occurring downstairs. The scent of a cinnamon Christmas candle still lingered in the air, but now replaced with the smell of freshly baked cookies: gingerbread and sugar cookie doughs. There was the prattle of voices of people who hadn't seen each-other in a while, and the clatter of baking materials like cookie cutter shapes and rolling pins.
The three of us chose a nice-looking corner and settled in to view the party from a distance. I viewed three girls, two of them I recognized as She and MyLittleMegara, but also someone new, with long, blonde hair. I didn't know her name, and I never found out, so in this post I will just be referring to her as Blondie.
"Ew, what the...?" Loki sputtlered.
"What? What is it?" I whispered, straining my neck to see what was wrong. It wasn't hard to find. She was wearing something new, or maybe a thousand years old. It was a horribly ugly button-up sweater that was much too big on her. It was a mix of all the colors that didn't work, and the material was probably knitted, but in a way I had never seen before. I knew at once that this had to be the ugly Australian vomit sweater She was telling MyLittleMegara about in my tenth day of Christmas.
"I think it's She's ugly sweater?" I guessed out loud.
"Eyesore sweater is more like it." Loki grumbled.
Olaf giggled, and then asked, "Who's that?"
"The one in the Santa sweater?" I asked. (Shortly after we read The Night Before Christmas in post nine, Napoleon and Benny had to explain to us who Santa Claus/Saint Nicolas was. I find the idea a little creepy, to be honest.) "That's MyLittleMegara. I was taken to her house by mistake yesterday."
"Oh yeah, I recognize her now. But who's the blonde girl?"
"I don't know."
A minute of waiting, and not much had happened. The girls were rolling out dough and using the metal stencils to cut them into shapes like angels, stars and bells, and talking about things that didn't pertain to us. I might have zoned out once or twice.
"I'm bored,"Olaf sighed, breaking the silence. "I'm going to go walk around for a bit. Are you guys just gonna stay here?"
"Yeah, I think so," Loki replied. "Be careful." He sneaked around the corner to the other side to get a better look at the festivities, leaving me alone on my side. I thought about moving as well, but didn't. I already had a decent view since I was taller, and there were more things to take note of here. Like the way the humans taped their Christmas cards up on the banister, right next to a red and green chain made of paper with six links to spare. It reminded me of the wooden ornament tree in the dining room from my second Christmas post, so the chain was probably a countdown to Christmas day as well.
"Have fun," I added, more optimistically, but after watching Olaf leave, I decided to run after him anyway.
Olaf smiled up at me when I appeared at his side. "Thanks for not leaving me alone."
"No one should be alone on Christmas." I said, linking arms with him.
"Even for a few minutes?"
"You will never escape me." I said in a spooky voice.
"Want to go back upstairs to listen to Christmas music?"
"Sure."
I didn't tell Olaf that the only reason I had joined him was because the making of the cookies were almost finished and ready to bake, so that meant the humans would want to come upstairs to She's room, and I wanted to be there when they were to hear them talk and such.
Minutes later, I was proved correct. She and her friends came back, and the music and dancing had to end again. The two of us posed on the dresser, trying to cover up the fact that Loki was missing from the picture for now. They stayed up there for an hour, talking and watching videos and catching each-other up on what was going on in their lives. I definitely zoned out more than once.
After the hour was up, She snatched me up, which I was not expecting.
"Oh! It's Elsa!" MyLittleMegara exclaimed. "She was visiting me yesterday."
"Not on purpose, I hope?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You know I wouldn't mix our dolls up on purpose." MyLittleMegara said.
"I was only kidding."
"Wait, what? Elsa was at your house yesterday? Why? And, most importantly, how?"
MyLittleMegara laughed and rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go downstairs. If you really want to know our giant mix-up yesterday, then we'll explain it to you downstairs."
"Okay."
The girls left the room, but She didn't put me down. Were they taking me with them? It certainly looked like it. Olaf gave me a strange look as I was taken out of the room in She's hand. I only tried to shrug at him in reply, but while caught in She's had, it wasn't an easy feat. But, seriously? Downstairs again? I guess the humans didn't know that I had been down here at least two or three different times today. At least I didn't have to walk myself down the steps this time. Yeah, I'm lazy like that.
She placed me in a sitting position on the counter so I had a better view of the table where they were decorating. I couldn't really pick out one thing from the next. The whole table was just mess. Cookie cutters, flour, colored icing and scattered sprinkles... ugh. I pitied the person who had to clean this up after the party. Probably She and the older female human. However, after a few minutes, I was moved by someone else from the counter to the bottom of the stairs, where I ran to rejoin Loki by the same corner. I guess they needed to use the space where I was sitting for other things.
But I still had an equally good view from the corner. The girls used icing containers and tubes, as well as colored sugars and sprinkles to decorate their cookies, which had baked and cooled since the hour upstairs.I took note of my surroundings, for once that I remembered. I realized two other Christmas traditions, baking cookies (a common thing around this time of year, I guessed, at least with She's party and all) and eating good food, since more cookies seemed to be eaten than decorated. But the job was done quickly, either because they were bored or fast at decorating, and She announced the next activity.
"Present time!" She cried, plopping down on one end of the couch. "Who wants to go first?"
"How about we go in a line?" said MyLittleMegara, sitting down next to She. "We give each-other our presents, but we have to open them one at a time, going in order."
"Okay," said Blondie. "I'll go first, the gift bag she had been clutching was traded for the other gift bags from MyLittleMegara and She.
They exchanged presents and went down the line, starting with Blondie, then MyLittleMegara, and finally, She. Blondie got a cute drinking container with colorful owls from She and a puppy calendar for next year from MyLittleMegara. MyLittleMegara got friendship jewelry and makeup from Blondie, plus a book on pirates from She. She was the last to go. It was the same makeup and friendship jewelry from Blondie, only in green instead of pink, and from MyLittleMegara, the first present was a giant plastic bag of silver soda pop tabs.
"Are you kidding?" Loki muttered. "Soda pop tabs?"
"This is the joke gift," MyLittleMegara explained sheepishly. "I've been saving these for two years and I've been meaning to give you them before, but I kept forgetting. So you have them now."
"Thanks!" She cried, much too enthusiastically for a bag of soda pop tabs. "I'll add these to my collection upstairs. These will be handy for using as currency in the future."
"What?" I asked, but Loki only laughed, like he knew something I didn't. Whatever.
The next present in MyLittleMegara's bag to She was in a square shape, and the kind of box I recognized immediately, because it was just the right size of box to hold a twelve inch doll of sorts. If I had a real heart, it would be beating in anticipation.
The wrapping was torn off with great gusto and Steve held up the box, but her arms were moving too quickly, so all I could see was the box as a blur.
"Ohmygosh it's Steeeeeve!" She squealed, looking super excited. I might have been, too, if I had known who this Steve person was. I got a glimpse of the side of his box, but it was only a drawing and not the real thing. The drawing was of a heroic looking man, decked out in red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag, and gripping a star shield in his hand. I tried to move closer, squint, or send telepathic waves to She, anything to get her to turn the box my way.
Behind me, I heard Loki gasp. "It's the Captain!"
"You know him?"
Loki nodded. "Yes. The movie my real-life counterpart was in was in the same movie that his real-life counterpart was in. Well, humans and actors, is what I mean by real-life, at least. In one movie, I actually pretended to be him, once."
"Would you like to explain that to me?"
"Um, no. Not really." Loki replied.
I held back a laugh. "Okay, whatever." What little I knew about the Marvel universe was getting even more and more confusing.
"Thanks guys," said She, setting the box aside. Great. Now I'd never get to see him. "I've always wanted a Captain America. Too bad I just don't have the guts to go out and get one myself."
"You're welcome," said MyLittleMegara. "Now who would like to go next?"
The presents continued and finished faster than I thought. There was equal giving and receiving on all three sides, mostly exchanging girly things that didn't have much interest to us. Compared to the mysterious box, lip glosses and necklaces seemed less significant. At least I had two traditions to write in my blog, gift giving and receiving. Maybe something meaningful would be accomplished today. My eyes were still focused on the shimmery snowflake bag that laid by She's feet.
Ding-Dong. Someone had pressed the doorbell outside. The dogs' claws skidded on the hardwood floors as they ran to the door and barked in warning. Loki and I got the message. We were smart enough to stay out of way and duck behind the couch in the front room. The two of us breathed uneasily, not because of the mild exercise, but because we were almost caught.
We heard She walk over to the door as it squeaked open. She and the human on the other side exchanged friendly hellos.
"Can you see who it is?" I asked Loki. He was smaller, therefore less noticeable.
"No one I know," Loki replied, peeking out from his crevice behind the couch, and then tilting his head towards the German cuckoo clock on the wall. "It's four o'clock. The party's over."
Was it bad to say that I was kind of relieved? I wasn't sure. Even though I would miss not learning more about Christmas, I just just had to see who or what was in the box She received from MyLittleMegara, the one She called Steve.
We waited a few minutes more, the both of us not talking or moving. Finally, Loki spoke, which made me jump a little. "They're gone."
"Is the coast clear?"
"I think so."
On the count of three, we dashed out from behind the couch and made our way quietly upstairs. Once there, we saw Napoleon hiding not-too expertly behind a corner near the Guest Room. "Loki. Pssst." He whispered.
"Just a minute." he replied, and then left my side without saying goodbye to see what the nutcracker wanted.
"Bye, then." I replied to the two of them, but no response. They were already on some other topic. Oh well. I knew that three of the humans were in the kitchen, and the other in the computer room/office, so She's room was free to explore. I crossed my fingers that the box with the doll inside would be there.
And, what a coincidence, it was, standing upright, with the doll inside still frozen in place, stiff and staring at some unidentified point in the distance. And, what a rarity, the doll was a male. A male I didn't mind looking at for longer than I should.
Most single females wish to unwrap the attractive guy of their dreams on Christmas morning, or at least find him sitting and smiling under their Christmas tree. (Wait, that isn't what you other girls fantasize about? Awkward...) But She had already unwrapped the box that I was so curious about, and now the doll was just laying on She's bed, still in the box, still tied down, probably wondering who would help him out. And that person, I guess, would be me. I mean, it made sense. I was in the same situation but a month ago. It was only fair that I return the favor to the universe and help out this unsuspecting doll.
I approached She's bed and used a cleverly placed stool so my head was just poking out the top of the bed's horizon. "Excuse me?" I figured that was the most polite way to get somebody's attention, especially someone who wasn't expecting it.
The doll in the box's head snapped to the side, fixing me with a steely gaze that I wasn't expecting. His eyes were black, which wasn't unusual for dolls, but his looked so cold. I was a little intimidated. Maybe helping a stranger out wasn't such a good idea.
But as soon as his strange eyes scanned my face, (I guess checking to see if I was a threat) his expression softened. "Um, hi." He said, trying to move one of his hands in a wave. His voice was surprisingly friendly, but still commanded something. I wasn't sure what yet.
I lifted myself completely onto the bed. "Hi... um...do you need any help there? You know, with getting out of your box and all that?"
"I think I can manage on my own." The man said, but not rudely. However, it only took him a second to change his mind, after he even attempting moving in his box, almost toppling his box, which was sitting vertically on She's bed. Then, when nothing worked, he laughed. It was nice laugh. "Nevermind. I actually might need some help getting out of here."
"No problem," I replied, searching for the opening in his box. "I've actually been in the same spot as you, once."
"Really?" Although the man was wearing a blue mask that covered most of the first half of his face, but I could tell his eyebrows raised at my words.
"Oh, yeah. On my finding day, I was delivered into the house with nothing. This same spot actually, on the bed. Just me, and my box, and the twisty ties around my wrists." I found the flap on his box and tugged it open, careful not to rip anything. She had kept my original box, so maybe she could keep this new doll's box as well if it was kept in a good shape.
"Did someone come along to help you?" he asked.
"Oh, not for a while. But I was okay. Just to lay there and think, you know? But yes, I was eventually found and helped out."
I pulled the cardboard holding the man out of his box and began working on freeing him from the ties around his limbs. Unlike with what I was given, twisty ties, he had plastic bends preventing movements that were harder to break.
"So, uh, I feel it only polite to ask the name of the person rescuing me." he chuckled nervously.
"Elsa," I said, with more confidence then I felt. "But it's not really a rescue."
"Oh, Elsa, really? That's a nice name. It's an old one, too."
"Yep," I replied, snapping the first plastic cuff, the one on his right wrist. He twisted it around and flexed his hand. "You?"
"Oh, my name? Uh..." the man used his free hand to hold his hand as if his own named had slipped his mind. "Steve. Steve Rogers."
"That seems very fitting."
"Should I take that as a compliment?"
"Um, uh..." My face grew hot as I began to panic, but then as I looked up at Steve's face, he was smiling. "Oh, compliment."
"I knew what you meant," Steve grinned. "Thanks."
I freed his other hand, so he was able to sit up and direct and help me with his other ties around his feet. We continued to talk about our names, for some odd reason. I guess that was the only thing that we really had to say without one of us just nervously laughing the whole time. It would probably have been me, as I suddenly found the reason why I got up this morning.
"Do you have a title?" Steve asked me.
I looked up at him. "Huh?" His eyes, the ones that looked so dark and foreign to me before, seemed a handsome blue color now. Maybe he was just in the shadows earlier, or I was looking at him from a different perspective.
"You know, something that other people call you, or you call yourself."
"Oh, no, I don't have any," I said, not even trying to catch the lie before it fell out of my mouth. I didn't want Steve to think that I was all high-and-mighty queen. Not yet, at least. "What about you?"
Steve shook his head. "I've been called many things." We got both of the ties around his feet snapped so he was able to stand up and grab his shield. He was a rightie like me. But on a totally different note, sadly a little shorter than I had wished. Fortunately it's what's on the inside that counts, so his personality made up for his height. Besides, I'm pretty much a giantess. I didn't know what else I was expecting.
"Good things, I hope?" I added.
"Oh yeah, mostly. Super Soldier, The First Avenger, Captain America, Cap..."
"Cap?" I asked. "Cool."
You know when you find a word, doesn't matter what word it is, but you just like the way it sounds to you? It could be pineapple, or crunch, or tweed, or maybe spritely. For me, that word was Cap. I just hoped I wasn't biased to that word.
"Yep, though it's mostly Cap."
"Can I still call you Steve?"
"Sure, whatever you want. If you're the one calling me, I'll probably answer."
I guessed I gave him a weird look, because then he started coughing into his glove, a small redness creeping out of the sides of his mask. "Um... well, I have a few questions."
I stood up and straightened out the wrinkles in my dress skirt. "Well, hopefully I can answer them?"
"Who is the ringmaster of this house?"
I held back a giggle. "Oh, that's our owner. We call her She. But we don't know her real name. You'll like her immediately, I'm sure."
"And where am I?"
"The Room She Lives In. It's where we dolls spend most of our time. There's not much to do here, but it's comfortable living. I'm sure we can arrange you some living space in here once She comes back upstairs."
"And one more thing. What am I supposed to do?"
I let out a puff of breath. "Like, do you mean right now, or... whenever?"
"Either is fine."
"Well, right now, things are pretty casual. We have other dolls, and they're probably scattered around the house by now, spying on the humans, hanging out, maybe stealing some gingerbread from the kitchen..." I giggled. "You know, the usual," Of course he didn't know, he was new here. But I also didn't know what else to say. "She's pretty cool. Whenever She's not around, we're allowed to move around freely, but then we have plenty of times to return to our spots if She ever decides to come back."
"That's the now." said Steve with a nod.
"And the whenever? Um... I think we're all still trying to find our whenever."
That's when I made the sort-of mistake of looking up. Due to his height, it wasn't far. But our eyes connected. Both blue as the shadows under a snowbank, or the crystalline glare to snowflake when it's just fallen. Suddenly, the connection wasn't just that the both of us had arrived the same way.
Steve was the first to look away, coughing again. "Um, anyways, I'd better go."
"Wait," my mind frantically searched for the right words to say. "Can I introduce you to the other dolls? I'm sure they'd like to meet you. We have other guys, from Marvel. Like you, right?"
Steve shook his head sadly. "Maybe later, Elsa. I have to go."
"Can you at least tell me where you are going?" I asked. I was getting desperate. My voice was getting all high-pitched, and near to the point of cracking. All my incessant chatter and annoying questions were probably leading him away, anyhow. I just didn't know what else to do.
Steve shrugged. He was standing in the center of She's doorway. He actually kind of a soldier more so now that he was out of his box. He was brandishing his star shield by his side, where his legs were set apart in a military stance. "I'm guess I'm off to find my whenever."
I'm not gonna lie. When Steve ran out the door, I was crushed. He had just been found today, merely hours ago, and he was already set off to find the rest of his life. I had even lie to him about not having a title. And now there was no taking those moments back.
Loki, Olaf, and the other dolls were great friends. Even wonderfully fantastic. I loved them all, but there was something different about Steve. Maybe I was just delusional from yesterday. After a minute of moment, that's what I passed it off as and decided to leave and find someone else to latch onto for a while. It would probably be Olaf, but I didn't mind. He was a good person to talk to. And now I could tell him about Steve.
But surprisingly, the first doll that I ran into, almost quite literally, was Napoleon.
"El-sa!" He whisper-shouted almost immediately. Even after the amnesia, he still pronounced my name incorrectly. "Have you seen my brother??"
"Actually, no, not recently. I was in She's room with Steve."
Napoleon's eyebrows wrinkled. "Steve?" He started walking in one direction, so I had no choice but to follow alongside him.
"Yes, Steve. She got him as a gift from a friend... MyLittleMegara, actually, and-"
"MyLittleMegara? Is that whose house you ended up at yesterday?"
"Um, yes, actually and Steve-"
"Steve, yes? What a very respectable name. Like a soldier."
I sighed a little out my nostrils, but Napoleon didn't seem to notice. He just kept talking.
"So this Steve... where did he go off to in such a hurry?"
"He went off to find his whenever," I replied, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice. "Where did you see him last?"
"Who, Steve? I didn't see him at all."
"No, I mean Benny."
"On the verge of approaching the kitchen, with the others."
"Okay, then we'll start there," I decided, as soon as I got another idea. "So, um, if you don't mind me asking, what were you and Benny talking about earlier? You know, under the tree, and Dorothy and Bell was there, and then you started arguing? I'm a little worried."
Napoleon's shoulders slumped. "I'm not supposed to tell you."
"Oh, well, that's okay. You don't have to-"
"No, but I want to. I trust you. You have passion, I like that." said Napoleon.
"Um, okay? Thank you?"
"Yes. So if Benny asks as to why I have told you this, then we will just lie and tell him that the amnesia made the secret slip my mind. Okay?"
I wasn't so sure if it was okay to lie to Benny, but I had to agree if Napoleon was to tell me what was going on. "Okay."
Somehow we had found our way to the stairs. "Benny is not going to be with us much longer." said Napoleon sadly.
"What? Is She putting him in a yard sale or something? Giving him away?" I was overwhelmed with emotions already. I didn't think I needed any more.
"Oh, heaven forbid," said Napoleon. "I don't She is cruel enough to do such a thing."
"Cruel enough?"
"What? Yes, sure. Each year, at the end of Christmas, Benny and I get put away into separate places. Benny gets boxed up with the ornaments from the smaller tree up here, I get stood up in the highest shelf in She's closet. For eleven months. With no social interaction. Without seeing your brother. Not even a good history book to keep us company," Napoleon looked determined not to cry. "That's what we were talking about that one day when you made us those microwave cookies. That's what he was reminding me of before you came to see us talking at the downstairs tree earlier."
I stumbled over words in my mind, trying carefully to choose the right ones. "Well, you don't know that. Things can be different this year. You two made up after all of those years apart when you got amnesia. Maybe there is some way to convince She-"
"Convince She of what?" I had never heard Napoleon angry before. "It's the same thing every year. If there's only one thing I remember after my amnesia incident, it's watching Benny getting taken out of his box. And then, at the end of Christmas season, which is coming soon, lest I remind you, he gets put back in. In the box, out of the box. We both eleven months to see each-other again. It's an endless cycle. In, out. Eleven months more. It's the way it's always been, and always will be. If you want to try to convince She not to separate us this year, fine by me. Try and see if you can. But She's a human. And I doubt very much that you want to break the Code of Dolls. It's our fate, El-sa. And that's not about to change." Napoleon wouldn't look at me.
I felt a pang of empathy and my tone softened. "Listen, okay? We'll find some way to fix this. And if you won't, then I will. When, no, if, the time ever comes that the humans are cleaning up after Christmas and they box up all the ornaments on the lower tree, Olaf, Loki, and I will personally hide him in She's room for as long as it takes until all of the stuff is secure in the attic. They never go up there after they're done, I'm sure. Then, Benny can be free to live down here with the rest of us. If you end up in She's closet, at least you're still here. We'll just find a way to get you down safely without falling on your head again." It was impressed with all that I had said, surprised that it sounded good both inside my head and out.
We found ourselves at the bottom of the stairs. Napoleon was able to look at me again, fixing me with a gaze that partially wanted to trust my words, but also doubted that I would be able to carry through. Just one more thing, and I would be able to push him over.
"I promise. You won't lose your brother again." I placed my hands on his shoulders for balance of some sort, something my autopilot took over and did for me, because I don't think I don't think I would have done so otherwise.
Much to my surprise, I received a hug. I didn't hug back, but I didn't think Napoleon cared. He pulled away from me after a few seconds, wiping his eyes from the tears that weren't there. "Thanks, El-sa. That really means a lot to me."
"I'm here to help." I replied, not sure what else I could have said.
"But you seemed discouraged, too. Anything on your mind?"
Wow, he changes subjects quickly. I bit my tongue, unsure if I should tell Napoleon what I really felt or just pass it all off as stuff I didn't need to say aloud.
"Well, there is, but... it's silly. It's just little ol' me being all dramatic again."
Napoleon nodded and started walking again. "Females. Not that there's anything against you being female, of course, I didn't mean it as an offense."
I laughed halfheartedly. "Oh, no, of course not. You're absolutely right. Females, most of the time, tend to be a little more dramatic."
"Alright, what is it then? We'll talk and walk."
I sighed, probably for the fiftieth time that day. "It's about Steve."
"What about Steve? The new doll, you mean?" Napoleon sounded genuinely interested, so I kept going.
I nodded. "He was sitting on She's bed in a box, the same way I had come to live here. I helped him to escape from his box, but left it on the floor of She's bedroom just in case She wanted it in mint condition for whatever reason. We talked and stuff, you know normal things," Or as normal as most things come. I thought. "Then he got up and left. Just like that, out the door. He said he was going to find his whenever."
"And?"
"And, well... ugh!" I was getting frustrated with myself. "It's hard to explain. You shouldn't go prancing off to find your whole future the first day you're found."
"Oh, why not?" said Napoleon. "I think finding yourself is one of the most important things a person can do. Give Steve some time. He was just found hours ago, so he'll come around. If he is like you are making him to be, this Steve is a young man. And young men often must go off into the world to find themselves the very exact second they are born. And then, once they do, and see how the world really is, they will come back to where they belong."
"What if Steve doesn't belong here?" I asked, worried.
"Well, then, maybe he was never supposed to. He'll find his way out in the big wide world. If he doesn't he'll come back home."
I wasn't sure if Napoleon's words exactly helped me. But maybe he was right, as much as I didn't want to believe it was true. Steve needed some time on his own, to find himself and all that. If he didn't find himself out there, he'd come back here.
"You certainly are a knowledgeable person." I commented.
"I read a lot. And I've been here longer than anyone else."
My eyes widened, though I wasn't sure why. Napoleon was in good condition, deceiving of his age and time here. "Really?"
"Oh, yes. I think She's grandfather gave me to her when She was only six or seven years old."
"Six or seven?"
"Indeed. Times were a lot different back then. That's why I enjoy history. It's a study, really, of the past and progress of humans."
"Okay...?"
"But I'm probably boring you. Let's go find your Steve."
"Benny first." I said, but something in me stopped. "My" Steve? That was certainly different from "regular Steve", or "just Steve." I didn't own him or anything, She technically did. So what was Napoleon trying to imply?
The nutcracker stopped suddenly, in the middle of the living room. No doll was here anymore, and I began to wonder where the group had gone. "I've got an idea," he said.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
"Why don't you go upstairs and search for Steve, and I'll stay downstairs and look for Benny? If he just left She's room, he can't be far. He probably doesn't even know where the staircase is yet. Sound like a plan?"
"Um, sure." I retraced my steps and grabbed onto the railing of the staircase, swinging back and forth with one arm. I wasn't sure about it, however. If the two of us separated, we could lose each-other in the house, and then the missing doll count would go up from two to four. Or maybe a lot more than that, since Dorothy, Bell, Magneto, Loki and Olaf were all gone. But I obeyed Napoleon's orders.
Once upstairs again, I began calling for Steve, walking into all of the rooms. The Guest Room as empty, as well as the office and the bedrooms. Where could Steve be? I thought to myself, if I was a doll of a Marvel hero looking to find my whenever, where would I be? But brainstorming didn't help. Steve was nowhere to be found.
A second later, I decided on giving up. Steve was gone. Defeated, I stepped down the staircase one at a time, preparing to give Napoleon a long and miserable excuse as to why I couldn't find Steve. That's when I heard a familiar voice. Wait, was that Steve?
That's when I saw him again. Steve. In fact, all of the dolls were there. Benny, Napoleon, Dorothy, Bell, Magneto, Olaf, and Loki, all gathered around in the frontmost room of the house. I hadn't even thought to check in there, mostly because nothing was in there, except for a bookshelf more for decoration than for pleasure reading, because the only thing on the shelves were framed pictures of relatives and different issues of the National Geographic magazine. But it wasn't the bookshelf that they were gathered around. The dolls were standing in a circle and staring at something in the middle.
I broke into a run, not even bothering to hold up my dress, but my feet were too fast to trip on it. "Steve!" I called out, thankful that I got to see him again. "Steve!"
No one else in the group looked up but him. His eyes locked with mine, and he put a finger to his lips in a polite shushing motion. Wondering why everyone was being so quiet, I crept closer. For once, I was thankful for my height, because I got to peer over the entire group just to see what was going on.
porcelain, and somewhere between the heights of Loki and Magneto. There was a tiny sheep, and a donkey, and a quaint gathering of people. I counted three bearded men with crowns, one other man carrying small sheep in one hand and a shepherd's crook that looked like a candy cane in the other, and two people who looked important, kneeling in a praying pose around an animal's feeding box. A woman in pink and blue, looking tired but joyful, and a man wearing yellow carrying a lantern.
I saw Steve point a red-gloved hand at the straw-filled feeding box in the center. I almost gasped in surprise. A sleeping baby was resting inside, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in the manger. I don't think I had noticed him before.
"The baby's sleeping." Steve explained, more like Captain Obvious than Captain America.
I stared with fascination at this baby in the manager, the small child the rest of the porcelain dolls idolized. What was the meaning of all of this?
The kneeling woman in blue stood up and turned to look up at all of us gathered around the stable, and then her eyes met Magneto, the corners of her tired eyes lifting into a motherly smile.
"Good to see you again." she said, in a gentle voice.
"I hope you don't mind, Mary, but I brought a few more people than usual to come see you this year." said Magneto.
The woman, Mary, looked up at us again and laughed. "I can see that! And I don't mind extra visitors a bit. So, what brings all of you here?"
Magneto took the liberty of answering for us. "I told them that they were coming to see something very important."
"Oh, well..." Mary looked back at the baby in the manger and then to the man in yellow, whose head was now bowed in prayer. I made an inference that the man was Mary's husband, and the baby was meant to be her own. "I would have brought him out to show you, but I just put him to sleep."
"That's okay. We came on short notice. If you don't mind, could you just tell us a little bit about what's going on? About why this thing is so important?"
Mary smiled. "I would have no idea where to start."
"What about the beginning?" Olaf piped up. He got a few sour looks from the others, but Mary didn't seem to mind.
"Oh, sure, the beginning's a fine place to start," Mary turned to the stable, getting some small and respectful nods from the shepherds and the kings. "Joseph? Why don't you join me?"
"Well, alright," Joseph, I suppose that was his name, tucked the baby's blanket back under the corners and stepped forward to join his wife at the front. "But I'm not much of a storyteller."
"You can just fill in with the parts I missed," said Mary. "Now, the beginning."
Magneto made a sort of gesture with his hands that signaled us to sit down, so we did. I didn't know how long the story would be, and though part of me was already bored, the other part fought back with curiosity. Who was this mysterious, lionized infant, the one that was asleep in a trough of hay?
"To begin this story, my name is Mary," said Mary. "And this is my husband, Joseph."
"Mary? As in, Mary Christmas?" Olaf asked excitedly. There were a few snickers among the crowd.
"Oh, no. My name is just Mary. But good try." said Mary kindly, but she looked amused.
"Oh. Okay then. Continue."
Mary took a breath and began for real this time. "This story is not exactly ours. It is everyone's. Everyone in the world. It goes by many times. The Nativity Story, The Birth of Jesus Christ, but mostly it is known as The First Christmas or The Christmas Story. And the story goes like this. One night, I, Mary, woke up to see a bright in my room, and I realized that it was an angel. He told me not to be afraid, and also that his name was Gabriel. Gabriel told me that God was pleased with my faith and he decided to bless me with a holy baby. I agreed to God's will, and the angel Gabriel said that once the baby was born, I was call him Emmanuel. But he is also known as Jesus." Mary paused her story long enough to gesture to the baby behind her.
Joseph, who lied about not being a storyteller, continued. "The same angel, Gabriel, came to me in a dream and told me that Mary's child was going to be special. Around the time the baby had to be born, the king of the land wanted to take a census, so Mary and I had to move to Bethlehem while the census was being taken. We went to each inn and home, but it was a busy time of year for the business owners, and there wasn't any room anywhere. So we were guided to a barn to spend the night, where Mary gave birth to the baby Jesus."
"Some time later, nearby shepherds were visited by angels. They were afraid at first, but the angels told them the good news, that a savoir had been born. They came to visit Joseph and I and to see the baby. Our God wanted the shepherds to be the first one to visit his son, Jesus, because the shepherds were lowly and unwanted people, and he wanted to prove that this savior was for everyone, from poor to rich. No offense, shepherds." Mary said. The one shepherd boy only shrugged, unfazed.
"The night of Jesus's birth, a big, bright star appeared in the sky over our stable. It was a message from God to all of the people around the world that a savoir had been born. Foreign kings from all around this country noticed the star and wanted to visit the baby. They arrived during the holiday of Epiphany, bringing us gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. That's why we give Christmas presents to each-other today, because the kings, or wise men, brought gifts to the baby Jesus. There had been someone, a jealous king Herod, who wanted Jesus dead, but after he died, we were able to return to our home. So Jesus got to live, and because of him, so did we." Joseph explained.
"And that's the real Christmas story." Mary finished.
Joseph bent over the baby and stroked the tufts of his hair. "People today are celebrating Christmas for all different reasons. That's how it's always been, and probably always will be. But people today have also forgotten one important thing; that we need to keep 'Christ' in 'Christmas.'"
Mary nodded.
"That's beautiful." I said sincerely, and meaning it.
"It seems like all of us forgot the real meaning of Christmas today." Benny admitted.
"We make it about ourselves rather than keeping the 'Christ' in 'Christmas.'" Napoleon added.
"Or we make it about others," said Olaf. "So close, yet so far from what Christmas really means."
Dorothy nodded somberly. "Should we all go around the circle and share?"
Dorothy didn't even need to explain what we were sharing. It was like instinct. With the whole group standing around this little baby, somehow we all instinctively knew what to say. Bell went first.
"When Elsa asked me what Christmas is like, I didn't know how to reply. I guess I just really thought about it much. To me, it was like any other time of year. Maybe I'd wear different clothing,." Bell tugged at her red and white hat, jingling a tiny bell on the end. "Maybe I'd get put on the tree, or maybe I'd wait wherever else I was put for next year's opportunity to act as an ornament. Nothing was ever definite, just maybes. So I didn't know what to tell her at all. Because when you are looking for answers, you don't want to hear 'maybe.' But now I think I found one thing that will last."
Bell took a step back and Dorothy went next.
"I understand I was made as the youngest one here," Dorothy began. "And also that the Christmas season was a time for children. Children of all ages, shapes, sizes, places or races. But perhaps the most important child at Christmas time is baby Jesus himself."
I was surprised to see Benny and Napoleon step forward at the same time. "Earlier, Benny and I were discussing something very serious, " said Napoleon. "Each year, at Christmastime, we get brought out to guard our trees. It's a happy time for us because we get to see each-other. But then, in January, when the noise and celebration of Christmas is over, Benny gets put in a box and sent up to the attic until next year the same time."
"And Napoleon gets stuck on the top shelf of She's closet, among old clothing and mothballs," Benny added. "For us, Christmas was the only time we got to live. But now I think we have a plan so that Christmas never has to end for us."
My eye widened. "You told him?" I mouthed to Napoleon. He mouthed a "yes" back.
"And so Benny and I will be staying with us, down here this Christmas, as long as our plan works. Along with this wonderful story about a little baby that saves everyone, these are all the presents I need."
"Aww..." I said. I wasn't the only one in the audience with a pile of melted mush for a heart.
"My turn next?" Loki asked with a nod. "Um, alright. I don't have much to say that will inspire you all, but I do have to say Merry Christmas. To humans, dolls, and this little baby Jesus. Without him, we wouldn't have any Christmas. Magneto?"
The key-chain looked shaken out of a daze. "Okay. Well, everyone, now you know the real meaning of Christmas. My only regret was that I had not told any of you sooner. Especially Elsa." Magneto looked over at me.
"Me? Why me?" I asked, taken aback.
"Because all of this time, ever since the beginning of December, you were asking me what Christmas meant, and I was too moody to say, or show you what it really was. I guess that's another regret I have. I've been horrible to all of you, just overall in a nasty mood since we've met. I don't have any excuse as to why I acted this way, but I guess it's just part of who I am to be a little rough around the edges. Can any of you forgive me?" Magneto's voice was genuine and judging by how it sounded, he was near tears.
"Of course." I replied.
He sniffled and looked up at me. "Thanks, Elsa. Oh, by the way, you're next."
"Oh! Well, then, I'll go. By the way this is Steve," I said, patting him awkwardly on the shoulder. "He's new here. But what I have to say about Christmas... gosh, I could say so much. For those of you that don't know, I've been keeping up a blog of sorts about happenings with me and my friends, and I'm currently doing a Christmas series called Elsa's 12 Days of Christmas."
"Cute." said Mary.
"All this time, like Magneto said, I've been searching for the true meaning of Christmas, asking around and thinking to myself what it could be. I guessed it was about peace, or giving, or family, and those are still all very true. It's been an incredible journey, but the big day is right around the corner, and besides, I think I've already found the true meaning of Christmas, today. I made an obvious glance towards Jesus laying in the cradle, and then to Steve.
"Steve? You're last." I said, giving him a little nudge on the arm.
"Oh! Um..." he cleared his throat. "Uh, hi everybody. My name's Steve. But Elsa already kind of introduced me. I'm a Captain America action figure. Uh... I just got here today, a few hours ago, actually. I was given to She as a present. I guess I was originally found on the thirteenth by that other human, but I'm getting off topic. I don't know much about Christmas. You've all been here longer than I have, and I don't know any of your names. But I'm excited to meet each and every one of you and all find out more about what Christmas is." Steve looked over at me as he finished. I looked at him, too.
"An hour or so earlier, I was running around looking for my future. For my whenever. But now I think I'm perfectly content to wait it out and go with the flow. Just see what happens." I sensed Steve inching closer to me.
I giggled. "You're going to let it go?"
Steve returned my smile. "Something like that."
Magneto said that the humans were due to come by at any moment, and Mary said a short prayer over us before we left in our separate directions. Mary's prayer was one I had never heard before, one more like song, and I think it might have been made up on the spot. I love a good improv, but Mary seemed an expert at it if she could come up with her own words and tune in a matter of seconds. From what I could understand, it was about a special baby being born and people coming to visit the child. It was a good fit the situation.
Benny and Napoleon went back under the big tree, Benny choosing to stay with his brother instead of his smaller tree now. Dorothy returned to the coffee table, and Bell flew back to one of topmost bows on the tree, while Magneto decided to stay with the ceramic people in the barn instead of the small ceramic town he usually went to. Dolls are weird. A house and a person can be made of the same thing, but only one of them is alive? Maybe I'll never understand my own species, but oh well.
Which left the rest of us, being Olaf, Loki, Steve and I, to go back up to She's room. Steve and I, being the taller ones, raced up the stairs together while Loki and Olaf tugged behind. He won, but I came in very close second. Besides, I let him win, being a newbie and all that. The two of us had bonded so quickly, it gave me a sinking feeling that I had to strap Steve back in his box for She to open for real later on. Hopefully later was sooner for Steve's sake.
He probably didn't feel too great about this, either, because the two of us hesitated at She's doorway.
"You sure you want to get back in that box?" I asked him, one hand ready to push against the door.
Steve sighed. "It's not that I have much of a choice."
"No, I guess not. But She's kind enough, you'll learn that quickly enough. She won't leave you cooped up in that box forever."
"I certainly hope not." said Steve, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I promise." I said.
"Alright. Let's go in."
The two of us were quiet as I tied him back into the cardboard and sliding him back in the box. I started when Steve tapped on the box just I was folding the flaps to his box in place.
"So, um..."
"Yes?"
"See you later, then?"
"Without a doubt."
Steve looked down sadly. "Yep."
"Come on," I packed the rest of it in the box and set him upright. He was surprisingly light. "When She lets you out, which will probably be tonight, we'll go out and find your whenever, okay?"
"Yeah, but, I think I'm pretty content to find my whenever right here."
"Okay." I replied, lightly touching the spot on the box where his hand lay, our hands distanced only by a thin sheet of clear plastic. Had it not separated them, we could have been holding hands.
"Elsa!" Loki hissed from the dresser. I could hear She's footsteps on the stairs.
"I have to go." I whispered.
"Be safe."
"Oh, like I'm going to get into any trouble?" I joked.
"I don't know. I just met you. You could be a trickster of some sort."
I laughed. "Oh, that's Loki. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
"See you whenever She opens my box?"
"As soon as you're free."
I slid Steve's box into the shimmery snowflake bag he was in and ran away, hopping up onto the dresser, Steve disappearing from view, since his box was leaning against She's bed on the other side. A second later, She returned, no longer wearing her Australian vomit sweater, but a slim white tank top.
"Elsa? Oh. You're here. I thought I left you on the counter. Did someone bring you up here for me?" She pressed a stray hair flat against my head and folded one of my legs over the other in a casual pose, then left as soon as She had come.
"She's not wearing her ugly sweater anymore. I saw her give it to the blonde girl before the guests all left." Olaf pointed out.
"Oh, thank God!" Loki cried. "That thing was an eyesore."
"What? It distracted you from her beautiful face?" I joked.
"Shut up. What about Steve, huh?"
I felt myself turn red. "What about Steve?"
"You two have something going on, I know it." Loki wagged his finger at me like a scolding parent.
"Oh, shut up yourself. He may be back in his box, but he can still hear you."
"So it's true, then? You like him?" Loki asked, getting a mischievous smile on his face. "You didn't deny what I said."
"She-lover." I spat.
"Steve-lover." He mocked.
"Truce?" I asked hopefully.
"Truce. Whatever." Loki replied.
The two of us shook hands on it.
"Oh, wait, I forgot something," She said, barging in her room again, as Loki and I popped back into position. She went over to the other side of her bed and lifted Steve's box up onto her bed. "I'll open you up later, Steve, okay? I just have to clean up after the party first."
She ran out of her room, the speed of the air nearly shutting the door behind her. From his spot on the bed, Steve sent me a wink, and I giggled and made a small wave in his direction.
"Oh, here we go again." Loki groaned.
"Who's that?" Olaf asked, pointing at Steve with one hand while the other grabbing my arms, jumping it up and down. "Is that Steve? Can you introduce me to him in person?"
"Why not?" I asked, the two of us hopping down from the bed.
Now I am finishing this post, at night as She is asleep, therefore not using her laptop, (as you can see, it took a while to recall) but half of it was written when She was downstairs, cleaning up from the party and having dinner. Meanwhile, I was telling Steve about my blog and all of that, and from what he could see of the laptop screen while still being in the box, he was pretty impressed. Then he asked how I was so good at reading and writing, and I told him that besides a few catches here and there, it came naturally. I asked him if he knew how to read or write (well, more or less just typing buttons on a keyboard) and he said that sadly, he did not. So guess who's getting English lessons now? I spent some time writing this out, obviously, since it's coming out now, but I tried to compose my thoughts about the day with help from Steve, Olaf, and Loki, to make a list of eleven things to put here. After some time for reflection, I wrote up a list of my eleven grand Christmas traditions here.
1- Getting presents (When she received Steve.)
2- Giving presents (When She gave her friends their presents.)
3- Cookie decorating (When She had her cookie and ugly sweater party.)
4- Trimming the tree (When I noticed the decked-out tree in the living room.)
5- Eating good food (When the humans consumed hot chocolate and cookies.)
6- Celebrating the birth of Jesus (When Magneto introduced us to the first Christmas story.)
7- Returning home (When Steve decided to stay with us instead of finding his whenever.)
8- Christmas cards (When I saw that She's family tapes their Christmas cards on the wall.)
9- All the songs (When Olaf and I were dancing to Christmas songs upstairs.)
10- Dressing up (When Bell changed her outfit and She wore her ugly sweater.)
11- Counting down to Christmas (When I saw the paper chain and ornament tree.)
Keeping Christ in Christmas,
Queen Elsa
Great message!
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