Midnight Maiden

Chapter 1, rated K+ for mild language

I could never figure out why the moon chose me. But it did and I planned on using what it gave me for good. I could have chosen to be bitter, which I was at one point, but it was too much effort. Day after day and night after night I would watch over the people as they laughed and cried. I would always be there to comfort them but when I went to put my arm around them, I remembered that it made no difference.

There was a time when things were different. People would tell their kids about the girl who turned day to night by pulling her dark robes across the sky. But they also used to tell of her sister that brought the day back around. She wasn't my actual sister but everyone thought so and that was fine with us. We were as close as close can be – chasing each other around and laughing the time away. It could have been perfect if only the 'legends' had been passed on. When there was no one left who believed in us, it was tough. I almost stopped believing in myself after a while; I thought that I was useless. Somehow I stayed strong enough, but the Golden Lady was not so lucky. She faded out of existence in the matter of a day.

I wept for a year, keeping the entire world in darkness. Eventually I realized what needed to be done and took over my sister's position. It was tiring; doing two jobs instead of one. Of course I didn't need sleep, but it was a mental strain that was hard to bear. Still though, I owed it to her to keep going and for a long time a part of me thought it would bring her back.

I was wrong. Hundreds of years passed and I was still alone, only the company of a fat grey squirrel to keep me company. I'm not sure why he followed me, but one day, as I was gazing at a river from the top of a tree, he scampered up to stand by my feet. Those black tiny eyes stayed on me for hours, neither one of us moving. Eventually I got curious. Slowly I turned and when he didn't move I reached out a hesitant hand. Still he did not move. I crept forward, keeping eye contact and moving a painfully slow pace until I was right in front of him. I was almost close enough to touch him when he shot forward to run up my arm. I let loose a spastic laughing fit as his soft fur tickled my neck and the pair of us went falling out of the tree. Even as I floated to the ground I continued to laugh and I felt a happiness that I hadn't in a very long while; I had a friend. Someone who could see me and, even if they weren't human or spirit, it was something.

I suppose even without the squirrel (I had named him Jimmy) I wasn't completely alone. There were other spirits, but somehow we didn't all get along. I was the first, before North and Bunnymund, even before Pitch, but I never made more than polite eye contact, a nod at most if they smiled at me. I liked what I heard about the sandman but I was always too nervous to talk to him. He was, in a way, my idol. I brought the night, which brought sleep, which brought dreams. I would watch from a tree or hidden by a cloud while he floated above the heads of the humans and filled their nights with happy thoughts.

Why couldn't I have that? I wanted happy nights too, you know.

But I liked seeing the children so blissful in their dreams. That's what I was doing though, watching the kids dream sweet dreams, that distracted me. Before I knew it, Jimmy was nibbling lightly on my ear.

"What's up, boy?"I asked lazily. He gazed back steadily and cocked his head as if to say 'are you stupid?'

"Oh no," I shot up from my branch into the sky, "I'm late!"

I quickly threw my navy hood back to reveal my golden hair. I shot through the air, my glowing locks flying out behind me as its colour flew into the sky, turning it pink as it mixed with the blue-purple of night.

"What would I do without Jimmy?" I asked to myself. I had been doing this job for so long, yet I still slipped up from time to time. It was never very noticeable, and generally I could fix my pace throughout the trip. Sometimes I would give North an extra minute or two on Christmas Eve, but I couldn't tell him that. Assuming we would ever communicate.

The thought reminded me that Christmas was coming soon, which was good for me. Not that I particularly cared for it but I liked the winter as a general. The long nights seemed peaceful to me and the winter solstice was only a few days before Christmas. It was sort of like my party day; if you counted it as "partying." I heard that the leprechauns threw some great Saint Patrick's Day parties as a 'congratulations to us' celebration. I have even received an invitation a time or two but I had no desire to be cleaning potato off my robe. Those little guys loved to party while my partying was generally playing in the forest with Jimmy, swimming in a river – and scaring whatever couple chose that night to 'snuggle' by said river – and sometimes I would even pull out some practical jokes for the humans.

With so much time at night in the winter it was easy to mess around; setting up a snowman in someone's window, making a bit of light in the corner of a dark room, opening the window a crack to make a chill run through the room, or spooking the cat. Basically anything that could make them imagine ghosts. It might seem cruel, but honestly! They don't believe in me yet they shriek at the smallest creek in the house? That seems hardly just. Besides, I mostly scare teenagers – those hooligans – and sometimes adults. Never children.

This year I would have to think of something new, but there was still time yet to spare. For now I could just let the air whipping against my face carry my thoughts with it. Beautiful, crisp winter air to clear my mind. Perfect.