A Sandy Winter
Prologue: Sandy Finds Jack
It was late. Sandy had just finished his rounds in the small Pennsylvania town of Burgess and was preparing to head back home when he heard it; a small unidentifiable sound. One that sounded as if it were coming from a child but that was impossible; all of the children had fallen asleep. After determining that it was coming from the direction of the lake Sandy headed that way, his innate curiosity getting the better of him. When he finally arrived it was to find the lake frozen completely over which was very unusual seeing as how winter was supposed to have ended a couple of months ago (much to Bunny's dismay as he did nothing but complain about the snow and his eggs). But, what really caught Sandy's attention was the boy sitting in the middle of the lake. His knees were drawn to his chest and he had hidden his face in them, the only thing really visible was his white hair. A brown cloak had been wrapped around him, his bare feet poking out at the bottom. A wooden staff lay on the ground next to him, within easy reach.
Unsure of what to do Sandy hovered in the air for a few minutes before approaching the boy. He reached out and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. The results were instantaneous8u; the boy let out a wild shriek and fell backwards, striking his head on the ice. He lay there for a few seconds then let out a loud groan before attempting to sit up. Immediately Sandy rushed forward to help, not wanting the child to further injure himself then stopped, not wanting to scare the boy any more than he already had.
Cold blue eyes regarded Sandy for a moment as the young boy stood, not looking to be that much taller than Sandy himself! Underneath the cloak a white blouse peeked out while brown pants tied with twine stopped just below his knees. Yet the cold didn't seem to bother him; his skin was pale, almost as if he were coming down with hypothermia. His features were young but his eyes spoke of wisdom beyond his years. "Hi," he said at last, his voice smooth and not cracking as was the case with most boys his age.
Sandy blinked in astonishment; all his thoughts fleeing. The boy could see him? But he was too old! Far too old to be believing in Sandy!
"I'm Jack Frost," the boy continued. "What's your name?"
In response Sandy allowed some of the sand to float around them both, taking many shapes such as unicorns and dolphins.
The blue eyes lit up upon seeing the dolphins. "They're so pretty," he murmured, touching them with one finger then giggling wildly as they turned to ice dolphins and continued swimming. Sandy's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I'm guessing you're the Sandman, right? Some of the children and their parents talk about you; you bring dreams to the children and make them happy." His voice, so carefree up until now, suddenly turned bitter and the ice dolphins shattered. "Every child except for me," he muttered. Then he continued speaking. "The Moon didn't tell me that there were others like me. Actually, come to think of it, he didn't tell me anything except for my name. I suppose you have to be going now?" his voice was suddenly hopeful and his eyes grew wide with longing.
Sandy hesitated. What he was about to propose was risky and had never been done before. He would certainly be hearing about it from the others for centuries. Oh well. Everyone had to make sacrifices, he supposed. He created a smaller version of himself flying off into the distance, a tiny Jack Frost beside him.
"You want me to go home with you?" Jack's voice was low, as if he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
Sandy nodded.
"I haven't had a home other than this lake for over fifty years," Jack murmured. "But somewhere new would be nice."
Sandy beamed then motioned for Jack to follow him before taking off. The two flew through the night, both of them quiet. All too soon they reached Sandy's home; a massive golden ship formed completely out of sand. Jack's eyes and mouth widened as he stared at it, shock written all over his face. "It's beautiful," he said quietly.
And in that instant any further doubts Sandy might have had about taking Jack home with him vanished. He had done the right thing; he was certain of it. So what if the Guardians gave him flack about it for the next ten centuries? He had given Jack Frost a home and of that he was very proud.
A/N: I am so sorry this didn't get published sooner but…oh well. Who cares? It's up now; that's all that matters! Sorry if the last couple of chapters of 'Jack Frost' disappointed you guys but I've never been very good at writing endings. So, when I finish this story, if anyone wants to take a crack at helping me write it (or offering advice, etc. for the rest of the story) feel free to do so! 5 reviews. Let me know what you think!