" Merry Christmas, Lotte! "
" Oh, I'm so glad you could make it, my little pumpkin! "
" Hi, mom, hi, da-AH! "
After being spun in the usual manner by her father, Lotte's mother helped her stand up. She had come back to her family for the holidays for a quick get together. They'd planned to have their usual feast of pies and tea and watch fun, holiday movies. However, there were still plenty of feelings and pressure that Lotte had on her mind, particularly with some of the kids at her school...but that would be saved for later.
" You must be pretty tired after all the exams, dear, I can tell, " her mother noticed. " Well, be thankful that everything's behind you! You're here now, and you deserve some time to clear your mind, dear. "
" Yeah, pumpkin, what do I say? " her father added.
" Family first, school second! " cheerily answered Lotte.
" Excellent! You came in at just the right time, by the way. The pies are fresh out of the oven! "
" Hee hee, I can't wait! "
" Why wait?! Git on down, dear! "
And so the family sat around the table, said their prayers, and began to feast.
" Let's eat! "
" Now, let's see here...mm….yes, thatsh perfect! Wonderful as always! " Mr. Yanson happily complemented.
" Why, thank you. " replied Mrs. Yanson. " Lotte, sweetie, what do you think? "
She was, of course, digging in, almost even more than her father was.
" Guess I shouldn't ask, heh. Oh, could you slow down for a second, dear? " She stopped accordingly. " Sorry, I was just wanting to ask you...how was your school work going? "
" Oh..uh… " Lotte washed down her pie with tea. " The work has been going fine. I'm still doing great in my language classes. Potions are doing good...though Akko still manages to barge in a lot… "
" Well, she's certainly a headstrong girl. She's saved our whole village, so I hold high regard for her, of course, " Mrs. Yanson commented.
" Does Sucy still get along? " Mr. Yanson asked.
" Yeah. She always helps us two out if there's a formula or equation that passes by us that we don't understand. She's surprisingly sweet sometimes… "
" Oh, how wonderful! I'm so proud of you, pumpkin! "
" Thanks, dad… "
" Something else in your way? "
" Oh! No…it's nothing… " Lotte shyly threw in as she concentrated on eating. She adjusted her glasses and grinned slightly, staring at her plate.
" Lotte, are you okay? " asked a concerned Mrs. Yanson. " I know that some of the children have been hard to deal with, and you've told me about it...what did they do now? "
" ...mom...it's okay. I've managed to get through exam week, right…? I don't have to deal with them anymore… "
Mrs. Yanson became more worried out of concern for her daughter. " Oh, Lotte…when you're finished with eating, do you want to discuss your problems? "
" Er...I guess… "
The rest of the meal, Mr. and Mrs. Yanson discussed their current business plans and activities of their neighbours. It turns out that most of them had the same idea as the Yansons, going out to check on their own families. It was a bunch of things that Lotte couldn't willingly try and get attached to. After the family finished, Akko grabbed her personal " night light " and headed outside with her mother.
The two took a walk around the snow-coated land. The reindeer happily left their excrements in untouched areas as people sang carols and had family get-togethers in the town. Lotte smiled at their happiness. Christmas had always been her favorite holiday for that reason; The atmosphere was so perfect for many reasons. It was easy to talk to one another and put away petty squabbles.
Lotte sighed as her mother took her to a nearby coffee shop. As they sat down outside, Mrs. Yanson looked directly at her daughter with caring eyes, but was still worried.
" Lotte...what's being eating at you? "
Thoughts rushed through Lotte's mind of all the things that Barbara and Hannah had said about her, how she was so distanced from everyone else and how she disappears into into the background. All the stupid nicknames and horrible teasing she had to go through with Akko and Sucy: " Invisible Lotte ". She didn't understand it at all; Just because she's a friend of Akko's, that means she has to get thrown into their little scuffle? And she was so mad at them, and it was completely unfitting of her...
" I'm sorry, mama….I should be more open about everything that's going on…. " Lotte meekly added. " It's just...it hasn't been bothering me now, but there's been a lot of teasing going on… "
She explained all the insults thrown at her, including every little thing that the girls did to Akko and Sucy. Of course, Sucy didn't really care, but Akko was very easy to jump at accusations.
" I was always trying to get away from all of it….but I-I knew that they would just be right...I really would just be…..invisible Lotte… "
" Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry… " her mother weakly added as she moved over, taking a seat next to her daughter. " I should've wrote to you more about your struggles...I'll never do this to you again… "
" And it was just somet-thing I really couldn't escape...I wanted to b-break away from them so bad, but I couldn't just abandon my friends….i-it was...I…."
Mrs. Yanson pulled her daughter close to her side for a warm embrace in the shivering cold. Tears had begun leaking from Lotte's eyes as her mother held her closer. " W-we would always get held back for some dumb reason...they just...t-thought that since I was just friends with Akko….I wouldn't be able to have any...c-chance to...I...I...I… "
Lotte started hiccuping and shivering. " I n-now have to suffer...b-because….because…. "
" Lotte… "
" A-and...I was j-just...all on my o-...I couldn't-I-I…. "
She shattered.
Lotte threw herself into her mother's arms weeping out all her pain and sorrow. She bawled quite loudly in her embrace as Mrs. Yanson began to absorb all her frustration and hopelessness. She took her meek daughter's glasses off and started to dry her tears with her handkerchief. Mrs. Yanson emitted a few tears of her own, knowing that her sweet, timid, and caring little girl had been subject to all this bigotry and hatred. The worst part about it all was that it wasn't even the first time she'd been a casualty to the " collusion ". While Akko was teased and put down about her lack of witch heritage, Lotte was hit from day one as a child. Even worse: it was directly about the witch heritage. They both felt bad for Akko; Even if she would've wished for an ancestry of witches,they would both end up with the same result. Bullying happens to everyone, there was no escape from it, witch or not.
" Mama… " whispered Lotte.
" Sweetie… "
" I-I...Papa….you...I-I love you…. "
More tears flew out of both of them. Thank gods everyone was too busy talking with their acquaintances to notice their small outburst.
" I-I wanna...go home...mama… "
Mrs. Yanson planted a motherly kiss on Lotte's forehead as they both left for the house. In a way, you could say they were both glad for this event to occur. It is, of course, always the best option to go through with the truth. You learn more about yourself and the world around you, after all. And Mrs. Yanson certainly learned many things about her daughter tonight, whether she liked it or not.
Close your eyes, old earth…
As the white petals fall from the sky…
Ease into the gaze of the mother's polar night…
Mrs. and Mr. Yanson slowly tucked a tuckered-out Lotte into bed as they sang their enchanted song to send her back into a relaxing slumber. Lotte shuffled around in the sheets before finally relaxing herself. Mrs. Yanson smiled as she gently caressed her head, Lotte humming along to the song.
Nukahtaa….Nukahtaa….
The song ended, and as her mother leaned in to kiss her goodnight, Lotte threw her arms around her once more.
" Merry Christmas, mama…. " she whispered before she fell asleep for good that night.
Mrs. Yanson kissed her daughter goodnight as she left, her father watching over her with an almost tearful grin.
" I love you, pumpkin. "
This was supposed to be another oneshot for the calendar, but it's so important a concept that I figured it get its own fic. I loved writing this, and I hope you love it too.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Happy new year.