Title: Holiday Cheer
Authoress: MidnightRosePrincess
Summary: After that faithful Christmas Day, Cindy Lou Who goes up to Mount Crumpit to visit the Grinch. When she finds him feeling down despite the happy turn of events, she tries to cheer him up, and finds out she needed the same gift.
Midnight's Note: Hey everyone. I'm back. I'm now quite confident that my long-term hiatus is over, and this holiday will be filled with many updates. Hopefully, I can finish two of my other stories and post some new ones. Until then, I return to you with this piece of holiday cheer. I'm officially in the yuletide cheer myself after watching (as per my Christmas season tradition) the Grinch live-action movie 3 times in a row. I love the movie, and it inspired me so much, I decided to do a fanfic of it. This fanfic basically focuses on the friendship between the Grinch and his first true-who-friend, Cindy Lou Who.
Disclaimers: I don't own the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, it belongs to Dr. Seuss. The film adaptation this fanfic is based on belongs to Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment.
Holiday Cheer by MidnightRosePrincess
For all the Whos down in Whoville, it was a time of cheer and keeping family near.
Christmas Day had come and gone two days before, but the feelings it left still shined some more.
This is where our short story will begin... with Cindy Lou Who, going back up Mount Crumpit again...
Cindy Lou Who licked her lips, which had chapped as the winter winds blew between the trees of Mount Crumpit. With a smile, she recalled how two days ago, she and the Grinch had raced down the slopes on his sleigh all the way down to Whoville. It was the Grinch whom she was going to see now. Her family knew where she was going as soon as they saw her purchase a doggy bone with a ribbon on it. After all, if she was going to see the Grinch, she'd have to take something to Max, now wouldn't she?
On another day she would use the garbage shoot, because in all honesty, the ride was a lot of fun. However, her mother didn't share her opinion after smelling her clothes from Christmas Day. So she had to climb the hard way to see the What who'd no one really seen until recently. She liked to know that she was a part of that. The Grinch certainly seemed happier now, for he had the biggest smile on his face when he'd carved the roast beast at the feast. Miss Whovier seemed a lot warmer and approachable too, and had buried the hatchet between herself and Cindy's own mother. Cindy was sure the Grinch's smiles at Martha and friendship with her had something to do with it.
Currently, Miss Whovier was at her own house, packing away things so she could move into the Grinch's layer, which he was working on expanding to make more room for her. In way, Cindy pictured them as the couple from a fairytale that had finally gone right.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, she slowly climbed the last few footholds and ledges, and found herself face to face with the Grinch's green door. Unlike her brothers, who had been terrified on sight of it at first after claiming to have seen a giant monster come out of it, she held no fear at all of what lurked behind it. Walking forward, she knocked, and heard a scratching sound before a click was heard, and the door moved open.
She found herself looking down at Max, the Grinch's loyal and ever-patient companion. "Hey Maxie," she said with a smile, "I've got something for you." She reached into her small red coat and pulled out the bone. Max's tail instantly started wagging at the sight of it, and he stood up, placing his front paws on her waist. Giggling, she took off the bow and let him take the bone in his mouth. Before he lowered back down to the ground, she took the bow and tied it to the back of his new collar, which had been a gift from the people at the Who-Pet-Store. Satisfied immensely, he got down and trotted off to enjoy his new treat.
Cindy started making her way through what was once a cold lair. Now it was bright with Christmas lights, and seemed to glow a warm shine to all walls of the cave. The many gadgets and gizmos the Grinch had made were still turning and moving, some of which she still didn't know the use for. Finally, she spotted her new friend, sitting at a table drawing plans on a big sheet of paper. As she came closer, she started to notice a far off look in his yellow-green eyes. She couldn't place it, and instantly decided to see if she could help some way.
"Mr. Grinch," she said, smiling.
His yellow-green eyes instantly turned to her. "Cindy Lou!" he said with a smile. Setting aside the ruler and pencil he had, he turned in his seat to face her direction. "What brings a Who such as yourself to my formerly heinous abode?" he asked.
"I came just to see you, Mr. Grinch," she replied.
The Grinch blinked. After years of being ostracized, despite the recent jumble of events that led him to be accepted by the Whos he once hated, he still wasn't quite used to positive social interaction. The fact that anyone would come to see him to do just that was still a little beyond his understanding. However, the toasty feeling that strummed through his re-sized heart told him that whatever the reason, it was a good thing.
Besides, the girl standing in front of him was the only Who who ever had the much-appreciated insolence, audacity, and unmitigated gall to enter his lair as if she owned it. Yet, this didn't bother the Grinch at all. She was a nice kid, who may not have been such a bad judge of character after all.
"Well, you've seen me," he said, trying to act his old ways, "If that was all you came for, you can leave."
The little Who-daughter did not fall for it. "I'd rather stay, Mr. Grinch. My brothers are blowing their Who-trumpets at home and it was sort of giving me a headache," she admitted.
The Grinch concurred, "The noise... if it's one thing I understand, it's noise." He shuddered at the thoughts of all the Who-flounder and bounders and whatever other noisy toy in existence there was. He didn't mind singing that much, since Martha had taught him the words to the Christmas song, but the loud and triumphant music still bothered him. "If that's the case, Cindy-Lou, you can stick around as much as you like."
Cindy smiled and came over to look at the paper on the table. "What are you drawing, Mr. Grinch?"
The Grinch looked back at the paper. "This isn't a mere drawing, as you put it," he said, making a point of looking important, "It is the plans I intend to carry out to give Martha more rooms."
Cindy's smile didn't waver. "So, the new room's going to be across from your workshop but next to the kitchen?"
"Exactly," said the Grinch.
Cindy noticed some places on the paper were erased so much that it looked as if the paper might tear at the slightest tug. The Grinch's voice also seemed a bit tired. A little frustration on a project wouldn't tire him out that much, she knew. Now, she felt it was the right time to ask.
"Mr. Grinch, are you okay?" she asked.
The Grinch looked at her surprised. "What do you mean, Cindy Lou?"
"Well, it's just that you seem tired. When you told us about how excited you were building the sleigh during the feast, I didn't think a project would make you tired," she stated.
The Grinch smiled slightly. How was it that this little girl could read him so easily? "It's nothing, Cindy Lou," he said.
"Yes it is," she replied. Cindy wasn't too forceful a person, but she was determined to help people when she saw it necessary. "You can tell me, Mr. Grinch. I never tell anyone secrets," she promised.
The Grinch wanted to say no to her, but for some reason he couldn't lie to this little Who that had made her way into his life. He sighed. "I'm just... I have a few pesky memories that won't leave me alone, is all," he admitted, looking away.
Cindy was silent for a moment. "Do you... mean what happened when you were in school that Christmas?" she asked tentatively.
The Grinch turned and looked at her in surprise. "You know about that?" he asked incredulously, "That happened years before you were born."
Cindy fidgeted a bit in embarrassment, like the real Santa would if he got caught coming down the chimney. "Well, after I met you in the mail room, I wanted to know more about you. But no one really wanted to talk about you. I went around and asked a few people who knew you about why you hated Christmas. When I found out, I wanted you to have a happy Christmas instead. You know the story from there."
The Grinch stared at her in amazement. This 7-year-old little girl was the smartest Who in Whoville for sure. Still, he found himself curious. "And who, by chance, were the ones who dared to speak of me?" he asked, grinning mischievously.
Cindy smiled at the fact he wasn't angered by her snooping around, even if it had been for a good cause. "Miss Martha May, Misses Clarnella & Rose(1), and the Mayor."
The Grinch frowned at that last one. But a bigger part of him was curious as to what Martha May had to say about that terrible day. Oh gosh, he realized with a shock, I'm RHYMING again. Desperate to get such a thing out of his head, he put on a sly smile. "Martha, you say? What did she have to say about me, eh?"
Cindy blushed. "You should ask her that yourself, Mr. Grinch."
The Grinch refused to admit he pouted at that.
"Mr. Grinch," Cindy said, suddenly taking a more cautious tone as her mind bum-tumbled a question around her puzzler. "Why did the Mayor dislike you so much?"
The Grinch looked down. Painful memories of that selfish, pork-worthy classmate telling him he didn't have a chance with Martha May came to his mind. He knew that Martha May had a crush on him, too, and that stupid Augustus was just jealous. He never understood how that bully could claim someone as his when said someone doesn't feel the same. But at the same time, he admitted that Augustus was right: he was so very different from everyone else. Sometimes he wondered where he would've landed had that wind not blown him into Whoville.
"Mr. Grinch!" Cindy exclaimed suddenly.
Looking up in surprise, the Grinch asked, "Wha-" then stopped. His voice was cracked, and he noticed, to his utter surprise, that his eyes were leaking again. He put a hand to his cheek, confused. His eyes had leaked before, when his heart had grown 3 sizes. But these tears weren't the same as those. These tears were much too different. The tears on that day had made him feel warm and toasty inside. These tears... made his heart hurt and freeze.
Just as quickly as he'd noticed the tears, there was a soft cloth wiping away the tears on his other cheek. His eyes readjusting to his surroundings, he realized it was a handkerchief from Cindy Lou's own pocket. Taking a deep breath, he wiped his eyes and muttered a thank you to the little Who.
Cindy re-pocketed her handkerchief, but still looked at him worriedly.
The Grinch tried to regain control of his situation, berating himself for losing himself to the past for even a moment. "It's nothing, Cindy Lou. I suppose he didn't like me because..." he trailed off, not wanting to expose this little Who-child to the concept of prejudice when she was so young. "I suppose it was just because I was green, I guess," he said.
Cindy was not convinced that was the only reason. She remembered from memory what the Mayor had said when she interviewed him: He had hair. Not pleasant. He shed. Not right. Who was the mayor to decide what was right or not? She believed that the Grinch was amazing the way he was. Who else could lift something 100 times his own weight? Still, she knew that the Grinch wasn't just teased because he was green, but because he was different. That was something she could relate to.
"You know, Mr. Grinch, I don't think that was the main reason," she said. "It was because you're different. People don't know how to deal with different sometimes, and it can make you feel like you're bad. But different means neither good nor bad, it just means not the same. It means you're unique."
The Grinch blinked in surprise yet again, and noticed that he seemed to do that a lot around Cindy Lou. Then again, she was wiser than her years in matters of the people closest to her. He smiled at her. Somehow, this little Who-girl knew exactly the right thing to say at exactly the right time. However, he noticed that she herself now had a dimmed look in her bright eyes, and knew something was not right.
"You sound as though you know exactly what I went though, Cindy Lou," he observed.
Cindy Lou looked down at her mitten-covered hands as they fidgeted. "I'm not that normal either. And... even if the Mayor's right about me, I don't think he could ever be right about you."
Instantly, the Grinch's eyes narrowed at that last sentence. Reigning in what he was sure could be called righteous fury if his assumptions about that statement were correct, he gently reached forward and titled her chin up with one swift green finger. "Cindy Lou," he said firmly, "Did that oaf of a mayor say anything to you?" The Grinch was riled up on the inside. He could take the same jeers from the same bully for years, but he did not appreciate anyone daring to insult this particular little Who.
Cindy nodded. "D-Dad already got him to be quiet, but..." her eyes watered up and the Grinch feared she would be in tears soon, too.
"Come on, Cindy Lou," he repeated, though softer in his tone, "Details, details. What did that mayor say to you?"
Cindy swallowed before answering, "He s-said that... I was a little, not-to-be...-taken-seriously girl... who hasn't even grown into my nose yet." With that, two tears fell down her cheeks.
The Grinch instantly wiped them away with his long, swift fingers. He felt an almost unstoppable urge to shave off the rest of the oaf's head in the next two seconds, but he reigned in his wrath, choosing to save it for a later time to seek vengeance for this insult. But at the moment, his focus was Cindy Lou Who. She had helped him more than he could ever repay, so now was a chance he could return the favor with, even if it was small in comparison.
"Now you listen to me, Cindy Lou Who," he said, instantly getting her attention solely on him, "Don't you ever believe that nonsense for a second, you hear? You'll grow into that nose on your own time and everyone else better have the manners to wait for it! You are smarter than half the Whos in Whoville-trust me, I've been incognito enough times to know! And if I ever see you believing in that ridiculousness ever again, I won't let you play with Max for a month."
It had the effect he'd wanted: it cheered her up, made her laugh, and at the same time set a goal in her mind. The next moment, she was wiping what was left of her tears with one hand and holding one of his in her other. When she looked up, she was smiling again.
"Thank you, Mr. Grinch," she said. "You really are very sweet when you want to be."
The Grinch smiled an embarrassed smirk but did not argue that. "Don't get too used to it, Cindy Lou," he said, patting her head. "It's just that that adorable little twinkle in your eye and that nonconformist streak reminds me of a younger, less hairy me. You've convinced me that not all feelings are bad."
"Really?" Cindy Lou Who asked.
"Really," said the Grinch.
Cindy smiled and hugged the Grinch, knowing that the affection she received from the Grinch was something he saved for only the ones closest to him. Right now, that consisted of Martha May, herself, and Max. When around the rest of the Whos, he would act more like the What he was: mischievous, loud, but always seeming like he was on his guard of something. So these moments were rare, and Cindy Lou locked each one away as a precious memory. After all, it was the Grinch who gave her faith in Christmas again, and it was Cindy Lou who became (other than Max) the Grinch's very first true friend, whom he now looked on like a little sister.
They pulled apart and smiled at each other for a moment, before there was a sudden bark and Max leaped right onto the Grinch, knocking him out of the chair and onto the ground. Loosing her footing, Cindy Lou also fell onto the ground flat on her bum. Getting over the initial surprise, she looked to see Max licking the Grinch's face, much to the Grinch's protests.
"Max! I was having a feelings moment with my first friend other than you and you killed it!" the Grinch shrieked, complaining as Max wagged his tail some more and barked again as the Grinch tried to sit up.
Cindy Lou Who burst out laughing, her giggles echoing through the cave and mixing with the sound of the Grinch's inventions.
And that was the scene Martha May Whovier discovered upon her return, staring at them for a moment before starting to laugh herself.
"No matter how different a Who may appear, he will always be welcome with holiday cheer."
The End
Footnotes: (1) From what I've gathered, Clarnella & Rose are the names of the two old biddies who adopted the Grinch.
Midnight: There it is. Hope you all enjoyed it. I imagined it as heartwarming, and let me know if I got them in character or not. Now, I must be getting some shut-eye. Merry yuletide tidings all around to everyone.