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Fun from the Cold

Children are difficult for me to understand. They have too much sweetness in their lives. It's great to live a life so innocently; it's a nostrum that adds to the hardship of a child to me that at times, I feel too dated to be the guardian I am. The Man in the Moon gifted me with a role that became too stressful. Each night before my fairies headed out, I found myself sighing; I felt disappointed in myself. I stayed behind every night to watch over the castle in case Pitch decided to return, never leaving unless I truly needed to. I never needed to, not after Pitch was defeated by his own nightmares brought on by the other guardians and I. There was too much joy from children who regained their sweet dreams from Sandy, toys from North, egg hunts from Bunnymund, and fun from Jack. Neither one of us felt threatened from any force. Me, especially. In the present time, children excited themselves from the sight of coins beneath their pillows after a fallen tooth. The money allowed them to praise themselves even more. Candy bars filled their mouths along with more toys or savings. They no longer thanked me as frequently as before. It's as if the praise was too familiar that its rarity became common.

Although parents still taught their children manners, I found myself disappointed in my gifts. North had his helpers creating toys that surpassed the worth of my coins. Bunnymund started making larger eggs than before, filled with more items that were far more joyful than the sight of my coins. Sandy gave children the wonders of incredible dreams that they could never spend on any candy for they were worth more than that. Then there was Jack Frost-the one man who my fairies swooned over-who gave children the nostrum I never understood. As the years passed, I could feel my wonders become dated. They were no longer wonders but common sights and values. With the knowledge of my decline, there was also the knowledge of their uprising.

I sat outside of my castle on another Christmas Eve. All my fairies flew to all the seven continents in search of teeth. The sighing already started as my thoughts traduced the coins they would leave beneath the pillows. My feelings will soon bring me to two choices. Either I knew I would need to make a decision, or ask the Man on the Moon to pick a new Tooth Fairy who wouldn't be bothered by the small value of coins. The ambivalence that wept within me made it's watery way to my sensitive cheeks. The tears that fell felt unusually cold against my skin. It was then that I realized I was not alone on Christmas Eve.

"Jack," my awe was noticeable, as was my embarrassment, "you shouldn't see me like this!"

"You shouldn't feel scared. What's wrong?"

He floated his way to stand beside me. My back faced his front, "I just don't feel as confident about tonight as I used to."

"But it's Christmas Eve, you should feel more confident than any other night. I'm sure your fairies are going to collect more teeth than they ever have in one night," his shaft touched the ground as he moved closer. I could hear his feet peel off then stick to the marble of the castle floors.

"I know that's easy for you to say, Christmas time is your time. Did the kids have fun today?" I wiped my cheeks before I turned to face him, attempting to cheer myself up with a change of subject.

"More fun than I ever thought I could bring them," his eyebrow lifted, "You know, we asked you to be there. They were kind of sad that you weren't there,"

"As long as they had fun,"

"Yeah...," his foot peeled off the marble once again to give his hand a shorter distance to my elbow. His touch made me look up into his crystal blue eyes, "Have you been having fun?"

I swallowed the ability to answer with a lie as I breathed out a truth, "No." The answer somehow gave him the happiness to smile and take my hand in his to dance. As much as my ambivalence toward the fairies who played out their duties roamed in my mind, I found myself no longer sighing upon the subject, but laughing at the silliness I engaged in with Jack. His touch was cold. It sent shivers down my skin with goose bumps proving the excitement true. I hadn't heard him drop his shaft without a care to free his hand to hold my own. Our arms stretched as far as they could as I gripped his hands as he created a thin layer of ice to spin on.

The actions I engaged in were indescribably sweet. They made the memory of confused feelings disappear. All the stress that built up over the disappointment of my gifts and the reaction to them erased themselves from my senses. The remedy was a nostrum I still did not understand, but a nostrum that cured the illness nonetheless. It never once occurred to me that the cold could warm my soul. The Man on the Moon knew too much of my thoughts. I couldn't complain; he knew just who to bring to bring back the specialty of my role. We soon lost balance and crashed against the wall fence beside each other. The laughter still tickled my lips.

"Is that the fun you gave to the children?"

"Yeah, it is. Did you like it?" he did not look at me, but to the moon.

"I did," I didn't look away from the side of his face, "But my fairies will be back soon."

The fact made him connect his eyes with my own, "If you ever want to have fun, I will always be here."

"Thank-you, Jack," Against his chest, with our arms wrapped around each other in a friendly manner, I never knew how the Man on the Moon could give a man with such warmth the powers of the cold, "Thank-you."

He went for his shaft before leaving me alone once more. Without his presence, I was left to reflect upon myself. The coins my fairies were sure to leave may not be the reason for my ambivalence. In all fact, I realized that the children cherished coins just as much as the gifts of North, Bunnymund, Sandy, and Jack. My ambivalence may be aimed at something more, something with much more meaning to it. There was a thought in my mind, but I thought no more of it. If I did, I knew the Man in the Moon would bring the cold back faster than I could feel it. Perhaps I wouldn't mind.

This story is inspired by, "Rush, Rush" by Paula Abdul.