December 11th - Carolers by Cleo the Muse
All Ages
Gen, Drabble, Holiday (Christmas), Kidfic (Little Danny)
Warnings: None
Episodes: Pre-series
Synopsis: The AO Happy Place Advent Calendar challenge, in which each day of December (until Christmas), a new door is opened on the Advent calendar, and a picture prompt revealed.
Word count: 800
Status: Completed as of December 11, 2007
December 11th - Carolers
Ice crystals collected on the double-paned window, threatening to obscure the little boy's view of the wintry scene outside the house. For a child born and raised in the sands of Egypt, the sight of snow was as frightening as it was magical, drawing his eyes to the pristine beauty even as the knowledge of the cold air just beyond the glass drove him beneath a sweater and a thick wool blanket. The hand not clutching the blanket around his shoulders rested on the sill, as though hesitant to reach out and touch the world beyond the window.
Sister Agnes had always been willing to give the youngster the space he craved, but this close to Christmas--a holiday with which he had little experience or understanding--she felt drastic measures were to be taken. Young Daniel Jackson was far too fragile to be forced into anything, but the nun felt certain she could coax the boy into opening up just a little. He was far too serious for an eight year-old boy, and hadn't spoken much more than a dozen words in the three months since he was left at the orphanage by his grandfather.
"Daniel? Would you like to help me with something, please?"
Startled, the blond-haired boy turned around and blinked up at Sister Agnes. His eyebrows lifted in inquiry as his free hand stole upward to push the bridge of his glasses into place.
"Sister Helen and I want to teach the other children to sing Christmas carols," she began, "and since you read so well, I thought maybe you could stand by the piano and turn pages for me." Seeing the boy's hesitation, she hastened to amend, "Just follow along with the words as they sing them, and turn the page when we get there. Can you do that?"
After a moment, Daniel nodded, sliding off the chair he'd been crouched in and padding across the floor in his socked feet. Smiling inwardly at her small victory--Daniel was at least participating in something instead of letting the activity pass him by--Sister Agnes led him into the music room, settling herself behind the piano. She began to warm up with a few practice scales, noting out of the corner of her eye how Daniel watched her fingers fly over the keys.
Finally, Sister Helen shooed in the last of the children and passed out small music books to each. Her eyebrows rose when she noted Daniel standing next to the piano, but wisely said nothing after Sister Agnes shook her head. Together, the two nuns ran the children through a few vocal exercises, then started the first piece in the book. Daniel dutifully kept his eyes on the lyrics on the page, turning when the children reached the end of the last line.
Only once did Sister Agnes have to turn the page herself, but that was to play a refrain which repeated across the page. She knew a brilliant mind lay behind those soft blue eyes, and had her theory proven when, in another song, he recognized the two dots on the staff as a repeat and turned the page back himself. She began to wonder if perhaps he had already been given music lessons at one point in his young life when he turned the page in a section without lyrics.
Or maybe he just realized that where the pitch of notes went up, so did the notes on the page. He was a sharp boy, and clearly gifted with an ear for music. The children's choir wasn't about to win any prizes, and at times when a note was mangled by the young voices, Daniel would almost-imperceptibly wince.
Close to the end of the set, the doorbell rang, and Sister Helen stopped directing to answer it. Moments later, the sound of singing drifted through the open music room door, and the nun quickly asked the children to come listen. Shooing the boys and girls to the front door, Sister Agnes motioned for Daniel to follow, and after one last glance at the piano and open music book, he complied.
A small adult choir stood out in the snow at the foot of the porch steps, dressed in Victorian garb. They were singing a Christmas carol in four-part harmony, filling the chilly air with the beauty of their song. When Sister Agnes dared to glance down at the boy at her side, she noted he had forgotten the cold and was mesmerized by the music being made before his eyes.
Bending on one knee, Sister Agnes leaned close to her young charge. "Would you like me to teach you to play the piano, Daniel?"
Wide, bright eyes turned to look at her. "Yes, please," he answered softly.
Author's Notes:
As Daniel picks up a new language: music. (And is proven by both "Urgo" and "The Sentinel", Daniel can sing AND has an excellent musical ear... like we needed another reason to love the guy, right?)
