Author's Note: Woo, December fourteen! Only a couple more days until Christmas break! I think I might just make it after all. XD
I hope you guys enjoy chapter fourteen! =D
Chapter Fourteen: An Old Present
December Fourteen
Jack flew into the Mail Room with a flurry of snowflakes trailing behind him. The place looked even more amazing than North had described it. Yetis pushed carts that were filled to the brim with letters from children all around the world, and the very sight of them made Jack smile. He remembered when he was younger, he used to spend a lot of time creating a list of wishes to Santa Claus himself. Jack landed nimbly on his feet and strode to a yeti who was standing behind a desk; he seemed to be the one in charge of the entire organization of the mail. Jack stopped at the desk and smiled.
"Hi!" he said. "North sent me here to help the yetis with some of the mail in aisle seventy. Do you know where—"
The yeti, whose name was John, handed Jack a map of the mail room without looking up from his newspaper. Jack wondered what the brown-furred yeti was reading about, and how he managed to get a newspaper from New York City without even going there himself.
"Thanks!" said Jack cheerfully. The yeti only grumbled in response and took a sip from his coffee. Jack shrugged. John didn't seem to be paying much attention to the world around him. Was the news from 1897 New York that interesting?
The winter spirit followed the map that John had given to him and eventually found aisle fifty. North had said that some of the yetis were having trouble organizing old mail into their rightful storage spaces, and since the ex-Cossack believed that Jack was ready to conquer the work in the Mail Room, he had sent the young winter spirit there to try and give the yetis a hand.
But what Jack wasn't expecting was the entire seventieth aisle of the Mail Room to be flooded with thousands and thousands of old letters. Jack nearly dropped the map in his hand as he stared, wide-eyed at the mess that laid before him. Three yetis were arguing in the middle of the mess, yelling and growling at each other. Jack couldn't comprehend yetish, but he guessed that they were probably blaming each other for the clutter and confusion.
"Hey!" Jack said, loud enough for the yetis to stop arguing and give the winter spirit their attention. "North told me you guys need some help?"
The three yetis looked at each other, and then back at Jack. Then, they continued to argue with each other. Jack shook his head.
"Hey, guys!" yelled Jack. The yetis stopped arguing again. Jack walked up to the large flood of letters and said. "Instead of yelling and screaming at each other, how about we try and clean this mess up. Sound good?"
The three yetis grumbled in what Jack guessed was agreement. The four of them began to sort through the letters, one by one. It was a long and tedious task, but each and every letter had to be organized by year and name. All of the letters that sat in the pile, though, were all from the early 1700 era, which Jack found slightly surprising since he was alive during the early 1700s.
Jack made sure that the yetis didn't get into any more quarrels, and when they did, the winter spirit calmed them down and stopped the heated argument. Jack had never met three yetis who were so grumpy and prone to arguing. He knew Phil was grumpy, but the gray yeti always managed to stay calm and patient when it came to the elves or newly hired yetis.
Despite the constant arguments that erupted between the three yetis, Jack and the large, furry creatures managed to sort out every single letter in a reasonable number of hours. Jack smiled proudly and turned to the three yetis.
"Good job, you guys!" said Jack with a smile. "You know, if you three tried not to get into so many arguments and tried to cooperate with each other, you might be able to get more jobs done."
The three yetis looked at each other and shrugged, then rolled the empty mail cart out of the aisle to put it away. Jack hoped that the three gave his suggestion some thought. The winter spirit knew that with time, the trio of yetis could make a potent team.
Jack was about to head back to John's desk to see if there was anything else that he could do to help when he noticed a letter that still sat in the middle of the floor. Jack picked it up.
Huh, I guess we missed one, thought Jack as he examined the letter. Something about the envelope seemed vaguely familiar, but Jack couldn't find the faded envelope anywhere in his memory. Jack flipped it over and gasped when he saw the name that was written on the back. Jack ran his hand over the handwriting pensively. The letter was addressed to Santa Claus, and it was from none other than Mary Overland, Jack's younger sister.
"Mary…" whispered Jack as he turned the envelope over in his hands, suddenly feeling compelled to open it and read the precious letter that lay inside. Jack ripped the envelope open and pulled out a worn piece of paper. The Guardian of Fun unfolded it and his blue eyes darted across the page as he read the letter that his little sister wrote.
Dear Santa Claus,
My name is Mary Overland. This is the very first letter I've ever written, so if you find any mistakes, that's the reason why. Jack usually helps me with this sort of thing, but he's out tending the sheep, so I'm on my own.
He's actually the reason why I'm writing this letter. Jack's been working really hard lately since Papa passed away, and I've been trying to find the perfect gift for him. Jack says that he doesn't need a present and he's perfectly fine just spending time with me and Mama, but I want to get him something to say thank you. He's the best big brother in the whole world, and he deserves an amazing gift, but I can't seem to find one.
I was thinking that maybe (if you can that is) send me something to give to Jack? Please? I already have something started, but it needs a finishing touch, and since you're Santa Claus, I'm sure you can come up with something!
Thanks for reading this letter if you did! I'm sure Jack will love whatever you send!
From,
Mary Katherine Overland
(P.S. Jack, if you're reading this, I have hidden your gift so you can't find it! Ha! I'll finally surprise you this time!)
Jack smiled wistfully when he finished the letter, but a part of him felt saddened. His sister was no longer alive, but he knew that she lived a long, wonderful life with her husband and kids from what Tooth told him. The winter spirit looked over the letter once again and choked up when he noticed the date.
December 23, 1709. That was the day Jack and Mary's mother had given them ice skates as early Christmas presents. The day that Jack and Mary had gone out on the lake. The day that…
Jack squeezed his eyes shut. Mary never got the chance to give him her present. The young girl must have been devastated to spend Christmas without him, and not even get the chance to give him his gift. The winter spirit slid the letter back into its envelope and slipped it into his pocket. Jack wanted to find that present. If he knew anything about his younger sister, when it came to looking for things, she loved to make it into a game. Jack flew out of the Mail Room and left Santoff Claussen.
"Wind! Take me to Burgess!" shouted Jack. The Wind responded to his call and propelled the winter spirit toward his home.
…
Jack slid on the ice of his frozen lake and leapt onto his favorite tree branch. He read over the letter again, wondering if Mary left any hint of where she hid his gift. Jack read the letter once. Twice. Three times, but he didn't find any hints.
"Come on, Mary, give me something," mumbled Jack. The winter spirit wanted to find that gift. He needed to find that gift. Jack leapt off his tree branch and placed the letter and envelope into his pocket and walked across the letter, thinking of where Mary could have sequestered his gift. The young girl liked hiding things, and she was good at it as well, but Jack knew his sister better than anyone, and he always managed to find what she hid in the end.
First, Jack knew that Mary probably didn't hide his gift in their house. Even if she did, that would make finding his present from her impossible since all of colonial Burgess was built over. None of the older buildings remained, including the house Mary, Jack, and their parents lived in.
Another thing Jack knew was that Mary loved the lake where he lived. She often came to gaze out the watery or icy surface to think when she had something on her mind, and she loved playing hide and seek with Jack there too. Mary could have hidden the present somewhere around the lake, but that seemed too easy. The younger Overland liked to make things challenging for her older brother when it came to games.
Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Maybe the present was gone after all of those years in hiding. Mary probably left it where it was, hoping that one day, her brother would find it. Jack shook the doubtful thoughts out of his head; he was going to find that gift and open it. He had to. For Mary.
"Okay, Mary," said Jack to himself. He looked around the area surrounding his lake. "If I were you, where would I hide a present?" There were many places Mary could've hidden Jack's gift. In a hole. Somewhere around the lake. Inside of a tree. The options were endless. But there was one that made Jack pause.
Inside of a tree. Mary loved climbing trees. She could scamper up one like a squirrel. Why, maybe even faster than a squirrel! Jack smiled to himself. Mary had to have hidden his gift in a tree. He just knew it.
Obviously, though, the tree was probably somewhere away from the lake. Mary probably knew that would be the first place that Jack would look, so she must have hidden it somewhere deeper in the forest. The young girl had her borders, though, so Jack knew that Mary couldn't have hidden his present too far away from the lake.
"Okay, present, here I come," said Jack. Then, he walked into the forest that surrounded his lake.
…
For the first time in the entire month of December, North was at peace. The ex-Cossack had managed to squeeze out of the craziness of the Workshop to sit down and read a book. North had no idea how long it had been since he last touched a book, and he was looking forward to reading one of Mother Goose's newest stories when a yeti burst into the library, scaring North so badly that he fell out of his chair. The yeti babbled in yetish, apologizing over and over again, but North waved his hand.
"Bah, iz fine," he said after he stood up. North dusted himself off. "You yetis vill never learn to knock anyway."
The tan yeti shrugged and North asked why he had burst in so suddenly. The yeti explained that there was some more trouble in the Mail Room due to the three argumentative yetis distracting the others from their work with their yelling and shouting.
"I thought I sent Jack to keep things under control?" said North. The yeti shrugged and said that Jack was nowhere to be found.
North ran a hand through his beard. That didn't sound like Jack. The winter spirit wouldn't leave so suddenly unless he had to, and if he did, he would at least let North know that he was going.
North followed the tan yeti to the Mail Room and walked inside. North's eyes widened at the chaos that was going on. Yetis were running around like they had drunk too much coffee. Envelopes were scattered on the floor. The three yetis who had been causing trouble stood in the middle of the mess, yelling and screaming at each other like there was no tomorrow. And John was sitting behind his desk, sipping his cup of coffee and reading his newspaper like madness and chaos that was ensuing in the Mail Room wasn't even happening.
"Everybody STOP!" North bellowed loudly. Every single yeti stopped in place as if they were frozen in place by Jack's ice. Even John was startled by North's thundering voice.
"Vhat iz going on? You all should be organizing letters not running around like footless chickens!" exclaimed North. A yeti said something in yetish to North and the ex-Cossack corrected himself. "Headless chickens! You should not be running around like headless chickens!"
The yetis looked down in shame. North crossed his arms.
"Now, I vant everyone to pitch in and clean this mess up," said North in a no-nonsense tone. The man in red glared at the three yetis who had been causing trouble. "And you three are being moved to trash duty."
The brown, dark gray, and brown yeti started to complain but North held up a head and they silenced immediately. The three left the Mail Room without arguing with the Guardian of Wonder and reluctantly headed to the Trash Room. North nodded, satisfied, and he turned to the tan yeti standing next to him.
"I am putting you in charge of Mail Room," he said. The ex-Cossack turned to John. "You are going to vork in Vorkshop."
John shrugged as if he didn't mind being switched and picked up his newspaper and coffee and headed to the Workshop. North hoped that the brown yeti would learn a thing or two about paying attention and helping out as he worked his time in the Workshop. The tan yeti, whose name was Peter, accepted his new role as Head of the Mail Room and sat down at the desk, barking orders at yetis who were off task.
North left the Mail Room and headed to the Globe Room. The Guardians were due for another meeting. North activated the Northern Lights and waited for the others to arrive. Tooth and Sandy came flying in through the window and Bunny arrived through one of his many tunnels. The three greeted North cheerfully and North smiled in greeting but noticed that there was one Guardian who was missing: Jack Frost.
"Vhere is Jack?" asked North.
Bunny shrugged. "I haven't seen 'im. Maybe he's busy."
"I thought he was here with you," said Tooth. "He's been staying in Santoff Claussen to help you out, right?"
Sandy nodded, agreeing to what Tooth said. North hummed.
"He vas here," said North. "But then he left so suddenly."
"He'll be back," Bunny said reassuringly. "As many times as Frostbite is late, he still manages to get to Guardian meetings. He'll be here soon."
But soon wasn't as soon as the Guardians hoped it would be. Jack usually came ten minutes late when he was out doing his work, but this time, he was thirty minutes late. Then thirty turned into forty. And then forty turned into fifty. Fifty turned into an hour.
Bunny tapped his foot impatiently, but a worried look reflected in his eyes. "Okay, even I know that Jackie wouldn't be this late."
"He iz only a little late," said North.
"A little?!" exclaimed Tooth, her feather flaring. "He's one whole hour late!" The Tooth Fairy looked out the window anxiously. "Maybe he's in trouble. We should probably go and look for him."
Sandy nodded and the Guardians headed to the sleigh despite Bunny's protests of riding it. North managed to drag the Pooka inside and he cracked at the reins, taking off into the chilly winter air. The Guardians soared in the sky, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of Jack.
…
Jack leapt over a rock and continued walking through the snow-covered forest. Jack smiled as the Wind brushed at his skin. She playfully pushed off Jack's Christmas hat into the snow.
"Hey!" exclaimed Jack as he picked up his hat and dusted it off. "That's not very nice!" but the winter spirit didn't sound the least bit offended.
The Wind whistled and swirled around Jack, kicking up snow.
"I know you're bored," said Jack. "But we have to find this present."
The Wind continued to blow through tree branches, swinging the icicles that hung on them. Jack continued to trudge through the forest, keeping his eyes open for any sign of Mary's present for him. He didn't exactly know what he was looking out for. A wrapped present hanging on a tree branch? Or would the gift just be sitting in plain sight, unwrapped and untouched? Jack continued walking through the forest and eventually came to the tree he was looking for and smiled.
The tree Jack stood before was the tree that allowed him to always win hide and seek. Mary and her friends never found him when he hid up there, and it was also the very first tree Mary ever climbed when Jack taught her how to climb up trees. The tree was much older now; it had been 300 years after all. But despite being old, the tree still looked wonderful to Jack. And maybe, if Jack asked, Bunny could heal it up with his spring magic.
Jack called on the Wind and she carried Jack around the tree. The winter spirit examined its branches, looking for something at least over 300 years old. Jack didn't spot anything immediately…until he noticed the hole inside of the trunk of the tree that sat a few feet above the ground.
Jack recognized the hole. He and Mary thought that a small family of birds lived there since they found the remains of a nest inside, but no birds had touched the place in a long time, so the two Overland siblings often hid small trinkets that they found inside. A small gold coin, a hawk feather, and other things that they thought should be hidden away for safekeeping.
Jack told the Wind to lower him onto a nearby tree branch. Jack landed on both of his feet, crouching down to peek inside of the abandoned hole and rummaged around. There were a couple of cobwebs, a few spiders skittering around, and lots of sticks and leaves inside. The winter spirit paid no attention to them, though. Because lying inside was a medium size wooden box. It looked as if it hadn't been touched for years, yet at the same time, looked brand new. Jack was surprised that it hadn't fallen apart after all of these years. The winter spirit pulled it out gently and sat down on the tree branch, hanging his staff on one of the many arms of the tree nearby. Cerulean blue eyes stared at the box that laid in his lap; Jack ran his hand over the dusty lid. After all of those years, Mary's gift to him had still survived. Jack wished he had found it sooner.
Jack positioned his hand to open the lid of the wooden box. Curiosity was getting the best of him, and he really wanted to know what Mary wanted to give him. Jack was about to lift the lid when the familiar sound of bells was carried by the Wind. Jack looked up and spotted the Guardians landing in the sleigh. They all had worried expressions on their faces but when they saw Jack, their faces turned into those of relief.
"Jack!" Tooth cried as she flew up to the branch Jack was sitting on. "Where have you been? You're an hour late!"
Jack blinked. "Late? Late for what?"
"The Guardian meetin', ya drongo!" said Bunny from below.
"The Guardian meeting—oh, shoot. I forgot all about it!" Jack exclaimed as he slapped a hand against his forehead. The winter spirit leapt down from the tree branch and, "Sorry, guys."
"Vhere have you been?" asked North. "Yetis say you vent to Mail Room and then left."
"I did go to the Mail Room," said Jack. Then he looked at the wooden box in his hand. "And I found something…"
Sandy pointed to the box as a dreamsand question mark curled over his head.
"Ya found an old box," said Bunny with an unamused expression.
Jack frowned. "It's from my sister."
"Oh…oh…" Bunny said slowly as the realization hit him. The Guardians looked at the old looking box in Jack's hands. The way he held it close to him told them that whatever was inside was very important to the winter spirit; he was probably about to open it before they arrived.
"I was helping the yetis in the Mail Room when I found a letter my sister sent to the North Pole a long time ago," explained Jack. "Mary was trying to find the perfect gift for me, but she managed to find one before you could send her something to give me." Jack looked at North as he said this, and the ex-Cossack remembered finding a letter sent from Mary Overland a long time ago.
"Anyway, at the end she said that she hid the gift, so I set out to find it and—" Jack motioned to the box in his hands. "I found it."
"You should open it," said Tooth. She turned to the other Guardians. "I think our meeting can start a little later."
"But weren't ya the one who said—" Bunny started, but Tooth held her hand up, which made the Pooka stop.
Jack drew in a slow breath. "Well, here goes…" Jack lifted the lid and stared at the contents inside. Several memories of him and sister washed over him, and the inter spirit smiled softly, but hints of sadness were stretched in as well.
The Guardians were curious about what was inside. So, North asked, "Vhat iz it?"
Jack pulled out a deep brown scarf. The scarf was waist length and had various woodland patterns weaved into it. Jack recognized the patterns as his mother's work.
"This scarf was my Pa's," said Jack wistfully. "And I'm guessing that Mary must've found it in his old stuff and got Ma to do some sewing."
"It's beautiful, Jack," said Tooth with a smile.
"She vas great sewer," added North.
Jack nodded. "Yeah…she was."
After a moment of silence, Jack shook out of his pensive state and said, "So, should we get on with that Guardian meeting?'
"Actually," said North. "Meeting iz over now."
"Oh," said Jack. "Sorry for dragging you guys out here."
Sandy waved his golden hand dismissively. "It's fine."
"Besides, we would rather come out looking for you than spending the entire meeting time wondering where you are," said Tooth.
Bunny nodded. "Next time though, mate, before ya disappear, make sure ta let us know where ya are."
Jack smirked. "So, you were worried too, Bunny?"
Bunny scoffed. "I wasn't worried."
Tooth rolled her eyes. "You were worried, Bunny."
"Were," said Bunny. "Meaning that it's in the past."
Jack chuckled. "Whatever you say, Kangaroo."
The Guardians began to make their way back to the sleigh and each of them hopped in. Jack sat in the back, pensively staring at the wooden box in his hands. He wished that Mary was there to give it to him herself, but he knew that was impossible.
Still, as the sleigh took to the air, Jack could almost hear her laugh being carried by the rushing wind.
