"Oh, thank goodness your here", she says excitable. "There isn't much time", and she reaches for Mab's hand. Mab gestures slightly and the nurse just stops, stepping back and quivering.
"What is this meaning of this mortal"? Mab speaks in a surprising neutral tone. The nurse seems to regain some movement and speaks.
"Aren't you from the Fulfill a Wish Foundation"? Mab cocks her head slightly as if not understanding the question. "Aren't you the actor who plays the princess from the movie Freezing. You're the only one she wanted to see before…."
"Before what", I ask?
"Before she dies! You must hurry it may already be too late". She turns, heading back into the hospital, making hurry up gestures.
"Jinn, what is this strange creature talking about"?
"This Fulfill a Wish thing grants sick and dying children a wish. Mostly they want to meet famous people. This child apparently wants to meet a fictional Princess from children's movie. The Winter Princess."
Mab stood for a second, taping her lips with a long fingernail. "I am intrigued. Mortal lead on."
The nurse leads us through the hall, past admissions, and into the elevator. As we pass all eyes follow us. Did I fail to say Mab is gorgeous, and the tight dress, and high heels she's wearing really make here ass look great. Mab seems unaware of their looks, but as the elevator door closes, she looks at me and winks. Not possible!
We exit the elevator and walk down the hall to a small room.
"Right in here", Says the nurse opening the door. Through the door we see what looks like a movie poster of a tall beautiful white-haired woman in a long flowing ice blue gown. Without any warning at all Maab is wearing a duplicate of the gown. Well except the gown Mab is wearing makes the one in the photo look like a Barbie dress, and Mab's was a Versace.
Mab walks into the room, then turns to the nurse. "Be gone", and the nurse without a word turns and starts walking down the hall.
I hate the smell of hospital rooms. Though I have never needed to stay in one, I have the memory of being in Talon's rooms after his horrendous wounding. Between worrying about my partner dying, and the bloodlust of my once vampire condition. It was horrible, except for the Jell-O, I like Jell-O.
This room was no different. Slightly too cold, with the air having had every ounce of life and hope sucked from it. In the bed lie a little girl, eyes closed, barely breathing, platinum blond hair, and skinny. I would place her age at around 5, but it was hard to tell because of her illness.
Mab walked to the bed and looked down. No readable expression on her face. A person I assume to be a doctor, because he was wearing a stethoscope around his neck, comes in the room to the other side of the bed, and starts doing doctor things, like check for a pulse, and feel her forehead.
"She is dying", says Mab, a statement, not a question.
"A very unusual case", says the doctor, misinterpreting Mab's statement for a question. "She is an orphan, and recently just started to waste away. We cannot find any cause, there is no cancer, no disease, and no poison. A pity she won't be awake to see you, that silly movie is all she talked about."
Mab doesn't say anything, but gently takes the little girl's hand. A slight shudder goes through the little girl, and she opens her beautiful brown eyes. As Maab releases her hand. I notice a small ring around the girl's pinky finger. A beautiful and intricate little silver snowflake, with a small blue stone.
"Oh, you came", says the girl in a sleepy little voice.
The Doctor looks surprised to see the girl awake. "How are you feeling"? He asks, but the girl only has eyes for Mab.
"You're not the winter princess", sadly the little girl notes.
"Indeed, I am not child. I am the Winter Queen." Says Mab not unkindly. "The Winter Lady has other duties to fulfill, so will not be here".
"The Queen? Do I call you your Majesty"?
"No little one you may call me Mab".
"Thank you for coming to see me. Gosh you are so beautiful. Are you angry?"
"Why would you say that child"?
"You don't look happy; are you mad at me"?
"Of course not. Now little one what would you have of me"?
"Could you sing a song for me"?
"Little one I'm afraid my voice is not very good for singing. What else would you have"?
"There is one thing, but I'm afraid that we can't do it".
"And what is that child".
"I would love to see the lights".
"The Lights?" Mab looks to the Doctor. "What are these lights that she speaks of"?
"Oh, the Lights of Honolulu. Every year downtown they put up a bunch of Christmas displays. All lit with lights, but I'm afraid she is far too sick to go there," says the Doctor sadly.
"But I feel much better! Please?"
Mab stands lightly tapping her lips with here index finger and seems to come to a decision. "Remove these things form her arms". She gestures at the I.V. lines.
"But Ma'am", the Doctor starts to protest.
"I said, REMOVE THEM"!
The Doctor suddenly seems glassy eyed but starts to remove the tubes.
"Are we going to go," asks the little girl excitably.
"Of course we are", says Mab, and reaches down to help the little girl to set up in the bed. The girl swings her legs over the edge of the bed, and with my help she stands on the floor. For a moment, standing on her own two feet, in her hospital gown, she smiles wondrously.
"I haven't been able to stand for so long"!
The Doctor at this point has backed away to stand with his back to the windows, at the far side of the room.
"Yet this won't do"! Mab says sternly. "Not at all".
The little girl looks frightened. "Please, please don't put me back in the bed", she pleads.
"Of course, not", says Mab. "It's your clothes, they will never do", and with that the little girl is suddenly in the garb of a fairy tale princess, except for I'm pretty sure the stones in the tiara are priceless diamonds.
The little girl holds her hands out and whirls around delightedly. "Oh, I have never worn anything so pretty."
"Let us depart this place". Mab reaches down and takes the girl's hand. "I am curious to see these lights".
"Wwwwwho, are you", the doctor stammers in fear.
"Have you not been listening mortal, I am Mab".
On the sidewalk outside the hospital, we stop, and Mab stands slightly tapping the toes of one shoe. "Where do we find these lights girl"?
"I don't know Mab, let me flag down a taxi, the driver will know".
"No, a Taxi will not do", and from down the street I hear Christmas music.
Not your cheesy canned kind but sounding almost as if a real orchestra is playing. The up the street comes an apparition. It is one of those tourist buses that have been built to look like a trolley car. It drives right up in front of us and stops. From it a jolly voice sounds.
"My Lady are you in need of some conveyance," It booms into the night, and a huge man steps from the trolley, all dressed in red and white. A Santa costume, except I'm pretty sure the Santa doesn't wear chain mail, of have a huge sword swinging from his belt.
"Santa Claus", the little girl says reverently, and the huge man reaches down and sweeps her up into a huge bear hug.
"Call me Kringle", he says laughing heartily. "Come on up you go", and he places her on the trolley.
"My Queen", he says, bowing to Mab. "Where would you like me to take you"?
"We go to see the festive lights", Mab replies.
"Very well my Queen", and he hands Mab into the trolley. "And who are you", he says to me in a friendly manner.
"I am called Jinn".
"Well Lady Jinn, you may call me Kringle. I have heard of the lady of the forest who likes to hand out drubbings to snotty little elf lords, but none spoke of your beauty." Kringle bows taking my hand and lying a small kiss to my palm. Who have thought Santa Clause was such a lady'sman. "We should go hunting some time".
"I'm pretty sure my boyfriend would like that".
With a disarming grin, "pity".
Seriously did I just get hit on by Santa Clause? "We had better get going".
"Well, get on board, what are you waiting for" Kringle says mockingly, and I'm sure he's looking at my butt as I climb the stairs. I turn and catch him at it, and his grin turns into a fullfledged smile.
Kringle didn't really seem to be driving the trolley, it seemed to know where it was going, and traffic seemed to just get out of the way. When reached the area where the displays were set, there just seemed to be a parking space big enough for the trolley and it swung smoothly in. Once dismounting we walked among the light displays, and the child walked hand in hand with Mab, and they seemed to be conversing, though I couldn't hear their conversation, the girl seemed delighted.
Kringle walked with us like some Santa bodyguard, when it became apparent that a small crowd of children was following him. For a moment I saw something in his expression that mirrored extreme sadness. He saw me watching then turned away. For a moment he stood shoulders bowed, then he came to some kind of decision, and went down to one knee. Letting out with one of his trademark, Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas, he gestured to the following children, and they gathered all around him. He was speaking to them and touching their heads in gentle blessing like gestures, some a gentle hug, a faint light emanating from him. The light also fell on the parents, and for some you could see husband and wife, look at one another as if awakening from a dream, as their children returned, they would embrace, and you could tell that their life's had been changed. All who stood in that glow seemed lightened.
Tears welling in my eyes, I turned away to see Mab and the little girl setting on a park bench. As I moved to join them, I started to hear Maab say,"So little one, has your wishes been fulfilled? It may not be a white Christmas, but the lights are pretty as such".
"I have never seen snow auntie, what is it like".
"You have never seen snow? How is that possible?"
"I was born here in Hawaii; we do not have winter".
"Hmmmmm, would you like to know what snow is like?
Oh No! "Mab," I said "Mab maybe we should….", but I never had the chance to finish.
"Yes Auntie, yes please", and with that Mab stood and raised one hand.
The night was warm, comfortable for skirts and tank tops, then it changed. First was soft puffs of air, like when a door is opened to an airconditioned room, but the air was sweet. Like the air around a waterfall a charge seemed to build up an enervating feeling, and the temperature began to drop. Then without warning it began to snow! Huge wet flakes came down, little swirls of air making it seem to dance.
Now I am half elf, and I can feel magic. I have felt winter magic before, and this was something entirely different. Around us the usual city noises ceased. Drivers in the street, as if one, stopped and stepped out of their cars. Those in the park stopped and looked up with a strange joy in their faces, and as if protecting itself from disclosure, cell phones and digital cameras all shut down and wouldn't operate. I made my way over to see the little girl looking up in wonder and glee. Getting off the bench she began to dance in the snow, twirling around, the snow swirling about her as if in sync with her movements. Maab lowered her hand, and upon her face was a smile, not the predatory one, but something gentler and beautiful. Her face seemed to have filled out, not so hard and cold, a warm beauty of hope.
"That child, is snow", said Mab. The only time I could ever accuse her of understatement.
For the next hour or so the snow continued to fall, and children played in it. An army of snow men were constructed, and thousands of snowballs thrown in good natured battle. Kringle was in the midst of one of these battles, with a large group of children, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. The little girl and I joined the battle, with her triumphantly dropping a large snowball down the back of Kringle's jacket, making him dance around to rid himself of the cold, (the big ham), and then chase her about to get even while everyone else pelted him with snowballs. He ended up catching her in another of those big bear hugs, and placing her up upon his shoulder, we went to rejoin Mab, who was still standing in the same spot where it had begun. Maab was looking out over the chaos, and while not really showing it I seemed to sense her approval.
Upon Kringle's shoulder the little girl was starting to droop, and he carefully brought her down and deposited her into my arm. "Are you ok ", I asked, but even though she answered in the affirmative, it was clear that her strength was almost gone. "We should be getting her back to the hospital."
Mab came over and lifted the girl's tiny hand upon which had been placed the ring. The blue stone on it that had originally been flashing blue light, was almost dark now. "Yes, it is time we return".
On the trip back, Kringle drove, and I sat with the girl cradled in my arms just behind him, Mab had made her way to the very back bench seat and set by herself looking out the back seemly in thought.
"Kringle, can I ask you a question"?
"Yes, Jinn I'll answer if I can."
"If you can"?
"There are some things we of fairy cannot talk about".
"Ok, so I know the power of winter, what the hell was that"?
"That"? Queried Kringle.
"Back there, what Mab did was not of winter".
"Yes, Jinn it was, not much seen in this time of cell phones and computers, but old magic, elder magic from a time where life was simpler".
"And you"?
"Again, it has been a long time since the time where children actually believed in Santa Clause, and not Pac Man. I had a different role then".
"More powerful"?
"In some ways", he says sadly. "You know I had forgotten how much I missed the little ones". Where upon he turns from me the conversation is clearly over.