Chapter Three

Sink or Swim

Jack had been on the little island of ice and rock for about a week. Baby Tooth had disappeared for a few hours but had come back, as she promised she would. She explained she wanted to check on the Tooth Palace, it felt odd being away for so long. Jack had tried to tell her she could leave, it was okay, he understood. She had refused, turning away from him in the universal sign of la, la la, not listening. Jack was standing on his little outcropping of rock, staring out the ocean again. A noise came from behind him, and he spun to see what, or who, had found him. He stepped backwards without realising. The noise wasn't behind him at all, it had come from under him, which he realised too late. The rocky outcropping was attached to the island by a chunk of ice, which had groaned as it fell away from the island. Jack felt the rock below him give away, and felt himself plummet from where he had been standing.

He saw the water below him, and held his arms in front of his face, not really ready to be in the water. The water never came, Jack groaned as he fell onto a bed of ice. He pushed himself onto his hands and knees, seeing the ice he had landed on. He looked around; he had landed on a sheet of ice in the middle of the ocean beneath where he had been. Exactly underneath. He thsought, something in his chest felt almost warm, and Jack knew if he needed to breathe, that his breath would have been caught in his throat. He heard a clatter behind him, and felt the wood of his staff touch against his foot. He looked at the wood, it had fallen from the island as well. Jack's eyes moved and saw the horizon, and saw that there was another crop of land that wasn't too far. He wondered to himself if he could swim it. He hovered a foot over the water, ready to step in, holding both ends of his staff tightly in his arms. As he lowered hs foot, it was greeted by a new patch of ice. Jack stared at the ice, and tried again. The water formed into a sheet of ice near his foot as he tried to step into the water.

Jack felt a surge of energy, and ran across the ice as it formed each time his foot neared the water. It took some time, a few hours, but Jack eventually made it to the other cropping of land. This was a proper piece of land, it was made up mostly of rock but Jack could see the green tips of grass on the very top of the cliff face. This cliff was almost all rock and was much easier for Jack to climb. Baby Tooth flew next to him, cheering him on as he climbed the wall, taking his time to avoid dropping the staff. Jack pulled himself up over the top of the cliff and sat on his knees, taking in the scenery. It was a rocky landscape, with small patches of soft green grass covering it. Snow covered other areas, sometimes mingling with the grass where the two met. There was a little house in the distance, and Jack decided that as the next goal. He walked slowly to the house, hoping it would be vacant. He had no need to hide from the snow and wind, he simply wanted somewhere he could hide, he did not want to be reminded of how he was invisible.

Sadly, Jack wasn't that lucky. As he came to the house he heard voice; an older woman and a young girl. The girl ran out of the front door, laughing as she did. She was young, with shoulder length brown hair and light brown eyes. The older woman was shouting after her, but simply smiled and shook her head. She walked back inside, letting the door swing shut on it's own. Jack sat near the door and rested his head against the wooden wall of the house; he wouldn't stay long.

That was Jack's plan, until he saw the little girl running back to the house later on. A bundle of fur was in her arms, and her eyes were red.

"Mama!" He heard her shout, and felt the house creak as the front door swung open.

"Mama!" The girl yelled again, rushing to her mother. She was cradling a small animal in her arms, and went inside with her mother. Jack ducked through the gap as the door swung shut, and looked around the home . it was small, but felt so incredibly homely that it made Jack smile. He watched them place the little bundle of fur onto a small brown couch and felt his chest leap. It was a tiny brown rabbit, with a small chunk of one of it's ears missing. The older woman had begun to tend to the small animal's wounds, while the younger girl sat down to eat a bowl of hot soup as she had been told to.

"Mama, what's that?" The girl asked, noticing a letter on the table. "Is it from Dad?"

The woman smiled, and nodded. "Yes dear, no but it's just as good. It's from the Easter Bunny."

"The Easter Bunny!?" The little girl was thrilled.

"Yes, I found it this morning. He's very sorry he missed easter, he couldn't get through the snow, so he made sure to let me know he would be visiting us a little later than usual. Tomorrow morning in fact!" The woman's smile was huge and bright, matching her daughter's. Jack stayed in the house that evening, curious what the woman was up to. Bunny didn't leave notes and he had missed them because of the attack on the warren. It was late when there was a knock on the door. The older woman opened it quietly, exchanging thanks with whoever it was. She placed a tiny white basket on the floor near the fireplace, and Jack saw what looked like dozens of gorgeous eggs in the basket. A few of them were ceramic, painted with a variety of bright colours. His favourites were the few eggs wrapped in bright foil; those ones would be chocolate. He watched as the woman used a botle of white powder to make large rabbit foot shapes on the grund, leading to and from one of the windows in the sitting area. Satisfied with her work, she made sure the fire would go for the night, checked the little bunny, and went to bed.

The little girl stumbled out of bed the next morning, rubbing her eyes when she saw the footprint on the floor. Her eyes followed them to the fireplace, where she saw the eggs.

"Mama, mama, he came!" She shouted, squealing as she looked over the eggs. The older woman came out of her room, rubbing her eyes, pretending she had just woken up. Jack knewshe had woekn earlier; she had checked on the eggs and the little rabbit earlier in the morning, and was unable to get back to sleep.

"Gosh aren't they pretty darling." The woman said, sitting on the couch near the girl. "I think those pretty foil ones are chocolate, the little ceramic ones are pretty as well."

"They look like something daddy would paint." She girl said, smiling.

"Oh you're right, they do don't they? Well it seems the easter bunny wanted to make sure you had a good easter then, he must've felt bad he was late."

"That's okay Mama, the snow was in the way, bunny's don't like snow." The girl's words made Jack laugh, before he could stop himself he was laughing with the little family. Thefamily spent the day enjoying some of the chocolate eggs, saving a few for when Dad would be visiting next, and checking that the little rabbit was warm near the fire. They had found a few little root vegetables and leaves it could eat near the house, in the wooded area. It was munching happily when Jack felt a sharp wind shake the house. The family had gone out, and Jack decided he would watch the house. He decided to find the famlily, in case the winds got too strong.

Jack found them near the cliff he had climbed up. His ice had disappeared once he was no longer touching it. The little girl was playing near the edge, when Jack felt a stronger wind than earlier, and heard the scream. He saw the little mess of brown disappear over the edge, and the older woman cruched over the edge, shouting. Jack raced to the edge, forgetting his staff was in two halves in the house, and threw himself over the edge. He fell, andmanaged to grab the little girl's leg, pulling her up just enough so he would hit the water ice formed underneath the two. Jack heard the little girl sobbing, and saw her staring in fear at the water that was lapping at the ice's edge. There was a splash nearby, and Jack saw her. The older woman grabbed the edge of the ice sheet and climbed on to the ice. Jack watched as she helped the smaller girl swim to the main island, and wrapped her large coat around the girl. She had left it on the edge, to keep it dry.

"No, no no no! You'll be too cold, it's not safe!" Jack was shouting as he watched the two climb up some loose stone steps and begin the walk back to the house. Only one was walking, the mother had scooped the young girl up and was carrying her to the house. Jack climbed back up the cliff, after having jumped from the ice sheet to the rocky shore. He stepped through the door; they had left it open. He made sure to close ot slowly, as if it was the wind. He could feel that the house was much warmer than it had been before. New logs were on the fire and thelittle girl was draped over the couch closest t it. Her wet clothes had been replaced by fresh dry ones. The little rabbit had been moved to a small pile of fabric with a quick sorry from the older woman. The older woman sat on the floor next to the couch, watching her daughter through the night. It was a few hours later when the little girl spoke to her mother.

"Mama." Came the weak voice. "Do we have to say thank you?"

"To who sweetie?" The woman asked, her voice shaking.

"The old man who runs the sweet shop said that there used to be special spirits who controlled the weather. He said they used to give little presentsto the spirits before seasons to ask that the seasons weren't bad." The little girl explained this to her Mother, who nodded along.

"I don't see why not, what do you think winter spirits like?" The woman asked, stroking the little girls head. The young girl thought hard, then gave the most determined answer Jack had ever heard.

"Chocolate." She said, with a weak nod. The woman laughed, and asked the daughter to pick an egg from the little pile of easter eggs. It was a pretty one; pink foil with swirls of gold. The little girl went back to sleep by the fire, now holding the little rabbit that had hopped up to join her. Jack watched the older woman place thelittle chocolate egg, as well as one of the plainer ceramic ones on the outside window sill.

"My daughter said you like chocolate, I hope you do. The… the ceramic egg is one of my husband's, it's one of the plainer ones I'm sorry. The others were a special gift for my daughter. Thank you, for today." She said outloud, unaware the very person she was speaking to was nearby. Jack waited until she had gone to bed, curled up in the small armchair near the couch her daughter was on. He picked up the little ceramic egg and frozen when he saw the tiny pattern of frost swirls that covered it. He smiled and placed it back into the basket with the others; the pattern would disapear by the morning.

Jack rested against the window inside the house, and smiled, falling asleep in the slightly too warm house. Jack was startled awake by a banging on the noise and a child laughing outside. The older woman called out for whoever it was to come in and Jack was shocked to see familiar face rush into the house, and wrap his arms around the older woman.

"Hi Aunty!" Jamie said; his smile as bright as the young girl's had been the day before.