Chapter 3:Warnings and Introductions
For three hundred years Holly had driven away pain, keeping it at bay so that children could smile.
When monsters lurked under the bed or the shadows in the corner began to move, Holly was there to soothe their fears.
When tragedy struck and threatened to shatter tiny worlds, Holly was there to remind them that life goes on.
When sadness tugged at fragile little hearts, Holly was there to wipe away the tears.
When gunfire filled the air and fire rained from the sky, Holly was there to whisper hopeful words until the coming of dawn.
When a cough evolved into a fight for life, Holly was there to hold shaking little hands until the very end.
She was always there, with her compassionate smiles and kind eyes. The pain of children all over the world rested on her shoulders, followed her everywhere. There wasn't a day when the dull throb of a child's sadness in her chest went away, their fearful souls reaching out for her. It was a feeling she had grown accustomed to, and one that pushed her to keep working through the centuries. As long as she was able, she would help as many children as she could.
None of the children ever saw her, but sometimes it was almost like they knew. Their eyes would land on a spot on the wall, unable to see her yet sensing someone was there. She would always smile and laugh softly, even as her heart clenched when their eyes passed over her so easily. It was better this way, she had told herself over the years, less reasons to linger.
But even so, she always found herself growing attached to each child. She loved every life she touched with all her heart. And they stayed with her. Even when they had grown up and passed on, Holly remembered them.
And sometimes when she found herself sitting on a lone rooftop, staring up at the Moon, Holly wondered if someday they would remember her too.
Everything hurt.
It had been a busy day Holly. For hours she had flown back and forth nonstop from house to house. By the time she had finished her work in Burgess, there were trails of silver glitter all over the world. And by the Moon, it felt like her feet where going to fall off.
Glancing down at her hands, she rubbed them absently making sure no glitter was stuck to her skin. After coming back from a day off, it was usually hectic, but not like this. Every time she helped a child, four more became distressed. It had reached a point where she was spending less than ten seconds in a house before hurrying to the next.
"Where is it coming from?" she murmured, looking up at the Moon. But the glowing sphere had no answer for her.
A tinkling sound came from behind her, breaking Holly from her thoughts. She swung her legs as they dangled off the edge of the roof, a knowing smile growing on her face as she turned to glance over her shoulder. "It's about time."
Suddenly, the world lit up. Streams of gold snaked through the streets and above the rooftops, dancing around the town as they found their way to opened windows. Holly watched as they swirled above the children's heads, forming sweet dreams and innocent fantasies. A stray stream swam by her in the form of a dolphin, and she laughed as it clicked happily when she reached out a hand to touch it.
Standing, she turned to face the little golden man who had landed silently behind her. He waved in greeting, images made of golden sand flashing above his head. When she'd first met the Sandman, his way of communication had confused her so much she'd taken to carrying a small notebook around in case she bumped into him so he could write down what he wanted to say. The conversations ended up taking hours for a long time, to Holly's embarrassment. She was incredibly grateful for Sandy's patience. If it had been anyone else, Holly was sure they would have just given up on her. All of the slow conversations had turned out to be worth it though. Now, after several hundred years, Sandy could talk as fast as he liked.
"Hi Sandy, how are you?" Holly asked, smiling softly.
The little man grinned for a moment before beginning his own personal game of charades. He moved his hands quickly and an image of an arrow appeared above his head, followed by a tiny golden question mark.
"Cupid? He's out working right now, it's always a bit busier in the fall and winter," she replied. Over the years there had been occasions where the pair had run into Sandy together. He was one of the few spirits who saw both Holly and Cupid on a semi-regular basis, which was amazing considering any sighting of either was a rarity.
Sandy nodded, then frowned, several images popping up and disappearing over his held. Holly laughed the moment she saw a disgruntled Yeti yelling at an elf. "Again? You know, if the Yetis would stop leaving open paint cans on the ground, maybe the elves would stop tripping over them."
They laughed and exchanged stories for awhile, Sandy telling Holly about the antics at the North Pole between the Guardians and she telling him about the changing of seasons at the Hollow and Piper's last mishap his food dish (which had ended with both spirit and dog covered in wet dog food).
After awhile though, the conversation took a more serious turn. Sandy paused for a moment after recovering from a fit of laughter, hesitating as he waved his hands to form new images: Holly, children, rain-cloud, a wave, Earth, question mark.
Holly's mouth turned down in a frown. She'd been hoping maybe it was just her tendency to worry blowing the situation out of proportion, but if Sandy had noticed it too then the problem was real. "I don't know what's going on," she sighed, suddenly hyper-aware of her exhaustion, "maybe it's just a phase. School's back in full swing, that always tends to stress out the little ones."
Even as she said it out loud, Holly knew her attempt at an explanation wasn't convincing in the least. And what was more, she had waited for Sandy to approach her today. Normally Holly would merely linger in a certain time zone struck particularly bad that day, flitting away to the next time zone or going home as soon as the first.
Sandy crossed his arms in thought as he tried to puzzle through it, but after awhile he seemed to sigh and shake his head. As he floated up so he could look at her eye-to-eye, she found concern written all over his face. Holly gave him a weak smile, suddenly hyper-aware of how tired she must look. Patting her head once, the Sandman lowered himself to the ground again and waved his hands, the arrow appearing above his head once more.
You should tell Cupid.
Holly immediately shook her head. "It's probably nothing," she said quietly, "One day of intense work won't kill me."
It wasn't the reaction Sandy wanted at all, and he wiggled his finger disapprovingly at her.
"If it turns into a pattern, I'll tell him, but I don't want to worry him while he's so busy if there isn't anything going on," Holly replied, giving him a pleading smile. This seemed to placate Sandy, and he nodded once, face still stern. But after a moment it faded back to his normal easy-going expression and he gave her a little wave, forming a cloud of dream sand beneath him so he could get back to work.
Holly bit her lip as he floated off, a request on the tip of her tongue but her mind unsure if it was necessary. A sudden pang of sadness in her chest solidified her decision and she spun around. "Sandy!"
The golden man stopped in midair and turned to look back at her.
"Make them a bit stronger today. Please? Just in case," she called out to him.
He nodded in understanding and flew off, the streams of sand slithering out from the cloud seeming to glow just a bit brighter.
Satisfied, Holly turned her attention to the pain and hopelessness filling her chest. It was strong, coming from a house nearby. Careful not to exhaust herself too much before reaching the house, she pushed off the roof, hovering in the air for a moment before flying slowly towards the home. She wasn't as fast in the air as Sandy or Cupid when they decided to take to the skies, but it was enough to make moving from house to house a bit easier.
The closer she got to the house, the stronger the feeling became. Moving over to the second floor window where she knew a child slept inside, she was surprised to see dream sand floating above the girl's head, fairies flitting around with leaves and flowers. Puzzled, Holly glanced around at the other houses. Each child nearby was sleeping soundly, a soft golden glow illuminating their windows. Maybe she was over-tired? Definitely a rarity for her, but with how heavy her body felt at the moment, it seemed like an actual possibility for once.
She was just about to leave when a pitiful squeak sounded from the bushes, followed by a spike of pain in her chest. Holly immediately flew down to the closest bush, pushing the branches out of the way until she spotted the source of the noise. A tiny creature laid curled up in the grass, chirping quietly as its wings twitched. It looked half-human and half-hummingbird, brightly colored and tiny enough to fit in the palm of her hand. Its markings struck her as somewhat familiar, but the thought was quickly forgotten as she leaned in for a better look. From Holly's vantage point, she could see the irregular angle one of its wings was bent and her heart clenched.
Gently, she reached towards the little sprite and scooped it up in her hands, careful not to disturb its broken wing. "Hello, little one," she whispered softly.
Tiny pink eyes focused on her as the sprite shivered and sniffled. It squeaked frantically at her, trying to communicate.
"Hey, hey, hey," Holly soothed, forming a bit of glitter on her hands to calm the little bird, "It's okay, I've got you. What happened?"
It lifted its hand to point at the window she'd just floated in front of, where she could now see tiny feathers drifting toward the bushes. "Did the window close on you as you were leaving?"
Another squeak answered her question, and the sprite held out what it was cradling in its arms: a baby tooth.
Something clicked in Holly's mind. The baby tooth, hummingbird appearance, the markings; it was a tiny tooth fairy. She'd happened upon one before, but that'd been years ago. The sprite squeaked again, shaking Holly from her thoughts. She brought it closer to her face to assess the damage for a moment, before making a noise.
"I can heal this," she said decisively, "But I need something back at The Hollow to do it. Are you okay coming with me for a little while?"
A nod from the sprite was all Holly needed. Taking a deep breathe, she conjured her glitter as she exhaled. The sprite watched with wide, curious eyes as it swirled around them, bringing a smile to Holly's face as they disappeared with a soft pop. Only a second passed before another pop sounded and Holly found herself standing on a soft blanket of snow. It had come soon after Cupid left the day before, frost crawling up her window as white covered the ground.
Holly felt the sprite shiver in her hands and set off at a quick pace towards the cottage. For her, winter weather was comfortable. She'd never really figured out why, but the most reasonable assumption she could come up with was that the Moon had intended for her to be a winter spirit all along. She was actually fairly active during the winter, making sure people were always cheerful during the Christmas holidays and having a bit of fun with plants and doorways.
The mistletoe tradition had actually started as a joke of Cupid's, hanging a bit of Holly's namesake on a random doorway and then shooting the two people who walked under it first with an arrow. After awhile, the idea just sort of stuck as people began to associate Christmas couplings with mistletoe. And so it became an unofficial job of Holly's to hang a sprig over the heads of people she thought would match well, markers for Cupid when he made his rounds.
She giggled under her breath at the memory of all the people who met for the first time under the mistletoe and then suddenly found themselves smitten with a stranger. They actually fit together nicely in most cases, to Holly's delight and Cupid's amusement, but there was always one odd pair that was so mismatched they barely lasted a day. The two spirits merely referred to the yearly mistake as "that couple".
Pushing the door open with her elbow, Holly stepped inside the cottage. A bark rang around the house as Piper trotted into the room, but as soon as he noticed the sprite in Holly's hands he immediately quieted and came up to her, whining softly.
"It's not as bad as it looks," Holly whispered so as not to disturb the sprite anymore, "but I need you to fetch me the pouch from my room, please."
Piper dipped his head once before padding off to the bedroom. Meanwhile, Holly moved towards the couch and placed the sprite on one of the soft cushions, careful to set it on its stomach. It whimpered weakly again and Holly stroked its head with her finger, conjuring a bit of glitter for each motion in hopes of soothing the pain. She was glad the fire lit on its own when she entered the Hollow, for without it the cottage would be too cold for comfort.
She looked up as Piper came back into the room, a small silver pouch dangling from his mouth. The snowy dog dropped it into her outstretched hand and settled at the foot of the couch, his tail thumping against the wood floor. Pulling the string to open the pouch, Holly careful pulled out a tiny vial. The liquid inside it glowed gently in the dark room, emitting a light akin to moonlight but slightly softer. The sprite stared at it in wonder, and Holly smiled.
"This'll fix you right up," she said as she pulled the top off. "The moon gave it to me when I first became a spirit. He said I cannot use it on the children, as much as I'd like to, but I may use it for five people I am destined to meet. Kind of a silly thing to say, don't you think?"
At the melancholy tone in Holly's voice, the sprite looked up at her. She gave it a small smile and tipped a few drops onto its wing. As soon as the liquid touched feathers, it changed into silver glitter, swirling around the appendage before disappearing with a pop. The sprite, who had closed its eyes in fear of what would happen, blinked in surprise as it regained feeling in the injured wing. With a nod and a smile from Holly, it chirped once and wiggled the wing with apprehension. After a moment of testing, it began flapping its wings quickly, zipping in to air with an excited sound.
Holly laughed as the sprite fluttered around her, squeaking happily. It hovered in front of her face for a moment before she felt a tickle on her nose as it gave her a quick peck of appreciation. She pat it on the head and it zipped toward the door, ready to leave and return to its mistress.
"Only been up for a minute and already impatient to go," Holly said with a giggle, striding toward the door.
The sprite chirped differently this time, as if laughing, and Holly couldn't help but smile more at its enthusiasm. "You'll come back to visit sometime, won't you?" She asked as she opened the door for it. It nodded happily before pausing for a moment in thought.
After a moment, it reached into its pouch and pulled out the baby tooth. Holly frowned as it pointed from the tooth to itself, its eyes pleading with her, wanting her to understand. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite following what you're trying to tell me," she said, puzzled. The sprite made a frustrated nose and brought the tooth closer to her eyes, pointing back and forth some more.
Several minutes and a few eye rolls later, Holly clapped her hands in understanding. "You want me to call you Baby Tooth? Is that your name?"
The sprite nodded and chirped happily, fluttering around her head one more time before disappearing into the night sky. Holly waved from the doorway for a while, smiling. She was looking forward to her new friends next visit.
She was about to turn back when she heard a loud rustling noise. Her heart picked up a rapid pace as she spun around, eyes searching the trees for the source. A whispering sound rang through the Hollow, menacing and dark. She could see the moonlight dimming on the edge her woods, shadows growing deeper in every direction. From inside the house, Piper growled. He ran out in front of her, snarling at the darkness. Glancing around in fear, Holly found her voice. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and then called out.
"Who's there?"
Preview of what is to come:
"Running...
Snow crunching.
Leaves rustling.
Darkness rising.
'Who's there?'
The moon hidden behind the shadows...
...whispers carried in the wind.
'Are you afraid of the dark?'"
Hello everyone!
First off, I am so incredibly sorry it took me so long to update. School began again soon after I updated last, and I got caught up in the all the things I need to do for my classes and college applications. It's all a lot more stressful than I thought it would be. I actually have a deadline coming up this week and I am absolutely terrified. But my grades for the first quarter are top notch and I have high hopes, so wish me luck! I've been feeling quite ill since last night, and I didn't have any homework left over from Friday for once, so I actually used the rare free time to be really productive with this story. Thanks again for being so patient. I've been feeling so guilty about leaving you all hanging for so long, and I'm so glad I can finally post something again.
Now, regarding the story. I'm in a bit of a rut right now, as there are two routes I could take it down from here. I won't reveal any specifics, but I think they're both brilliant. I just can't decide what to do. I love both of them equally, and this decision seriously has me completely stumped. So, one route I call "The Red String Route" and the other I call "The Paper Crane Route". Leave an opinion of what you think I should do in the reviews, or send me a message if you'd like a bit more information before you make a decision and promise not to spoil any of it for anyone. I can't wait to hear your opinions.
As always, thank you for the amazing reviews:
Runemarks- A sequel? I may just have to consider that for this story... Haha, I really do love your reviews. I have actually thought about one of the villains in this story being in love with Holly though, but it didn't quite do it for me. However, I still find it incredibly amusing that we had the same idea there hahaha. I'm sorry I couldn't meet your expectations for the update, but I do plan on updating again soon after this (Have faith! I'm flying through these applications!). I would definitely like to hear your opinion on my little problem though, as you seem as invested in this story as I am xD
Fellow Digitamer- No Jack in this chapter I'm afraid, but soon I promise *wink*... Oh God that's awful, why did I do that?
Hidden Creations- Ooooh I loved this review too. Absolutely made my day. No pacing and bad grammar irritate me to no end. I'm glad the reviews have all been quite positive and constructive up to this point, and that you are enjoying my story so much. I couldn't find that typo that you spoke of though, as hard as I looked. Could you (or anyone who sees it) point it out for me?
Mrp- Mwahaha, behold the new update!... a month after the review but I finally did it XD
And thank you Mariana Lestrange, Zolacookie, and PJO-Blue-Cookies for your praise!
Alright, I think that's everything I wanted to cover here. Again, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for having so much patience. I promise to update again as soon as possible, and hope you enjoy the newest chapter of "All That Glitters".
Love,
Thinkeasy
PS: Just realized something. If you would like the chat and ask questions about the characters or the story, or just have a laugh, I have a tumblr! *insert shameless self-promotion*... Haha seriously though, if you would like to check it out and come chat, my username is itsthinkeasy.
I look forward to hearing from you all!