Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter Six: Wisps and Sand! Sorry, this chapter took longer than expected! Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Guardians of Childhood series or Rise of the Guardians! I only own my own OC!
Chapter Six:
Wisps and Sand
The Sandman and his Dreamsand-cloud floated over the small town of Burgess. Funny, Sandy always seemed drawn back to this place, just like Jack. Too many things happened here, he supposed. The defeat of Pitch and the birthplace of Jack Frost made him feel… connected, somehow.
Sandman spread his Dreamsand all over town. They passed through windows and created wonderful, happy dreams for the children. Ah, his job was so blissful. Giving dreams to children, promoting wonder and hope in them. If only Pitch were nonexistent….
Something blue flashed in the corner of his eye. He turned. There, on the border of the forest, was a small blue ball of light.
Curiosity exploded in his brain and he felt had no choice but to go towards it. Cautiously, Sandy summoned a whip in one hand and left the other free to touch it. He floated downwards and started towards the little ball of blue light.
Once he got closer, Sandy could see that it was surrounded by a bluish vapor. Or was it made completely from vapor? He would find out. Ever so slowly, he reached out, mesmerized, to touch it. Just before his finger made the connection, it disappeared.
Sandy leaned back. The thing obviously didn't want to be touched, he should've known. Just before he walked away, another ball of blue vapor/light appeared some distance away.
Sandy smiled. This was going to be the excursion of the night.
The balls of light seemed to go on forever- no matter how many times he would find one and attempt to touch it, it would disappear and another would take its place in a different area. He had never took the time to explore the forest before- he was always too busy. Of course, Sandy knew the town well, but no one ever slept in the woods.
Several twists and turns went by and, after half an hour, was led to a clearing.
The oddest sight is what Sandy saw: a young girl, probably barely a teenager, was sleeping in the middle of the clearing. She had a blue dress on and had dyed her hair blue. She appeared to be letting off a dim glow. Was that even possible? He could tell she was having a dreamless sleep; no Dreamsand glittered above her head. At least that was something he could fix. But something seemed strangely… familiar… about the girl. Although Sandy had never met her before, he knew that he had seen her somewhere.
Sandy summoned Dreamsand and sprinkled it on her head and her eyes.
The effect was immediate, to Sandy's pleasure. The blob of Dreamsand started taking shapes and forms, and formed into two humanoid figures, one looking like her and the other like an incredibly thin boy who wielded a staff. They were just… talking.
This went on for a few minutes. They would simply sit and move their mouths. The girl in the dream nudged the boy playfully, as if she had just heard a mean joke. Their eyes met, they stared, and….
The dream turned into a nightmare, consisting of a tall, lithe figure impaling the boy with an enormous scythe. Although he couldn't hear it, he could see the girl wailing and shrieking. The lithe man enclosed the girl in his arms and soon was smothered in his robes.
All of the Dreamsand turned black and Sandy felt a stab of surprise. The figure grew and came to life, but before it could even take in its surroundings, Sandy placed his hand on it.
You are not real. You are not true. You are nothing.
The spell had seemed to be more difficult to perform, but the Fearsand turned to Dreamsand, and oddly enough, it didn't go back above the girl's head. Sandy looked curiously over to the girl to find her wide awake, wide-eyed, and, if it was possible, paler than he had first saw her as. Sandy could tell that she was terrified.
Sandy suddenly recognized her. The lantern, the rumpled dress, the bare feet… yes! This was the girl who was chosen for the newest Guardian! Will-o'-the-Wisp! Sandy jumped up and smiled to the moon, which seemed to glow brighter in response. He made a figure of a girl from Dreamsand, followed by a question mark.
"… My name?" Wisp asked, puzzled. Sandy nodded excitedly.
"Will-o'-the-Wisp," Wisp said. It was confirmed- she truly was the girl.
Sandy showed Wisp some of his sand, then made a figure of a man.
"Oh! You're… Sandman?" Wisp asked, furrowing her brow. Her previously blanched face began to regain some color. Sandy nodded.
"Pleasure to be your acquaintance," Wisp said politely. Sandy nodded as if to say: "Yours, too."
Wisp had no clue who this man was, but it was clear that she decided to trust him. Sandy asked her several questions about herself, a few she couldn't get, despite his obvious symbols, and he learned a little bit about her. Her name was Will-o'-the-Wisp, she doesn't quite know where she is, and she is very confused. She asked Sandy a few questions, but his symbols couldn't quite answer. Maybe, just maybe, Sandy and the rest of the Guardians could answer some of her questions.
Sandy abruptly stood up and took Wisp's wrist.
"Wait, wait, wait, where are we going?" Wisp asked frantically, her glow flickering. Sandy didn't respond, which made Wisp more antsy.
All of a sudden, Sandy summoned golden sand and made a… what was it? A cloud? "Cloud" seemed to be the only word to describe it. He and Wisp flew on it in the direction Wisp thought was north.
Wisp absolutely loved the view- the sky seemed bigger, the town seemed smaller, and the wind whipping across her face made her feel more free than she had ever felt in her two-day life.
They flew for what felt like a few minutes before a coldness that seemed to seep into Wisp's bones fell upon them. Wisp immediately got gooseflesh and shivered. Sandy remained perfectly fine; he had a coat that seemed to be made of sand and he was somewhat used to the North Pole.
Something over the horizon caught Wisp's attention. It looked like… a building? No, it had the size of a mansion! And it was built in the middle of nowhere! Who could possibly live out here? Wisp thought vaguely.
They started to get closer, and the size of the enormous creation seemed to grow. The wind whipping on Wisp's cheeks turned them rosy red, and she hoped that they would stop or go back soon. The creation seemed to be made completely from wood, which astonished Wisp even more.
That's when realization hit her like a punch in the gut.
It was Santa's workshop.
That's it for now! Don't be afraid to leave a review!