More than half a year had passed since FrostLight and Katherine had last seen each other and spent the day together. It was now well into summer- almost autumn, though there was still some lingering snow around (although most were now just a pile of mud and slush, no good to play around with unless mud-pies were to your fancy.) Since springs and summers in Santoff Claussen were generally quite cold as well, being in the northern regions of Russian tundra. Katherine had, by now, compiled a list of books she was going to use to teach the spectral boy how to read. Most of which were stories that she herself had written down.
North, during his short time there in Santoff Claussen had quickly become a village favourite. It also helped the fact that he had taken quite an interest in mechanics and magic, having started his tutelage of the magical craft under the careful guidance of Ombric. Currently, the larger than life Russian man had taken on a project to combine both the machinery of the villagers and Ombric's ancient magic to create something new, something exciting.
That day, North had asked for the children to bring him items that held significance to them and their parents. He was going to put these "treasures" as he had called them, in a wooden box that would then be placed inside of the metal man that North had created, telling them that by doing so, they were ensuring that the Djinni (the metal man of North's creation) would recognise them.
Katherine didn't quite know what to give North. She didn't have a favourite pebble, or comb, or penny. She didn't want to give up her shoe nor her precious books. She had thought about it for a while before coming up with a brilliant idea as she hastily yet carefully started to scribble on a piece of paper as the children started to scramble about to get the items North had requested they bring.
Once all the items were placed in the box, Katherine approached North, holding out a piece of paper and on it were the drawings of two people. One the ex-Cossack recognised as himself- he looked grand, noble, heroic even! He wondered if that was how the little girl saw him. But then his eyes landed on the second figure. The figure of a glowing boy, his face lit up with a smile, his spear held aloft. He radiated a sense of fun and yet a protectiveness that promised safety.
"Will the Djinni know us from this?" Katherine asked, fidgeting with her sleeve.
North blinked, his gaze shifting between the girl and the drawing before realising that she was waiting for an answer to her question. "It'll recognize the portrait and know whose hand has made it." He confirmed, smiling at the young girl. "But I do wonder, who is other boy in the image?"
Katherine smiled and shrugged dismissively. "I haven't asked for his name yet. Ombric says when he is ready he will tell us, but he is my friend and I wanted the Djinni to know him too." She explained, hoping North would not dismiss it as some kind of fantasy like how some of the adults in the village had done so far.
To her surprise, North let out a booming laugh that seemed to shake the room. "Of course! Of course! Boy of light deserves to have a place with the people the Djinni would recognise!" He beamed, gently placing the drawing on top of the pile of items inside the box.
"You're not going to dismiss him?" Katherine wondered, her eyes wide in awe.
"Of course not, Kathy. For if not been for boy, I would not be here today!" North explained, carefully placing the box within the Djinni's chest before covering it up with the last chest plate.
"Is it finished?" Fog asked, trying to peer around the gathered children.
"Soon enough!" Came North's reply. He looked down at his creation, a man made out of metal that came in the many metallic colours from silver to gold with undertones of darker metals such as gunmetal and iron. It didn't take North long to bring his mechanical creation to life with a simple twisting of the key above its heart.
It sat up, making everyone cheer in excitement at North's success. The Djinni looked at them with a curious expression, not surprised, as if waiting for something. "What is your command?" The Djinni robot asked in a smooth and measured voice.
All of them were caught off guard at that. They had all been so busy celebrating North's achievement that they hadn't thought of the first command yet! And then North spoke up. "Katherine, you may give first order."
Katherine's eyes widened, a rosy blush creeping up to her cheeks. She thought for a moment before smiling and facing to speak with the Djinni. In the most polite tone she could muster, Katherine spoke the first command. "I should like you, Djinni, to walk outside, please." The Djinni nodded, then, just as politely, he got up and walked outside. The children and North following behind the robot, full of glee and excitement.
It didn't take long for the entire village to spring to life at the sight of the robot and soon everyone was asking it for something to do. All except for Ombric who had locked himself up in his room, under mountains upon mountains of research. But that didn't damper the mood of the village one bit.
"Djinni, could you please bring this pile of wood by the woodmill?"
"As you command."
"Djinni, could you please help wrangle up the reindeer?"
"As you command."
"Djinni! Please please please make us a swing!"
"As you command."
"Djinni, can you move these boulders? I was thinking of making a new tower."
"As you command."
And so, the Djinni went about helping the villagers, making everyone happy. Some of the children were having the Djinni help them create devices, others simply played. Katherine on the other hand was practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect of having anything she wished for come true so long as it is in the realm of possibility. North had told her that the Djinni was made with magic, but could not perform it by itself.
Oh, but there was just one thing she wanted more than anything at that moment. She wanted to see the world from high above. Just like the cow that could jump so high it crossed the Earth's atmosphere, she wondered what they could see from up there. She wanted to experience it for herself.
Noticing her excitement, North let out a soft chuckle. Having gotten close to the little girl over the time he has stayed with them in Big Root, he knew exactly the tells that indicated her extreme excitement of an idea as she was practically vibrating in place, trying to hold back her tongue from speaking her thoughts out loud.
"Djinni!" North called, gaining the attention of the robot and all the children around it as he pointed to the little girl not too far away from himself. "The lass will explode if not given turn." he laughed, watching how Katherine's eyes bulged in even more excitement as the robot got closer.
Katherine at this point was practically bouncing on her toes. If she had bounced any higher she might as well have been called a bouncing ball. "Djinni, can you throw me as high into the air as you can and catch me?" she blurted out in her excitement, managing only barely to hold back the squeal in her voice.
Before the command even registered into North's mind, the Djinni had already picked up the giddy little girl. "As you command." it wasn't even a second later that Katherine had started her ascent to the heavens up above. She screamed with glee as she rose higher and higher into the sky, and in the distance, she could just about make out North and the children's panicked cries. But she wasn't afraid, not at all, because she trusted North and therefore she trusted the machines that he had built and that included the Djinni.
The village looked rather small from so high above. The world outside was so much bigger than she could have ever imagined. There was a sudden urge to go and see what was out there, just past the protective barriers of vines and thorns that kept the village safe.
Then, just as she was about to reach the peak of her climb, on a small cloud not too far from her sat a very familiar smiling face. The spectral boy whom she had befriended was sitting down on the cloud. He smiled at her and she gasped, only now taking note of how he seemed to be more misty in the unobscured light of day, how he shimmered even more brilliantly.
Then her curiosity got to her. How was it he was sitting on a cloud? Then her breath was taken away from her once again when he smiled at her, she smiled back and reached out her hand, and to her surprise, he grabbed it and pulled her onto the cloud where she landed in the soft vapour.
She blinked, then started to marvel in awe at her situation. She was sitting on a cloud! A cloud! That was surely impossible wasn't it? But she was there with the boy of light. On a cloud. Oh she wasn't going to get used to that idea. Ever.
"If this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up." Katherine muttered to herself, reaching out a hesitant hand to stroke at the cloud underneath her.
" It's no dream, Katherine." the astral boy chuckled, watching her play with the cloud as he sat down right next to her with a smile. " It is almost sunset, why are you soaring so high in the sky? It's dangerous if you do not know how to fly."
Katherine pouted. "I was perfectly safe! The Djinni would have caught me!"
FrostLight chuckled, giving her a bright smile. " Oh, I know. I don't doubt its abilities." Kathrine gasped, turning to face the other child with her on the cloud.
"You know about the Djinni?"
" I know many things." he chuckled. " Like how you often stay up late to write your stories, or how the children sneak out at night to play with the bear!"
Katherine giggled at that, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "And how would you know that?"
" I'm always keeping an eye out, Katherine. You just have to look up!" he said, hopping to his feet and making the cloud bounce slightly, making the young girl yelp in surprise at the sudden movement. He laughed again, but this time offering a hand out for her to hold. " Let's go cloud jumping!"
Beaming, Katherine took hold of his hand, allowing him to lead the way as they jumped about in the clouds high above Santoff Claussen. Who could have guessed that jumping in, on, and around clouds could have been so much fun? Then again, she was with the spectral boy. He could make any situation fun.
As the two children played, down below, the village of Santoff Claussen was an absolute mess with worry. Katherine had disappeared into the clouds and no one could see her at all. Not even North's own telescope.
"Where did she go?" one child asked.
"Will she be okay?" another asked.
"I want Katherine back!" cried another.
North had stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the clouds high above. His Djinni robot, too, was keeping a watchful eye in the clouds. It was only an hour later did Ombric come out to the commotion of his precious village.
The old wizard walked closer to North, an inquiring look on his old and wise face. "What in the world is going on here?" he asked, causing the ex-Cossack to fidget with his coat nervously.
"I… well…"
"Spit it out already, Nicholas." Ombric said with a sigh.
"The villagers were giving the Djinni commands, then Katherine got a turn and asked to be thrown as high as it could throw her into the sky. She has yet to come down, Ombric! It has been an hour!" North rushed out, his expression guilty as he saw the instant flash of panic in the old wizard's eyes.
Then all of a sudden they heard laughter in the wind, a squeal of delight, then the cheering of children accompanied by a dull and gentle thump. The two adults turned to face the cheering children, only to be met with a laughing and windswept Katherine. "Katherine!" both North and Ombric exclaimed, rushing over to the little girl.
The instant they were close, she hugged the both of them tightly and they held her close as well. "What in the name of the moon possessed you to request such a thing from the Djinni?!" Ombric yelled, checking over the girl for any signs of injury.
"How high did you even go?! You were gone for an hour!" North exclaimed, his worry slowly starting to ebb away with relief at seeing the young girl safe once again.
"Ombric! North! It was amazing!" Katherine started, her smile never fading from her face as she held onto their hands as she practically bounced on her toes in elation. "At first I was just soaring up and up and up! Everything was so small from up there! Then! Then! On one of the clouds! He was there!"
"He?" North asked, baffled as to how anyone could get so high up.
"Yes!" Katherine exclaimed. "The boy of light! He grabbed me from the air and took me cloud jumping!"
To that, Ombric's eyes widened in wonder, so did North's. Neither could believe what they were hearing. But what else could explain her disappearance for an entire hour within the clouds.
Beaming, Katherine looked up to the branches of Big Root and started to wave frantically, laughing as she did so. "Thank you! For bringing me back home!" all eyes landed on the many branches of the big tree, and there, right in front of their eyes was a boy made out of light and mist, crouched down on one of the branches, laughing a misty and light laugh that rang like bells before he took off, leaving behind awed faces in the trail of the wind he left behind as he darted into the sky, blinking once before fading within the passing clouds.
Today is a day full of surprises, it seems. Ombric mused to himself with a shake of his head before turning to relay the original reason for him being out there that day.
AN: Hey, listen. I'm a sucker for these two kids.
Especially after their introduction to each other in the books
When I read it, I wanted to scream and yell and tell Nightlight to grab hold of Katherine right then and there. But, that didn't happen in the books so I'm making it happen.