Author's Note: Hello, all! =D He's your extra dose of "The Winter Child" today since last chapter is really short. For any short chapters I'll be posting twice this moment forward (don't know why I didn't before...I guess I'm just that fearful of falling behind. ='D But I'm finished with this story now, so we're all good. ^u^)

I hope you guys enjoy "Memorable Trinkets!" (Another one of my favorite chapters!).


~ LXX ~

Memorable Trinkets

Spring had sprung

And with it had come

The not-so-pleasant task of spring cleaning

But while tidying the house

North and Jack both found

Trinkets and items long forgotten

During the thorough washing

...

Spring had finally sprung, and with the warmth and light came the not-so-appealing activity of spring cleaning.

Jack knew that the time would eventually come, as North had been talking about it since he realized that it had been quite a while since he and Jack cleaned the house. Spring was the season of renewal and cleansing, so it seemed like the perfect time to finally tidy things up.

There were so many things lying around, many of which could be thrown out or given away, but Jack wasn't too keen on spending the whole day cleaning (even though the house could really use it). Sure, he was seventeen, and he really should be learning to be more organized, but who wanted to spend such a pleasant day, stuck inside sweeping and dusting?

No one—if you're that kind of person, that is.

North tried to make the activity fun by saying that they may find some interesting things as they sifted through the junk. Still, Jack wasn't too thrilled. He didn't put up a fuss, though, when North asked him to start going through his bedroom upstairs while he worked in the study downstairs.

The study was perhaps the most unfastidious place of the house—North had many things lying all over the place, and Jack found it rather surprising that he could navigate his way through it all. There were oceans of plants, piles of unfinished inventions…broken ones too. They had been piling up over the years, and they desperately needed to be moved, so North set aside what he wanted to keep and fix and put away the items that could either go into the attic or be sent out.

As for Jack, going through his room wasn't much different from giving it its' whenever-he-felt-like-it clean. The only difference, perhaps, was that this action was much more thorough. Jack couldn't remember the last time he had peeked under his bed or went through his closet. He opened his toy chest (which he hadn't touched in years) finding several toys that he no longer played with. Jack decided he'd give them away to some of the younger kids of the village, though his heart panged at the thought of losing such figures that had played such a huge part in his childhood.

There were the wooden soldiers, which he used to pretend were his merry, loyal Star Ship Crew, a wooden sword that had once come in hand in defending himself from dastardly pirates. There was his old pith helmet and toy binoculars, his train set that had rushed across the entire world in just ten minutes. And resting at the very bottom was a hand drawn map, which had come in handy when navigating the lost jungles when searching for treasure.

Jack had long forgotten most of these fantasies, but many of them were rekindled as he went through his old toys. He even found a few clothes that must've been shoved in the box a long time ago, and he tossed those in the box that held things that he was going to donate.

One of his old shirts had missed the open cardboard right when North stepped in the doorway. He picked up the blue button-up and smiled wistfully. "It's been a long time since you've worn this, da?"

Jack looked up and looked at the shirt North was holding. He chuckled. "A very long time. I still can't believe I was ever that small."

"We have the pictures to prove it," said North, folding the blue shirt and placing it in the box. "You have a lot of things in here."

"I guess I didn't know how much I had to lie around here until I actually started looking," remarked Jack, sifting through his toy box to see if there was anything left inside. "I think I'm almost done though…Well, there's still the closet, but I'm kind of close."

"It doesn't look like you've touched the closet," said North.

Jack smiled. "I took one look in there and decided to wait for help. And look! Here you are."

North smirked. "I guess I can help you out a little."

"A little? You guess?"

North laughed, and he patted Jack on the back. "Come on, moy mal'chik. Let's see what you have in here."

North opened the closet, and he and Jack began to shuffle through it. There were a lot of clothes—mostly child ones—and several other things that had somehow found their way inside it. There were discarded toys, some pieces of paper…even crumbs of crackers, cookies, and chocolate.

Clearly, someone had been sneaking treats from the kitchen. North turned to Jack, and the snow sprite's cheeks turned bright blue.

"Ah…I completely forgot about those," he said.

North shook his head in amusement. He didn't scold Jack. Besides, what would punishment do now for something he had done years ago?

Jack handed North the old clothes while North folded them up and placed them in boxes. Once all the old items had been filtered out, North went back to see if Jack had missed anything while Jack checked the clothing pile that he had amassed to see if there was anything he wanted to keep.

North was looking through the closet when something tucked away in the corner caught his eye. He opened the closet door a little wider and there, forgotten in the depths of the closet, was Jack's old stuffed animal Wawa. She was dusty, worn, and a bit torn in some places, but hundreds of memories of young Jack flooded into North's mind at the sight of her.

Jack was so attached to Wawa, that it was hard for North to imagine him ever growing out of her. In fact, he didn't stop sleeping with her until he was eleven. He had placed her in the closet claiming that eleven-year-olds were too old for stuffed animals, and since then, North hadn't seen Wawa since until now.

North wondered if Jack still remembered her. The ex-Cossack pulled Wawa out of the closet and turned around. "Jack, I found an old an old friend in here."

Jack turned around, confused. "Huh?"

North smiled, and he pulled out Wawa. Jack's eyes widened as remembrance dawned on his face. Time seemed to slow as he reached out and fingered the stuffed animal. Wawa was just as soft as he remembered her to be.

He was shocked by how small she was now. When he was a child, she seemed to be much bigger in his little hands. Memories from his early childhood came rushing back to him.

He remembered the adventures that he and Wawa would go on.

The many nights he'd spent with her snuggled against his chest.

How he'd run his fingers through her fur, taking comfort in its softness.

How he'd drag her absolutely everywhere he went.

"I…I remember this," Jack whispered, running his fingers through Wawa's fur.

"You used to carry her everywhere," said North. His eyes sparkled with recalling. "It took me about a night to make her. I made her just for you."

Jack nodded slowly, lost in an ocean of nostalgia. How could he have forgotten Wawa? She was a major part of his childhood, and the memory of her had just slipped away.

Jack was still running his fingers through her fur, savoring every touch. He didn't think he'd ever see Wawa again, and yet here he was, acting as if he had reunited with a lost family member. Though when he was young, Wawa was indeed considered a part of Jack's family.

"So, we throw her away?"

Jack snapped his eyes up at North. "W-What?!"

North laughed at his reaction. "I'm just kidding, moy mal'chik. I know how much Wawa means to you. But what would you like to do with her?" He smirked. "Since you're too old to be sleeping with stuffed animals now."

Jack smiled lightly. "Ah…I think I'll keep her." The snow sprite shrugged. "Just for memories."

"Understandable," said North. "Now, let's get the rest of this cleaning done, da?"

North and Jack quickly finished organizing the last of Jack's things. They took them downstairs so they could take them to the shops tomorrow for donations. After that, all that was left was a good sweep and dust of the house, and after a few hours, the home was looking much cleaner than it had been before.

North and Jack were tired but proud of the work they had accomplished that day. The two had a quick supper and Jack bathed, pulled on his pajamas, and went to his room to study. He had some reading he needed to finish for school, and he wanted to get it done before he went to sleep. North found him reading in his room, and he gave the snow sprite a light hair ruffle, proud that he was making an effort in his studies.

Jack soon finished reading, and he yawned, tired. He put his books away and blew out his candle. Then, he climbed into bed. As he shuffled under the covers, his blue eyes landed on Wawa, who he had placed on the bedside table earlier that day. Jack stared at her, suddenly wanting to sleep with her as he had in his youth.

Jack shook his head. No! What are you thinking? You're seventeen years old, not five!

Jack rolled over and closed his eyes, but he took a peak at Wawa once again. Her fur shimmered in the moonlight. Jack's fingers twitched.

I…guess it couldn't hurt to sleep with her. Just this once.

Jack reached out and took Wawa from the side table, his fingers brushing against her cool fur. The snow sprite at her for a moment before another childhood memory resurfaced. He used to bury his face into Wawa's fur when he was young, loving the sensation as her fur tickled his cheeks.

Just for memories, Jack nuzzled Wawa's furry front. He chuckled as the fur tickled his pale face. His embarrassment soon forgotten, Jack lay down and yawned, hugging Wawa close as he drifted to sleep.

Later that night, North came to check on Jack. He opened the bedroom door and found the teenage snow sprite asleep. Jack snored softly, and North spotted Wawa tucked under his chin. The ex-Cossack chuckled, and he ruffled the boy's hair.

"I knew you hadn't grown out of her," he whispered. North pressed a kiss to Jack's head and then exited the room.


Author's Note: Super random, but my dad gave me a monitor (can I call it a monitor? It's kind of a really large screen tablet-) that I can use to have two separate windows open on two screens! =D I have a monitor I use for school, but that one's also my dad's, and I can't move it out to where I usually like writing. QwQ It's pretty nice; the case folds so you can make it stand up, and it's really portable.

I actually like it better than the other monitor (but I have no idea how to turn the brightness down on this one). The buttons labeled turn down brightness and turn up brightness don't work. I guess the monitor hasn't warmed up to me as much as I warmed up to it. ='D

And now for a note that actually on topic with the chapter: I used to sleep with stuffed animals when I was little. I loved them so, so, so, so much. I remember I had a stuffed rabbit and cow from when I was a baby, and a stuffed Lambie doll (the sheep character in Doc McStuffins), and I'd sleep with them all the time. Then one day, they were just...gone. I asked my mom where they went, and she said she donated them since I was "too old for stuffed animals." QwQ

I disagree with that statement. No one's too old for stuffed animals! I like clinging to something when I sleep, so a stuffed animal fills that space. They make me feel safe and warm. ='D Though I don't have any in my bed right now, I probably have some other ones that I collected downstairs in our basement...I just don't feel like shuffling through and fishing them out. XD

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you in the next one! =D

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203