Chapter 3. A day of worry turns into a day of fun...
The blizzard blew on and on all night long. Throughout the time a hint of mischief could be felt in the storm.
"This isn't so bad." said Ombric as he sipped a cup of hot chocolate. North said nothing, he wasn't sure if he should be worried or not. "The boy's just playing around...I think..."
It was the middle of the night, and finally they heard the sound of feet walking into the room from the stairs, it was Katherine, a foundling girl who Ombric raised. She was very tired and weary of the storm.
"Whats going on?" She asked. "It feels so strange tonight."
"Don't worry about it. Go back to bed, the storm will clear up." Ombric told her.
North smiled at her as she turned to walk back to her room.
She rubbed her tired eyes. She was about to crawl back into bed, when something in the storm outside her window caught her eye. She looked out the window and saw a glimmer in the air...like magic...
( )( )( )
The morning came with bright rays of sun. They shined down on Santoff Claussen and through the windows of Big Root, awakening the sleeping children.
Youngest William yawned and stretched, a glimmer outside caught his eye and he saw...
"There's SNOW outside! YIPPEE! A snow day!" He yelled in excitement and ran through the house yelling "SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!"
He quickly awakened both North and Ombric, who had once again been lulled to sleep by the storm.
"LETS GO PLAAAY!" The youngest William jumped up and down in excitement and began to pull on his boots.
"Not until you have your breakfast!" said Ombric.
The rest of the kids also came stumbling out of their rooms in excitement to go out and see the snow.
"BREAKFAST FIIIRRRST!" Ombric shouted.
As they all sat down for breakfast Ombric noticed that Katherine had not come down from her room yet. This made Ombric and North concerned and Ombric went to check on her.
He heard the strange sound of a rooster outside, which made the wizard raise a large eyebrow, for the chickens should not be outside yet after a large and cold storm.
He knocked on Katherine's door. "Katherine, breakfast is waiting." Said Ombric.
"I know!" was Katherine's quick reply.
There was a minute of silence and Ombric cracked the door open. Katherine sat at her window looking outside.
"Are you alright?" Ombric asked.
"Yes." She said. And Ombric walked over to sit by her. "The snow just looks so different from normal snow, it sparkles like magic." she said.
Ombrics eyebrows raised in wonder as he too looked at the snow. "Of course it does..." he said to himself. He looked at Katherine to explain to her. "Did you know that yesterday we found an elf?"
"No.." Katherine said in slight awe.
"Well we did, and North actually uh, captured him. And we think that made the elf mad so he made it snow." Said Ombric. "That's not the best version of the story but-"
Katherine grew excited, she loved it when Ombric and North found the forgotten creatures and such. But before Katherine could ask anymore questions there came another strange sound outside, the same as before, the sound of a rooster cock-a-doodle-dooing outside. Except that it wasn't a rooster, and it wasn't right for the chickens to be outside after a cold storm that delivered 3 feet or so of snow.
The two of them looked out the window to see where it was coming from. And out of nowhere a boy with white hair swung down from above upside down!
"COCK A DOODLE DOO! Means MORNING!" The boy said, before he disappeared over the window.
Katherine jumped in surprise. "That boys been running around Big Root all morning!" she said. "Who is he?"
"He has?" asked Ombric. Surprised that he returned, or rather, stayed, in Santoff Claussen. 'Of course he would..' Ombric thought. "His name is Jack Frost and he's the elf who brought snow last night!" he answered Katherine.
"HIM?!"
He and Katherine rushed down stairs to see North and the children in the middle of breakfast.
"What's the big hurry?" North asked.
"The boy's come back!" Ombric said. And he saw glimpses of him rushing past the windows and he began to knock on every door and window he went past, trying to get everyone's attention like an excited child. He was doing it so fast it seemed impossible. He was over there one moment and then here, and then over there, and then up there!
"How's he doing that?!" The children asked in wonder and surprise. "And why?"
Till finally Jack stopped at one of the windows where everyone could see and hear him. "Come on out everyone! It's a snow day!" He said with a grin, and disappeared behind the corner.
"Who cares! Lets go!" The children said."Maybe he'll teach us his trick!" And before they'd finished breakfast they all rushed out of their chairs and put on their boots and coats and ran outside into the snow, looking for the mischievous boy running around. They ignored Ombrics commands to sit back down, even Katherine surprisingly went outside to look for the newcomer.
Ombric growled in frustration and spun around to meet North, who was staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"I'm starting to come to the conclusion that maybe the boy WANTED to be caught..." Said North.
"What do you mean? Why would he?" Ombric grumbled.
"My idea is that he allowed himself to be caught on purpose so he'd have the excuse to make it snow, thus, have a snow day with the children. I don't know why, but maybe he was lonely?" North explained. "You and Bunny did say his kind are very mischievous and clever. I wouldn't put it past him..."
At this Ombric agreed, and North took a large gulp of his ale to finish his breakfast. At that moment Ombric went stomping to the door.
"And where are you going?" North asked.
"To make sure there isn't any kidnapping involved!" he answered. At this North also jumped up to follow Ombric outside. But their worries soon vanished once they saw that the children and Jack were only having a war of snowballs.
"I don't see how a little boy could, or even would, want to do such a thing, especially to THESE children, they're way to clever with their inventions to let themselves be kidnapped by a young boy...even IF he has magic..." Said North.
"It depends on the magic and how skilled these children are in defending themselves." Said Ombric. North nodded in agreement.
"He is a mystery." Said North.
"And though he may be young in appearance...early teens I'd say, he could be hundreds of years old, so don't let his appearance deceive you." Said Ombric. "And his eyes...are the kind to lull you into a trance if you let them. But I sense no evil from him..." he said as he looked closely at the elfin boy playing with the children.
"But we don't know of his age for sure, he seems childlike enough to be child." Said North.
"It is interesting..." Said Ombric.
Right then Jacks eyes landed on Norths and in an instant a snowball came flying at him and hit him in the face! Catching North off guard.
Ombric burst into a fit of laughter. "You let your guard down!" He laughed. North grumbled at Ombric in annoyance.
Smallest William then came trudging through the snow with a giggle and threw snow at Ombric. Ombric only grinned mischievously and made a snowball of his own and aimed it at the little boy.
Youngest William knew it was aimed for him and he ran away screaming in fake terror!
...And North and Ombric joined the snowball fight for the rest of the day...