Page 40 of When the Snowman Whispered
I pulled my hat off and prepared myself for what I’d been waiting for all night.
I knew I didn’t imagine this. Magic is real.
I checked my watch. The time read a few minutes after ten. When had they appeared before? Did the time of night matter? Didn’t Remy say something about the moon and magic in the air?
Everything had to be considered and researched. Every moment mattered. Life, God, or the Universe was trying to tell me something and my ears were stretched wide open to hurry up with the lesson and get me back to normal again.
A haunting pale blue light glowed around me.
I focused on the jail cells.
Colors fire-worked all around the cells as my snow creatures came alive. Light scorching through there tattered lace of darkness hanging around my land.
Santa yawned and stretched. The mermaids opened their eyes and flicked their tails against the bars. I checked Remy. He hadn’t woken up yet, although silver and gold swirled around his head and muscular arms.
“Eh! What’s going on?” Santa knocked at the bars. “Who did this?”
“I did.”
Santa turned to me. “Who’s there?”
“Me.”
“Who are you?” He directed his gaze all around my yard, never directly focusing on me. “Where are you?”
“Almost in front of you.”
“How can you talk to me?” Santa asked.
Shocked, I stuttered, “H-how can you talk tome?”
“Are you dead?” Santa asked.
“I don’t think so. I feel very much alive.” I rose and walked a few steps his way, still checking to see if Remy had woken up. He remained stiff in his cell.
“You can see me?” Santa asked.
“Yes. You’re Santa.”
“I’m not. I just took this form. It was better than being the guitar or the elves. No one wants to be them.”
Not that it was the most important part of the conversation, but for some reason I wanted to know. “Why not? Why doesn’t anyone want to be one of my elves or guitar?”
“The guitar has too much darkness around it. Like it was made with dead spirits.” Santa moved his fingers around the bar. His eyes glowed red. “I can see you a little more. You’re the one that Remy likes.”
“You know Remy?”
“I know everyone over here.”
“Where is there?”
“We call it the Spirit World.”
“Are you all dead?”
“No, we’re very much alive too. We’ve always been alive. Spirits. Born of bones and earth. Born before continents separated and earthquakes shaped the world you know now. Spirits. Born before God was God and the sky was blue.”
My heart almost stopped. “Really?”
