(advent) Day 16 – Do adventures have bedtimes?

[vg_ford]

Friday, December 16

 

“Just a hint?” Drew teased, and Molly laughed at him.

 

“No,” she said, starting to roll small balls of dough and setting them out on the baking sheet in front of her. “You know the rules. You don’t get to know about my dress, except for the fact that it’s gold this year. That’s it.”

 

“Which is a change,” he noted, stealing a bit of dough from the bowl. Molly slapped at his hand. “You don’t usually do gold.”

 

“No, but I’m in love with Phoebe’s lights, and this reminded of them,” she said, and then mock-glared at him. “Stop trying to find out more about it!”

 

He chuckled. They both knew that if he’d been really serious about trying to figure out what she was wearing, he’d have simply looked in her closet. But they’d been playing this game since the first year he’d been in the Cove, and they both still enjoyed it. She told him the color, so he could buy her a corsage that would match it, and that was it.

 

“Of course, I could just recycle one,” she said, considering. “I guess I really don’t HAVE to buy a new dress every year.”

 

“Why not? It’s not like you buy very many anyways,” Drew said.

 

Molly shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seems…wasteful?” She paused. “I’ve been thinking lately about things like that.”

 

“What kind of things?”

 

She was quiet while she rolled several more balls of dough out. The sweet rolls were studded with bits of candied orange peel, and there was cinnamon and cardamon in the dough. “I’m realizing how lucky we are,” she said finally. “And how maybe we don’t really appreciate that. Think of how different any of us could have turned out if we didn’t have the supportive friends and family we have. It’s not even the money. It’s just the people.”

 

“You’re thinking about Caliban,” Drew said, looking at her shrewdly. “And wondering what could have been done to help him.”

 

Molly nodded. “I keep thinking back to when I was talking to him, the last time,” she said, finishing the last of the dough balls. “And the more I remember, the more I realize how incredibly lonely he must have been.”

 

“You can only help those that are willing to be helped, Molly,” Drew said. “And at that point, the only help Caliban wanted was to take over the Snow Queen and her realm. You know that.”

 

“Do I?” She sighed. “Maybe. But maybe not.” Then Molly shook her head. “It’s in the past now. But I’m still going to wonder.”

 

“Just don’t let it get you down,” he said. Then he looked at his watch. “Time to head back. Save me some of those rolls?”

 

“Considering I made six dozen? I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” Molly kissed him and sent him back to the Gate Station with a basket full of ham and cheese scones, fudge brownies, and shortbread cookies. With the Snow Queen’s ball the following night, the Gate Station was busy as ever, and all the techs and engineers were on standby. There were replacements coming in from Boston to cover for them tomorrow night, but tonight, it was all hands on deck. Molly didn’t envy them at all.

 

Then, as she saw him out the front door, she looked over at the pile of children and animals next to the wood stove. Kaylee, Gideon, Jack, and Schrodinger were asleep after playing in the park across the street earlier in the day, but Lily was sitting at one of the tables, writing in her notebook, while Goldie sat with her and read another one of his books. Kiaya sat at the table next to them, busily typing on her keyboard, a contemplative look on her face. Molly had always considered him more of a scholar than a pirate, and wondered again how or why he’d come to sail with Pavel.

 

Then again, Pavel’s not really your typical pirate captain, come to think about it, she reminded herself. Not that you have that much experience with pirates, Molly.

 

Pavel had offered to take them out with him one time. Molly wondered what it would be like.

 

As if her thoughts had conjured him, Pavel himself came into the bookstore. “Hello, CrossWinds Books!” he said heartily, waking up the kids, who blinked sleepily.

 

“Pavel!” Lily said eagerly, putting down her pen and running over to him while her sister and Gideon were still rubbing the sleep from their eyes. “You’re back!”

 

“I haven’t been gone,” he said, laughing a little as she launched herself at him. “Have I?”

 

“Well, I haven’t seen you,” she said.

 

“Very good point. You’ve been at school, and I doubt your teachers would appreciate me coming in to disrupt their classes,” Pavel told her, smiling down. Goldie had stood up when his captain came in, and Pavel waved him back to his chair and his book.

 

We saw him earlier this week, Schrodinger said, yawning and stretching elegantly.

 

“Pavel, did you come to take us on an adventure?” Gideon asked. “We haven’t had an adventure yet today.”

 

“Every day should have an adventure,” Pavel agreed. “But are you sure you haven’t had one yet? I hear you went and built a snow village.”

 

“That’s not an adventure,” Gideon said dismissively.

 

“Says you,” Molly heard Kiaya say quietly, and the kitchen witch hid a smile behind her hand. Having helped herd the children through the snow earlier, Molly had to admit that she agreed with her.

 

“Besides, it’s getting rather late for an adventure,” Pavel continued. “Don’t you know that adventures have a bedtime on the night before the Snow Queen’s Ball?”

 

“They do?” Kaylee gave him a skeptical look. “Really?”

 

“Really,” he said, nodding. “But let’s go see what the Advent calendar says. Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong.”

 

“I’ll go get it,” Molly said, and went back to the pantry where the Advent castle lived.

 

Kiaya was the one who managed to find the 16 where it floated above the main entrance. The doors opened with a flourish and, to their surprise, the Snow Queen herself was seated on her throne.

 

She smiled up at them from the expanded room. “Hello, my lovelies! I hope you’re enjoying the Advent calendar from Jack, Old Man Winter, and myself. We’ve had so much fun putting this together for you!” She paused, and then continued, “It’s hard, though, looking into the future. Harder than you might think. And you’ve been so good, I thought I should give you another present.”

 

The Snow Queen held out her hand and blew gently across her palm. Glittery snow flew up and out into the kitchen, turning into white envelopes.

 

“Invitations!” Lily squealed, as one landed in her hands. She tore it open and gasped. “To the Snow Queen’s Ball!”

 

“I hope I’ll see you all there,” the Snow Queen said. “Now, tonight you’ll probably want to go to bed early. I’ve got something very special planned for tomorrow night.”

 

>Activity: Tonight, it’s a good night to stay in. Molly’s got some special hot chocolate for the kids, and maybe you should make some too. You want to be fresh for the Snow Queen’s Ball!

Originally published at The words of Valerie Griswold-Ford. You can comment here or there.