Zoey, Zoey, look what I found!
Zoey looked up from the book she was only half-reading when she heard Schrodinger call. Corrine had given her, Lily and Jack a choice that morning: they could stay at the Barretts’ house and play, or they could go to the bookstore and hang out with Molly. As much as she didn’t want to face the Advent Calendar yet, Zoey definitely did not want to be at the Barrett house any more than she had to. The reminders of Santa and home were just too painful. Especially since she no longer had a home to go to.
So they had gone to the bookstore, where Molly greeted them with a tray full of cookies that Zoey had no appetite for. She had retreated to the bed beside the wood stove and tried to read, but the words blurred on the page, and the smell of the smoke made flames tear through her mind.
But now, when she saw what the CrossCat coming towards her had in his mouth, Zoey dropped her book and covered her mouth with both hands. “Is that…?” She couldn’t whisper any more words.
It is. Schrodinger dropped the slender case of paints in front of her. Other than a light coating of ash, it was undamaged, at least on the outside. Open it! I think it might be okay!
Zoey picked up the case with trembling fingers. Her father had said the entire house was destroyed. How could her paints be anything but a melted mess? But the ash flaked off, and underneath, the metal case glowed brightly. She opened it.
And the jewel-toned paints shone in the light, untouched by the fire. Even the brush that had come with it was not only intact, but in pristine condition.
“How is this possible?” Zoey whispered, touching the brush fibers with one trembling finger. “How could it not be destroyed, like everything else?”
Because of the magic, Schrodinger said, patting her leg with one paw. It came from St. Nicholas, and it has the magic of Christmas to protect it. You believed in St. Nicholas, and in Christmas.
“But why did the rest of it burn, then?” Zoey asked him quietly. “Was it because I didn’t believe enough?”
No. Sometimes bad things just happen, Schrodinger said. We can’t guard against everything, but we can believe it gets better. Can you believe that?
Zoey touched the brush again, and to her surprise, she found herself smiling a bit. “Yes,” she said at last. “I think I can.”
Then I think we have an Advent Calendar to open, Schrodinger said. Don’t you?
Lily and Jack were in the kitchen with Molly when they came in. Zoey held the paints clutched tightly in her hand, and held it up. “Look what Schrodinger found! It survived the fire!”
Lily’s eyes widened. “Your paints from St. Nicholas! Are they okay?”
Zoey nodded, a pleased smile creeping across her face. “They’re just like new. Schrodinger says the magic of St. Nicholas protected them, because I believed in him and the magic of Christmas.” She looked at them. “Maybe if we do the Advent Calendar and believe really hard, Santa will bring me a new home for Christmas. Do you think that’s possible?”
Anything’s possible here in the Cove, Jack said, his tongue lolling out in a grin. We can all ask Santa and believe as hard as we can!
“The mailbox is still upstairs, you know,” Molly said. “There’s nothing saying you can’t send another letter to him.” She smiled down at Zoey. “And he does answer all of them, you know.”
“Let’s do that after we open the Advent Calendar,” Zoey said, after looking at her friends. “We didn’t do that yesterday, after all.”
They all clustered around the painting, looking for the 23. Should we look for 22? Schrodinger asked.
“I think the Advent Calendar knows what day it is,” Molly told them. “I’d just look for 23.” When they looked over at her, she said, “It IS magic, after all.”
True, Schrodinger said, and they turned back to the calendar.
Number 23 turned out to be hiding in the sleigh with the children, nestled in next to the image of Zoey. She pressed her finger to the number and they all stepped back to see what the snowflake would do when it came out.
It flowed out of the hole in the painting and, to Zoey’s surprise, it snuggled up next to her cheek, almost like it was giving her a kiss. It smelled like cold and peppermint, and she was reminded of the smell of the air when they went to see the Snow Queen. “What are we doing today, magic snowflake?” she asked. “Is it something fun?”
The snowflake shimmered in response, colors fluttering from its center to the very tips of its arms, and then floated slowly out of the kitchen. Zoey, Lily, Jack and Schrodinger followed it, to see the Snow Queen standing in the middle of the tea room. Instead of the glorious gown she had worn to the ball, she was in a deep green dress, the color of Christmas tree needles, with just the faintest of shimmers to the fabric. A matching cloak, trimmed with white fur, was thrown over her shoulders, and instead of her tiara, she had a simple circulet of snowflakes holding her hair back from her face.
“Jade!” Lily and Zoey said together, rushing to give her a hug. She smiled and knelt down, enveloping both of them in her arms. Zoey buried her face in the soft velvet of her cloak and inhaled the sweet scent of candy canes and fresh snow.
“I am so happy that no one was hurt,” the Snow Queen said, hugging them tightly. “I was so afraid when we first heard of the fire!”
“But all the lovely decorations Santa left us were destroyed!” Zoey said, feeling the tears start to rise again. “Everything we brought with us! It’s all gone!”
The Snow Queen kissed the top of her head. “Not everything,” she said. “Your paints survived, didn’t they? And you have your friends, and your family here, Zoey. Don’t ever discount that. Things can be replaced for the most part, but people cannot.” She hugged her again. “And I think that Santa will be happy to help you start replacing the things you lost.”
“Really?” Zoey asked, pulling back and looking at her.
“Really,” the Snow Queen said firmly. “After all, he’s Santa. That’s what he does, if you believe.” She reached into her cloak, and brought out a small wrapped gift. “Now, I want you to have this.” She handed it to Zoey. “But you can’t open it yet. It must be opened outside, on Christmas Day.”
“Okay,” Zoey said, accepting the wrapped box. It was heavier than she expected, and she looked at it curiously. There was no tag. “Is it from you?”
“In a way.” The Snow Queen smiled. “Santa and I are very close, and we…well, let’s just say we collaborated on this together.”
“Really?” Zoey’s eyes got wide. “You know Santa?”
“I do, very well,” the Snow Queen said. “He’s been around all my life.”
“Wow,” Lily said. “So you get to see him all year long?”
“Oh yes,” the Snow Queen said. “And Mrs. Claus too.” She smiled down at them. “Maybe I shall throw a party in the summer, and invite them, and you. Would you like that?”
“Yes!” Lily and Zoey both nodded enthusiastically.
“Then we shall have to do that.” The Snow Queen stood up and rearranged her dress. “Now, do you think that maybe Molly would be kind enough to give us some tea, or hot chocolate, and some of her cookies?”
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Later, after Zoey, Lily and Jack had gone home with Corrine, Jade sat at the island in Molly’s kitchen, sipping on a cup of hot tea and chatting. Schrodinger was napping in the tea room, and for some reason, the bustle of the rest of the bookstore seemed very far away.
“Thank you,” Molly said, as she kneaded bread dough. Corrine had asked for a couple of challah loaves for french toast for Christmas morning, and Molly was happy to oblige. “The Advent Calendar really made this Christmas season special.”
“It was fun,” Jade admitted. “Although I should be thanking you, honestly.”
“Me?” Molly gave her a confused look. “Why me? All I did was tell you they needed some help in believing in Santa this year.”
“It was your idea,” Jade said. “And you kept their belief alive by believing yourself. That’s a very, very powerful thing, Molly. Don’t discount it.” She traced one fingertip around the edge of her mug. “Neither Santa nor I could exist without belief.”
They sat in silence for a bit, and then Molly put the bread dough into a bowl to rise. She turned around and looked right at Jade, asking the question she’d wanted to ask for a while now. “Jade, what relation is Santa to you?”
The Snow Queen chuckled. “He’s my uncle.”