There are no pianofortes in this story, but I’ve always wanted to title something that way.\u00a0 Yes, I’m odd.<\/p>\n
There are plots, though!\u00a0 Lots of them! (Well, for localized definitions of the word “lots”)<\/p>\n
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“Hang on, Schrodinger!\u00a0 You’re going too fast!”<\/p>\n
But I don’t want to be late!<\/em>\u00a0 The CrossCat went careening across the slick sidewalk, nearly wiping out as he skidded on a patch of ice.\u00a0 Molly (who was walking much slower and watching where she put her feet) could only watch as he tumbled headfirst into a snowbank.<\/p>\n “Are you okay?” she asked, making her way gingerly to him.<\/p>\n Yes.<\/em>\u00a0 His mental voice was grumpy as he wiggled out of the snow.\u00a0 Molly couldn’t help giggling at the snow hanging on his face.<\/p>\n “I warned you,” she said, taking pity on him and picking him up.\u00a0 He was big enough that she was thankful she’d thought to put her songbook and the tins of cookies she’d brought with her into a backpack.\u00a0 A shoulder bag would have been a nightmare.<\/p>\n But we might be late!<\/em><\/p>\n “<\/em>It’s better than being in the hospital!”<\/p>\n A cold, icy rain had fallen the night before, and left everything a sheet of ice.\u00a0 Molly had her boots on, but even with the additional traction of the YakTraks, she was afraid she might slip.\u00a0 Especially since she was carrying Schrodinger.<\/p>\n “Besides, we have to wait for Old Man Winter,” Molly reminded Schrodinger.\u00a0 “So we can’t go right in anyways.”<\/p>\n Do you really think he’ll show up?<\/em><\/p>\n “He came to the ballet.\u00a0 He was even nice to Lily.”\u00a0 Molly wondered, though, if the gruff old man would show up.\u00a0 He hadn’t responded when she’d mentioned it to him.\u00a0 As if he knows there’s something else I want to ask him,<\/em> she thought privately.<\/p>\n They made it, eventually, to the church, where someone was already up in the bell tower, ringing the bells.\u00a0\u00a0 And waiting there, in front of the steps (which Father Christopher had de-iced, luckily) was Old Man Winter, in the same suit and scowl he’d worn to the ballet.<\/p>\n “Took you long enough,” he grunted, as Molly reached him and set Schrodinger down on the ice-free sidewalk.\u00a0 “Thought you wouldn’t show.”<\/p>\n “Sorry,” she said.\u00a0 “Not all of us can walk on ice like it’s dirt.”<\/p>\n “Hrmph.”\u00a0 Old Man Winter watched her as she pulled the rubber and metal YakTraks off her boots.\u00a0 “Even with those?”<\/p>\n “Even with these,” Molly said, clipping them to her backpack.\u00a0 Then she looked up at him.\u00a0 “Ready to go sing?”<\/p>\n “I don’t sing,” Old Man Winter snapped.\u00a0 “I’m only here to watch.”<\/p>\n “Suit yourself.”\u00a0 Molly shrugged and climbed the steps into the church.<\/p>\n St. Michael’s was an old church, full of dark polished wood, gleaming silver candlesticks and the scent of beeswax and incense.\u00a0 Above the altar was a rosette glass window that sparkled in the late afternoon sun.\u00a0 And there were people everywhere.<\/p>\n Molly wove her way through the crowd towards one side of the room, not even trying to keep up with Schrodinger, who had shot off to see some of his friends.\u00a0\u00a0 Her destination was the table on the far side of the church, where Christmas cookies and other goodies had already begun to pile up.<\/p>\n “Don’t worry,” she said lightly to Old Man Winter.\u00a0 “I’ve got a tin for you and Drew too.”\u00a0 And she handed it to him.<\/p>\n “Trying to bribe me?” he asked, but there wasn’t as much bite in his tone.<\/p>\n “Maybe,” Molly said, grinning.\u00a0 She held out the second tin to him.\u00a0 “What would this get me?”<\/p>\n “What’s in it?” Old Man Winter countered.<\/p>\n “More of the orange thyme sugar cookies, plus lemon snowdrops and some homemade chocolate fudge brownies.”\u00a0 Molly had put some of Drew’s favorites in the tin.<\/p>\n “Sounds good,” Old Man Winter allowed, and there was a ghost of a smile on his face.\u00a0 “What are you asking for it?”<\/p>\n Molly looked at him.\u00a0 “A date out with Drew on Saturday.”<\/p>\n The smile vanished.\u00a0 “No.”<\/p>\n “Please?” Molly begged.\u00a0 “It’s for the wedding – my friends have been planning this for months!\u00a0 And I haven’t seen him all month!\u00a0 Just for a few hours?”\u00a0 She held out the tin.\u00a0 “Please?”<\/p>\n “No.”\u00a0 And Old Man Winter turned and left.<\/p>\n Molly stood and watched him go, her lip trembling a little.\u00a0 Then she straightened up, put the other tin on the table as well, and went to go find Schrodinger.<\/p>\n The CrossCat was sitting in one of the pews with Sarah and another CrossCat, one she didn’t recognize.\u00a0 This Cat was regal and black, slim and yet larger half again as Schrodinger, and her eyes were a dark, deep green.<\/p>\n Molly!<\/em>\u00a0 Schrodinger jumped up as he caught sight of her.\u00a0 Then he stopped.\u00a0 Where’s…<\/em><\/p>\n Molly shook her head at him, and he stopped.\u00a0 “He had to leave.”<\/p>\n Oh.\u00a0 <\/em>Schrodinger blinked, then shook his own head.\u00a0 Too bad.\u00a0 Let me introduce you to the Librarian.<\/em><\/p>\n This was the Librarian?\u00a0 Molly sat down next to the Cat, and said, “It’s very nice to finally meet you!”<\/p>\n And you.<\/em>\u00a0 The Librarian’s voice was deep and rich, much more mellow than Schrodinger’s, and there was a feeling of great age and wisdom in her tone.\u00a0 He is very fond of you, Molly.<\/em><\/p>\n “And I’m fond of him,” Molly said, stroking Schrodinger’s head.\u00a0 “But he didn’t tell me you were coming today!”<\/p>\n He didn’t know.<\/em>\u00a0 The Librarian turned to look at the younger CrossCat.\u00a0 I decided I needed to see what was going on.<\/em><\/p>\n Molly knew instinctively that the Cat was not referring to the carol sing.\u00a0 And I just chased Old Man Winter away,<\/em> she thought regretfully.\u00a0 Stupid!<\/em><\/p>\n No,<\/em> said the Librarian.\u00a0 Not at all.<\/em>\u00a0 She put her paw on Molly’s thigh.\u00a0 You miss your Drew very much.\u00a0 You are young, and in love.\u00a0 Old Man Winter has not been young in a very long time, and I do not know if he has ever been in love.\u00a0 He does not know how much this young man means to you.<\/em>\u00a0 She paused a bit, then added, But I think he is going to learn.<\/em><\/p>\n Molly was going to ask more, but then Father Christopher stopped by.\u00a0 “Molly!\u00a0 I see you, and Schrodinger, but I thought…” His voice trailed away as Molly shook her head.\u00a0 “Oh.\u00a0 Well, in that case, maybe I should give this to you now, instead of waiting.”\u00a0 He held out the small ornament: this one in blue and silver, with a series of little silver music notes hanging from the bottom edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Thank you,” she said, giving him a small smile.\u00a0 “It’s lovely.\u00a0 No note, though?”<\/p>\n “Not for this one,” Father Christopher said, and he nodded to the Librarian before moving on.<\/p>\n Sarah had been strangely quiet throughout the entire exchange.\u00a0 Now, she reached out and touched Molly on the arm.\u00a0 “May I see it?” she asked.<\/p>\n “Of course.”\u00a0 Molly held the ornament out to her, letting her run her fingers over the beadwork, describing the colors to her.\u00a0 Around them, the rest of the carollers settled into the pews.<\/p>\n “He’ll come back,” Sarah said, her fingers dropping back down to the Librarian’s soft fur.\u00a0 “I know Drew will.”<\/p>\n “I hope so,” Molly said, looking down at the ornament again.\u00a0 “I hope so.”<\/p>\n <><><><><><><><><><><><><><\/p>\n Short one tonight, folks – sorry!\u00a0 But there’s more coming, I promise!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are no pianofortes in this story, but I’ve always wanted to title something that way.\u00a0 Yes, I’m odd. There are plots, though!\u00a0 Lots of them! (Well, for localized definitions of the word “lots”) <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> “Hang on, Schrodinger!\u00a0 You’re going too fast!” But I don’t want to be late!\u00a0 The CrossCat went careening across the …<\/p>\n