A Heartwarming Christmas

     A few months ago, I decided to leave my charming but swelteringly hot home on Mystery Island. Being of a warm-blooded nature a much cooler place seemed appropriate and I set my sights on Happy Valley. I have to admit I was curious and intrigued by this peculiar place. The holiday brochures sure seemed to be full of rosy-cheeked Chia's and fluffy Snowbunny's, tasty ginger biscuits and smoking chimney's. Cute cottages covered in snow, a warm welcoming fire blazing in all the hearths, smiling inhabitants wrapped in thick scarves and coats. This is what the Neopedia has to say about Happy Valley: "Imagine you and your pet nestled in a small, snow-covered valley, surrounded by beautiful, majestic mountains. Imagine skiing down snow-covered hills, throwing snowballs, making slushies, and building snowforts. Just listen to the gentle sound of snow falling around you. That is Happy Valley."

     Me and my Island Feepit, Mala, were not deceived upon arrival. As we slipped down the slope towards the valley, I could see countless sweet cottages grouped haphazardly around a town square, their chimney's smoke unfurling merrily into the cold winter air. I tightly wrapped myself in my too flimsy summer coat and continued my descent, my Feepit shivering wildly on my shoulder and issuing odd whimpering noises. I felt a stab of guilt in bringing an Island Petpet to this snow and frost-covered environment, but I could always paint him a more appropriate color. Plushie perhaps?

     As I was saying, we arrived on a particularly nasty and cold morning, it was the 20th day of the Month of Celebrating. As we ploughed through the snow towards the Happy Valley Home Rental Office we could hear people wishing each other a Happy Borovan Day and chanting strange tunes praising this strange mud like drink. A pink-faced Cybunny greeted us on the threshold of the agency and helped me drag our luggage indoors. She sat us down in two comfy and squishy red armchairs, handed us two mugs of steaming Borovan and settled herself behind her desk, pulling a stack of files towards her. Mala sniffed the Borovan in a most inconspicuous manner, shuddered, let out another whimper and retreated as far as possible from the steaming mug. Mala isn't the biggest asparagus fan, nor am I. But in order to not offend the friendly Cybunny I decided to sacrifice myself and have a sip. To be able to do this, I needed to disentangle my face and hands from the scarves I had wrapped myself in. As I did so I noticed the faintest gasp issuing from the friendly Cybunny, but I chose to ignore it, and took a polite sip. She promptly focused all her attention on the files in front of her.

     "Well, I daresay you have chosen one our loveliest cottages to settle yourself in. It's near the town centre and also close to the ice skating pond. I don't know if you are ice-skaters?" she inquired, shooting me a furtive look.

     "Not really," I hesitated. "We might give it a go, but – er – it's not our top priority. Maybe Mala would like to try." I turned towards my Feepit who had chosen that precise moment to bury his face in the cushions and expose his backside to us.

     The Cybunny nodded in a reassuring manner and launched herself into a more detailed explanation of our cottage. After a very boring hour she handed me the key and waved us out of the door, hastily pushing a bag of complementary candy canes in my hands, a sort of welcoming gift to the neighborhood.

     "Well, that was strange," I said, turning to Mala. Dread was quickly spreading through my every fiber and I could feel it had been a mistake coming here. Mala seemed to wholeheartedly agree and we kept quiet as we walked towards our perfect snow-covered cottage, leaving a trail of footprints behind. After turning left and right through the cobbled streets we finally arrived. Someone had obviously been in to prepare the house for us, a fire was crackling in the grate and a plate of freshly baked cookies was awaiting us on the coffee table. Mala settled himself as close to the fire as he could, without actually setting himself aflame. Walking over to him, I wrapped a blanket around him and patted him on the head. From our living-room windows I could see merry passers-by greeting each other in the street, most of them laden with shopping bags, no doubt filled with brightly colored gifts for family and friends. There were only a few more days to go until the Day of Giving. Looking back at Mala, I wrapped my arms around myself and sadly though that, once more, it would just be me and him on that day. Turning back to the window, I took of the scarf I had wrapped around my head. My fiery eyes and vivid red hair were reflected in the window and I sighed sadly.

***

     Over the next couple of days I became better acquainted with the way of life in Happy Valley. The inhabitants all seem to have this jolly and slightly chubby quality as they go about their daily routine. Be it from playing a game of snowball or having a go at a Scratchcard. Once in a while you can hear a distant roar coming from the Ice Caves, meaning someone has just narrowly escaped the wrath of the Snowager, with or without treasure. Long story short: I loved Happy Valley. Cute, calm and cool. The inhabitants of the Valley, though, seemed less fond of me. Imagine: A Magma Ixi moving to Happy Valley. Wherever I went, reproachful faces met my eyes, children were dragged out of the way, the ice cream vender shielded his ice cream cart, etc. In a day's time I became some sort of pariah. Meanwhile Mala, my Island Feepit, seemed to have developed a phobia for snow. I was forced to wander around on my own, first through the streets, but the glowering and reproachful Bruce's and Cybunny's soon convinced me to explore more desolate paths. I came across snow-covered forest, a deadly silence reigned there, and frost covered mountain slopes. Wherever I went, though, I still felt hot and if I stood in one spot for a couple of minutes the snow would start to drip softly or melt away from under my hooves. Understanding why Happy Valley was terrified of me was not hard, but they were fools to think I could just melt away all the snow and ice. Fools...

***

     On Christmas eve I stayed inside, curtains drawn, fire crackling in the grate to keep Mala warm and a high dosage of Slushies for me. Sitting back in my armchair, I watched Mala roll around on the carpet and stretch his legs and arms, doing a couple of back flips. Glad to see he finally seemed to be settling in, I scratched him behind his left ear and handed him a treat. Suddenly an ear-splitting roar filled the living room, the whole house, the street outside. I'd spilt my Holiday Slushie on my shirt and Mala was now cowering under the sofa. Cautiously, I peered outside, and could see many shocked faces across the street, doing the same thing. What that hideous noise been? Then it happened a second time, a deep, low rumble, making the lampposts shake. It felt like an earthquake. I grabbed Mala, wrapped him in a scarf and dashed outside. Looking up and down the street, it seemed several people had the same fear. They all stood in their pajama's, some in fancy cocktail-dress, their Christmas Eve party having been interrupted. And then we saw it, a white sparkling ocean descending upon us, engulfing trees and houses on its way. An avalanche.

     The next moment, I found myself running amidst a terrified crowd, heading for the other side of the village, heading towards the other side of the mountain. The hair-raising roars were now a constant background music and I willed myself not to think of its source. After more than an hour of running we found a cave high up in the mountains and took refuge. It was freezing in the icy cave and even though there were forty of us, the young children cried and complained of the cold as they lay huddled in their parents arms. I kept my distance and stood by the entrance of the cave, looking down upon Happy Valley or what was left of it. I could have sworn I saw a huge tail thrashing around amidst the sea of snow, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. Then, the mountain shook violently and the entrance to the cave collapsed. We were caved in. Several people screamed and sobbed as we were engulfed by absolute darkness.

     I moved towards the crowd of fifty or so Neopets huddled in the centre of the cave and stood myself in the middle. There were a few tiny gasps but they subsided quickly. Thanks to my Magma color, I prevented the cave from being dark and creepy. Whenever I was in a dark place, I sort of had this "bonfire quality" going on, as if I were an incandescent object. I sat myself cross-legged on the floor, Mala huddled against my chest and smiled timidly at the crowd. A few Bruce and Cybunny families with small children approached me cautiously and asked if their children could sit a bit closer to me, for warmth. After a couple of hours everyone sat in a tight circle around me, grateful that I kept them from freezing, in a most literal way. People started talking again, some swore they had seen the Snowager amidst the avalanche of snow and wondered whether it was now slithering into our streets and houses, creating havoc. A few of the children voiced their concern over their unopened Christmas presents, would they be safe? Would they get other one's if the Snowager stole them? The children soon fell asleep and so did a couple of parents. A few lone snores echoed around the cave when there came a crashing noise from what had been the cave's entrance. It sounded as if someone was hacking at the ice. Then there was an audible gasp, something that sounded like an exasperated "honestly" and a loud bang. The ice had been blown away, daylight flooded the cave and Taelia the Snow Faerie smiled broadly at the crowd.

     "Merry Christmas," she said as she spread her arms wide. There was a loud cheer followed by a lot of hugging, Christmas wishes and general euphoria. I kissed a slightly frightened Mala on the top of the head and stepped into the blazing sunlight. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I looked down upon a ruined Happy Valley.

     "Not to worry," a voice whispered softly. "I will sort it out in no time and people will be able to resume their celebrating." Taelia, snuggly wrapped in her thick woolen coat, put her hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture and smiled benignly. "You did a good thing in there, helping the same people that had shunned you just a few days earlier."

     I shrugged, intending it was the normal thing to do.

     "I also know you loathe being Magma. If you want, Fiamm, I could change it for you, grant you this wish, without you those people would have frozen overnight... it's your choice."

     I couldn't believe it. My mind suddenly reeled with wild options of changing, of finally not having to be different, maybe I could be Royal, or Woodland, or just plain Christmas! As I was having an internal debate there was a soft tug on my sleeve. A small Cybunny stood looking at me with big eyes and gestured for me to crouch down. As I did so she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me. Mortified, I looked up at Taelia. "It's your choice, Fiamm, but you must choose now. Magma, or something else. The parents of the Cybunny were standing a few feet away, smiling timidly.

     "No, thank you, Taelia, I think I prefer to be myself, after all."

The End