The Year Without an Advent Calendar

     She glanced at the clock – 0319 – and a wide, involuntary grin began to break out on her face. Just as quickly, the grin turned into a grimace as she mumbled a quiet "ouch" and rubbed her cheek with her paw. You'd think after 30 days of being painted Burlap, she'd have remembered the stitches that contorted her mouth and dictated the extent of her facial expressions. Quietly making a mental note to not pick Burlap next fall (although realistically, she never repeated a colour combo) she pulled herself into an upright position. Come to think of it, the buttons over her eyes were getting rather annoying, too. She couldn't really rub the sleepiness out of her eyes and had to settle for some gentle pressure on her eyelids as she stretched and yawned. Or, well, as much as one can yawn with a stitched mouth.

     But never mind all those trivialities because today was the first day of the month of Celebrating, and that meant a new paint job to usher in her absolute favourite season. Although the Rainbow Fountain was technically open 24/7, and few pets were as dedicated to monthly colour changes as Noella, she was determined to be first in line at the pool. This year, she had settled on Candy for her paint job. Christmas and Snow were too obvious and clearly overdone. Noella didn't want to look like every other Aisha walking through the Neopian Bazaar. Looking festive was important, though, and so it seemed like Candy would hit the mark this year.

     Pulling on a cosy, oversized sweater and some fuzzy slippers, she crawled out of bed and headed off to the kitchen to make herself a nice, piping cup of Borovan, her first of the season. After the first few heavenly sips, she poured the rest into a travel mug, swapped her slippers for some lace-up boots, and headed for the door.

     The walk to the Rainbow Fountain wasn't actually all that bad, although it was quite chilly out. Honestly, she kind of enjoyed the quiet stillness of the air that existed only before the rest of the world woke up. The Beekadoodles were still asleep in their nests, the Draphly and Springabee still snoring softly, tucked into the petals of the flowers. It was neither nighttime nor morning, and it felt like the whole world belonged to Noella. Really, was there a better way to start her favourite season?

     As she rounded the final bend of the purple cobblestone path, the world lit up with a soft, iridescent glow. The Rainbow Pool emitted a glorious light – during the day, it shimmered and played off the sun beams, and in the darkness, it lit the surrounding area with an indescribable warmth.

     Noella slipped into the entrance, softly calling out for Naia. Noella wasn't sure how Naia managed to keep the Pool open indefinitely, but perhaps Faerie magic meant she didn't need to sleep? Probably best not to question it. Nevertheless, Naia was always in a cheerful, welcoming mood, no matter the hour that Noella showed up.

     "Good morning, Noella," Naia cooed, happy as always to see the face of one of her best customers. "What will it be this month, dear?"

     "Candy!" yelped Noella, carefully studying Naia's face for her reaction. As much as Noella wanted to impress her friends and family with her choices, she craved Naia's approval. What higher praise could there be than to have the Fountain Faerie herself impressed by your colour choices?

     Naia, like most Faeries, was rather diplomatic and would never give more than a soft twinkle of her eye as she reassured Neopians that their colour selection was perfect.

     Noella would take what she could get, though, and was giddy with excitement as Naia ushered her over to the proper pool. The process was quite simple – the Fountain was comprised of a series of smaller wading pools, which Naia would enchant to deliver the colour of your choosing. All it took was a simple dip. The water was always the perfect temperature, and it was almost like a quick trip to the spa. It was so relaxing that Noella wished the process took a little longer because it really was such a pleasant way to spend your day.

     Alas, the entire process took mere seconds. It wasn't even enough time to take a sip of her Borovan, not that she was allowed to bring it inside anyway. Food and beverages were banned after an unfortunate Achyfi incident a few years back which resulted in a rather…interesting Chia walking around the city for a few days until Naia could get things sorted back out.

     So as Noella stood in the locker room on the outskirts of the Fountain, pulling her sweater back on with one paw and sipping her Borovan with the other, she checked her watch. 0522. She'd made excellent time and was ahead of schedule. She figured she'd arrive in the Ice Caves just after 0600, perfect timing to stop in and see the Snowager before heading over to the main event: the Winter Starlight Celebration and, of course, the Advent Calendar. Yes, the Snowager technically sleeps for the entirety of the month of Celebration, but Noella was a girl who loved her routines, and keeping to her personal schedule of visiting Snowy at 0600 was very important, even in the "off" season.

     Really the hardest part of that schedule was having to walk past the Advent Calendar to get to the Ice Caves. She preferred to visit the Calendar second, though, because half of the fun was the anticipation! There was really nothing better about starting a chilly morning with a cup of Borovan, a little toy from Snowy, and the magic of the Advent Calendar.

     The first Advent of the year was always the most magical, she felt, because the anticipation had been growing for 11 months, and by the time her boots made the first “crunch” onto Terror Mountain's icy soil, she could barely contain herself any longer. She was practically skipping through Happy Valley, although being careful not to slip, and had just hit the start of the path up to the Ice Caves when something caused her to halt in her tracks.

     She looked around, unsure of why she'd stopped. There was just an odd feeling to the air, and something didn't feel quite right. She looked around. The sun was rising over the top of the mountain, and the sky was a glorious medley of pinks, purples, and oranges. Her Borovan was still warming her paws through her mittens, and the entrance to the Ice Caves twinkled up ahead.

     So, what was wrong? As she turned to the left, suddenly the realisation hit her. The lodge was dark. There should've been an amber glow coming from the windows and cheery holiday lights brightening up the rooftop. Depending on the Advent, perhaps a soft jingle should be making its way across the town, carried by the gentle winds.

     But there was nothing.

     Noella was stunned. After a brief moment, she picked up her feet and took a sharp left down the path, away from the Ice Caves. She bounded up the stone steps to the lodge's heavy oak doors and instinctively reached for the ornate handles. She yanked hard and nearly fell over when they did not give.

     Frantic and wild-eyed, she tried the handles again, this time setting down her mug of Borovan first so she could throw the full weight of her body into the effort. Nothing.

     She ran off to the side and stopped at the nearest window. She cleared the frost off the pane with the sleeve of her sweater and then cupped her paws around her eyes, peering inside. Darkness.

     Noella was beginning to panic. She made a full lap around the building – stopping at every window and trying every door. Each window was dark. The curtains were drawn, and nothing could be gleaned. Every door was locked, the handles cold.

     No smoke rose from the chimney. No holiday tunes tickled her ears.

     Finally, she had made a full circle and found herself back at the front doors. Her travel mug was still sitting on the ground where she'd left it. She knelt to pick it up, and then something caught her eye. Straightening herself, she made her way back up to the doors, where she noticed a taped-up note that she'd overlooked the first time.

     GONE FISHING. — Reina

     Noella blinked, her mouth agape.

     It was the first day of the month of Celebrating, and the Advent Calendar was closed.

To be continued…