It's Time For Christmas Wishes, Charlie Boone! - 3. Chapter 3

Part Three -

The world of elves and humans occupied the same planet, but not the same space upon it. It was that way for a long time. Elves were aware of humans, but wisely chose not to mix with them, for humans were not really to be trusted. They lacked the most basic of the civilizing factors that had long kept the world of elves peaceful and prosperous, the main one being an ability to get along with each other. Whereas elves placed great value upon each other's welfare, humans seemed not to, except within very small groups; and even these very small groups seemed unable to get along with each other.

But there did seem to be an upward trend over time, a slow movement towards unification, or at least a move towards a tolerance that allowed humans to congregate in ever larger groups. Their villages became towns, and then their towns became cities. Yet, still, every so often, some terrible conflict would break out, and the humans would promptly destroy everything they had built. The behavior was puzzling, and the council that governed elf society never could completely understand it. So the borders between the two peoples remained tightly drawn, with elves knowing of people, but people not knowing of elves.

Well, mostly. The elves had their own occasional rogue thinker or two, who saw no reason not to take a closer look at human affairs. These few elves, too often exposing themselves to the curious humans, allowed for a lore to build within human culture of this other human race, those who resembled humans, but were not of them, and who were possessed of magic that humans could never master. By this way, humans became aware of elves, even if most did not really believe in them.

The ruling council of elves varied in how they wanted to deal with these rogue thinkers, with the majority simply opting to withdraw the individual's movement rights, so that they could no longer cross from the world of elves to the world of humans. Elf magic was a communal affair, a shared ability overall, with individuals each expressing a talent for mastering different parts of the whole, but with the basic ability common to all elves. If the group decided to revoke an individual's rights to use certain portions of the group magic, then that was all it took to make it so. Those elves that crossed to the human world and made themselves known there simply had that ability removed from the magics they were allowed to access. And that was simply that.

Even so, there were a few on the council that wanted harsher remedies in place for what they perceived as threats to the safety of the elf world, although those few were always outvoted by the majority. Confining an elf to the elf world ended the problem of interaction with humans, so what more was needed? Yet the desire to further limit elf interaction with the human world refused to die among the few conservative members of the council, especially among the leaders of that group, one Eustace T. Phernakertiban, and his wife, Marly.

"They were cranky," Kiri said, smiling. "Olders can get that way, sometimes."

"They were afraid of people," Kiley added. "Your people, I mean."

"I'm not surprised," Kippy volunteered. "Some of our people scare me, too."

"They thought all contact should be disallowed. They wanted to close the portal between the two worlds."

"There's just one?" Charlie asked.

"Uh huh. But anyone can use it, any time. The council wouldn't close it because they said we're partly responsible for you, and had to look out for you."

"Why?" Adrian asked. "We take pretty good care of ourselves."

"You're terrible at it," Kiri countered. "By our standards, anyway. But your people and ours are of the same origin. We're family, even if we went down separate paths long ago. We felt it our duty to see that you did not completely erase yourselves from the face of the world."

"So what did your council want to do for us?" Kippy asked.

"Nothing." Kiley laughed. "They thought we should leave your people alone, and not bother you. Most felt that anything else would be interference, and that we had no right to interfere. But... the council also felt that we should look out for you, and if something came along that threatened your existence, to act then. It's only happened a few times, I think."

Charlie's eyebrows went up. "Really? What were those events?"

Kiri frowned. "One was a terrible plague, long ago. It might have wiped out all of you had not the council acted to evolve the germ into something else that no longer killed. The second was just a big rock, which was going to fall out of the sky and strike the planet. We didn't want that to happen to either of our peoples, so it was deflected into another course, and eventually fell into the sun."

Charlie was surprised. "Those are both natural events. They never did anything, not even once, to change something in human affairs?"

Kiley sighed. "It wasn't their right, Charlie. And, every time your people did something awful to each other, a lesson seemed to be learned. Slowly, you got better."

Charlie nodded. "And how do your people - and Twombly - figure into all of this?"

Apparently, Eustace and his wife Marly watched the precarious seesaw of human affairs for centuries, growing more alarmed as human knowledge grew. And then, one day, out of the blue, the final outrage occurred. A man appeared, there in the world of elves.

It was a human man.

"Nicholaas," Charlie said softly, guessing.

Both Kiley and Kiri looked startled. "You...know of him, too?" the girl asked.

"We've met," Charlie said, nodding. "We like him very much."

Kiley licked his lips, but gave a little nod. "Well, he was the most amazing thing: a human with the ability to do magic. And not just basic magic, but great and powerful magic. The council was alarmed by this, but Eustace and his wife were terrified by it. They thought that what one human could do, eventually many more could do. They saw it as a direct threat to the elf world."

"So he decided to stop it," Kiri added. "Forever."

"He tried to close the portal," Kiley went on. "Or, rather, he and Marly tried to destroy it."

Charlie and Kippy looked at each other, and Ricky and Adrian leaned their heads together.

"Obviously, that didn't happen," Charlie said.

"No. It was not as simple a task as Eustace imagined. Interestingly, it was Nicholaas that first detected the attempt, and stopped the Phernackertibans, before they could do any real damage."

"That must have been a great blow for them," Kippy said, and Charlie could hear the sadness in his boyfriend's voice.

Kiri nodded. "Yes. The council was outraged by the attempt. They told Eustace and his wife that they were guilty of the same sort of terror tactics that they themselves had accused humans of engaging in. Eustace and Marly were shamed beyond shame."

Charlie shook his head, unable to imagine such events happening in the pleasant and ordered world of the elves. "That's...so sad."

"What happened to them?" Ricky asked.

"They were banished," Kiri said quietly. "Never to return."

Charlie took a breath, and let it out slowly. He and Kippy traded glances, and Kippy's eyes showed the same pain that Charlie was feeling. That all of this could come about through worry and fear over what the human race would do next was sobering.

"Where?" Adrian asked. "Where did they send them to?"

Kiri raised a hand, and then moved it slowly to one side, indicating the valley below. "Here. They sent them here."

Kippy's mouth dropped open. "To our world?"

Kiley nodded. "Yes. They were selectively cut off from group magic by the elf population. Their health magic, and their simple magics, they were allowed to retain; but absolutely anything they might use to cause trouble here, or to attract attention to themselves here, was denied them. And then they were guided through the portal...and left."

Kippy moved closer to Charlie, and Charlie automatically put an arm around him. "I'm sorry," Charlie said.

Kiley smiled. "I'm not."

"Me, either," Kiri said.

The four humans gaped, and the two elves laughed. "We love it here," Kiri said.

"It's home," Kiley added.

Charlie squeezed his eyes shut a moment, reopened them. "Wait...you said before that others came with them. Back when you were saying your people came from the 'old country'."

"They did come from the old country," Kiri agreed. "And others did come with them. Their immediate family - some sons and daughters, and some of their sons and daughters."

"And wives and husbands," Kiley explained. "And their youngers, too. The youngers were our great grandparents."

"How long ago did this happen?" Kippy asked.

"Oh..." Kiri frowned a moment. "A thousand years?" she asked Kiley.

He nodded. "About that."

Kippy shook his head. "You haven't been here all that time. In Vermont, I mean."

"Oh, no. Our people started in Europe. Iceland. They found themselves among a folk that had come from what is now Norway. They had a king there, Olaf Tryggvason, who ruled the land with civility. Those that settled Iceland brought this ethic along with them, applying it to a harsh and uncaring land. At first Eustace and Marly could not believe it. They had been expecting to be dropped among complete barbarians and savages, but what they found was a strong and civil people, with art and science, who lived peacefully, for the most part. Eustace and Marly and their family lived peacefully, too, and started to find a new reality."

"But something caused them to leave," Charlie stated.

Kiri nodded. "A time of war and chaos came, the time of the Sturlungs - the Sturlungaöld. Many of the once peaceful chieftains went to war with one another, inspired in part by Haakon Haakonsson, then king of Norway, who was trying to extend his power to ensnare Iceland, as well. Sadly, Eustace and Marly and the others found it wise to leave, and did so, crossing first to Norway, and then moving into Western Europe beyond."

"And they eventually wound up here, in Vermont?" Kippy asked. "That's amazing."

"It was not easy for them, at first," Kiley said. "Europe struggled under periods of darkness and destruction --"

"But always emerged later, for the better," Kiri continued. "Eustace began to see something he had never considered before."

"Yes," Kiley went on, eager now to tell the tale. "He realized that our kind had had it easy compared to humans. That our natures and our magical abilities had made it natural for us to progress in peace, while humans had to struggle with the pains and ills of the world. And that they did this, every single day, and yet still slowly worked their way forward against the odds. Eustace saw then that the world of humans had wonder in it, too, in its art, and its stories, and in the simple kindnesses that people often did for each other."

"It took some time," Kiri said. "A long time. But in that time, an amazing thing happened to Eustace and Marly, and all their clan. Despite their hardships, despite their fears...they grew to love this world, and its people."

Kippy smiled, and hugged Charlie close. "Yay!"

The elves laughed, and Kiri reached out and patted Kippy's hand. "Eustace and the others found that elves and humans were much more similar than they were different. They came to understand that magic was like oil, that smoothed the cogs of life, and made it so much easier. They learned that living without magic was hard, and that it took courage and strength. They came to admire that, and to...respect it."

"Amazing," Charlie said. "So they kind of adopted us?"

"Yes. And to adopt all the things they loved about their new home. And one of their most loved new traditions was Christmas."

"It was Christmas, the stories told, that made Eustace and Marly the happiest," Kiley said, smiling. "More than anything else, Eustace came to love Christmas."

"He loved to give, and he loved to care," Kiri agreed. "Christmas was made to order for him. This one time of peace and good cheer made up for the harshness he often saw about him during the rest of the year. He came to understand that humans lived in a harsh world, but that there was a goodness inside of many of them that needed an outlet - that needed a way to express itself. Christmas, it seemed, was the one time of the year where most men were willing to admit that they cared for the fate of their fellows."

Kiley sighed. "It was a simple longing, at first. But it grew in Eustace and Marly, both, and as each year ended they would grow excited, and ready the gifts they had prepared for family and friends all year long."

Kiri gave a tiny sigh. "And then, one day, there came stories of a man and a horse - their names varied with the teller of the tale - who moved about the land at the time of Christmas, leaving small gifts and necessities for those in need. For complete strangers, it seemed. Eustace was enthralled by the idea, and he and Marly adopted it as their own. So they began to spread Christmas to others, people they did not even know, and the idea took hold within the entire family and became a cherished part of their lives."

Kiley resumed the telling of the tale. "But over time - too long a time for a human to be behind the acts - the stories of the man and the horse continued to grow, until one day, Eustace understood, quite suddenly, that the man with the horse was Nicholaas. The same man who had found his way into the world on the other side - the same man that Eustace had so feared."

"He was devastated," Kiri went on, picking up the narrative. "He and Marly had reacted to Nicholaas out of fear and mistrust, the very same iniquities they had once thought they saw in all humans. And here was this same man, spreading kindness and compassion in their adopted world."

The elves went silent a moment, watching the four humans.

"Don't stop now," Charlie said. "What happened?"

Kiri smiled. "He went on with life. They all did. Here was one of the sort of harsh realities that humans dealt with every single day. Eustace and Marly had made a grave error in judgment, one which had cost their family great loss. But it had also changed them, and remade them. Humans would have taken such an error, dealt with it, and moved on. Eustace knew that they had to do the same thing." She shrugged. "So that's what they did."

Charlie shook his head, just amazed at the story. "You mean your family - the whole town - has been out of contact with the elf world for a thousand years?"

Kiley nodded. "But we're okay with it. We belong here now."

Kiri laughed. "This is home. We love it here. We have the traditions of our town, and we love our lives here."

"And Christmas, especially," Kiley finished.

Charlie and Kippy looked at each other, and Kippy gave a small sigh. "I think I know why we're here," he whispered.

"Why?"

Kippy bit his lip, and shook his head. "Not yet, Charlie."

Charlie nodded. He trusted Kippy absolutely, especially in his strengthening kinship with the spirit of skwish. If now was not the time, then they would wait until it was time.

"What happened to them?" Adrian asked then, sounding subdued.

"Yeah." Ricky nodded. "What happened to Eustace and Marly?"

"No one lives forever," Kiri said.

"They died?" Ricky asked.

Kiley shook his head. "It's...different for us. Elves reach the end of this existence and...move on. Your people do the same, but in a different manner. The effect is the same on those who remain, though. Those that were loved are no longer physically among us."

"We never actually knew them," Kiri explained. "They were gone well before we were born."

Kiley nodded. "But we know them as if we knew them."

Charlie grinned at the convoluted statement, but knew that is made perfect sense to the elves. "Thank you for sharing all of this with us."

Kiri smiled. "There's a reason. We just don't know what it is yet."

Kippy turned his head, watched the lights in the valley below. In the moment of silence, the wind delivered yet another soft voice. "I wish..."

Kip smiled, and turned back to Kiley and Kiri. "Do elves wish?"

Kiley and Kiri both nodded. "Yes," they said in unison.

"I had a feeling they did."

"Something?" Charlie asked him.

Kippy nodded. "Yes. Something."

* * * * * * *

They walked back to town, Kiley lighting the way with his tiny, bright light. Charlie examined that light as they walked. Kiley held his hand as if holding a small flashlight, but as they twisted and turned up the path, Charlie realized that he could never actually see the device itself. He smiled, suspecting then that there wasn't one, and that the light was one of the small magics that elves here in Twombly had been allowed to maintain.

How hard that must have been, for a people so used to being immersed in magic of all forms, to have to give most of them up and start life over without. Eustace and the other original family members that came to the human world must have had it hard at first. And maybe even for a very long time after. And yet...

Twombly was a warm and wonderful place, with its very own feeling of enchantment. Such an aura could only come from the people that lived there. And such an aura could only come from happiness. The elves of Twombly were not just making do; they were changed to fit their new circumstances, and they had embraced those new circumstances with a will.

Twombly loved its place within the human world.

Yet...ties of family and friends - kith and kin - are strong, and not easily dispensed with. On some level there must be a yearning for contact with those left behind...a wish, even if just an errant one. Charlie felt he knew the reason for their presence here now, but he also knew of no way to deal with it until they got back home, at the earliest.

They reached the edge of the forest, and main street once again spread before them, with the cheery lights of the town spreading away to their right. Kiley gave his hand a little wave, and the brilliant light disappeared.

Suddenly, a single, clear tone came to their ears - a call for attention in the silent night. And then other tones, different ones, followed; and a tune began. Charlie knew immediately what they were hearing - the bells atop the town hall, chiming an announcement.

Kiley and Kiri stopped, and jumped up and down, clasping hands. "They're here!"

Kippy laughed, and snuggled closer to Charlie. "It's twins! We're daddies!"

Ricky laughed. "I sure feel like one, anyway."

Kiley and Kiri danced around in a circle, clutching hands, laughing and smiling. Charlie watched them, moved by the joy they were expressing at the new additions to their town. In the small and mostly closed society of Twombly, each new birth must be an event of some importance.

The two elves hugged, and then released each other. "We should go and see," Kiri said, pointing at the nearby driveway. "Can we see you again later?"

Charlie nodded. "Sure. We'll be at the lodge."

The two elves laughed, and danced away towards the drive, and the four humans just stood and watched them go.

Others were approaching now, coming down the street from town. The boys stood back as a stream of cheerful people passed them, smiling and laughing, and turned up the driveway to the equally cheerful house beyond.

"This is an amazing place, Charlie," Kippy said, clutching his arm.

"I know." He turned, and started the four of them back to the lodge. They passed others on the way, standing about in little groups talking, all smiling, and Charlie could tell that they were waiting for a turn to go to the house where the new babies could be seen. That the whole town did not just rush the house was yet another demonstration of the discipline and order with which elves governed their lives.

We could learn so much from them, Charlie thought. But then he smiled, remembering the tale of Eustace Phernackertiban that Kiley and Kiri had shared with them. Elves could learn from humans as well, it seemed. It was a two-way street. That gave him a sense of satisfaction, and again he marveled at the idea that one planet had produced two such remarkable peoples.

They headed back to the lodge, waving at the people they passed, who all seemed possessed by the joy of new life.

They found Uncle Bob sitting in the great room of the lodge, before a glass-enclosed hearth in which a cheery fire burned. The man had his cell to his ear, and was laughing at something being said. His eyes came up as they entered the room, and he smiled at them, and waved.

The boys found seats of their own, took off their coats and sat down. It was warm in the room after being outside - warm, but very cheerful. The lodge was built of logs, but they were all handsomely finished, and it seemed apparent that a fair deal of money had been spent building the place. The elves had done well here, of that he had no doubt.

Uncle Bob laughed, and pulled the phone from his ear, turning to Ricky. "Your aunt says hi."

Ricky raised a hand, waved and grinned. "Hi, Aunt Susan!"

Uncle Bob put the phone back to his ear. "Yeah, they're all having a ball, if their expressions are anything to go by. Yep. Uh huh. I will. G'night, honey. I'll give you a call again before we leave." He stuck his cell in his shirt pocket and smiled at the boys. "What's all the commotion outside? I heard bells going. Hope that doesn't mean a fire or something."

Ricky laughed. "Nope. One of the families here just had twins."

Uncle Bob's eyebrows jacked up. "Really? And they ring the town bells for that?" He smiled. "Nice people here, I have to say." He stood up, and stretched. "Did you guys get anything more to eat?"

"Not yet." Ricky pointed across the room, to a hallway that lead to the restaurant. "Are they still open?"

"Yeah. I had a sandwich before I called home. The lady over in the restaurant said someone was always there, around the clock." He shrugged. "How a place like this makes money, I sure can't say."

Charlie stood, too. "Anyone else want something to eat?"

"I'm a growing boy," Ricky said, jumping up. He smiled down at Adrian. "Feel like something?"

Adrian laughed. "Are you asking me to dinner?"

Ricky immediately crooked his arm. "Yessir. Be my pleasure, sir."

Adrian sighed, got to his feet, and snaked an arm through Rick's. Then the two of them looked at Kippy. "Coming?"

Kippy expelled a little puff of air, and looked up at Charlie. "I'm waiting to be asked properly."

Charlie smiled, and extended a hand downward. "It would be my greatest pleasure to take you to dinner, Kip."

Kippy sighed, and took Charlie's hand. "Well, when you say it like that..."

Uncle Bob laughed. "I'm glad you guys are having fun." He gave a little sigh, and let his eyes move to the cheerful fire. "I think I could fall in love with this place, if I wasn't married, had a mortgage, and a business that needed me."

"There's always someday," Ricky offered.

"True. I can think of about a million places I would pick this town over, to retire to." He winced then, and looked down. "These new shoes are killing me. Hope you don't mind, but since I already ate, I think I'll go to my room and take these things off."

"You have to break them in, you know," Ricky said, patiently.

Uncle Bob snorted. "For what they cost, they should come out of the box broken in."

He waved, started off for the stairs, and the boys grinned after him.

"Did I say that I loved your uncle?" Charlie asked Ricky.

Ricky's eyes smiled at him. "Yes. I believe you did."

They went to the restaurant, and found a smiling woman there, who took their order with some small measure of excitement. "Did you boys hear the bells?" she asked.

Kippy nodded. "Yes. Congratulations on the twins."

The woman sighed, smiled even more broadly, and headed back to the kitchen.

When their food arrived, the boys talked and laughed as they ate. Charlie could not recall ever feeling so relaxed in a new place. That the feeling seemed shared by the others only made it even better. The idea was coming to him that Twombly was a place they could visit as often as they liked. That they would all want to come back was a given.

It was after eight when they finished, and Charlie was starting to feel the length of the day. They'd gotten up early, and so much had happened. He remembered the soft comforter adorning the queen-sized bed in their room, and could almost feel it covering him now. "I'm tired, I think," he announced.

Kippy leaned against him, and Rick and Adrian smiled.

"I've been tired for a couple of hours," Adrian said. "Rick and I were a little late getting to bed last night."

Kippy laughed. "You'll learn. Charlie and I were like that when we first started sleeping together."

Ricky shook his head. "We didn't just start, Kip. It's been a while now."

"I know. But the magic never really wears off." He smiled at Charlie. "I guess we're still like that, too."

Charlie grinned, and tightened his arm around his boyfriend. "I've got some magic for you," he whispered, leaning close and kissing Kippy's ear.

Kippy enjoyed the nibble for a moment, and then turned his head and kissed Charlie's cheek. "I know. And I can't wait, either."

Ricky pushed back his chair and got to his feet. "So I'm thinking we're all heading off to bed?"

Kippy and Adrian stood, and Charlie followed. Kippy winked at Rick. "Bed, yes. Sleep, no," he whispered.

They waved to the woman at the counter, who smiled and waved back. She had a radio on behind the counter, turned down low, and Charlie could just barely hear the strains of a familiar song, There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays. He grinned, nodding to himself. No place quite like home, except maybe for Twombly.

They ascended the stairs, and went down the wide hallway to their rooms.

"Show starts at eleven," Ricky said, as they paused outside the doors to their rooms. The room shared by Ricky and Adrian was just across the hall from Charlie's and Kippy's room. Both rooms had splendid views, and were roomy and comfortable.

"We'll be up by seven or eight," Charlie said. "We want time for a shower, and some breakfast."

Ricky nodded. "You guys nervous?"

Charlie considered that, and then shook his head. "I'm not. Are you, Kip?"

"No. I get cut into three sections every day."

Ricky laughed at that. "Well, I am. I always am before we do one of these things."

Adrian hugged his boyfriend's arm. "These people wouldn't boo you if you set the town hall on fire, Rick. Performing for them will be fun."

"Well...there is that." Ricky nodded. "We'll all do fine." He unlocked their door, and pushed it inwards. "Say goodnight, Adrian."

Adrian pretended to twirl an imaginary mustache, and grinned at Charlie and Kip. "Goodnight, Adrian!"

"Try to get some sleep," Kippy cautioned.

"Night, guys," Charlie added.

Ricky pushed his boyfriend into the room, and then closed the door behind him, grinning at Charlie and Kippy through the crack before it closed completely.

Kippy sighed, and snuggled close to Charlie. "I love them," he whispered.

Charlie kissed the end of Kippy's nose. "Me, too."

They went into their own room and closed the door.

Kippy headed right for the bed, but surprised Charlie by sitting on the edge and patting the comforter beside him. "Come and sit."

Charlie nodded, and did as requested. "What are we doing?"

"Making a decision. I can't do it alone."

"Okay. What decision?"

Kippy turned to gaze at him. "It isn't right that the people of this town should be cut off from their own kind because of something that two family members did - two family members that aren't even here any longer."

Charlie nodded. "I happen to fully agree with you. I planned to take this up with Max when we got home."

Kippy frowned. "It can't wait, Charlie."

"It has to, Kip. We can't just conjure Max out of thin air."

"He always seems to know when we need him," Kippy returned. "I'm surprised he isn't here already."

Charlie laughed. "Well, he is kind of busy. Tomorrow's Christmas Eve."

Kippy shrugged. "Time doesn't mean anything to Max. He can come and spend a week here, and still be back for Christmas Eve."

That was true. "Well, okay, I guess you're right, there. But I don't know what else to do."

"If we were in danger, I bet he'd be here," Kippy decided.

"Well, we're not in danger. And you are not going to burn this nice place down just to get him here."

Kippy laughed, and gently smacked Charlie's wrist. "I wasn't planning to endanger anyone." He frowned again. "Actually, what we need here is someone with even more kick than Max has."

Charlie squinted at his boyfriend. "Why are you so fired up about this? Can't it wait until we get home?"

Kippy pouted. "Well...it could. But if we wait until we get home, we can't give these people a nice Christmas present."

Charlie couldn't conceal his surprise. "Is that what you're thinking?"

"Yes. Is that such a surprise? I think the people of Twombly deserve something special this Christmas. I know just what to give them, too."

Charlie watched his boyfriend a moment in silence. "Is this some kind of skwish thing?" he finally asked.

Kippy grinned, and leaned closer to kiss him. "Very good, Charlie. This is why we're here. This is why it was so important that we come."

Charlie nodded, understanding now. "Okay. I'm with you, then. But I still don't know how to get Max here."

Kippy stood up, and went to where they had parked their bags on the floor. He picked up his, and brought it back to the bed. "I know how."

He set the bag on the bed, unzipped it, and started pulling out folded clothing. He made a neat pile on the bed, and then reached back into the bag for something else.

Charlie gasped as Kippy withdrew it.

The previous Christmas, Nicholas had given each of the boys a beautifully crafted scene, carved in dark wood, of Nicholaas and Kierka, his horse of long ago. Charlie's scene was of Nicholaas leading Kierka through the snow, their footprints visible behind each, even the smile on the face of Nicholaas rendered in amazing detail. When Charlie spoke to his statue, Kierka would give a little chuff, and Nicholaas would wave. If that was all Charlie did, that was all that happened.

Kippy's statue was similar, except that in his, Nicholaas was down on one knee by a fire, adding a tiny log to it, and Kierka was standing near, watching.

Nicholaas had told them that if they ever needed help, to simply ask their statues, and he would respond.

Kippy set the small figures on the bed, and looked at Charlie. "What do you think? Is this a good enough cause to bother Nicholaas?"

Charlie was silent a moment, letting his heart make the decision. It was not hard, nor long in coming. "Let's do it."

Kippy nodded, and looked at the small figures. "Nicholaas? It's Kippy."

Kierka's head turned to look upwards, and the horse gave a tiny but distinct chuff.

The figure of Nicholaas turned its head, and smiled at them.

Kippy smiled. "Nicholaas...there's something I want to tell you about..."

* * * * * * *

"You did what?" Adrian asked, his face set in an expression of surprise.

"We talked to Nicholaas," Kippy repeated.

Charlie and Kippy had walked across the hall and rapped on their friend's door. It was almost nine-thirty, but Kippy had figured that the two boys would still be up.

"We didn't want to have you blindsided tomorrow," Kippy continued. "By anything that might happen."

"What's going to happen?" Ricky asked immediately. "No magic shit in front of my uncle, I hope."

Kippy bit his lip. "I can't guarantee that won't happen."

Ricky gave a little splutter. "Oh, man!"

Charlie patted his shoulder, which was bare. Ricky and Adrian were dressed only in boxer briefs, and smelled wonderfully of soap and water. "Relax, Rick. Nicholaas won't do anything stupid. Anything he does do in the way of magic, he can fix with your uncle later, remember? So don't get upset."

Adrian poked his boyfriend. "Yeah. Don't get upset."

Ricky frowned at him. "It's not your uncle that might go home and tell my dad that I pal around with elves."

Adrian's eyebrows went up. "And what do you think your dad would do if he did?"

"Well --" Ricky suddenly grinned. "I think my dad would think his brother had a couple of screws loose."

"Then stop worrying."

Ricky digested that, and then shook his head. "It's not fair to Uncle Bob to suddenly have him see some real magic. What would I tell him?"

Kippy shrugged. "Why would you have to tell him anything? He won't know that you have anything to do with it."

"Oh. Well, still --"

"It's for the people of Twombly," Charlie interjected, quietly. "Isn't that enough?"

Ricky frowned again, and they could see him thinking about it. But slowly, the frown ebbed away, and was replaced with a smile. "Yeah. They're worth it."

Charlie nodded. "Good. Then go to sleep. and we'll see you in the morning."

Kippy smiled then, and let his eyes rove over their two friends. "I don't think they're quite ready to sleep, Charlie."

"Then do whatever you guys were going to do," Charlie added, taking Kip by the arm and pulling him towards the door.

"Have fun!" Kippy called.

Charlie grinned over his shoulder. "I know everything's free, but try not to break the furniture. And keep the noise down, okay?"

Adrian laughed, and pulled Ricky closer. The last thing they saw before Charlie pulled the door shut was Ricky sweeping Adrian into his arms, and heading for the bed.

"I hope Rick doesn't take out his worries on Adrian," Kippy said, grinning. "We don't want Adrian having any sore parts tomorrow that might interfere with the show."

Charlie opened the door to their room, and gently pushed Kippy inside. "Shut up and get naked."

Kippy laughed. "Now...that's romantic!"

Charlie grinned, and pulled Kippy back into an embrace. "Shower with me?"

Kippy opened his mouth, and then closed it again. And then he smiled. "Okay."