It's Time For Christmas Wishes, Charlie Boone! - 2. Chapter 2

Part Two -

 

It was mid-afternoon when they seated themselves at Myrna's, the small restaurant attached to the ski lodge, and looked over the menu for something to eat. The show was pretty much set up and ready to go on the stage at the town hall, and Uncle Bob wanted them to return there after their meal so that they could run through the act one time together. Charlie was sure now that they were going to have a fascinating experience, from just what he had seen of Uncle Bob's equipment while they had been setting things up.

Until then, in the back of his mind, he had somehow equated Rick's uncle's amateur status as a magician with low-budget - like card tricks and stuff - and so he had been surprised to see the quality and professional nature of the equipment the man had. That his magic was a passion he had invested in considerably was obvious now. The devices they had put together and made ready were of high-quality, and Charlie had been amazed at the ingenuity of almost all of them. Most were tried-and-true examples of the magician's art; but there was also some equipment that Uncle Bob had designed and built on his own, and which was therefore unique. That the illusions they were going to provide for Twombly's residents would be memorable, Charlie was certain.

"Hey, this is a pretty good menu," Ricky said, poring over the offerings. "They even have pizza here."

Adrian rolled his eyes, and Kippy laughed. "Don't you get enough pizza back home?" Adrian asked.

Ricky grinned. "I always have room for pizza."

"Maybe something a little more mountain-y," Uncle Bob said. "I think the chicken pot pie looks good. And the chili dogs. And...mmm! I love lake perch."

Ricky nodded. "Okay, I'm game. And...oh, look at the pies they have for dessert!"

Charlie was feeling experimental, and had Tourtiere, a Quebecois meat pie; a small bowl of maple baked beans; and apple pie with cheddar for dessert. Uncle Bob did get the lake perch; some pickled eggs; and sugar on snow - maple syrup over flaked ice - and apple cider doughnuts for dessert. Ricky opted for the chili dogs, Adrian for the lamb served with a mint and Vermont feta salad; and a huge platter of gravy fries was set in the center of the table for all of them to share. After a brief bout of indecision, both Ricky and Adrian selected maple cream pie under freshly whipped cream for dessert. The drinks were Switchel, a native concoction of cider vinegar, maple, molasses, and ginger.

"We're all gonna be too fat to do the show," Kippy said, between mouthfuls. "Well just waddle around the stage and fall over."

Charlie laughed. The food was simply wonderful, and they were all hungry, not having eaten since breakfast. "I don't think I could eat like this every day," he agreed. "Looks like a heart-attack waiting to happen."

"What a way to go, though," Ricky mumbled, around a dog.

Uncle Bob smiled, but nodded. "The food here is some of the best I've ever had over this way. How they keep this place a secret is beyond me."

"Have you seen any skiers?" Adrian asked. "The lodge looked empty."

"I talked to Mili, the lady at the front desk," Uncle Bob said. "They have a half dozen rooms reserved, but the guests aren't arriving until Christmas eve."

"That's kind of an odd time to go skiing, isn't it?" Charlie asked. "You'd think they'd want to come earlier or later than the holiday."

Kippy patted his hand. "You just don't know skiers, Charlie."

Charlie laughed. "And you do?"

Kippy shook his head. "No, I don't, either. I was just saying that, since none of us ski, we don't really know what appeals to people that do."

Charlie paused and looked over at Ricky, who just shrugged. "Man has a point."

"I wasn't thinking of them as skiers, so much," Charlie countered, "but just as people. If you want to spend Christmas somewhere, you usually get there early, right?"

Kippy paused in his eating and eyed Charlie. "Is it that important to you?"

Charlie opened his mouth to add something else; but then he saw the look in Kippy's eye, and realized that it was pointless to go on. Kip was right: it just didn't matter how others spent their holidays. "Nope. I'm good."

Kippy nodded, and went back to eating. Ricky tossed Charlie a thumbs up, and Adrian grinned at him. "You're getting wise in your old age, Charlie."

Kippy smiled, but didn't add to the conversation on that point. Charlie just laughed, and went back to assaulting his plate.

They finished eating, and got up to leave. But when they approached the counter to pay their bill, the smiling woman there waved them off. "Mayor Snorkum has taken care of it already. You fellows just go right on back to the town hall and practice now. We're all very excited about the show!"

"That was odd," Uncle Bob said, as they walked back to the town hall. "I knew the town was going to cover our lodgings, but I didn't know that extended to food as well."

Rick smiled at him. "Are you complaining?"

"Uh...no. I guess I'm not." Uncle Bob sighed, and they walked on.

People smiled and waved at them, and said hello if they passed by closely enough; but otherwise, everyone seemed intent on giving them their space. Uncle Bob seemed to find this natural enough, but Charlie felt that only the word going out to leave the newcomers alone would have kept a legion of curious and friendly elves at bay. The simple idea that too much scrutiny of them might somehow spoil the magic seemed to have traveled very quickly, and Charlie could almost imagine Kiley and Kiri norking all their friends and telling them hands off.

For the next several hours they ran through the act, and Charlie was even more impressed with Uncle Bob when they were done. The man had a showman's heart, and while he loved what he did, and liked to have fun, his most ardent desire was to give his audience the best performance that he could. This focus on pleasing and amazing others would forever endear the man to Charlie's heart. And, again, he was totally unsurprised to find such a trait running in Ricky's line.

"I love your uncle," he told the boy, in a quiet moment between acts.

Ricky grinned, and nodded. "I do, too." He sighed, and looked over at the man, who was patiently explaining how Kippy needed to stand within the enclosure of a certain device.

This one was a tall cabinet, with a center section that could be pulled to one side. There was an oval hole above where Kip's face could be seen, but nothing else. Uncle Bob was telling him how to stand with his back to the left side of the cabinet, while keeping his face in the hole, so that, when the center section was pulled back, it would look as if Kippy's body was split in three. Actually, Kippy would bend at the waist with the section, which had more room in it than it appeared to the audience, due to the borders at each side of the front of the cabinet. Once the section was pulled out, Kip would reach behind himself and wave a hand at the audience through a hole in the extended section, to make it obvious that a part of him was actually in there. It was a neat trick, yet very simple, once Charlie had seen how it was done.

"I loved doing this when I was kid," Ricky said. "Even though I always knew these were illusions, I always felt they had some magic in them, anyway."

"They do," Charlie agreed. "Anything that inspires wonder in people, and makes them happy, has magic in it."

Ricky smiled, and leaned forward and kissed Charlie's cheek. "Thanks."

Charlie nodded. "Thanks for asking Kip and me along. He had just been saying that it didn't feel like Christmas to him, and that we needed to do something special, and this was just what the doctor ordered. Seeing him smile and have fun is all I need to know that we are right where we are supposed to be, with you and Adrian. And your uncle."

Ricky looked over at Kippy and Uncle Bob, and nodded. Adrian was standing next to them, watching and smiling, and Charlie could plainly see the affection Ricky had for his boyfriend, reflected clearly in his eyes.

Ricky sighed. "We've come a long way, Charlie."

"I know. And the trip is far from over."

They smiled at each other, and went back to the others to watch.

It was after five o'clock by the time that they felt they had things down pat, and Uncle Bob pronounced them as ready as they ever would be. Charlie, Kippy, and Adrian had found their parts in the show to be quite simple, and were confident that they could pull them off without a hitch. Ricky, who really knew the act well, had the more difficult roles that called for experience, and he had that experience in spades. They were all going to do well, of that Charlie was certain.

They left the town hall, and Uncle Bob locked the side doors behind them. "I'm not terribly hungry after that huge lunch, but something small might be in order," he said. "You guys want to go back to the restaurant, and then maybe walk about the town a little?" He waved a hand towards the street, grinning.

Charlie could see what he meant. Darkness had fallen, and Twombly was brilliant with wonder. Lights were everywhere, both the ones they had seen on their arrival, and others that they had either missed, or which had been absent earlier. The town glowed like a Christmas jewel, everywhere expressing an absolute joy that the holiday was at hand.

Kippy gave a little sigh, and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "I have to get some pictures of this to keep."

It seemed that everyone agreed, and soon they all had their phones out, and were snapping away. They paused in front of one of the brightly-lit trees, and snapped shots of each other smiling, with their arms linked together. Uncle Bob was right in there with them, seeming to have succumbed to the same sense of wonder that had overtaken the others. By the time they were done, they had taken pictures of every building in town, and of themselves laughing and smiling in front of each of them.

There were still people everywhere, couples and families and the occasional group, with a complete lack of lone travelers anywhere to be seen. This fit in well with what Charlie knew of elves, who were a gregarious and companionable people, always together, always participating. The people waved and smiled at them, asked how they were in passing; but again, no one really stopped to talk.

Until they saw four people coming along the street, who spied them, and then turned towards them. The tall top hat immediately declared them to be the mayor and his two kids, and a small, bronze-haired woman with startlingly beautiful green eyes, who proved to be Mayor Snorkum's wife, Cawra.

"I've heard so much about you," she said, on introduction. "We're all looking forward to the show tomorrow."

"We're looking forward to giving it," Uncle Bob said. "I don't think I've ever given a show in a place quite like this before."

Cawra smiled. "It's a nice little town, yes. We're pleased to call it home."

"I keep expecting Santa to land in his sleigh, pulled by eight tiny reindeer."

Uncle Bob looked up and swept a hand across the sky as he said this, and so missed the reaction among the mayor and his family. All four of them gave a little start, and shrank down almost imperceptibly, and their smiles faltered for just a second. Both Kiley's and Kiri's turned up to scan the night above.

Mayor Snorkum, his arm around his wife's shoulders, gave her a squeeze, and forced the smile back onto his face. "We do love Christmas here, that's for sure."

Uncle Bob smiled. "Never once crossed my mind that you didn't."

That seemed to restore some cheer to the family, and their eyes once again matched the smiles on their faces.

"We were just strolling about, taking in the sights," Mayor Snorkum said then. "We'd be pleased to have your company."

"As long as we eventually wind up at the lodge, sure," Uncle Bob returned. He turned to look at the boys. "Okay with you?"

It was. The five of them fell into a group with the Snorkums, and headed slowly up the street.

"How old a place is Twombly?" Adrian asked, as they walked along.

"Oh, my." The mayor smiled at him. "We've been here for a long time. The town was started the year the British burned the capital of the country."

"Eighteen-fourteen, daddy," Kiri said, grinning.

The man smiled at her. "Just so. Quite a stressful year for our young nation."

Something in the way the mayor said that almost made Charlie believe that Snorkum had been there to witness the events first hand. That would not be surprising at all. Max looked twenty, but he was six-hundred years old.

"That's a long time," Uncle Bob said. "These buildings certainly aren't that old." It sounded like a statement, but Charlie heard the question buried within the words.

"No." Mayor Snorkum smiled, and waved a hand around them. "What you see here all came about just after World War Two, actually. The original structures had become dated, and were in need of replacement. Most of the homes around town are also from the same era. Our founding fathers began here because they wanted peace and isolation, and for many years, we had that. But after that awful war, this nation took some very big steps forward, and we found our isolation fading away. We needed a new face to deal with a new world." The man smiled, and waved a hand. "And here it is."

"Well, it's beautiful," Uncle Bob said. "You have every right to be proud of what you have here. I have never seen a more cheerful, pleasing place in my entire life."

Mayor Snorkum positively glowed at the comment. "We like it," seemed all he could say.

Adrian smiled at Kiri. "Were you and your brother born near here?"

"Right here," the girl answered quickly. "In our house, as a matter of fact."

"Really?" Uncle Bob seemed impressed by that. "I didn't know that was done much anymore."

"It's still done in places like this," Cawra said, smiling at her daughter. "The nearest hospitals are in Bennington and Manchester Center, which is quite a drive. We prefer to do things locally, if at all possible."

Uncle Bob sighed, took a deep breath, and nodded his head slowly, gazing up at the strings of crisscrossing lights overhead. "It's beautiful here. I can't think of a nicer place to be born."

That seemed to please all the Snorkums, and they just glowed at the compliment. Charlie smiled, seeing the affection these people had for this place, and each other, and more than understanding it. Twombly had a sense about it of a town created to be a home. It made him wonder if the houses of these people were bigger on the inside than on the outside, had rooms with no corners or straight lines in them, and doors that went to any room one imagined he wished to go to. Twombly seemed a mix of human and elf, and Charlie knew that much of it was the way it was because human eyes would be seeing it. But the special stamp of another kind was there, on everything about them; if you knew where - and how - to look, it simply could not be missed.

"What about school?" Kippy asked. "You guys have to go to school, don't you?"

"I'll say," the mayor laughed, causing both Kiley and Kiri to smile. "Education is important in this day and age."

Kiley grinned. "We go to school at the town hall. There's only about forty students. Miss Cubely Two, who runs the clothing shop with her sister, is also our teacher."

Charlie grinned at that. "You call her Miss Cubely Two?"

Kiley shrugged, as if it should be readily apparent. "Well, there's two of them. We have to keep them separate, or no one would know which one we meant."

"She sounds fun," Kippy decided, nodding. "She has a sense of humor, if she doesn't mind being called that."

"She's great," Kiri agreed. "No one knows twisty math better."

Charlie just had to grin again. "Twisty math?"

Kiley gave his sister a poke with his elbow. "She means geometry and algebra - things like that. Anyone can add and multiply; but that other stuff takes a little thinking on. And Miss Cubely Two sure knows how to make us think!"

"Sounds great," Charlie said, thinking about his own high school, which was far from small-townish these days. "You'll probably get a better education than we will."

"Miss Cubely is quite worldly," Cawra supplied. "She's been teacher here for some time, in addition to her duties at her shop."

"She wears many hats," Mayor Snorkum agreed, smiling. "And she makes them all herself!"

"I was wondering," Uncle Bob said then, "about who this Eustace T. Phernackertiban is, or was. I never heard of this charity."

"Eustace was our town founder," the mayor said quietly.

"Ah. So he is no longer around."

"Oh, no. He...passed away...many years ago. He was very, very old."

Uncle Bob smiled. "So you have some sort of Christmas fund in his name? That's very nice of you to maintain his legacy."

Mayor Snorkum gave a little sigh. "Well...he had his ways, no doubt about that. He had some very particular ideas on the way the world should work, which got him into some, um, hot water at one point. He believed some things that were not very popular in our homeland, views which ran counter to what many others thought. It finally came to a head, and is the reason why our earliest citizens left the old country and came here."

"He had followers in his ideas? I know that many people who believed differently than the mainstream left Europe and came to this country when it was new, to start over."

Cawra shook her head. "Not necessarily followers. Eustace had family, who loved him, and who refused to see him and his wife go off into the world alone. So they accompanied him here, to start anew." She frowned. "I don't know if all of them understood what they were giving up. But they came, nonetheless."

Mayor Snorkum sighed. "But his experiences after leaving the old country slowly changed him. He mellowed, I guess you would say. He was quite a sweet old fellow in the end, and very much loved by the family."

"Wow," Charlie said softly. "So you guys have maintained a charity in his name?"

"Yes. Eustace came to love Christmas, which seemed to surprise even him, and it became a central part of his life in his last years. The town grew to love Christmas along with him." He waved a hand at the lights around them. "As I guess you can see pretty plainly."

Everyone laughed.

"What does the fund do?" Uncle Bob asked.

"It gives," the mayor said, simply.

"Every year we have some event to raise money," Kiley offered. "Everybody in town gives. And then there is a vote on what the money gets used for. Most of the time, everybody agrees on something good."

"How about this year?" Kippy asked.

"The vote hasn't been taken yet," Kiri said. "But we're leaning towards a hospital that serves children with cancer. By the time we get to the vote, everyone will be on board."

Uncle Bob laughed. "How do you know?"

"Oh, we all discuss it beforehand. Several ideas come up each year, and people talk about it, and slowly narrow it down, and by the time we actually vote, most everyone has already agreed on one thing." Kiri smiled. "It's pretty easy, really."

Uncle Bob looked surprised. "You mean that the sole basis for this fund are the gifts of the people of this small town?"

"Yes." Mayor Snorkum nodded. "I am always very careful to tell anyone secured for the yearly performance that it is for charity. We do not pay for the performance, but we do make the performers guests of the town, and all of us contribute to that. You will not need to pay for anything while you are here."

"We noticed that at the restaurant. That's very kind of you."

"Not at all. You are doing two favors for us. You are providing the means by which we can offer our charity, and you are providing the town with a show of wonder and amazement." The mayor grinned. "And we do so love to be amazed and filled with wonder."

A pair of headlights emerged from the other side of the town garage and turned their way. They proved to belong to a Jeep Wrangler, which came abreast of them and stopped. The driver's door opened, and a man leaned out. "There you are, Brin. I wonder if I might take you away from your walk?"

Charlie did everything he could not to grin like crazy at the sight of a cute elf in a thick hunting vest and billed cap with fuzzy earmuffs, driving a Jeep. The sight was so far removed from any past imagery he had of Max and his people that the sheer contrast made him want to laugh out loud. He was aware of the other boys also looking enchanted, with only Uncle Bob finding the sight to be nothing out of the ordinary.

Mayor Snorkum gave a small gasp. "Is it time?"

The man at the wheel of the jeep could not hide his glee. "It seems so."

Carwa clasped her hands before her and looked delighted. "Is Miss Cubely there already?"

"Yep. She said it was just a matter of time now."

Carwa turned to her husband. "We should be there, Brin."

He nodded. "Yes." The mayor turned to Uncle Bob. "My apologies, if you please. We're expecting a new addition to our population this evening. It's customary for the mayor to be present at the birth."

Kiley and Kiri grinned, and their eyes shown in the lights from overhead. "Oh, go right now!" Kiri said.

"We'll entertain our guests," Kiley added, smiling at the group.

The mayor and his wife locked eyes, and the joy they were both feeling bounced back and forth between them. "I'm terribly sorry to leave you," the mayor said, taking his wife's arm. "Can you excuse us?"

Uncle Bob laughed. "Go right ahead. Does anyone know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"It's both," Carwa said, smiling. "Twins!"

They circled the vehicle, and the mayor helped his wife inside, and then climbed in after her. The driver cast a happy grin at Uncle Bob and the boys, and then backed the Jeep around in a circle and headed back the way he'd come.

"Cool," Kippy said, grinning. "Twins for Christmas."

"We knew it would be close," Kiley said. He looked after the departing vehicle a moment longer, and then turned back to them. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

Uncle Bob raised a hand. "I don't know about the boys here, but I'm going to kind of saunter back to the lodge and eat a little something, and then give my wife a call. She'll think I disappeared into one of my own devices by now."

Everyone laughed. Uncle Bob smiled at them, and then headed off, digging his cell phone out of his pocket as he walked.

"Your uncle is sweet," Kiri said to Ricky.

He laughed. "Well, I'm pretty fond of him, but I wouldn't tell him he's sweet...not to his face, anyway."

Kiley gave a little sigh. "We don't want to keep you if you have plans...but..." he looked over at his sister, who nodded encouragingly at him. "...we don't get to talk to many people our own age from out of town."

Kippy grinned at Charlie, and then at the boy. "Oh, we love to talk. What do you have in mind?"

Kiri laughed. "Told ya."

Kiley gave her a look. "Well, I didn't know for sure."

"Know what?" Kippy asked.

"Well, whether or not you'd want to hang out with a couple of...yokels."

Kippy immediately frowned at that. "Really? Do we seem like that to you?"

"Not to me," Kiri said immediately.

Kiley sighed, tossing her an aggravated look. "You don't seem like that to me, either - but I wasn't sure. This is a small town. People from outside are sometimes pretty...different."

Charlie moved over beside Kippy, and put his arm around him. "We're nice guys," he said, smiling. "We're also gay."

"Told ya," Kiri said again.

Kiley gave out a sigh, and rolled his eyes. "Will you let me talk?"

Adrian looked at Kiri, his eyes full of interest. "You knew we were gay?"

"Sure. The way you are with each other? I can see the love."

Kippy sighed, and leaned against Charlie. "Hold me, Charlie, before I fall in love with her."

Charlie laughed, and gave his boyfriend another squeeze. "You're okay with that?" he directed at Kiri.

She smiled. "Who wouldn't love love?"

Charlie shrugged. "A lot of American small towns have issues with it. For that matter, some big towns, too."

"Well, not us," Kiley countered. "There's some gay couples here in Twombly. No one minds at all."

"That's good to know," Ricky said, moving closer to Adrian and putting an arm around him. "We were trying to be on the down-low about it while we were here."

"There's no need," Kiley insisted. "Our town likes everyone."

Charlie nodded, and pulled Kippy closer to the two elves. "So...what do you guys do around here on a Saturday night?"

Kiley suddenly relaxed, and grinned. "Wow. That was easier than I thought it would be."

Ricky coughed, and examined his fingernails dramatically. "Yeah, uh, we haven't eaten any strangers all week. We've been good."

Kiley tossed his head back and laughed, and it was so cute that Kippy sighed dramatically and feigned a swoon in Charlie's arms.

"You guys are..." Kiley began.

"... pretty funny," Kiri finished.

"We try," Kippy said, his eyes full of delight. "You guys are pretty awesome, too."

Both elves mouths dropped open. "Really?" Kiley asked, in just above a whisper.

All four humans laughed. Adrian gave a little sigh and leaned his head against Ricky's. "This can't be real."

"I think it is," Ricky countered, smiling at the two elves. "You guys are great."

"So...what do you guys do around here on a Saturday night?" Charlie repeated.

Kiley and Kiri looked at each other, and then Kiley shrugged. "Hang out with our friends, mostly."

Charlie waved at Kippy and the others. "Imagine that...the same thing we love to do."

That brought more smiles to both elf faces.

"We like to walk in the moonlight," Kiri said then.

Kippy looked up at the lights strung overhead. "There's no moon tonight, is there?"

"Oh, it's there," Kiley said. "Or, it will be. You can't see it from here though."

"Too much wish light," Kiri followed with.

"Wish light?" Adrian asked.

Both elves sighed, and Kiley pointed up at the strings of lights above them. "Those. Christmas lights. We sometimes call them wish lights, just because that's what they mean." He turned, and indicated the lights on the trees and buildings. "Those, too. Every one of them is someone's wish."

Charlie shook his head. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Kiley and Kiri exchanged glances.

"Could we?" Kiley asked.

"Should we?" Kiri countered.

"Yes, you should," Kippy answered. "We can keep a secret."

Kiley laughed. "Oh, it's not a secret." He frowned then. "I don't think." He looked at Kiri for guidance.

She frowned. "No one ever said it was a secret."

"Then it's not," Kiley decided, looking happy. "So we can show them."

Kiri nodded. "I feel good about them."

"Me, too."

Charlie laughed. "You want to let us in on the mystery?"

Kiri waved a hand. "Want to take a walk? You have to see, because we can't really tell you."

"Sure." Charlie gave Kip a squeeze. "You game?"

Kippy tsked. "Try to stop me."

"All of us?" Ricky asked.

"All of you," Kiri agreed.

They merged into a group with the two elves in the lead, and started for the end of town. People were still out everywhere, and the atmosphere of a close-knit community was almost palpable. Here were people that shared the world together, and each day in it, and were just as happy as could be that they could do it. It was an attitude and a way of seeing the world that Charlie knew from Max, and Frit and Pip, and which he had always wished that could in some way be imported out into the human world.

They passed the service station, and Charlie saw a gravel drive just beyond it that lead back into the woods, where the cheery lights of another of the small houses stood out in the darkness. This was where the jeep with the mayor and his wife had gone. Charlie wondered if the new twins had been born yet, or if the adults were still waiting.

"Not yet," Kiri said, noticing his gaze.

"The bells atop the town hall will ring," Kiley added, smiling at him.

Charlie just grinned, used to the way that elves could see into his heart and his mind. He didn't say anything, though, to let on that he knew. It seemed best to keep quiet about what they had learned about Twombly and its people, until they could talk to Max about it later.

They continued down the road, and out of the town. As they passed the last buildings, they emerged from beneath the strings of lights, and a clear, dark sky soared above them, sprinkled with the cold pinpoints of stars - but no moon.

"I don't see it," Ricky said, scanning the sky.

Charlie frowned, trying to recall the ephemeris for December, and remembered that the moon would be rising more than an hour after sunset this time of the month. He glanced at his watch, and nodded. "Moon's not due up until about five-thirty. Still a few minutes away."

Kiley laughed delightedly, and Rick just sighed. "Britannica Brain strikes again."

"My Britannica Brain," Kippy said defensively. He stroked Charlie's arm and smiled at him. "There, there. Just ignore him, Charlie."

Charlie laughed. "I'm going to ignore both of you, if you don't mind."

Ricky grinned, and Kippy just gave a small snort and pretended he wasn't trying not to laugh. "Well!"

They moved on, and Kiley and Kiri led them into a path that dived into the woods. The darkness closed in around them, and the boy's pace slowed to a crawl.

"Uh...I can't see shit," Ricky said.

There was a wink of light before them, and Kiley was revealed, light in hand. "I have a flash," he said, smiling.

Kippy laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"

They continued on the path, which began to angle downward. Kiley and Kiri moved as if they didn't need the light at all, and Charlie suspected that they didn't. Once an elf knew where things were located, they considered light a waste of energy. But the boys needed the light, and followed it carefully, picking their footing cautiously with each step. Kiley took his time, as if aware that his visitors were unsure of their trail.

So when he and Kiri stopped, Charlie and the others stopped with them.

"Come up next to us," Kiri whispered.

The boys moved forward carefully. Charlie could see a soft glow now, and as he and the others moved forward, Kiley and Kiri stepped out into it.

Charlie emerged into the light and stopped, struck dumb by the view. They were standing upon a wide ledge, beyond the edge of which was...nothing.

Ahead and below - far below - a valley stretched away into the distance, dotted with lights, some of them moving. Charlie stared at them, until he realized that the moving lights were cars, traveling some winding road perhaps miles away, which wound through the wooded landscape between larger, fixed points of light, which had to be habitations of some kind. People places.

The snow covered ground seems to reflect every bit of light available, and the landscape offered up a soft blue glow that was simply mesmerizing to behold.

"Oh," Kippy breathed, at his side, entranced by the view. "It's beautiful."

And it was. The dark canopy of stars above lightened as it approached the horizon, which was dotted with the rounded peaks of other mountains in the same range as theirs, and lit by the reflected scatter of the lights below, off a nearly invisible wisp of clouds. The glow Charlie had seen beyond the two elves was simply the light of other suns, bright by comparison with the darkness within the woods. The night sky, in all its comforting glory.

But...wait. Perhaps the glow at the horizon was not all reflected from the towns and traffic below. Even as they watched, the horizon brightened further, and a soft white halo appeared at the far end of the valley, and then a sudden brightness appeared atop one of the distant mountains.

Charlie gave a little laugh, understanding. "That's --"

"It's the moon," Kippy said softly, hugging Charlie's arm.

The six of them stood in silence, time forgotten, watching, as the upper limb of Earth's satellite appeared in the sky.

"Wow," Ricky said softly. "Hell of a view."

"It's one of our favorite places," Kiri told them.

"If not our most favorite place," Kiley added.

They stood for a while, watching, as the moon continued to rise, until the bright orb finally cleared the far peak. It was absolutely full, absolutely glorious, and Charlie simply stared at it. It seemed larger than normal against the distant mountains; larger, and somehow closer than usual.

Charlie felt movement against his face as a thin, almost imperceptible breeze crossed the ledge. It brought a faint purr of sound to his ears, one that made him pay immediate attention. It had the qualities of a voice, a whisper in the darkness, and Charlie turned his head, seeking it, trying to understand what it was saying.

I wish...

It was as distinct as if one of the others had whispered it. Charlie turned his head again, and heard it once more...

I wish...

Kippy's grip on Charlie's arm tightened, and he knew that his boyfriend was hearing the voice, too.

"What is that?" Adrian breathed, almost too softly to be heard.

"They're wishes," Kiri said, her own voice a whisper. "The wishes of the world."

For a moment no one said anything. Charlie strained his ears, and could hear the same two words, coming to him at irregular intervals. It was unbelievable, magical...and then he remembered who he was with.

"It's amazing," he said, smiling at Kiley.

The boy grinned, his teeth white in the moonlight. "It sounds like real words, doesn't it?"

"It's not?" Kippy asked, frowning.

"It's the wind," Kiri offered, waving a hand at the ledge before them. "The air moving over or through some hole or something, that makes a sound just like a human voice."

Charlie felt the untruth of that statement immediately, and didn't know how he knew it. Why? The two elves had brought them here to hear this...but they knew they could not tell their visitors what it was they were actually hearing. Charlie understood then that the elves of Twombly had not come alone to this small section of the Vermont woods, high stop this splendid peak. Some magic, in some form, had come with them. That magic would accompany this wonderful companion race to humankind was not an extraordinary idea at all. Truly, for these people to exist here safely, all these years, they must actually have been hiding their magic, limiting or even forbidding its use, so that the world around them would not discover who they actually were.

What were they hiding from? Was it just people? For Charlie suddenly understood with great clarity that Twombly was a refuge as much as a home - a refuge from something, or someone, that the citizens did not wish to find them. He turned to look at Kiley and Kiri, saw the wonder on their faces as they listened to the wind, and heard the voices of the world carried upon it, and knew it for what it was.

"Wish lights," he said suddenly. "I think I see now."

Kiley nodded, looking pleased. "It's a kind of a town thing, is all. People hear the wishes here, and count them, and for each one they hear a new Christmas light is added somewhere in town. Some people say that the wishes heard here influence our decisions at Christmas, on where our gift should go." He gave a light laugh, his eyes moving among the stars overhead. "I never really believed that."

"Didn't you?" Kippy asked quietly.

Both elves turned to stare at him. "It's just a story, Kip," Kiri said, looking at him curiously now.

Charlie nodded at his boyfriend. "Yeah, Kip. Lighten up."

But Kippy shook his head. "No, Charlie. Something needs to be said now."

"Kippy!" Charlie said softly, putting a warning into his voice. "We agreed, remember?"

Kiley shook his head slowly, surprise and amazement plain on his face. He looked at his sister. "You were right. They know."

"I told you," Kiri said, her face filled with delight. "I told you I sensed skwish in this one."

"I didn't believe it," Kiley said. "They're not our kind...they're people."

"Dad said that they were special. The name of Bob Travers jumped off the page at him when he found it, remember?"

Charlie stared, suddenly understanding. Kiley and Kiri knew that they had been found out!

"Okay," he said gently. "We do know. You guys are elves."

"How do you know?" Kiley asked. "It's impossible."

Charlie shook his head. "No. We recognized you because...because we know other elves."

Kiri's eyes widened. "What others? There's only...all the others."

"You don't understand, "Kippy said, softly. "They're our friends. Our good friends."

Something in his boyfriend's quiet voice - something powerful - caused even Charlie to stare at Kippy, wondering what had just passed through the air along with his words.

Kiri blinked, gave out a small breath of air, and then slowly smiled. "Your friends?"

"Yes."

The girl's eyes focused on Kippy, as if examining him from within. "I...believe you. Your skwish says it is true."

Kiley looked at his sister, the doubt he had been feeling even then fading from his gaze. "Kiri...they're people. Are you sure?"

The girl licked her lips. "Yes."

Kiley swallowed hard, and then let his eyes move to Kippy's, and then Charlie's. Charlie smiled, and nodded. Kiley's gaze moved to Ricky, and then Adrian. Both boys smiled in return.

Kiley turned to his sister. "What do we do now?"

Kiri rubbed her chin, and turned her gaze to Charlie. "What do you want from us?"

Charlie sighed, and shook his head. "Nothing at all."

Kiri watched him a moment, and then smiled. "That's the right answer."

Charlie laid a hand on Kippy's shoulder. "We came to your town with Rick's uncle, because Kip felt it was something we needed to do."

"You have the foresight," Kiri said, nodding at Kippy. "I felt it in you the moment I saw you." She smiled at Charlie. "All four of you hold something special. A bond that is strong. You have been many places, and seen many things." She sighed. "It's quite beautiful, actually."

Kiley smiled. "My sister has the eye of the world. The strongest to come along in many years. If she says you're good people, I believe her."

"There's a reason we're here," Kippy said. "I just don't know what it is yet."

They stood in silence a moment, watching the distant moon. Charlie's mind spun with questions, but only one of them seemed of paramount importance at this time. He looked back at the elves, and found both of them watching him. "Can I ask you something?"

Kiri nodded, as if expecting it. "Yes."

"Why...why are you guys here?"

Kiley's eye smiled in the moonlight. "You mean here, in this town? Not just here, on this ledge, right? There are actually answers to both questions."

"Start with the ledge," Ricky prompted.

"We brought you here to see what you would do when you heard the wish voices."

"We needed to know about you," Kiri added. "Even though daddy said not to."

Charlie frowned at that. "Your dad told you not to say anything to us?"

"Yes. He said that if you were meant to know of us, it would happen without us doing anything, or saying a word."

"It did," Kippy confirmed. "We knew who you were the moment we drove into town."

"But not your uncle," Kiri asked of Ricky.

"He doesn't know. And I don't really know how he would act if he did know."

"It doesn't matter," Kiley said. "He brought the four of you. That is what matters."

Charlie nodded. "Okay. How about the second question?"

Kiley and Kiri looked at each other.

"Don't stop now," Kippy urged.

"It's a long story..." Kiri began.

"But very simple, really," Kiley added.

Kippy looked at the ground, scuffed the rock surface with a shoe, and then sat down cross-legged, and made himself comfortable. He lifted a hand and indicated the moon, and grinned up at them. "Can't think of a better place to tell a story."

Charlie grinned, and sat down next to his boyfriend, and Rick and Adrian followed.

Kiley and Kiri smiled at each other, and took seats facing them.

"Where to start?" Kiri asked herself.

"At the beginning," Kiley prompted.

"At the very beginning," Kiri decided...