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Salvation Part 2
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2021-02-24 11:24:44When her eyes flew open, still mumbling her father's final words, it wasn’t the kind and loving face of her father hovering over her but rather the equally concerned, yet slightly unwelcome face of Cornelius Cane. “Corey?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper. “How did you…? Where is my….?” She began looking around the cave, desperately searching for her father. There was not a trace of him anywhere.
“Calm down, Serendipity,” Corey insisted, his hand on her shoulder. “You’ll be all right just as soon as we get you to some place warm.”
Serendipity noticed then that they were not alone. Snowshoes was standing just in front of the entrance to the cave, the baby reindeer alongside him. “Is that how you found me? With the light from the baby reindeer?”
“Yes,” Corey explained. “He was able to find your footprints, and then we followed you here, by the red
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“There’s something else, my dear,” Mrs. Claus said, her hands resting on her knees. A smile played around her rosy cheeks as she took a deep breath and continued. “As you may know, in my former life, I was a schoolteacher.”“Oh, yes,” Serendipity nodded. “I had heard that was the case, though I imagine that was several years ago, seeing as though you’ve been Mrs. Claus for all of these years.” Serendipity responded, wondering where this conversation was going.“Did you know, darling, that there are many other intelligent, famous, successful, well-known people who also struggled their whole lives with the tasks of reading and writing?” Mrs. Claus continued, leaning forward to look more closely at the young lady.“What?” Serendipity asked, glancing from St. Nicholas’s smiling face back to his wife’s “Whatever do you mean?”“Oh, yes! People like
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“I do,” Serendipity nodded, looking into Corey’s eyes. “I’m not exactly sure what it was that happened to me when I was up there on the mountain, whether I truly had the opportunity to speak to my father through some sort of magic, or if it was just some sort of an hallucination brought on by my extremely cold state, but through that experience and talking to Mrs. Claus just now, I’ve come to realize that what happened to my mother and sisters was an accident. It truly wasn’t my fault, and I can’t spend the rest of my life feeling guilty or punishing myself.”A look of relief and a broad smile spread across Corey’s face. “Oh, Serendipity, it’s so wonderful to hear you say those words,” he assured her. “If coming here has allowed you to make that realization, and you should still choose to leave this place, never to return, then I should think this journey a success.”Serendipity s
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Maevis had spent much of her time in Serendipity’s cottage awaiting word from her ward; would she choose to stay in the North Pole, or would she quickly return via some magic portal or reindeer transport?She had received a bit of an indication that Serendipity may have decided to stay when all of her doll parts suddenly disappeared out of the cottage and Marwolaeth Hall simultaneously. However, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it without some direct word from Serendipity herself. It was early on the third day when, as she continued to straighten and clean Serendipity’s workspace, the only task she could find to keep herself busy, she heard a bustling at the fireplace at her back. She turned quickly to see a magical envelope dancing atop the blazing fire, and careful not to burn herself, she used the poker to draw out the letter.Upon tearing it open, she read the following, written in the familiar hand of one Cornelius Cane:Dearest Mae
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Marwolaeth Hall was an imposing structure with its steep roofline, ominous gables that numbered three, and the seemingly daunting sharpness of even its rounded turret that capped the bay window on the eastern side.It wasn’t necessarily the largest dwelling one might chance to come across in the moorland near the village of Dunsford, England, but it was certainly commanding enough to make one stop and consider the nature of those who would make such a place their home. Even in the daylight it seemed to whisper of treachery and consternation, and it was no wonder the original owners had given it such a fortuitous name.Serendipity Fizzlestitch had not called Marwolaeth her home for nearly eight years, choosing instead to occupy a much smaller, much less daunting cottage nearly twenty furlongs to the south of her original home, off in the woods where the trees blocked most of the view of the gothic structure. Not that she ever went out where she could potentially cat
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Several moments, perhaps half an hour, passed before Serendipity was satisfied with the smiling face, and she eventually sat the doll head down carefully on the roughly hewn wooden table that held her paints and turned her attention back toward the fireplace, certain that whatever wayward piece of postage had haphazardly found its way into her chimney would be long gone. But it wasn’t. It still sat there un-charred and unblemished atop the dancing flames, staring at her almost as intensely as the blank canvas she had just personified.Serendipity stood and stretched her back, noting that it no longer seemed quite as erect as it once was from so many hours of carefully examining her work, and crossed the few feet to the fireplace. Before she made a move to retrieve the stalwart article, she contemplated its existence a moment longer.Finally, taking the poker in her long, spindly, paint-stained fingers, she drew the envelope out of the flames, and it came to rest on
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“A merchant, who had three daughters, was once setting out upon a journey; but before he went he asked each daughter what gift he should bring back for her. The eldest wished for pearls; the second for jewels; but the third, who was called Lily, said, 'Dear Father, bring me a rose.' Now it was no easy task to find a rose, for it was the middle of winter; yet as she was his prettiest daughter, and was very fond of flowers, her father said he would try what he could do. So he kissed all three, and bid them goodbye.”“Papa! That merchant had three daughters, just as you have three daughters,” Serendipity laughed as sat upon her father’s knee, listening to his deep voice portray the tales of the Brothers Grimm in full spectrum. “So he does,” Rudolph Fizzlestitch confirmed, absently rubbing his nose. “But I’m sure that his three daughters are not near
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At first, Serendipity went about her business as she would any other time. After a short nap, she was always ready to dive right back into her work, picking up precisely wherever she had left off. Today should be no different: she picked up the dress, realized her needle was missing, and chose another one from a wide selection stuffed inconspicuously into a well-used pin cushion. She threaded the needle without looking on the first try, and settled down into her chair, training her mind on other things, anything, other than that letter that sat across the room from her. She decided to concentrate on the doll she was working on, number 1,452, or as she had nicknamed her, Lizzette Sassafras, thinking how smart she would look attending a cotillion in the pink lacy dress she was currently creating for her.Lizzette sat on the table near the head of number 1,468, the one she had been working on earlier, which she had chosen to name Hester Pineyfrock (her dress would be green, of cou
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The snow was coming down hard, the flakes small and sharp, more like ice droplets than the fluffy white puffs one usually thought of when considering this particular type of precipitation. But after a century or so of living in the Village, Cornelius Cane had grown immune to the cold and the various forms of solid water the clouds heaved down upon them.As he crunched along the well-decorated cobblestone street that led to his home, his mind only vaguely noticed the impeccably hung twinkling white lights that decorated each of the cottages, shop fronts, and various other buildings, their iridescence broken up only by the velvet bows and greenery interspersed every few feet. Here, Christmas decorations were not seasonal; they were part of everyday life, and while he did occasionally stop to marvel at their splendor, particularly when they had recently been changed out, after a while, like the snow, the decor became part of the background, an inconsequential part of his e
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Maevis had spent much of her time in Serendipity’s cottage awaiting word from her ward; would she choose to stay in the North Pole, or would she quickly return via some magic portal or reindeer transport?She had received a bit of an indication that Serendipity may have decided to stay when all of her doll parts suddenly disappeared out of the cottage and Marwolaeth Hall simultaneously. However, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it without some direct word from Serendipity herself. It was early on the third day when, as she continued to straighten and clean Serendipity’s workspace, the only task she could find to keep herself busy, she heard a bustling at the fireplace at her back. She turned quickly to see a magical envelope dancing atop the blazing fire, and careful not to burn herself, she used the poker to draw out the letter.Upon tearing it open, she read the following, written in the familiar hand of one Cornelius Cane:Dearest Mae
The Dollmaker's Daughter at Christmas Salvation Part 4
“I do,” Serendipity nodded, looking into Corey’s eyes. “I’m not exactly sure what it was that happened to me when I was up there on the mountain, whether I truly had the opportunity to speak to my father through some sort of magic, or if it was just some sort of an hallucination brought on by my extremely cold state, but through that experience and talking to Mrs. Claus just now, I’ve come to realize that what happened to my mother and sisters was an accident. It truly wasn’t my fault, and I can’t spend the rest of my life feeling guilty or punishing myself.”A look of relief and a broad smile spread across Corey’s face. “Oh, Serendipity, it’s so wonderful to hear you say those words,” he assured her. “If coming here has allowed you to make that realization, and you should still choose to leave this place, never to return, then I should think this journey a success.”Serendipity s
The Dollmaker's Daughter at Christmas Salvation Part 3
“There’s something else, my dear,” Mrs. Claus said, her hands resting on her knees. A smile played around her rosy cheeks as she took a deep breath and continued. “As you may know, in my former life, I was a schoolteacher.”“Oh, yes,” Serendipity nodded. “I had heard that was the case, though I imagine that was several years ago, seeing as though you’ve been Mrs. Claus for all of these years.” Serendipity responded, wondering where this conversation was going.“Did you know, darling, that there are many other intelligent, famous, successful, well-known people who also struggled their whole lives with the tasks of reading and writing?” Mrs. Claus continued, leaning forward to look more closely at the young lady.“What?” Serendipity asked, glancing from St. Nicholas’s smiling face back to his wife’s “Whatever do you mean?”“Oh, yes! People like
The Dollmaker's Daughter at Christmas Salvation Part 2
When her eyes flew open, still mumbling her father's final words, it wasn’t the kind and loving face of her father hovering over her but rather the equally concerned, yet slightly unwelcome face of Cornelius Cane.“Corey?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper. “How did you…? Where is my….?” She began looking around the cave, desperately searching for her father. There was not a trace of him anywhere.“Calm down, Serendipity,” Corey insisted, his hand on her shoulder. “You’ll be all right just as soon as we get you to some place warm.”Serendipity noticed then that they were not alone. Snowshoes was standing just in front of the entrance to the cave, the baby reindeer alongside him. “Is that how you found me? With the light from the baby reindeer?”“Yes,” Corey explained. “He was able to find your footprints, and then we followed you here, by the red
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It seemed to take hours for Serendipity to reach the cave opening, even though in actuality it only took a matter of minutes. The snow was pelting her face, making it difficult to see, and her hands were beginning to freeze now, too, right along with the rest of her body. Her footing the last few steps was unsure, and she nearly slipped as she grabbed hold of the rocky entrance way and pulled herself inside.The opening was narrow, and she had to crouch to slip inside, but once she finally made it through the entryway, though the temperature was still well below freezing, the lack of wind and snow seemed to make it more tolerable, and she collapsed on the damp floor against the mossy cave wall.Squirming in her pocket let her know that Pozzletot was still with her, though she did not know what shape he might be in. She didn’t dare take him out to inspect him as she didn’t want to further expose him to the frigid air.“Oh, Pozzletot,” she sa
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“Very good,” Corey replied taking off behind him. “And Hillstern, will you send someone over to alert St. Nicholas? He should be able to use the globe to find her. Perhaps he can transport himself to where she is located.”“I’ll send someone,” Hillstern replied. “If they can reach St. Nicholas in time…. It’s just, you know how hard it is to get an audience with him.”“Tell him it’s an emergency, and that I need his help,” Corey insisted, knowing the elf was right. He watched as Snowshoes took the red light from the wall and began to strap it onto the miniature reindeer the same way that Serendipity had shown him.“How can I help?” he asked.Pulling the strap tightly, the elf gave a stern nod. “That should do it,” Snowshoes assured him. “Now, can you transport us to where you think she might be?”“I have no idea where she migh
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Standing atop the crest of Mt. Menzelfrap looking down at the only two paths that seemed to be options for a young woman running through the ice and snow on foot. Two separate staircases led down the side of the mountain, both treacherous, and neither more friendly looking than the other. He glanced down both of them but saw no sign of Serendipity or her tracks. Of course, with the wind whipping the snow around so fiercely, he could only see a few feet in front of his face. Once again, he yelled her name but only heard the reverberations as they echoed off the mountains around him.He used his magic to transport himself down to the bottom of the stairwell on the left, thinking she may have chosen that one since it seemed to be closest to home. When she wasn’t there, he magicked himself over to the other stairwell. There was still no sign of her. He ran his hands through his hair in desperation. Blindly, he turned about in the snow, trying to think of what he could do to
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“I hope you don’t mind our intrusion, Your Majesty,” Serendipity offered as she stood at her full height. “It’s just, my father used to read stories about you to me as a small child, and I am honored to have the opportunity to meet you at long last.”“Stories? About me?” Ingrid said, smiling. “How lovely! I hope they were all pleasant ones.”“Yes, of course,” Corey interjected. “How could any story written about you be anything but pleasant?”“Indeed,” Ingrid nodded.“And have you read any such stories about my husband, Jack Frost?” she asked, looking at Serendipity.“Jack Frost is your husband?” Serendipity asked, amazed.“Yes, thanks to Mr. Cane,” the Snow Queen explained. “He was able to get the council to approve changing a mere mortal into a legendary character just for my benefit. Wasn’t that swe
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Once Serendipity re-appeared in the main room, her cape, mittens, and hat on, Corey produced a matching scarf and wound it tightly around her, tucking everything in against the wind he knew they were about to encounter. “Are you ready?” he asked once she was bundled up.“Yes,” Serendipity confirmed through the layers. “How shall we get there? Will we take the sleigh again?”“No, this time, we shall travel by my magic,” Corey replied.“But, if you can magic me there with you, why couldn’t you magic me up those stairs yesterday?” she asked confused.“I could have,” he admitted. “I thought you should have the human experience of meeting Santa in the most regal way possible.”“Oh,” Serendipity muttered, still a bit confused. Then another thought occurred to her. “So, why couldn’t you have just used your magic to bring Pozzletot to me?&rdquo
