Can You Hear Me?

Christmas time can shift spirits, sometimes in strange ways. This is especially true for the younger dwellers of the world, and even more so for two little sisters with nothing but each other - and the cabin they stayed in for the winter.

Christmas Eve was a fun day for Sara and Dana, but it passed by quickly. The two girl children, aged eight and six respectively, spent most of the day playing outside in the snow, next to the frozen river. They competed to see who could build the tallest snowman without it crumbling; neither girl could build one that surpassed half the height of the log cabin they lived in, but their efforts seemed to be tied.

It wasn't long before Dana found herself staring out one of the cabin's windows, her head resting on top of her hands. It was very late into the night, but the blonde girl felt restless. She focused on the moonlight's reflection on the frozen river nearby and how the rest of the forest seemed so dark in comparison.

"Shouldn't you be looking up at the sky?"

Sara's sudden question broke the silence, surprising Dana. "I guess," she replied, "but what if he's going through the forest?"

Yes, the two sisters (more so Dana) were staying up until midnight waiting for Santa to arrive. He did not visit last year, after their parents disappeared, so the girls wanted to find him and make sure he remembered them this year.

Sara got up from her spot by the Christmas tree and approached her younger sister. "Fine, then how about we watch both? You do the forest still, and I do the sky."

"Deal!"

The girls observed their zones for only a moment before Dana thought of something again.

"Wait!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening with wonder. "What if he appears on the other side of the house? Or the side next to the other side?? We need more people on watch..." she finished, pondering.

Sara huffed. "Okay, I'll look out the other window then."

The older sister flicked her darker hair as she sauntered to the other side of the cabin, opening the other window and leaning out. She clearly wasn't as interested in finding Santa as her little sister was.

"Why do you want to stay up for him so much anyways?" Sara called out. "What if that puts us on the naughty list? Or maybe he can't come because Mom and Dad aren't here..."

Sara's last theory stemmed from her fading belief in Santa. She already lost her belief in the tooth fairy after the lack of any money underneath her pillow.

Dana started to pick this up.

"Do... do you think Mom and Dad are Santa?" The blonde child wondered aloud.

"Like, they change and join together on Christmas Day to deliver our presents? That would be awesome!" Sara said, then muttered 'but' under her breath.

Suddenly, a music box began to play a soft melody, making the older sister turn around. She noticed Dana holding a red music box to her chest.

Sara raised an eyebrow. The music box, adorned with red and green crystals, was the last Christmas gift that Dana got before their parents disappeared only days later, leaving them alone in the cabin. She hadn't seen her little sister listen to it since.

"I haven't seen you use that in forever," Sara questioned.

"I listen to it almost everyday," Dana said quietly, as a chilling version of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' continued to play. "I just use it when I'm alone. It makes me feel better when I'm worried or thinking a lot about something."

Sara shut her eyes and yawned instead of sighing. "Well, we're gonna see Santa. Then we'll get presents! I promise...!"

The music box reached the end of its song and stopped.

A second later, the grandfather clock in the lounge began to chime. It was midnight. Santa was sure to make an appearance any time now...

"WOAH!"

Dana suddenly yelled, making Sara run towards her. "What what what? Did you see somethi- WOAH!"

The two girls huddled together and awed at the perfectly timed spectacle. A shooting star zoomed across the sky, leaving behind a streak of pale white light.

"That's the second one now!" Dana exclaimed excitedly, clapping her fragile hands. "Oh, and now a third one!"

Rather orderly and slowly, shooting stars traversed across the sky, one after the other.

"Four, five, six..." the two girls counted together. "...Seven, eight...!"

"Eight shooting stars!" Dana yelled excitedly. "One for-

"Quick, make a wish!"

"What if they were reindeer?-"

"Just do it!!"

The sisters shut their eyes and thought. Sara wished for their Mom and Dad to return, like the best Christmas gift ever. Dana wished that the shooting stars were Santa's reindeer.

They opened their eyes in unison.

"As I was saying," Dana continued, looking at her big sister, "There was one shooting star for each of Santa's reindeer!" She began to count on her fingers, wearing an intense expression. "Dasher, Dancer, Prancer-"

Dana was interrupted again, this time by a loud bang outside. The cabin shook ever so slightly, making the sisters yelp.

"Woah, what was that?!" Sara whispered.

"Maybe it was Santa landing! We have to check it out!"

Dana tried to bolt for the door, but Sara grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"No, wait!" Sara fiercely muttered. "It's too dark and scary outside! Can't we wait until the morning!?"

"No! This might be our only chance!"

"No, I can't let you- hey, look!"

Sara rushed away and leaned her head out the window, causing Dana to do the same. There was a bellow of green smoke outside which seemed to emit some light.

"Woah, cooool..." Dana muttered.

"It's making the forest more well-lit," Smudge noticed. "Maybe we can go check it out after all."

The two girls headed for the door, opening it and stepping outside. Sara took Dana's hand as they slowly began to approach the smoky light source. They carefully skated over the frozen river and walked up to a cluster of trees.

In the centre of the cluster was a rock that glowed a beautiful jade green. For some reason that she couldn't explain, Sara felt compelled to lean down and touch it.

"W-wait!" Dana quickly whispered. "What if it's really hot-"

As Sara touched the rock, she felt a warm, tingling feeling spread across her body. She felt comfortable and safe, in a way that she couldn't explain.

”Can you hear me?"

Sara heard a mature yet familiar voice echo through her ears. "Ah! Who was that?!"

"Who are you talking to, sis?" Dana questioned, confused by her sister's strange behaviour.

"Didn't you hear that too?"

"No..."

”You can hear me. Wonderful."

"Again!" Sara exclaimed. She whipped her head to look up at Delphi, who just raised her hands and shrugged her shoulders.

Sara had an idea. "Maybe you should touch it too! Maybe you'll hear it then!"

Looking unsure, Dana knelt down and (with some hesitation) touched the rock.

"Woah, I feel so fuzzy and nice..." she chimed.

”Can you also hear me now, Dana?"

"Hey! How did you know my name?! Wait a minute... yeah, I hear it too now!"

Sara furrowed her eyebrows. "Now that I'm hearing it more, it sounds more like... Mom?"

"Oh, thank goodness. You still remember my voice."

"Mommy, how could we ever forget you?" Dana retorted. "We miss you - and Dad too! Where are you? When are you coming back??"

"I don't have much time my girls," the voice said sadly. "I can't explain to you properly yet, but... I might not be able to come back for a long time."

"Huh...?"

"This is a Christmas miracle. My Christmas gift to you. I can't be with you right now, but..." The voice stammered. "I just want you two to know that we love you. Your dad and I are always thinking about you."

A tear began to run down Sara's cheek.

"You girls are always so happy, so cheerful, no matter what happens. I want you to always remember who you are. I might not be able to give you any presents, but... I hope this is enough. I’ll come back each year like this. Just keep on taking care of each other, alright? I'm so proud of you..."

The voice stopped, and the green light faded.

Sara blinked. "Mom...?"

The two girls were silent for a while, sitting on the ground like they were frozen in time, grasping what just happened.

Then Dana spoke.

"I think you're right, Sara. Mom is Santa."

Sara began to sob, and then pulled her little sister in for hug, burying her face in Dana's shoulder.

"We don't need presents for Christmas. Or for anything. We just need each other. That's all I need..."

"Sarey..."

Dana began to sniffle too. She opened the music box she had been holding in her hand the whole time, and its song began to comfort their ears once more.

"You're right. Just being with you and Mom is the best Christmas present I could ever ask for..."

Sara pulled away. She smiled and wiped her tears with the back of one hand, and grabbed her sister's hand with the other. "Yeah. Let's go home and sleep."

Danai nodded, and together they stood up.

"Thank you Mom," Sara said, looking down at the now-normal rock. "Merry Christmas..."

The music box's melody accompanied them home.