bloodsong1 | Simple Abundance Exercise

Same scene, mostly. The table has a smart red tablecloth, the tea setting is silver. True Blue is sitting with her chin in one hand, watching a 12" female bemusedly. A sparkling sprig of holly is stuck behind True Blue's right ear. Sarah walks in, dressed for bed, and stares. The little female, who is another mirror image, is dressed in a white and silver cheerleading outfit and sporting a blocky capital "H" in cherry red on the chest. She's wearing a tiara of snowflakes that sparkle on their own. Her feet are in white leather boots and she's busily tying glittering green ribbon around the teapot handle and humming "Let It Snow" loud enough to be heard.

"What is that?"

"That, Sarah, is your Holiday Spirit."

"No. Way."

Indigo poofs in on a cloud of black and glitter. She glares at the smiling, humming Holiday.

"YOU! I thought I destroyed you, you overgrown pixie!"

"You can't kill Holiday Spirit, silly!" Holiday retorts, adjusting a bow half as large as she is. Indigo growls and swipes her sharpened fingernails at the spirit. The blow bounces of an invisible shield with a sound exactly like three jingle bells rung at once. "See?"

"Motherfucking bitch!" Indigo grabs Holiday in both hands and shakes her like a rag doll. Holiday tolerates the treatment for about fifteen seconds. "Ow! Ow! Cold!" Indigo drops Holiday, who spreads feathered white wings to catch herself. Indigo tucks her hands between her legs, glaring. "You nearly gave me frostbite!"

"You shouldn't be here!" Holiday flies up and shakes a tiny finger at Indigo's nose. "You're all dark and gloomy and too much like the long cold nights! You can come back in January, after my time's over. Do you know how long it's been since I've been able to ENJOY myself?!?"

"Over three years," Sarah says, joining the motley crew. "Possibly longer. I started losing interest the year before Wolf died. Money was tight and I was taking care of him, the house and the kids while working a horrible, toxic job. I didn't have the spark."

"And you STILL don't!" Holiday leaves Indigo to hover in front of Sarah. "You have the money, you have the help and you're in a better job! Come on, let me out! I'm sick of being cooped up and beaten down."

"I don't care!" Indigo shouts. She's ignored, almost.

"I don't want to," Sarah says, shrugging. "I don't want to fake it and you're so small now, it hardly seems worth the effort. Besides, you have WINGS, which is totally unfair."

"But, but, running through the mall finding presents!"

"Too many people."

"Buying for the kids!"

"Too many people."

"Making chocolate haystacks! Or candy cane cookies! Or snowballs!"

"Too much work."

"You've GOTTA change the decorations! You skipped the Autumn Equinox again!"

"Those don't go up until Solstice."

"CHRISTMAS CAROLS!"

"A BLOODY ANNOYING RACKET!"

"Why can't you just die?" Indigo growls. True Blue shakes her head.

"You can't kill Holiday anymore then you can kill Practical Rational. We don't die, Indigo, and we can't be consumed by another facet either, so don't bother trying." Indigo, who had been reaching for Holiday, stops and drops her hand.

"Bet she tastes like sugar plums."

"Sugar plums! We need to find sugar plums! And ribbon candy, and the hard fruity candy, and the berry candy with squishy centers!" Holiday flits around Sarah, poking her eagerly. "Come on, there's so much to do!" Sarah reaches out and catches Holiday. Carrying the spirit to the table, she gently set her on her feet.

"Do me a favor and go hang out with Hopeful Romantic until the weekend. I'll decide from there."

"I'm not going to stop!" Holiday flies back up and shakes her finger at Sarah's nose. "I'll be back with all my bells and whistles on. I WILL teach you the magic again." Holiday flies away. Sarah slumps into the chair.

"That's what I did for Wolf."

"We know." True Blue reaches out and takes Sarah's left wrist. She flips it over, revealing red welts on the left forearm. "But this isn't acceptable either."

"I don't want to, True Blue. I spent four years pinning on smiles and dredging up scraps of Cheer and I'm so sick of it. I just want it to be OVER."

"It will be, in about three weeks."

"I'm so tired."

"Get some rest." True Blue glares at Indigo, who huffs and disappears, leaving extra black glitter behind. "You'll get it done and everything will be fine."

"I don't believe you."