Everyone laughed again at that but Hannah shook her head firmly. “Sorry boys, looks like your present is last. Here Allie open mine.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Allie said, her cheeks flushing as she sat down in the closest chair to open the box. It was covered in black paper with metallic orange pumpkins and Allie carefully peeled off the tape and then folded the paper and set it aside. Jason made an impatient noise and Hannah giggled. Under the paper was a small white box, and when she opened it she found a gift card for the town’s gourmet coffee shop nestled in the tissue paper. She laughed and reached up to give Hannah a hug, “Thanks, this is perfect.”
“You’re welcome,” Hannah said. “I know how much you love your coffee.”
She put the card in her pocket and a moment later Wendy was handing her a larger, heavier present, smiling shyly. Allie returned the smile and repeated the careful process of removing the paper. She’d already guessed it was a book, and could only hope it was one she liked and didn’t already have. Shawn spoke as soon as she got the paper off, her fingers moving along the black leather of the book’s binding, “It’s the complete works of Shakespeare. That’s cool right?”
“Its awesome,” Allie said flipping through the pages. She had plenty of Shakespeare, but not the complete works and nothing in such a nice hardcover. “This is gorgeous. Thanks Shawn, thanks Wendy.”
To her surprise next Jason was pressing a small gift into her hands. “I lied. We did get you something.”
She made a face at him but opened the gift with a smile. When she took off the lid of the box inside was a flat silk rectangular package with Japanese kanji on it and gold cord at the top looped so it could be hung.
Allie picked it up uncertainly but before she could ask, Jason said, “It’s an Omamori. It’s kind of like a blessed charm from a Shinto temple. For protection. This one is Anzan for a healthy pregnancy and easy delivery. You carry it with you.”
She looked up at Jason, tears in her eyes, speechless. Jess reached out, grasping Jason’s arm and squeezing lightly, “Thank you, this is very thoughtful.”
“Yeah, well, it seemed like a good idea, you know?” he mumbled, looking away. “Anyway, let’s get on with this so we can eat.”
Jess caught Bleidd’s eye and a moment later the tall black haired elf stepped out of the room. Allie threw a puzzled look at Jess but then Ciaran stepped up, extending his closed hand towards her. She said, “Ciaran, I didn’t expect you to get me anything.”
“It is the custom is it not?” he said calmly.
She couldn’t argue that so she reached out, placing her hand palm up under his. He dropped something hard onto her fingers and she looked down to see a grey stone with a single hole worn through it towards one side. “Oh! A hag stone. This is a good gift, and something I will definitely have a use for.”
He smiled, pleased, and she forced a smile in return but in truth she was suddenly unnerved by the two gifts in a row with protective themes. She found herself hoping that there wasn’t some synchronicity working there that might mean she would need extra protection. Hopefully she thought to herself this final gift isn’t also something protective. Three in a row is a bad omen.
Her thoughts were interrupted as a dark waist high ball of frenetic energy barreled into the room and leaped partially into her lap. For an instant she started to scream before her mind identified the animal, which was enthusiastically trying to lick every inch of her skin it could reach. Ciaran had tensed and was standing up straight, but everyone else was laughing at the puppy’s antics.
She looked up at Jess who was watching her reaction eagerly. She blurted out the first thing that came into her head, “What?”
Bleidd walked in as the large puppy finally succeeded in levering itself – no Allie corrected, herself – into the chair with Allie. At first glance Allie had thought she was a mortal dog, but this close it was clear that she was a fairy hound, although Allie had never seen one like her. She was a dark smoke color all over, with the soft coat of a court hound but long and slightly curling like a hunting hound, her eyes were black as ink without any white at all. “Woah, there, you are, mmmpphf,” Allie said, her words cut off as the hound began licking her face. She was laughing then too but finally managed to get the animal under control. As soon as she pushed her down the puppy lay across her lap, taking up most of it, looking up at Allie eagerly. Allie tore her eyes away from the hound and looked up at Bleidd and Jess. “You got me a hound?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
She looked back down at the animal, obviously still a puppy but already at least 80 pounds and probably not even close to grown. Even Allie knew enough about Fairy hounds to know that she’d be a large animal when she was full grown. She stroked the soft fur of the hound’s shoulders, and the puppy wagged her tail. “Oh, I love her. I…oh. She’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like her before. She’s beautiful.”
For some reason when she said that, Jess gave Bleidd a triumphant look and the other elf sighed in a long suffering way. She didn’t even care at that point. Everyone crowded around, petting the puppy who stayed still and enjoyed the attention but whose eyes never left Allie’s face. After a moment the crowd eased back a little and Allie looked up at Ciaran, the only one who hadn’t stepped forward. He was regarding the puppy with an inscrutable look. “Ciaran?”
He blinked, his expression softening and then he came forward slowly, hand outstretched. The puppy extended her head, nose twitching, and carefully sniffed the kelpie’s fingers. Her strange dark eyes met his and Allie sensed that some sort of communication passed between them. She could feel Ciaran relaxing. “She is beautiful Allie, and she will be a strong, powerful hound when she’s grown. Treat her well though, she is special.”
It was Allie’s turn to lock eyes with Ciaran, “Yeah, I know she is.”
He inclined his head slightly, smiling, “I believe you do.”
“So what are you going to name her?” Hannah asked, reaching out to pet the hound again. She had the delighted look of someone who genuinely loves dogs and had missed being around them.
Allie considered that for a moment, then said, decisively, “Luath.”
“I’m guessing that’s Elvish?”
“It means, like swift, fast,” Allie said trying to decide which English word fit best.
“Okay, well, I think we could spend all night out here playing with your new puppy,” Jason said, stepping towards the kitchen, “But I for one am starving. Let’s eat and we can take turns feeding the dog under the table during dinner.”
Everyone except Jess and Bleidd started walking slowly towards the kitchen, chatting, and Allie reluctantly put Luath back on the floor, standing and stretching. With the puppy pressing against her legs she pulled both her bondmates into a tight embrace, letting them feel her joy as she thought, “I can’t tell you how much this means to me. That you went to so much trouble and got me such a perfect gift. You guys are amazing.”
They stood like that, holding each other tightly, even Bleidd for once without a witty comeback, until Jason yelled down the hall, “Come on guys, hurry up so we can eat!”
They broke apart, heading out of the room together, Luath running back and forth in front of them. Bleidd watched her, and shot Jess a sly grin, “So it seems she was worth the cost of a bed after all, eh Commander?”
“If you remember Gadreene, I never doubted her worth,” Jess shot back.
“Alright, what’s with this Gadreene name,” Allie started, then, “Wait, what bed?”
They were laughing too hard to explain when they joined the others at the table, and even when she asked mentally all Jess would say was that there was an inn that he wasn’t allowed back in, which almost doubled Bleidd over laughing again.
Allie sat down, Luath curling up at her feet and reached down to stroke the hound’s ears. “They are crazy,” she told the puppy as everyone began eating, “but it’s a good crazy. You’ll like it here.
”
Looking around at her gathered friends, she thought that this was the best holiday, and by far the best birthday, she’d celebrated in a long time.
…And a Turkey
5 A.M.
Allie woke to the warm, wet sensation of a dog’s tongue licking her hand, which was hanging off the edge of the bed. Cracking open her eyes, she met the dark, eager gaze of Lauth, her fairy hound, who whimpered quietly, danced backwards, then came back and placed her muzzle on the bed in front of Allie’s face. Breathing in and getting a face full of dog breath, Allie jerked her head back sharply, blinking rapidly. She craned her head up and saw only darkness out the closest window, as the 7 month old puppy whimpered again in tones of mild distress. Allie groaned and started squirming out of bed, wincing at the pain in her bad ankle.
Before she could sit up a hand reached out and slid across her waist, and Jess’s sleepy voice was in her ear, “Are you alright?”
She patted his hand absently and yawned, mumbling back, “Yes, fine, hound needs to go out.”
He let her go and she stood up, Luath trotting purposely towards the door. From the other side of the bed Bleidd’s equally sleepy voice spoke and Allie turned to see him half-sitting in the darkness, rubbing his eyes. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she whispered, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, seized with the knowledge that the puppy wasn’t the only one who needed to relieve herself. I swear all I do anymore is pee. How a baby the size of a lima bean can wreak this much havoc on my bladder, I don’t know she thought. She repeated for his benefit, “Luath needs to go out.”
He sighed and started to push the covers back, “I’ll take her. Go back to bed.”
“No, its okay,” Allie said hastily, aware that Jess was looking at her now as well. Ugh this is not how I wanted to start my Thanksgiving she thought. “I have to go to the bathroom anyway. I’ll take her out.”
For an instant she felt them both hesitating, so she turned and started walking towards the bedroom door, where the hound was waiting impatiently. On her way she grabbed a pair of sweatpants off the top of the dresser, pausing to hastily pull them on. She was willing to deal with huddling out in the freezing November morning with her arms bare from her t-shirt but no way was she going outside with bare legs. Behind her she heard Bleidd mutter, “We need to teach her how to let herself in and out, she’s old enough, then this won’t be an issue,” but she felt them both settling back to bed. She relaxed, relieved that she hadn’t gotten them both up.
She and the puppy headed down the stairs, Allie debating whether she should stop at the downstairs bathroom first or if she could hold it long enough to let the hound out first. And this she thought smirking to herself, is what my life has come to. The kitchen light was on, and without thinking she turned and headed that way, thinking it would be just as easy to let Luath out the back.
She nearly ran into Jason as she stepped into the kitchen, his panic hitting her unexpectedly as he grasped her arms. “Allie! We have a problem. With the food.”
“Okay,” she said, looking past him to where the hound had already gone to the back door, “Give me a second though because I have to let the puppy out and I really have to pee, okay?”
“What? I mean right,” he turned following her gaze to the back door, “Right, okay you go to the bathroom, I’ll let the dog out.”
“She’s not a dog, she’s a fairy hound,” Allie said, halfheartedly, but he was already halfway across the room and she was already turning back to the hallway, towards the downstairs bathroom. She tried to be as quiet as possible even though she knew that their roommate Hannah, whose room was next to the bathroom, had left the day before to spend the holiday with her family on mortal earth, just as their other roommate Shawn had left the night before to be with his mother. Everyone goes to be with their families on Thanksgiving Allie thought, yawning again as she took care of her physical needs. The only ones left here are us and Jason, who doesn’t have any family he keeps in touch with, and who’s stuck with us since Tony went to be with his extended family. And since they still aren’t okay with him being gay he can hardly bring Jason with him, which just sucks, because Thanksgiving is like Jason’s favorite holiday she yawned again, even if they are planning to spend Christmas together it’s not quite the same…and of course the only family I have left are Jess and Bleidd, and pretty much Jason too. Unborn baby excluded.
Re-emerging she found Jason waiting impatiently in the kitchen still radiating panic. She winced at his distress, looking around, but everything in the kitchen seemed fine. There was no smoke, no scent of anything burned, no mess on the floor indicating something dropped. Luath had curled up on the rag rug in front of the refrigerator and the wall clock was ticking rhythmically into the early morning quiet. “I don’t get it, what’s the emergency?”
Jason gestured at the counter where several pounds of potatoes where in the process of being washed and peeled. “They’re all bad! All of them. I don’t understand it. We just bought them, they should be fine but every single one is soft.”
“Okay, well-“ she started, only to have him interrupt.
“You can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without mashed potatoes Allie, its like a law,” he said.
“Okay,” she held up her hands in a reassuring gesture. “We just need to get more.”
“On Thanksgiving morning?”
“Well, the farm stands open really early right?” she said thinking quickly. “And since most of the Fey don’t celebrate human holidays, only the human run ones will be closed; well the ones who close for all the holidays of course. Besides we can’t be the only people in town having this kind of crisis, can we?”
“No, I guess not,” he said uncertainly, but his emotions were settling down from panicked to worried and she knew that was a victory.
“So, I’ll just go out and get some more potatoes, okay?”
“No,” he frowned, running his hands nervously through his dark hair. “I’ll go. Only – it’s just, the turkey has to go in the oven in the next half hour to be cooked on time. Can you do that? If I explain how to season it?”
She walked over and looked in the sink at the still-plastic-wrapped turkey immersed in water where it had been left to thaw. “Ahhh, what do I have to do to it?”
Jason started to look panicked again. “Haven’t you ever cooked a turkey before?”
“No,” she said, reaching out and poking the cold carcass with one finger, making the turkey bob slightly in the water. “Do I take the plastic off or cook it with that on, like a roasting bag?”
“Fuck,” Jason said forlornly, rubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes, “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Okay. Listen. I’ll stay here and deal with the turkey. It’s probably too heavy for you to be lifting anyway. You go get potatoes, but please be careful. It’s snowing a bit and I don’t know how the roads are, okay?”
“Sure Jason, I’ve lived here almost my whole life I know how to drive in the snow,” she said making a face at him. “And for your information I could lift that turkey-“
“Oh don’t start with that,” he groaned, “I didn’t say you couldn’t, I said you shouldn’t….you know what, we don’t have time to argue about this. You go get dressed and get potatoes. I’ll get the turkey seasoned and in the oven.”
She started to open her mouth to argue anyway, but then snapped her mouth closed again. Instead she turned wordlessly on her heel, leaving Jason muttering to himself over the sink. Luath got up to follow her and she petted the hound’s head apologetically, “Sorry little one looks like our day really is starting early today. You up for a car ride?”
The hound puppy – who for all her young age weighed over 80 pounds and stood at the same height as Allie’s waist – wagged her tail slowly, watching Allie’s face for direction. Yawning again, Allie thought quickly of who was most likely to be open this early. Ashwood had only one real grocery store, but a variety of local farms in the more rural sec
tions of town, many of whom had farm stands on the premises or attached to the property which sold a variety of fresh produce, dairy, and sometimes meat. They generally opened early so that people could shop at them before going to work and she remembered that at least a couple opened at 6.
She grimaced slightly, looking at the stairs. Well I’m not going back up there to get dressed she thought unconsciously tugging at the hem of the over-sized t-shirt she slept in, pulling it lower over her sweatpants. If I go up there then one or the other of them will wake up and then they’ll tuck me back into bed like I was 5 and insist on running out to do this themselves, even though I got plenty of sleep last night and they didn’t. I don’t think Bleidd got home after his double shift until close to one and I have no idea when Jess finally got back.
Making up her mind Allie went to the closet behind the front door, pulling out the clunky work boots she wore in bad weather and digging around until she found her winter coat, which had been shoved to the back. She hadn’t needed it since last winter had released its’ grip on the town, sometime the previous March. She shoved her bare feet into the boots and laced them tight, then pulled the heavy coat on. It was the sort meant for skiing or cold weather hiking, microfiber and filled with duck down. Allie was almost immediately sweating, and as she had at the beginning of every winter since she’d gotten the coat she thought that it was probably too heavy even for the Ashwood winters which could get pretty cold. But its such a nice color Allie thought pulling her keys out of her jean jacket before shoving that into the back of the closet. And the light blue really makes my eyes look good.
She fumbled with the lock on the front door for a moment, then gave up and put her keys in her coat pocket, using both hands to wrestle the stiff, old lock open. That alone told her how cold it was because the lock always became a problem when the temperature dropped below 30 degrees. The door opened to pre-dawn darkness and a yard dusted with snow; light flurries still coming down and a slight breeze gusting created white whirlwinds. Luath leaped out ahead of Allie, eagerly running across the frozen grass, jumping and snapping at the airborne snow. Allie followed the fairy hound, shivering as the cold air hit her face but unable to resist laughing at the puppy’s antics. Closing the door tightly behind them she turned back and said, “You are such a goofball.”
Fairy Gifts: A Between the Worlds Anthology Page 7