The shopping trip was wonderful and a little indulgent. Seren’s dad let them get brand new shiny bells that sounded like if diamonds could sing. Seren rang them next to their ear all the way down the street and looked at them longingly as they picked up the groceries.

Seren carried all the paper bags in their arms, humming a random song triumphantly as their dad inspected their leftover funds.

“Well, that was a bit more than I would have liked to spend… but we have enough to make the cake, the cider, and a very special Everything But The Kitchen Sink Soup!” Their dad said excitedly and Seren gasped and bounced through the snow as they made their way back toward their house.

“This is the best Yuletide ever!” Seren yelled,

“Volume,” their dad whispered to them.

“This is the best Yuletide ever!” Seren said again but quieter.

“I’m glad to hear it,” their dad opened the door for them to charge in with the groceries. Practically throwing them onto the table. “I’ll get started on the food part and you find some good sticks for the goats.”

“All right!” Seren agreed and charged back outside.

“Shut the door behind you!” Their dad called and Seren ran back to shut the door. They ran to what served as a garden behind their house. Humming as they looked around the surface of the snow for any branches. Picking up a few vines that were sticking up out of the snow. Testing them for flexibility. As they made their little bundle, movement out of the corner of their eyes caught their attention. They looked up and right back down to the snow, looking back up once their brain caught up with what they saw.

Miss Jass fixed a hard glare on Seren and Seren returned the hard stare. Their heart remembering the last encounter, speeding up to an uneven rhythm. She walked in the street, recently cleared by the city workers. Seren stood up straight with their arm load of twigs, sticks, and vines. It felt uneven. The six glares all fixed on them, making them feel so small. Seren squared their shoulders to seem bigger than they were. Like they weren’t afraid, and they could beat the odds easily.

“Hey! What’s going on over here?” A city guard lightly jogged up between the two and Seren felt a sigh of relief escape them. The guard looked at them and Seren shrugged harmlessly and went back to their sticks. Keeping an eye out as Miss Jass continued to stare down the guard. When the guard moved to speak to Miss Jass, Seren scooped up their pile. Deciding their collection was more than enough, running back to their house before trouble could start.

“I brought the sticks!” Seren yelled as they entered and quickly shut the door behind them.

“Wow, that was quick.” Their dad said, cutting up various seasonal vegetables in the kitchen. Having only started on the prep work for dinner.

“Yeah, Miss Jass has a bunch of people around her now and they were all very threateningly looking at me.” Seren said as they placed their bundle by the door. “If we need more I’ll go find some, but for now I think that’s enough.”

“In that case, I agree.” Their dad nodded. “Come help me with dinner.” Seren ran to the kitchen and helped their dad place the cut vegetables into the pot. Running back and forth between the cutting board and the stove. Bouncing up and down as they waited for more to put in the pot.

Dinner progressed and soon the kitchen was warm and bubbling with the thick smell of a stew. Another pot was brought out for the cider. Seren’s laughter ran out unhinged as they took all the chopped apples and pressed them. Their dad’s voice broke in to remind them not to mash the apples but press the juice out of them instead. Which resulted in apple juice filled with applesauce.

The day was spent in the kitchen, making dough, stew, and cider. Seren’s dad told old stories of myth that offered a rare moment of Seren standing still with wide glittering eyes. Together, they left the sticks to dry out enough to use for crafting, Seren passed out on the floor while their dad sketched. He gently roused them and got them into bed. Taking care that everything was put away before retiring himself.

As always, Seren was the first to wake up. They peeked under the curtain to check on their dad. Once content he was asleep, they crawled back into their room and got their winter clothes back on. The days were getting colder, and the wind blew through the cracks in the house and made it whistle and hum.

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Seren laced up their boots and parted the curtain to investigate the sticks. They were drying nicely but they could already see it wasn’t enough. They hummed to themself and went to start the hot water for their dad’s morning cup of tea. No water came from the tap, the pipes were still frozen. Instead Seren went outside to an untouched pile of snow and scooped it into the kettle. Snow was just cold water after all. They boiled it and got the water and tea into a mug by the time their dad came out of the curtain.

“Morning already?” He yawned.

“Yup! I left your medication on the table, I got a glass of cooled water next to it since the tea’s still really hot.” Seren said, placing the mug onto the table.

“You are too much,” their dad shook his head.

“I might go out and get more sticks, I don’t think we have enough.” Seren pointed.

“Yeah probably, we can dry them for a little longer while we work with the ones we have.” Their dad said, pausing to take his medication. “You go on then,” Seren smiled and bolted out the door, heading straight for the garden behind their house. Mornings were the best time in the city. Especially on the weekends and near the holidays. When the people slowed down and mornings were deserted, since everyone slept in. A few people here and there moved from their houses to whatever errands or work they had to do for the day. Seren stood up as they realized someone was watching them, finding a city guard paused in his circuit. They waved and he nodded back.

“Everything okay?” He asked,

“Yes?” Seren said, “Just gathering some sticks for our Yule goats.”

“Ah,” The guard nodded conversationally. “Your family does it the real old fashioned way, do they?”

“I guess?” Seren shifted in the snow, uncomfortable in the small talk.

“Carry on,” He gestured and Seren watched. Expecting him to walk away but he didn’t.

“Uhm,” Seren rocked back and forth. “Am I doing something wrong?”

“What makes you ask that?”

“You’re watching me, I didn’t think picking up sticks was that interesting.” Seren said. Their eyes traveling along from the snow on the rooftops to the clouds in the sky.

“We-ell, I’ll give you that,” he chuckled. “It’s not you, if that makes you feel any better. Yesterday a woman wanted to give you trouble so I’m just keeping the peace.”

“Oh!” Seren said, remembering Miss Jass glaring at them. “I see, thanks!” With another wave, they went back to humming and stick finding. Trying to ignore the guard standing nearby and watching over them. Justifying in their mind that a guard watching them was better than Miss Jass stalking them.

Quickly their hands went numb from digging through the snow for suitable sticks. They kept rubbing their frosted fingers together to generate enough warmth to keep digging.

“Here, why don’t you use these?” The guard called to them, Seren looked up at the guard offering a pair of oversized leather gloves to them.

“No thanks,” Seren said. Wiping their hands vigorously on their pants to generate friction.

“Are you sure?” The guard asked. Seren nodded,

“Yeah, those are too big for me!” Seren smiled.

“I guess so but it’s better than nothing, right?” He asked, holding them out still. Seren didn’t move to take them, instead just staring at him.

“Is it?” They asked, looking at their stick haul and deciding it was enough. “I think I’m done for now anyway.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Seren picked up their pile and headed back for their house. Stopping in their tracks when they saw Miss Jass again. The guard turned and saw her too.

“Don’t worry, she can’t hurt you.” He said. Seren felt their throat closing. Even more so as Miss Jass smiled nastily without making direct eye contact at Seren. It almost looked like she’d come from Seren’s house but Seren quickly brushed the thought aside, there was nothing in their house that Miss Jass would want.

She passed by slowly and Seren finally let out a breath they’d been holding.

“I’m heading home now,” They said to the guard.

“Need someone to walk you?” He asked.

“No, I live right here.” Seren gestured and skipped through the snow back around the block where they slid to a stop. Their front door was wide open.

Seren desperately tried to remember if they left the door open. Tried to feel a wind that would have blown it open. With both of those things absent, Seren dropped the sticks and ran into their house.

It was a mess. The curtains were pulled down, glass was shattered over the floor. Everything was thrown about and broken. In the midst of it, their dad struggled to get to his feet. Seren ran to his side, dropping down onto their knees. Ignoring the pain of the broken glass.

“What happened?!” They couldn’t help screaming. Their dad couldn’t speak clearly, only mumbling incoherently. He weaved, even in Seren’s arms.

“Is something wrong?” The guard asked, peeking into the open door.

“Help!” Seren screamed. Tears running down their face.