On a cold winter night, when the moon is nearly full and bright in the sky, you hear laughter. At first, you can't place it, but then you feel little pokes and prods, tugs on your hair, your clothes. Sometimes you think you see something out of the corner of your eye--a small, icy body. Sometimes you hear wings flapping in the night. As long as you are out in the cold, you feel eyes on you and you find yourself the target of small mischief from what seems to be icy little fairies, though they move too fast for you to see or grab. They never speak, only laugh. When you go inside, or venture to anywhere with too much light or heat, they seem to disappear and do not bother you again.
It was nearly 11 o’clock by the time Melody was finally able to leave work which was pretty normal this time of year. The theater had been performing their rendition of the Nutcracker, the same classic story that is retold every year.
Thanks to her, and their new intern Claire, several of the costumes got a much needed update as several of the skirts had started to fray along the edges. It wasn’t that the outfits were improperly cared for but rather the former director was a puritist and wanted the dancers to wear the original, very classic, dresses and tights.
Everyone knew he would eventually come around to making some necessary changes in order to make sure their seats were sold out for more of the performances. Sadly his change of heart was because someone had an accident with a pair of shears.
“Some ballerinas could be suck prima donnas” Melody rolled her eyes dramatically. Some people, like Stacy, should really just stick to dancing. Although, in truth, she really didn’t blame the young woman, the ghastly dress she was expected to wear really didn’t flatter her in the least; if anything it made her almost ghostlike with how faded the blue material had become. “Should at least have the courtesy to have given us more than a month to put together something new.”
Feeling exasperated and quite a bit irritable Melody adjusted her purse on her shoulder so it sat more comfortably before rubbing her hands together to get some blood flowing in them again. “Naturally I’d leave my gloves in the car…”
Snow crunched beneath her feet as she made her away across the desolate parking lot.
The storm had seemed to calm considerably which was a blessing in and of itself because it meant that the roads should be fairly clear still. At least that is what Melody hoped since she still hadn’t found time to buy a set of chains for her tires yet.
“Hehehe…” A quiet yet pixie like laughter flitted by and for a brief moment Melody thought one of the Sugar Plum fairy dancers had followed her outside. But when she turned around and saw nobody there, she froze. Eyes wide open she scanned the parking lot for signs of any movement, whether it was a tiny child's head poking out from behind a bumper or a reflection caught in the glass of someone hiding behind a vehicle.
After several moments Melody finally released the breath she had been holding in a puff of white air that lingered for only a second before disappearing completely “Yeah, sorry… I’m not doing this again.” Shaking her head to calm her racing mind she held her side back close to her side. The last thing she needed was to send another person to the hospital because her imagination got the best of her again.
I wonder how he’s doing anyway… she wondered in an attempt to distract herself as she made a v-line to her car. But before she could reach for the handle the distinct sound of laughter could be heard again, this time instead of being several feet away it was right beside her ear. That, however, was not what startled a screen out of her though; rather the sharp tug on one of her locks of of hair as she quickly turned around was what had done her in.
“Oh my god…” Melody’s hands began to tremble and for once it wasn’t because it was butt freaking cold outside. Again, as she spun around, there was nothing to be seen; like before she was completely alone. “Why me?” she asked aloud, not that she was expecting a reply.
In a sloppy attempt to make a last ditch effort to hastily get inside her car, Melody’s feet slid out from under her and unlike the ballet dancers who had an uncanny sense of balance she had to use the side mirror to keep from falling on her a**. Luckily she was able to hit the unlock button on her keyfob and quickly jump inside the driver's seat where she promptly turned the lights on in the overhead cab and turned the car on so she could get the hell out of dodge.
Why did this strange s**t keep happening to her? It was something she expected from her brothers but random hauntings from creatures likely sent from the Negaverse of some s**t was not what she wanted just days before christmas. Nope, what she wanted right now was a venti coffee a warm house and Christmas movie to watch until she fell asleep. And that… was exactly what she planned to do.
