The Snow Singer
by Denise Felt 2009
She knelt on the snow-covered river, unaware that there was no one else in sight along its windswept surface. In fact, she was unconcerned about being alone. Crystaleen wasn’t lonely; she was curious. Far beneath the icy river fish swam ponderously slow through the dark depths, their mouths in constant motion as they went. She watched them eagerly through an icy patch she had cleared in the snow, wishing she understood their language. She wanted to know the secrets of their world. She had so many questions she longed to ask them.
Crystaleen had been observing them for days, taking advantage of the frozen river to sit and watch from the surface. Occasionally, one of the fish would glance up in the hopes of spying food and see her there above the ice. Their large rotating eyes would bulge in surprise at seeing her smiling down at them, but none of them stopped to inquire further. She wasn’t food, after all. She was just a fairy.
"Hey, Crys!" someone called from nearby, startling her out of her absorption.
She looked up and saw Bobber hovering above the snowy river. He was flanked by two other fairies, Seeli and Sassi, twins who had an irritating habit of giggling at every statement. Crystaleen supposed that Bobber found their companionship amusing, since he was often accompanied by them. But for herself, she enjoyed a bit of quiet now and then. "Hello," she replied, wondering what had brought them out onto the river. She knew that Bobber did not like water.
But apparently, Bobber had come for her. "Say, Crys," he said with a wink. Crystaleen that she didn’t think it was funny being called by a nickname, but she knew that Bobber considered it a sign of friendship to call his friends by one. "There’s a gathering tonight at the foot of Marjabelle Maple. You wanna come?"
The twins giggled.
Crystaleen shrugged, wanting only to get back to her study of the fish. But she was raised to be polite. "I don’t know, Bobber," she evaded. "I hadn’t thought that far ahead."
"Aw, come on," he replied. "There will be dancing and all the honey you can drink. And afterward we can find a high tree limb and throw nuts down on everyone."
Seeli and Sassi giggled again.
But Crystaleen shook her head. She didn’t like to play mean that way. "Thanks, Bobber, but I’m in the middle of a study right now. Maybe we can do something another time."
Bobber frowned, obviously displeased at being put off. "Oh, you’re always studying something or other! What’s the matter with you anyway? Don’t you like to have fun anymore?"
As the twins giggled once more, Crystaleen found herself wincing. "Yes, of course I do. But to me, studying is fun. I’m sorry, Bobber."
He could see that she was sorry to disappoint him, and he gave her a grin to show that they were still friends. "Maybe next time then?"
"Perhaps."
"All right then!" With a flick of a wave, he and the twins headed back toward shore. Crystaleen watched them depart and hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings. Finally she shrugged and let it go as her mind returned to the fish below the river.
Suddenly she realized that something in the water was obscuring her view of the fish. She blinked and looked closer. It was a fairy! A fairy was in the river with the fish! Whatever was he doing down there?
Tor had been surprised to see a glimpse of sunlight up ahead, but once he reached it, nothing had prepared him for the sight of a fairy above the ice. His heart gave a great leap. He was saved!
He came up as close to the ice as he could and yelled, "Can you get me out of here?"
Crystaleen gasped. He was trapped beneath the ice! "I’ll try!" she yelled back at him, hoping that he would be able to hear her in the water. His quick grin reassured her that he had heard, and she glanced around, hoping for inspiration. She was much too small to be able to break the ice herself, and she wondered briefly how he had managed to break it getting under there? But she couldn’t let herself get distracted by that now. She must find a way to release him from the river.
She looked toward the bank where Bobber and the twins had disappeared, but they were long gone by now. She would never be able to call them back. She flew swiftly to a small tree branch that lay on the surface of the river bank, hoping to be able to use it to poke a hole in the ice. But it was already frozen to the ice on one end and would not budge as she tried to lift it. Glancing down its length, she wasn’t sure it would help even if she did dislodge it from the ice. It wasn’t a very large branch. It might not even be able to pierce the icy surface where the fairy was trapped.
As a shadow passed over the river, she looked up. A bald eagle and his family were flying overhead. She left the branch and headed skyward in the hopes of intercepting them. Eagles’ bills could pierce the ice without effort. She didn’t know this particular family of eagles, since they were only nesting here for the season and eagles tended to keep to themselves. But surely they would help a fairy in distress?
She flew ever higher, trying to catch up to the family of eagles. The wind over the river was fierce, and her wings weren’t built like the eagles’ to withstand such force. She had a hard time keeping her balance and maintaining speed, but she was determined to reach them. If she couldn’t talk the parents into helping her, perhaps she could interest the eaglet in trying.
But it was soon apparent that the eagles were flying much faster than her tiny body could go. Crystaleen wanted to cry as she watched them get further and further away until they were mere specks in the sky. She stopped and hovered, staring after them in despair. How could she help the poor trapped fairy now? A large gust of icy wind came up and tumbled her back down toward the river. She rode with the gust, knowing it was useless to fight against it. She would only tear her wings if she tried, and then she’d be no help at all to the other fairy.
As she tumbled, she caught a glimpse of white from the corner of her eye. She turned her head as much as the wind would allow and saw her friend, Chick the young seagull, soar by. He didn’t see her, because his eyes were on the river, looking for a likely spot to fish. Crystaleen’s spirits lifted. He would help her! Chick’s bill was made strong to break up the ice on the wintry river.
She waited until she felt a slight shift in the gust of wind, then twirled out of its stream and into free air. In a twinkling, she turned about and flew toward Chick, calling his name. As she approached, she saw him turn and check behind him. He had finally heard her calling him. He went into a circling pattern as he waited for her to catch up.
When she reached him, she swung onto his back and settled lightly onto his shoulders. His brown-streaked feathers were soft and warm, a pleasant contrast to the frigid air around them. She scratched the back of his neck where it was hardest for him to reach, and he sighed and closed his eyes in ecstasy. "Wow, Crystaleen!" he squawked. "You sure know how to treat a guy. What brings you up so high?"
She leaned closer to his ear and told him about the trapped fairy under the ice of the river. "What do you think, Chick?" she asked him urgently. "Will your bill be able to break the ice?"
"Sure," he said confidently. "Where’s the spot? Did you say there were fish there? I’m hungry!"
Crystaleen grinned in relief as she pointed out the place. As long as she’d known him, Chick had always been hungry. She held tightly to his feathers as he dove toward the river and came in for a soft landing on the snowy surface. He flapped his long wings a few times to settle the feathers and then tucked them at his sides.
Crystaleen fluttered off and ran to the patch of ice she had cleared. It had been such a long time that she’d been gone that she was worried that the fairy had given up on her. But he was still there, watching for her anxiously. When he saw her, he gave her a brilliant smile. She smiled back, pleased that he had trusted her to do her best to help him. "This is Chick," she yelled through the icy barrier that separated them, waving a hand to where the seagull stood behind her. "He’s going to break the ice for you. Move away from the surface."
Tor signaled that he understood, swimming down into the darkness of the water so that the breaking ice didn’t hit him. He had wondered why it had taken so long for her to get help, but now he understood. If she’d had to track down a seagull, it could easily have taken a lot longer, even all day. He hadn’t known how she planned to free him from the ice, but it was obvious that she had a quick mind. She had found a way.
He watched in fascination as the seagull used its powerful bill to poke at the surface ice. The ice was very thick here, so it took several jabs to crack it far enough down to make a hole through to the water below. Chick carved out a nice large hole, so that he’d be able to use it to fish once the fairy was out. When he stepped back, pleased with his work, Tor climbed out of the water, grateful for Crystaleen’s helping hand to steady him.
She led him away from the hole in the ice, so that Chick could do his fishing. They sat on a mound of snow nearby. "Thanks," he said as he sank onto the snow.
She grinned, looking him over closely to be sure he was alright. "Anytime," she replied absently. His hair was long and thick, she noted, and probably stuck out on all sides when dry. Even wet, it covered his forehead and pointed ears. But nothing could overwhelm his eyes. They were large and slanted and a very deep green. They were also lit with the fierce light of intelligence, although that was toned down just now with a touch of ruefulness as he grinned at her.
"You saved my life," he said. "I’d never have found my own way out of there."
She tilted her head inquiringly. "How did you get in there?"
He ran a hand through his wet hair, tousling it even more. "I was on the river at a small hole in the ice right in the middle of an intense conversation with a rainbow trout when an icicle from an overhanging treebranch fell and hit me on the head. I don’t remember much after that, except that I fell in. When I came to my senses, I was under the surface and far downstream in unfamiliar territory. And the ice overhead was inpenetrable. It was scary. I wasn’t sure I’d find my way to the surface before the spring thaw."
Crystaleen found his story amazious. She asked in awe, "You know how to speak with fish?"
Tor shrugged. "Yeah. They tell great stories, but it’s hard to keep their attention for long. They bore easily."
Her eyes glistened as she thought of all the questions she had about the fish world. "I think it’s wonderful that you can talk to them. I’ve been studying them myself for quite a while now. I have so many things to ask you about them!"
He smiled at her enthusiasm, but said, "I have a question of my own."
She blinked. "Oh?"
"Yes. What is your name?"
She blushed, feeling a little foolish for forgetting her manners. "I’m sorry. I’m Crystaleen. My lineality has always dwelt along the river at this bend."
"Really? Mine dwells farther upstream past the bend where the five oaks grow. Do you know the place?"
Crystaleen shook her head. "No, but it sounds superlicious."
"It is," he assured her. "By the way, my name is Tor."
"Hello, Tor," she said, suddenly shy.
"Hello, Crystaleen," he replied gravely, then spoiled the effect by grinning. "I’m glad that you were on the river today."
"Me too."
"Me too," squawked Chick, who had finished dining and had approached where they sat together.
"Thank you, Chick, for rescuing me," said Tor to the seagull.
"Nothing to it," Chick replied, flushing. "As Crystaleen always says, Anything for a friend. Right?"
"Yes," she agreed. "But you were very brave and helpful just the same, Chick."
"Aw, scree," he said, completely flustered.
Crystaleen said, "This is Tor, Chick. He’s from upriver."
"Oh, yeah?" Chick asked. "Whereabouts?"
"My lineality dwells where the five oaks grow near the river’s edge just past the bend. Have you seen it?"
"Sure," Chick said. "That’s a nice spot. I’m heading that way myself now that I’m full. I need a long nap after such a meal. Shall I give you a lift back home?"
Tor looked at Crystaleen for a long moment before replying. "No, thank you. It’s not every day that I meet someone who enjoys fish the way I do. I’d like to stay awhile and talk with Crystaleen."
"Right," Chick said, grinning at Crystaleen’s blush. "See you soon!" And he flapped his long wings and took to the sky.
"See you, Chick!" called Crystaleen, waving.
"See you!" called Tor, then settled back onto the snow. The wind across the river’s surface had nearly dried his clothes and wings, but he knew his hair was still damp. He ran a hand through it to help it dry, but wondered if Crystaleen would think it was unruly? He finally decided that she’d already seen him at his worst when he was soaking wet. Things could only improve from here. "So, Crystaleen," he said after a moment. "What questions did you have about the river’s fish?"
"Well," she said, clasping her arms around her knees. "What does fish language sound like?"
He laughed. "I’ll show you, but it sounds very odd," he warned. Then he opened his mouth while holding in his cheeks and made gurgling noises deep in his throat. "Google-gop-gibble-gung!"
Crystaleen laughed, clapping her hands at his performance. "That’s fascination!" she cried. "What does it mean?"
Tor grinned at her. "It means: My, what a sweet fairy you are!"
"Oh!" she said, looking away toward the river bank, flustered by his words. She finally turned back to meet his eyes. "I think you’re pretty, too."
He found himself flushing, but hid it by jumping up to give her a flourishing bow. "Many thanks!"
She gave him a regal nod, then grinned as he flopped back down on the snow. "I like your jokes," she said suddenly.
"Thanks," he grinned. "Why does that surprise you?"
"It’s difficult to explain," she answered. "Bob– er, my other friends rarely laugh at the same things that I do. I guess I’ve always assumed that there was something wrong with my sense of humor. But I don’t have any trouble at all enjoying your humor."
His grin gentled into a warm smile. "I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me," he said softly.
It took her a moment to remember what they had been discussing before they’d been sidetracked. Oh, yes. Fish. She said, "I’ve always wondered what fish think about as they swim along?"
"Ah!" Tor said with a grin, accepting the return to their former topic philosophically. "Now therein lies a tale!" And he beguiled her with stories of the fish he had known until the sunlight faded, while she interrupted occasionally with a question or two.
But as the sun set, they both grew quiet and watched the light shift hues until it seemed as though the sky was blooming like flowers. So many shades of color washed across the sky that they sat motionless, hardly breathing at the display. When the sun finally dipped beneath the edge of the world and twilight lay its cloak down over the sky, Crystaleen felt as if the entire sunset was inside her heart, swelling it to the point of bursting. She opened her mouth and began to sing.
"Daydreams never die
But drift up from below
To gather in the sky
And then freefall as snow.
"I am one who knows.
I am one who sees.
And I will sing the snow
As long as I please.
"Watch their crystallines
Shimmer as they pass,
Meaning someone’s dreams
Are coming true at last.
"I am one who knows.
I am one who sees.
And I will sing the snow
As long as I please."
Tor watched in awe as snowflakes began to fall from the twilit sky, twirling all around them where they sat until finally lighting on the snow-covered river. When Crystaleen stopped singing and turned to him with a smile, he whispered, "You’re a snow singer. You sing the snow down from the heavens. I’ve heard of fairies that could do that, but I’ve never met one before."
She replied softly, "At least you knew of snow singing. Until today, I didn’t even know it was possible to speak to fish in their own language."
"You’re fascination!" he whispered.
She met his eyes boldly and whispered back, "No. It’s you. You’re the one who’s fascination."
He grinned at her. "I’ve been looking for a friend like you for a long time, Crystaleen."
"Me too," she replied. "I’m so glad you fell in the river."
She knelt on the snow-covered river, unaware that there was no one else in sight along its windswept surface. In fact, she was unconcerned about being alone. Crystaleen wasn’t lonely; she was curious. Far beneath the icy river fish swam ponderously slow through the dark depths, their mouths in constant motion as they went. She watched them eagerly through an icy patch she had cleared in the snow, wishing she understood their language. She wanted to know the secrets of their world. She had so many questions she longed to ask them.
Crystaleen had been observing them for days, taking advantage of the frozen river to sit and watch from the surface. Occasionally, one of the fish would glance up in the hopes of spying food and see her there above the ice. Their large rotating eyes would bulge in surprise at seeing her smiling down at them, but none of them stopped to inquire further. She wasn’t food, after all. She was just a fairy.
"Hey, Crys!" someone called from nearby, startling her out of her absorption.
She looked up and saw Bobber hovering above the snowy river. He was flanked by two other fairies, Seeli and Sassi, twins who had an irritating habit of giggling at every statement. Crystaleen supposed that Bobber found their companionship amusing, since he was often accompanied by them. But for herself, she enjoyed a bit of quiet now and then. "Hello," she replied, wondering what had brought them out onto the river. She knew that Bobber did not like water.
But apparently, Bobber had come for her. "Say, Crys," he said with a wink. Crystaleen that she didn’t think it was funny being called by a nickname, but she knew that Bobber considered it a sign of friendship to call his friends by one. "There’s a gathering tonight at the foot of Marjabelle Maple. You wanna come?"
The twins giggled.
Crystaleen shrugged, wanting only to get back to her study of the fish. But she was raised to be polite. "I don’t know, Bobber," she evaded. "I hadn’t thought that far ahead."
"Aw, come on," he replied. "There will be dancing and all the honey you can drink. And afterward we can find a high tree limb and throw nuts down on everyone."
Seeli and Sassi giggled again.
But Crystaleen shook her head. She didn’t like to play mean that way. "Thanks, Bobber, but I’m in the middle of a study right now. Maybe we can do something another time."
Bobber frowned, obviously displeased at being put off. "Oh, you’re always studying something or other! What’s the matter with you anyway? Don’t you like to have fun anymore?"
As the twins giggled once more, Crystaleen found herself wincing. "Yes, of course I do. But to me, studying is fun. I’m sorry, Bobber."
He could see that she was sorry to disappoint him, and he gave her a grin to show that they were still friends. "Maybe next time then?"
"Perhaps."
"All right then!" With a flick of a wave, he and the twins headed back toward shore. Crystaleen watched them depart and hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings. Finally she shrugged and let it go as her mind returned to the fish below the river.
Suddenly she realized that something in the water was obscuring her view of the fish. She blinked and looked closer. It was a fairy! A fairy was in the river with the fish! Whatever was he doing down there?
Tor had been surprised to see a glimpse of sunlight up ahead, but once he reached it, nothing had prepared him for the sight of a fairy above the ice. His heart gave a great leap. He was saved!
He came up as close to the ice as he could and yelled, "Can you get me out of here?"
Crystaleen gasped. He was trapped beneath the ice! "I’ll try!" she yelled back at him, hoping that he would be able to hear her in the water. His quick grin reassured her that he had heard, and she glanced around, hoping for inspiration. She was much too small to be able to break the ice herself, and she wondered briefly how he had managed to break it getting under there? But she couldn’t let herself get distracted by that now. She must find a way to release him from the river.
She looked toward the bank where Bobber and the twins had disappeared, but they were long gone by now. She would never be able to call them back. She flew swiftly to a small tree branch that lay on the surface of the river bank, hoping to be able to use it to poke a hole in the ice. But it was already frozen to the ice on one end and would not budge as she tried to lift it. Glancing down its length, she wasn’t sure it would help even if she did dislodge it from the ice. It wasn’t a very large branch. It might not even be able to pierce the icy surface where the fairy was trapped.
As a shadow passed over the river, she looked up. A bald eagle and his family were flying overhead. She left the branch and headed skyward in the hopes of intercepting them. Eagles’ bills could pierce the ice without effort. She didn’t know this particular family of eagles, since they were only nesting here for the season and eagles tended to keep to themselves. But surely they would help a fairy in distress?
She flew ever higher, trying to catch up to the family of eagles. The wind over the river was fierce, and her wings weren’t built like the eagles’ to withstand such force. She had a hard time keeping her balance and maintaining speed, but she was determined to reach them. If she couldn’t talk the parents into helping her, perhaps she could interest the eaglet in trying.
But it was soon apparent that the eagles were flying much faster than her tiny body could go. Crystaleen wanted to cry as she watched them get further and further away until they were mere specks in the sky. She stopped and hovered, staring after them in despair. How could she help the poor trapped fairy now? A large gust of icy wind came up and tumbled her back down toward the river. She rode with the gust, knowing it was useless to fight against it. She would only tear her wings if she tried, and then she’d be no help at all to the other fairy.
As she tumbled, she caught a glimpse of white from the corner of her eye. She turned her head as much as the wind would allow and saw her friend, Chick the young seagull, soar by. He didn’t see her, because his eyes were on the river, looking for a likely spot to fish. Crystaleen’s spirits lifted. He would help her! Chick’s bill was made strong to break up the ice on the wintry river.
She waited until she felt a slight shift in the gust of wind, then twirled out of its stream and into free air. In a twinkling, she turned about and flew toward Chick, calling his name. As she approached, she saw him turn and check behind him. He had finally heard her calling him. He went into a circling pattern as he waited for her to catch up.
When she reached him, she swung onto his back and settled lightly onto his shoulders. His brown-streaked feathers were soft and warm, a pleasant contrast to the frigid air around them. She scratched the back of his neck where it was hardest for him to reach, and he sighed and closed his eyes in ecstasy. "Wow, Crystaleen!" he squawked. "You sure know how to treat a guy. What brings you up so high?"
She leaned closer to his ear and told him about the trapped fairy under the ice of the river. "What do you think, Chick?" she asked him urgently. "Will your bill be able to break the ice?"
"Sure," he said confidently. "Where’s the spot? Did you say there were fish there? I’m hungry!"
Crystaleen grinned in relief as she pointed out the place. As long as she’d known him, Chick had always been hungry. She held tightly to his feathers as he dove toward the river and came in for a soft landing on the snowy surface. He flapped his long wings a few times to settle the feathers and then tucked them at his sides.
Crystaleen fluttered off and ran to the patch of ice she had cleared. It had been such a long time that she’d been gone that she was worried that the fairy had given up on her. But he was still there, watching for her anxiously. When he saw her, he gave her a brilliant smile. She smiled back, pleased that he had trusted her to do her best to help him. "This is Chick," she yelled through the icy barrier that separated them, waving a hand to where the seagull stood behind her. "He’s going to break the ice for you. Move away from the surface."
Tor signaled that he understood, swimming down into the darkness of the water so that the breaking ice didn’t hit him. He had wondered why it had taken so long for her to get help, but now he understood. If she’d had to track down a seagull, it could easily have taken a lot longer, even all day. He hadn’t known how she planned to free him from the ice, but it was obvious that she had a quick mind. She had found a way.
He watched in fascination as the seagull used its powerful bill to poke at the surface ice. The ice was very thick here, so it took several jabs to crack it far enough down to make a hole through to the water below. Chick carved out a nice large hole, so that he’d be able to use it to fish once the fairy was out. When he stepped back, pleased with his work, Tor climbed out of the water, grateful for Crystaleen’s helping hand to steady him.
She led him away from the hole in the ice, so that Chick could do his fishing. They sat on a mound of snow nearby. "Thanks," he said as he sank onto the snow.
She grinned, looking him over closely to be sure he was alright. "Anytime," she replied absently. His hair was long and thick, she noted, and probably stuck out on all sides when dry. Even wet, it covered his forehead and pointed ears. But nothing could overwhelm his eyes. They were large and slanted and a very deep green. They were also lit with the fierce light of intelligence, although that was toned down just now with a touch of ruefulness as he grinned at her.
"You saved my life," he said. "I’d never have found my own way out of there."
She tilted her head inquiringly. "How did you get in there?"
He ran a hand through his wet hair, tousling it even more. "I was on the river at a small hole in the ice right in the middle of an intense conversation with a rainbow trout when an icicle from an overhanging treebranch fell and hit me on the head. I don’t remember much after that, except that I fell in. When I came to my senses, I was under the surface and far downstream in unfamiliar territory. And the ice overhead was inpenetrable. It was scary. I wasn’t sure I’d find my way to the surface before the spring thaw."
Crystaleen found his story amazious. She asked in awe, "You know how to speak with fish?"
Tor shrugged. "Yeah. They tell great stories, but it’s hard to keep their attention for long. They bore easily."
Her eyes glistened as she thought of all the questions she had about the fish world. "I think it’s wonderful that you can talk to them. I’ve been studying them myself for quite a while now. I have so many things to ask you about them!"
He smiled at her enthusiasm, but said, "I have a question of my own."
She blinked. "Oh?"
"Yes. What is your name?"
She blushed, feeling a little foolish for forgetting her manners. "I’m sorry. I’m Crystaleen. My lineality has always dwelt along the river at this bend."
"Really? Mine dwells farther upstream past the bend where the five oaks grow. Do you know the place?"
Crystaleen shook her head. "No, but it sounds superlicious."
"It is," he assured her. "By the way, my name is Tor."
"Hello, Tor," she said, suddenly shy.
"Hello, Crystaleen," he replied gravely, then spoiled the effect by grinning. "I’m glad that you were on the river today."
"Me too."
"Me too," squawked Chick, who had finished dining and had approached where they sat together.
"Thank you, Chick, for rescuing me," said Tor to the seagull.
"Nothing to it," Chick replied, flushing. "As Crystaleen always says, Anything for a friend. Right?"
"Yes," she agreed. "But you were very brave and helpful just the same, Chick."
"Aw, scree," he said, completely flustered.
Crystaleen said, "This is Tor, Chick. He’s from upriver."
"Oh, yeah?" Chick asked. "Whereabouts?"
"My lineality dwells where the five oaks grow near the river’s edge just past the bend. Have you seen it?"
"Sure," Chick said. "That’s a nice spot. I’m heading that way myself now that I’m full. I need a long nap after such a meal. Shall I give you a lift back home?"
Tor looked at Crystaleen for a long moment before replying. "No, thank you. It’s not every day that I meet someone who enjoys fish the way I do. I’d like to stay awhile and talk with Crystaleen."
"Right," Chick said, grinning at Crystaleen’s blush. "See you soon!" And he flapped his long wings and took to the sky.
"See you, Chick!" called Crystaleen, waving.
"See you!" called Tor, then settled back onto the snow. The wind across the river’s surface had nearly dried his clothes and wings, but he knew his hair was still damp. He ran a hand through it to help it dry, but wondered if Crystaleen would think it was unruly? He finally decided that she’d already seen him at his worst when he was soaking wet. Things could only improve from here. "So, Crystaleen," he said after a moment. "What questions did you have about the river’s fish?"
"Well," she said, clasping her arms around her knees. "What does fish language sound like?"
He laughed. "I’ll show you, but it sounds very odd," he warned. Then he opened his mouth while holding in his cheeks and made gurgling noises deep in his throat. "Google-gop-gibble-gung!"
Crystaleen laughed, clapping her hands at his performance. "That’s fascination!" she cried. "What does it mean?"
Tor grinned at her. "It means: My, what a sweet fairy you are!"
"Oh!" she said, looking away toward the river bank, flustered by his words. She finally turned back to meet his eyes. "I think you’re pretty, too."
He found himself flushing, but hid it by jumping up to give her a flourishing bow. "Many thanks!"
She gave him a regal nod, then grinned as he flopped back down on the snow. "I like your jokes," she said suddenly.
"Thanks," he grinned. "Why does that surprise you?"
"It’s difficult to explain," she answered. "Bob– er, my other friends rarely laugh at the same things that I do. I guess I’ve always assumed that there was something wrong with my sense of humor. But I don’t have any trouble at all enjoying your humor."
His grin gentled into a warm smile. "I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me," he said softly.
It took her a moment to remember what they had been discussing before they’d been sidetracked. Oh, yes. Fish. She said, "I’ve always wondered what fish think about as they swim along?"
"Ah!" Tor said with a grin, accepting the return to their former topic philosophically. "Now therein lies a tale!" And he beguiled her with stories of the fish he had known until the sunlight faded, while she interrupted occasionally with a question or two.
But as the sun set, they both grew quiet and watched the light shift hues until it seemed as though the sky was blooming like flowers. So many shades of color washed across the sky that they sat motionless, hardly breathing at the display. When the sun finally dipped beneath the edge of the world and twilight lay its cloak down over the sky, Crystaleen felt as if the entire sunset was inside her heart, swelling it to the point of bursting. She opened her mouth and began to sing.
"Daydreams never die
But drift up from below
To gather in the sky
And then freefall as snow.
"I am one who knows.
I am one who sees.
And I will sing the snow
As long as I please.
"Watch their crystallines
Shimmer as they pass,
Meaning someone’s dreams
Are coming true at last.
"I am one who knows.
I am one who sees.
And I will sing the snow
As long as I please."
Tor watched in awe as snowflakes began to fall from the twilit sky, twirling all around them where they sat until finally lighting on the snow-covered river. When Crystaleen stopped singing and turned to him with a smile, he whispered, "You’re a snow singer. You sing the snow down from the heavens. I’ve heard of fairies that could do that, but I’ve never met one before."
She replied softly, "At least you knew of snow singing. Until today, I didn’t even know it was possible to speak to fish in their own language."
"You’re fascination!" he whispered.
She met his eyes boldly and whispered back, "No. It’s you. You’re the one who’s fascination."
He grinned at her. "I’ve been looking for a friend like you for a long time, Crystaleen."
"Me too," she replied. "I’m so glad you fell in the river."