Tue, February 07 2012
| TITLE: | Here Comes Barbara? Or Visiting Elves |
|---|---|
| AUTHOR: | Felicia Angel/Sailor Wizard |
| CATEGORY/TYPE: | |
| RATING/WARNINGS: | G, Gen |
| MAIN CHARACTERS: | List any main characters or adult relationships |
| DESCRIPTION: | Write story summary here. |
| AUTHOR'S NOTES: | Barbara Quendo is now coming back, but only for a little while. I simply felt like writing this. |
| STATUS: | Complete |
Barbara bobbed her head as she listened and sung along to the music coming from her car stero and then began to sing a little off-key with the music.
"Rockin' around, the Christmas tree, have a happy holiday! Misltoe hung where you can see every bud who tries to stop! We're rockin' around..."
It had been months since her adventure into the alternate past(s) and meeting Jules Verne. Her copy of The Mysterious Island was still signed and kept in a safe place where her roommate couldn't find it.
Life was good. Classes were coming easy, mom and dad were fine, as were her sisters and cousins. She had actually gotten something of a Christmas tree that might later be planted in the park or in her apartment area for little kids to sit under, climb up, break their arms... Okay, maybe just be there under the tree and use it for adventures.
"You will get a sentamental feeling, when you hear...voices singing let's be jolly. DECK THE HALLS WITH BOOWS OF HOLLY!" Barbara herself was on her way to go volunteer. Since her freshman year, Barbara had volunteers at the local place to wrap presents and send them to needy children. The thought of doing that always gave her a warm feeling. Her senior year she had helped with the Adopt-a-Family at her school and was able to convince her class to spend at least a dollar on the poor kids. It had worked and they gained a lot of toys, food and even clothing.
Barbara also loved Christmas itself. The idea of giving gifts, being with family, seeing a flying airship in the sky...
Wait...
Her car scretched to a stop and Barbara was flung forward a little before she quickly turned into the fairgrounds, where not only she was supposed to go but also the very familiar ship was landing. The tape still sang at her until she stopped the car and got out to walk towards...
Okay, now where was it? Barbara looked around before she spotted a very confused Phileas and Jules looking around at the cars in the lot.
"Where's the Aurora?" Jules said as she got closer.
"I have no idea, Verne."
"Hey you two!" Barbara said happily and hoped she didn't look like an idiot.
+ + + +
"Hey you two!" Jules and Phileas turned to see Miss Barbara Quendo coming towards them. She wore a bright red hat with white trim, a white bow of some sort stuck to its left side and she was in a huge coat of some sort with pants on. She looked much like she had before, only very much more now like she had become strange.
"Miss Quendo? Where..." Phileas started, but Barbara cut him off." Call me Barbara, okay Phileas? It's nice that you call me Miss Quendo, but I'd rather you didn't. As to where you are, this is the Fairgrounds. I'm here to wrap presents for needy children."
"Oh?" Jules seemed intregued. Phileas wasn't, but instead tapped his cane, " Verne, we should--"
"Wanna come?" Barbara said, "We could use the help, and it's really easy. Besides, afterwards I'll help you find the Aurora, and there are huge windows. If it comes, we'll see it."
"Okay. Fogg?"
"No."
Barbara shrugged, "Fine. You can stay here and freeze. 'Course, it looks like rain. I'd come." Fogg glared at the two, then sighed and followed.
+ + + +
The room was huge, and packed with tables of brightly colored toys, gifts, cans of food, and other items. Along one side were numbered boxes that were slowly gaining toys. Barbara introduced the two time/dimension traveler as her friends who wanted to help. She decided that they would help wrap and also find presents for the children. Phileas basically looked annoyed at the whole concept, but complied as Barbara took them over and showed them how to do it and where to find things.
A few minutes after both attempts of Phileas' to wrap a present, Barbara decided that he could instead go around and make sure that certain presents were distributed to be wrapped. Phileas did so better then his wrapping.
Jules' was a little better, but finally Barbara let him simply help Phileas and wrap boxes of sorts, since he didn't seem to grasp the idea of wrapping something not in box-shape. Barbara showed him and also helped Phileas, making sure the two got in their fair share.
"Who, exactly, are they going to?" Phileas asked as he picked up a Barbie doll.
"Needy children. Kids who's families are too poor to get them a lot of stuff. You know; poor people and the offspring they have."
"But we don't know them," Phileas pointed out, putting the Barbie into the cart and pasting on a post-it with the word 'Amy' on it.
"No. They're just Amy, in family number 245, who is ten and wants a Barbie doll and some bears," Barbara shrugged, " That's just the way it is. I've actually started to imagine that they all think of us as elves."
"Elves?"
"Well, if there isn't really a Santa, maybe there are elves instead. Not like Tolkin Elves or cartoon elves, but real elves. Elves that listen to their pleas and see what they can do, so that they can get something instead of having nothing. I mean, after all, we are helping, right?"
"Yes."
"But we aren't fat, dressed in red, and we don't say 'ho,ho,ho' all the time, right?"
"Heaven forbid we did that."
"So we're elves. We're the ones that give them something to hope for if Santa can't come down their chimmney and eat what cookies they could make. We give them food, clothing, and basically keep them happy for a year. They're all thankful for that, even the older children."
Phileas frowned, then touched his ears. When he noticed Barbara looking at him, he said, "I was checking to see if my ears had become pointed."
Barbara rolled her eyes and smiled at (and with) Phileas, "Let's just continue."
+ + + +
It was a few hours (well, only three) that the trio left and went back out to the empty parking lot. Barbara got near her car when the familiar sound of the Aurora caught her ear. She turned to find the two gone and the shape of their ship gliding into the clouds.
Barbara got into her car and turned it on. She loved the holidays. "Feliz Navy Dad! Fleece Navy Dad! Fleece Navy Dad, I don't know the words, Fleecy Dad. I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas! I wanna wish you a merry Christmas. I wanna wish you a merry Christmas from the bottom of my HEARRT!"
END