me to push any magic your way. I can’t get involved.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. I mean, as my friend, what’s your advice? Can you give me some?”
“Of course I can.” He glanced at her, and she smiled encouragingly. “My advice is… fix it.”
He dropped his hands. “Fix it?”
She nodded firmly. “Yup. Fix it. By the sounds of it, the ball is in your court, as the humans would say. And if he’s respecting you and giving you space, you’re the one who is going to have to make the next move.”
He leaned back again. “Okay. Okay, I can do that.” He wasn’t sure how, but he would figure it out. “Okay, put on that movie you mentioned. I think it’s exactly the kind of positive encouragement I need right now.”
L ATER THAT evening, Noel sent Fannar a message by communicator. He asked if Fannar would meet him the next day and gave him a time and location.
He sat on his couch, absently sipping a peppermint hot chocolate while staring at the map on the wall. All the pins had lost their red glow. The season was over. The magic returned to the North Pole, where it belonged. Noel could tell which one had belonged to Fannar, and Noel worried maybe he wouldn’t hear from him any time soon.
Right before he went to bed, the plaque vibrated. Noel activated it, and the globe of snowflakes swirled.
All it said was “Yes.”
Noel smiled. It was enough.
N OEL SAT on an outside bench at The Forks, a popular destination in Winnipeg, even in the cold of winter. Especially then. Situated on the banks where the Red River and the Assiniboine River meet, there were plenty of activities to partake in, both inside the cluster of buildings and outside in the winter weather. And thankfully the cold snap had dissipated and the wind had lost its bite. Noel sat near the outdoor skating rink and watched as families zoomed around and played on the ice.
Extremely punctual, Fannar sat on the bench next to him at the exact time Noel had proposed they meet.
“Funny thing about the trail this season,” Noel started. When Fannar hadn’t started to speak, Noel decided to open the conversation. “It doesn’t typically open until January. But the rivers froze over early this year, and it opened a couple weeks early. For the holiday.”
Noel glanced at Fannar, but Fannar kept looking straight ahead. He watched as a family skated past them.
“I’d like a closer look at it. Want to?”
Fannar finally looked at him and gave a reserved smile. “Sure.”
Fannar followed as Noel led them to a better area to look over the rivers and the fork where they met. The path on the rivers’ surface wasn’t nearly as long and complete as it would be in the new year, but there were a lot of people taking advantage of it on their holiday break.
Like Noel had said, it usually opened in January. But this year was different, as if some sort of presence in the city had made it freeze over a little more quickly than usual.
A beautiful ice sprite, perhaps. That was one explanation.
They both stood quietly, watching families and couples enjoy themselves, skating the trail, cross-country skiing beside it, and a couple of people attempting snowshoeing.
Fannar seemed to be waiting for Noel to decide how their conversation was going to go, so Noel pushed forward, though he was nervous. “I still don’t understand why anyone would be interested in me. Why you would be—”
“I told you, I said—”
Noel put his mitt-covered hand on Fannar’s arm, effectively cutting him off. It was the first time Noel had been the one to initiate any kind of contact, and Fannar seemed stunned into silence about it.
“I know what you said,” Noel said kindly. “I’ve replayed it in my head for days, trying to make sense of it. It’s hard for me to believe, but I know it’s what you believe. And that you want to try. A new relationship. With me.” Noel paused and took a deep breath, nodding, more to himself than
He shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. I mean, as my friend, what’s your advice? Can you give me some?”
“Of course I can.” He glanced at her, and she smiled encouragingly. “My advice is… fix it.”
He dropped his hands. “Fix it?”
She nodded firmly. “Yup. Fix it. By the sounds of it, the ball is in your court, as the humans would say. And if he’s respecting you and giving you space, you’re the one who is going to have to make the next move.”
He leaned back again. “Okay. Okay, I can do that.” He wasn’t sure how, but he would figure it out. “Okay, put on that movie you mentioned. I think it’s exactly the kind of positive encouragement I need right now.”
L ATER THAT evening, Noel sent Fannar a message by communicator. He asked if Fannar would meet him the next day and gave him a time and location.
He sat on his couch, absently sipping a peppermint hot chocolate while staring at the map on the wall. All the pins had lost their red glow. The season was over. The magic returned to the North Pole, where it belonged. Noel could tell which one had belonged to Fannar, and Noel worried maybe he wouldn’t hear from him any time soon.
Right before he went to bed, the plaque vibrated. Noel activated it, and the globe of snowflakes swirled.
All it said was “Yes.”
Noel smiled. It was enough.
N OEL SAT on an outside bench at The Forks, a popular destination in Winnipeg, even in the cold of winter. Especially then. Situated on the banks where the Red River and the Assiniboine River meet, there were plenty of activities to partake in, both inside the cluster of buildings and outside in the winter weather. And thankfully the cold snap had dissipated and the wind had lost its bite. Noel sat near the outdoor skating rink and watched as families zoomed around and played on the ice.
Extremely punctual, Fannar sat on the bench next to him at the exact time Noel had proposed they meet.
“Funny thing about the trail this season,” Noel started. When Fannar hadn’t started to speak, Noel decided to open the conversation. “It doesn’t typically open until January. But the rivers froze over early this year, and it opened a couple weeks early. For the holiday.”
Noel glanced at Fannar, but Fannar kept looking straight ahead. He watched as a family skated past them.
“I’d like a closer look at it. Want to?”
Fannar finally looked at him and gave a reserved smile. “Sure.”
Fannar followed as Noel led them to a better area to look over the rivers and the fork where they met. The path on the rivers’ surface wasn’t nearly as long and complete as it would be in the new year, but there were a lot of people taking advantage of it on their holiday break.
Like Noel had said, it usually opened in January. But this year was different, as if some sort of presence in the city had made it freeze over a little more quickly than usual.
A beautiful ice sprite, perhaps. That was one explanation.
They both stood quietly, watching families and couples enjoy themselves, skating the trail, cross-country skiing beside it, and a couple of people attempting snowshoeing.
Fannar seemed to be waiting for Noel to decide how their conversation was going to go, so Noel pushed forward, though he was nervous. “I still don’t understand why anyone would be interested in me. Why you would be—”
“I told you, I said—”
Noel put his mitt-covered hand on Fannar’s arm, effectively cutting him off. It was the first time Noel had been the one to initiate any kind of contact, and Fannar seemed stunned into silence about it.
“I know what you said,” Noel said kindly. “I’ve replayed it in my head for days, trying to make sense of it. It’s hard for me to believe, but I know it’s what you believe. And that you want to try. A new relationship. With me.” Noel paused and took a deep breath, nodding, more to himself than
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