Twelve Days of Spring

Chapter 12: New Beginnings

Protected by the ball of light, Ruby and Nicole struggled their way through the raging snow and into the eye of the storm.

There they found a peaceful, but freezing snow landscape with one lifeless cherry tree right in the center of it. Beneath the tree sat a man with a long white beard and scarlet clothes.

"Father!" Ruby's eyes twinkled. "That's him," she said as she looked at Nicole. "Tuo Thgil fo Dliehs."

Nicole nodded. "That indeed seems to be. Let's go meet him."

Nicole held out zheir hand.

Ruby took it and together they ran to the man under the lifeless cherry tree.

The closer they came, the clearer it became that the man under the tree was almost as lifeless as the tree.

The man's lips were blue, his skin frostbitten and his dark beard was whitened by the snow.

Ruby held her hand in front of her mouth as she held back her tears. "Oh no! Is he...?"

Nicole cleared zheir throat. "I hope not..." zhe said as zhe walked closer.

The man's eyes moved as he noticed them closing in on him. "Who are you? You know what? I don't want to know."

Santa folded his arms and swayed his stiff body away from Nicole and Ruby.

Nicole sighed. "Thank goodness he's still alive."

Zhe moved closer with Ruby hiding behind zheir back. "Hello there, are you Saint Nick?"

Santa huffed.

"If you are, then you are our father. I'm Mary's daughter. Do you remember her from that pub on Christmas Eve?"

Santa looked up. "You're... Mary's daughter?"

"And yours."

"And mine? But if so, why didn't she tell me? Why didn't she show up that -  that dreadful night?" A shiver ran through Santa's spine as his eyes glazed.

"That's my fault," Nicole said. "I was severely ill that day, so she had to take me to the hospital instead."

Santa's eyes softened. "She did good to prioritize your health," he said. "Who's the one behind you? Are you twins?"

Ruby looked down as she stifly held her arms in front of her. "I'm the result of that dreadful night, I'm afraid."

"You're Robin?" Santa's voice faltered. "I thought you were a boy?"

"I'm not. Mother forces me to be one, so you'd like me, but I'm a girl. I'm Ruby and I..."

Ruby bowed deeply and fell to her knees. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for what mother did to you. I'm sorry I exist. I'm so so sorry," she said, "so so sorry..."

As her tears fell down, they melted the snow. Little patches of wildflowers grew.

Tears flooded Santa's eyes too. As they rolled down his cheeks, they formed snow flakes, over crowding his beard.

Santa wiped away some tears inbetween crying. As he moved, snow flakes fell on the ground, creating a fresh pile of snow.

Santa got up and stifly limped towards Ruby.

He fell to his knees too and wrapped his arm on her shoulder and over her head as their foreheads touched.

"You are not responsible for what happened that night. You are just the result. It's painful to be reminded of it, but it's not your fault. You aren't to blame, young lady. You aren't to blame. Promise me you won't end up doing the same as your mother. Promise me the abuse will stop with you."

"I promise," Ruby whimpered. "I promise." She buried her face in Santa's beard.

As her tears fell on his beard, the snowflakes melted and as her tears touched his heart, a ray of sunshine poured through.

Santa signed Nicole to join in the hug.

The child made of love and the child full of love were the spring Santa had been waiting for. He had thought his spring would never come, or at least not in this form, but after spending all this time in a raging winter storm, he was glad he could finally see the sun shine again.

Even though it was still cold and rainy with an occasional storm cloud, he had found a reason to try to live again.

The lifeless tree bloomed, the snow slowly retreated and the storm made place for a soft spring breeze as a father/daughter love blossomed between two unexpected people in an unlikely place under cherry blossoms.

After all, spring signifies new beginnings.

THE END