[Critique Group 1] Cleora's December Submission

[sitting.duck at springmail.com]

1282 words
Reading level 3.5
Misty Christmas
by Sly Duck
Chapter One
Her anger spent, Misty sank down by the tree, hugged her thighs to her chest, and rested her head on her knees. She didn't know what time it was, but it had to be late. Dusk was settling over the forest. She had walked deep into the forest after the fight with her sister. Finally, her anger cooled, she had turned around. Thought she had turned around anyway, and started back the way she came. After walking for what must be hours, she was thoroughly lost. If only she could see the sun, she would have some idea which way to go. She remembered something about moss and trees. Moss grows on the East? West? She couldn't remember, but it didn't matter, not a single tree in sight showed any sign of moss. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the trunk. Someday someone would find her skeleton and wonder if this was that girl that disappeared back however many years ago. The paradox, they would say, is that she was 15 minutes from the edge, but... 
She felt something land on her shoulder. She reached to brush it away. There was nothing there. Frowning, she rested her hand back on her knee. Feeling something again, she opened her eyes and turned her head to see what it was. Something long and slender hovered just above her arm socket. It moved away when she moved toward it. She grabbed at it. It shot up out of reach. Probably a trick of the light, she decided. Shrugging, she closed her eyes and laid back against the tree,.
She felt something. Looking again, She squinted, trying to bring it into better focus. A little man or woman around three inches high with a round face, pointed chin and ears, and four wings like a dragonfly rested on her left shoulder.
“Hello, Misty,” said a high pitched quiet voice.
Misty jerked away. The, whatever, whoever, it was fluttered up slightly.
Well, that was it, she had lost it. She was seeing hallucinations. Was the next step for her to go screaming deeper into the woods never to be found?
“No,” it said. “You haven't lost it. I'm a seeker elf,” it explained. “My name is... Well, never mind. You can call me Ginger.”
Misty staired. She tried again to touch it. It moved away. That's it. She thought. I've gone mad.
“No, you haven't gone mad. I'm here to get your help.”
“No, you're all in my mind. Otherwise, you wouldn't know what I'm thinking,” she said.
“No. I'm not reading your mind. It's just that I've done this bit before. You're not that unique. You're just thinking the same thing every human thinks the first time they see one of us.”
Misty's anger flared. Moving quickly, she grabbed for the little creature. “I'm not just like everybody else.” 
The creature shot back to a safe distance. “We don't have all night. Can you get past the shock, disbelief, denial, and all that phase so we can get down to business?”
Misty tried again to catch Ginger, but no matter how or what she tried, the elf stayed safely out of reach. “ok,” she conceded. “If you are real, let me touch you.”
“Nice try, clever girl. You'll get me in your hand and squeeze me. I have very delicate wings. They don't stand squeezing very well. You're not my first contact. You've already touched me. I landed on your shoulder. That's how you knew I was here.”
Misty thought about this for a while. “Okay, good point. But, maybe that was just the wind. Come light on my hand. I promise, no squeezing.”
Ginger continued to hover out of reach. “Okay. Put both hands behind your back, and lean back pinning them between your body and the tree trunk.”
Misty did as instructed. The elf slowly descended until it rested lightly on her right knee. “Now, walk around a little,” Misty said.
Ginger walked in a circle. Then, stopped, facing Misty.
Ginger rose into the air again as Misty brought her hands from behind her back. “Okay. Who are you? What do you Want? Are you here to help me get home?”
“So you believe I'm real?”
“No, but as apparitions go,, you're my first, so, I'll go along with the gag.”
Ginger chuckled. “Okay, fair enough. Here's the deal. Santa Clause sent me. 
Misty's eyes grew wide, and her eyebrows shot up. “Okay, now I know you're my imagination. There's no such person as Santa Clause.”
“Not in the way you think of Santa Clause,” said Ginger. “You see, every year, there are some families that need a little help. This year there are 60 that have been chosen to receive a boost for the holiday. Fifteen people like yourself have been chosen to solve their problem. Each has been assigned four individuals. Your job is to evaluate each subject assigned to you and make sure they have a Merry Christmas. You can't reveal yourself to them. You will be given some special powers, but you have to make it appear they did it themselves”
“No, no, no, no,” said Misty. “I'm not your girl. First, this is just a fantasy brought on by hunger and exhaustion. Second, I'm lost, if you haven't noticed, so I'm not going to be helping anybody. Third, ask anyone, I couldn't solve my way out of the grocery store.”
“once chosen, you have to do the job. If you fail, the subjects assigned to you will not have a Merry Christmas.”
“No. That's final,” said Misty. “This is a dream or something. You are not real. This isn't real. I'm going to rest for a while and see if I can figure how to get out of this woods and back home.” With that, Misty closed her eyes and laid her head back against the tree.
Several minutes passed in silence. Then, there was a light touch on Misty’s hand.
Misty opened her eyes. Ginger stood quietly on the back of Misty’s left hand. “Mosses flourish on any shady or damp side of a tree. Mosses love moisture, so in the northern hemisphere, the northern side with its limited sunlight is most likely to stay damp. So ,the bryophyte is most likely to grow on the north face. However, depending on the situation, it may grow on all sides of the tree, or in areas of high pollution, it may not grow at all. You are facing west, by the way.”
“You sound like Wikipedia.”
“So, did you know all that? Did that come out of your imagination?”
Misty considered. “No, I guess not.”
“So, can we get down to business?”
“I’m still not your best person for this. You need to find someone else. Thanks for the info. I’ll see about getting home now.” Misty got up and started to walk, and then realized she didn’t remember which way she had been facing when told she was facing west.
“That way,” said Ginger pointing in the way Misty should go. “By the way, the reason you got lost is because people don’t walk straight, as a general rule. You’ve been walking in circles. If you will listen to me and agree to accept the job, I’ll help you get home.”
Misty considered. Don’t look a gift elf in the face, she thought. She could agree and then, once she was safely home, just go to bed and forget it.
“If you’re thinking about using me to get home, and then reneging on the agreement, forget it. I’ll be around to be sure you at least try.”