Winter's Child

Prologue

If only one could look at the world through the innocent eyes of a child.
Can you imagine how differently we'd see?
Believing that the things we cannot have in life,
are simply out of reach.
And that the snow that falls on the window sill,
should not bring us sorrow, only joy and laughter.
That from the flurries, we'd find a thrill,
and worry about the coldness after.

* * *

Six-year-old Elodie Claire Remley softly hummed to herself as she ran a small brush through her flaxen hair. She took great care with each strand, the way her mother always used to when Elodie was younger and unable to do it herself. She hummed a lullaby in her sweet, small voice as she closed her eyes. It was nighttime now and she knew that she should be in bed. However, she couldn't sleep. She wasn't at all tired.

Young Elodie's eyes snapped open in panic when she heard three, faint knocks at her door. She slowly turned her head and uttered a small "come in" before the door was slowly opened a crack. Her father's kind eyes met her own as he entered.

"Why are you still awake?" he asked in the ever-soft voice he used only with his children and wife. Elodie dropped her gaze guiltily. If there was one of her parents she hated disappointing (not that she enjoyed disappointing either) it was her father.

"Sorry, Daddy. I can't sleep," she said quietly, lifting her worried gaze to her father's. Mr. Remley smiled a kind smile and entered her small room, crossing the room with a few quick strides and sitting beside her on her little bed.

"Well, that's no good, is it?" Elodie shook her head, earning another soft smile from her father. "Maybe, you just need to listen to the wind. It will know how to put you to sleep." Elodie tilted her head in confusion.

"It will?" Her young eyes filled with wonder.

"Yes," her father responded. "It will sing you songs as you fall asleep." Elodie dropped her gaze, remembering what her older, twin brothers had told her about the wind.

"Jonathan and James said to never listen to the wind, or it'll take me away." Mr. Remley chuckled and shook his head at his children's imaginations. Jonathan and James were both ten now and loved to fool their younger sister into believing things that, most of the time, didn't even make any sense.

When her father left, Elodie followed his advice and listened to the soft howling of the wind outside her sturdy wall. She closed her eyes and sighed, wondering how the animals outside felt about the cold. She always did. Her young, imaginative mind often wandered at night. It was something she simply couldn't help.

Before long, Elodie's thoughts made it seemingly impossible to sleep. She sat up and sighed with defeat. She looked to the window and what she saw beyond the glass surprised her, to say the least. Her small brows furrowed in confusion and curiosity as she watched the delicate frost patterns spread into beautiful designs across the pane.

Elodie studied the boy in the window who created these intricate patterns along the glass. Her young eyes widened with delight and wonder as she carefully studied every move he made. Such beautiful designs they were. They would awe any child. Elodie was no exception.

Her large, doe-like, blue eyes followed the boy's fingers as they danced around the glass of her window. How did he do that? Oh, how she wished she could too. That would be incredible. Perhaps she would even impress her older brothers.

He came inside her room, crossing through the wall as if it wasn't even there.

"I'm Jack," he introduced, holding out a hand for her to shake. He looked about her age. She smiled, showing off the gap in her teeth where a tooth had been just a day ago.

"I'm Elodie," she replied happily. "Can you teach me to do that?" she asked hopefully.

"I can't," he answered, dropping his gaze. "Mother and father said that I can't teach you things until you're older." Elodie frowned.

"Oh...but, I can do that too?" she asked with wonderment. Jack nodded and waved a hand, conjuring a diamond, tear-drop necklace with a silver chain out of thin air. Elodie stared in awe as Jack handed it to her.

"Yes. And a lot more too. But, only when you're older. Then you'll understand."

Elodie nodded and smiled as she studied the beautiful necklace.

"And you'll teach me?"

"Someday. Yes, I will. But, now I have to go."

"Will I see you before long?"

"Someday, yes." Jack smiled as his image began to fade before her. She watched until he was completely gone. She then sighed and carefully tied the necklace around her neck, her young fingers fumbling a bit as she clumsily clasped the two ends of the necklace together. She would wait patiently for that day. No matter how long it took.

Greetings, fellow Wattpadians! I'm sort of new to this whole thing so, bear with me. I'm excited to put my work out there for the public to see! Hope you enjoyed the prologue.

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