The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

December 17th

Noelle:
Okay. Elves are real. Elves. Are. Real. I would think I had gone crazy, but Christabel saw them too. The picture in the book showed elves in the same clothes, right down to the white fur trimming. The explanation of how wishes worked was chillingly similar to what has happened to me. I'm starting to think maybe I could learn my lesson in time for Christmas. I'm just worried about how Clara Marie is doing. I hope she isn't messing up my reputation too much. Not that I had much of a reputation in the first place. I feel bad for her. Imagine going from 1840 to 2020 in seconds. I would be so overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed by the Victorian Era, and I know loads about it already. I wonder how Clara is reacting to cars. And phones. And TV. And computers. And stores with automatic doors. I am so glad I am not in her position. All I have to do is be more confident. The lessons are actually going okay. See! I'm never that confident about me being good at something. To practice being confident, Christabel and I watched people we think are confident and took notes on how they acted. We noticed that they spoke very decisively and had good posture. I need to work on posture. Then we wrote down what we think we need to work on. I wrote not making statements sound like a question, stop doubting myself, and stand up for myself. Christabel had a pretty long list. We tried to practice not doing those things, but it didn't go so well. We tried to act out a scene where I was Ms. Grundley (the mean head maid) being horrible to Christabel, and then Christabel would stand up for herself. It went like this.
"Hello, Christabel," I sneered. Christabel straightened.
"Hello, Ms. Grundley."
"I see by the way these clothes are folded, you've done a terrible job as usual. Fold them again."
"I- um- No."
"No?"
"No. Those clothes are folded nicely, and I'm not redoing them."
"How dare you! Disrespecting me like that? You must obey your superiors!" I exclaimed. Christabel slumped forward.
"I'm sorry, I'll fold them right away. I- I- I shouldn't have said that."
"Christabel," I laughed. "You have to stand up for yourself."
"I know, but what if she gets mad? I could be dismissed."
"Don't worry, I won't let her fire you. They all think I'm Clara Marie, remember?" I hear a gasp from the doorway. Turning around, I see Louis. He has a shocked look on his face.
"What do you mean they think you are Clara Marie? You are Clara Marie," he says. Oh no.
"Um, about that." I start. "You might wanna sit down for this."
After I finish explaining, Louis sits there for a moment.
"You've gone off your rocker," he states.
"No, I swear it's true. That's why I've been acting so weird."
"I thought that was because you hit your head and lost your memory." Oh. So he did know I had "lost" my memory.
"I didn't lose my memory. I am not Clara Marie." Louis looks over at Christabel.
"Is this true?" She nods.
"I saw the elves myself."
"I believe Christabel," he says. "She's not crazy."
Ouch. At least he believes me.
"Why were you lurking in the doorway?" I ask.
"I was looking for you," he admits. Ha! Got him. "Your grandfather sent me to retrieve you. He has something to show you outside," Dangit. Don't got him.
"Ok," I say, heading out the door.
"Wait! Shouldn't we tell someone?" he asks. I whirl around.
"No! We are not telling anyone. You hear me? Not. A. Soul. You weren't supposed to know. Understand?" I feel bad for being so harsh, but I need him to understand.
"I- I- understand," he says.
"Good. Now, what does he want to show me?"
After a bunch of turning and twisting hallways and rooms (I still have no idea how to get anywhere here), Louis opens a small door that leads outside. From there, we wind through some gardens and stables to a little courtyard. Grandpa is standing in the middle with a horse. The most beautiful horse I have ever seen in my life. The horse is dapple grey, with a shiny coat and a long black mane. It's small but strong, with small feet and intelligent eyes.
"An early Christmas present," Grandfather explains. I run over and hug him.
"Thank you! What's her name?"
"She doesn't have one yet," He smiles. I gently approach the horse and stroke her nose. She holds completely still.
"I know you always wanted a horse of your own. Do you remember how to ride?" Shoot. I forgot about that. I probably should know how to ride a horse before, well, riding a horse.
"No. But I would love to learn." I smile and stroke the horse's neck. It sniffs and shakes its head. I wonder what I'll name it. I try and think of book characters to name it after.
"There is one condition, however. You must go to the Christmas ball." Grandfather hesitates. "Otherwise, I'll sell her to someone else." I pale. I really really really want the horse. I know I'll hopefully be gone by Christmas, but still. That, and I have a suspicion about the ball. Its timing is so perfect, I think it might be the test of my confidence. I think it's my ticket home.