*This story is underneath my folder titled “What lies in the wintry woods?”. These characters first appeared in my collection of Halloween tales titled “31 Hellish Halloween Tales” underneath my folder titled “31 Halloween Tales”. Gacha Club character designs are under my forum titled “My character designs<33”. Enjoy!*
Ever since Morrigan disappeared, Fawn had been having dreams about winter faeries. Faeries of ice and snow, that could only ever thrive in the cold.
At first, Fawn didn’t pay attention to them. They were only dreams that her overthinking subconscious mind could dream up. None of them were real, none of them made sense.
Until she saw one specific adolescent faerie boy named December. He wore a blue nightgown, and he loved Morrigan. He loved Morrigan in the present, and he loved Morrigan in the past, when she was known as Princess Inclementia.
There was one sure way to kill the winter faeries, and that was through sharp, manmade weaponry.
So that was why Fawn clutched a knife in the bitter, cold woods. Her Mom and Dad were hosting a Christmas party back at their house, but Fawn left for more important things.
The dreams told her what to do. Perhaps Morrigan was trying to communicate with her. To tell her of what happened.
In the distance, there was December, running far off. He saw Fawn, and he was trying to escape. He trapped Morrigan in his body, the two of them shared a body.
Fawn ran and ran, never once stopping, never once ceasing. Morrigan and December needed to be saved, they needed to be help.
Finally, she pushed him to the ground. She stabbed in the heart before he could bite her, a motion all too fast it was almost incomprehensible.
His body broke, faded away, and then…
An ice blue and flower pink light floated in the air, towards the sky, towards what Fawn assumed to be Heaven. Fawn’s breath left a faint smoke cloud as she watched them ascend to their freedom.
December ate flesh, was responsible for the disappearances in town, and yet, he was still worthy of Heaven, just like those he took. Morrigan and him could die together.
Tears slipped from Fawn’s eyes. It would be awhile before she saw her friend again, but at least Morrigan could rest. At least she was with someone who loved her.
Love was a strange, complex thing. With true love, people could see past many problems and only find the soul within, even though the body itself was twisted with a tint of malice.
Fawn got up from the snow. Her family would be waiting.
……………………………………………………
Fawn didn’t tell her family what happened. She simply opened presents and reveled in the moment that they were all together.
The angel on top of their Christmas tree glowed benevolently. It was only a lamp, but it still felt like home.
Perhaps it was only her imagination, but she thought that she felt and saw Morrigan hugging her. It only happened for a second, though. No one else seemed to notice.
If Morrigan really did come to thank her, then Fawn would cherish it till the very day she perished.
She would hold it to her heart and soul forevermore.
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Canary word: Present
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125,025 Literary Works • 672,762 Reviews
Happy Holidays! My name is Ley (or Lektra) and I'm here to review this sparkling work with my new holiday-themed review template: just in time for winter! Let's sit by the fire, get our marshmallows ready, and discuss this piece you have here. Huzzah!
❄️ Winter Whispers ❄️
I always look forward to reading your pieces so when I saw you had a short story in the green room I had to come review! Winter faeries are a super interesting concept, and you hooked me with just the first sentence with that bit about Morrigan disappearing and the mysterious dreams XD Let's get into the specifics and all the good stuff.
🎅 Warm Sugar Cookie 🎅
This story has such a beautiful and haunting quality to it, and I loved the way you built the atmosphere and setting. The the winter faeries and the snowy woods feels magical but also sets the tone for conflict. I always admire how you pay such detail to small things like imagery!
Fawn and December are interesting characters. Fawn's determination to save Morrigan, her courage in confronting December made her feel somewhat relatable. I also want to give a round of applause for the climax, that bittersweet moment when she lets Morrigan and December go. It's heart-wrenching xD
And the ending:
Ahhh! I loved this! Such a sweet ending <3
🌟 Chilling Critique 🌟
The only recommendation I have here would be regarding pacing. I feel like everything happened so fast that I had to re-read a couple times to understand what actually happened. I think drawing out the scene a bit would help with this <3
🎆 The Grand Finale 🎆
Overall, this was a super intriguing short story! I feel like I'm missing some background information, but I'm sure I'll come across those parts sometime soon. Happy Holidays!
Wishing you a season filled with joy, laughter, and love! <3
Thank you so much for the review!
Hi, Emilia here to give a review! I haven't been on this site in a while, but I thought to revisit it again because why not, and stumbled upon this cute little piece.
Okay, let's dive into it.
The story captures a mix of fantasy and emotion, weaving in themes of love, sacrifice, and redemption. The narrative is well-structured, beginning with Fawn's dreams about winter faeries and progressing to her eventual confrontation and release of Morrigan and December. The juxtaposition of the supernatural elements with the Christmas setting provides a unique contrast that enhances the overall impact. (Oh and unrelated, but personally I love the way you spelled faeries. I don't know why, but it's just normally I see it spelt as 'fairies' and yeah, it seemed pretty cool.)
I love the vivid descriptions of the winter faeries and the snowy woods paint a clear and enchanting picture, and the use of light, particularly the ice blue and flower pink light representing the souls ascending to Heaven, adds a symbolic layer to the narrative, reflecting themes of purity and transcendence. At least that's what I think the main themes are.
The writing is engaging and descriptive, effectively drawing readers into the world of the story, and the sheer emotional depth of the characters and their experiences is conveyed in a beautifully evocative style.
The characters are well-developed, the plot is compelling, and the imagery is captivating. It's a story that stays with the reader, prompting reflection on love, sacrifice, and the complexities of the human (and faerie) heart.
If I had to make one improvement to this story, despite its poignancy, it would be to vary the sentence lengths a little more for better pacing. I.e., having different paragraph lengths or one-word sentences can create excitement, or in this case emotional intensity that really hits the reader, if that makes sense. Because when people read a story, they rely on the way it is being told to get truly absorbed into it, and one of the most effective ways to hook your audience is to vary the pacing.
Overall I enjoyed reading this, and am looking forward to reading more of your work.
So glad you enjoyed this!