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mouseyearTitle: Glitter of Dead Christmases
Author/Artist:mouseyear
Length/Size of work: 600 words
Summary: The elves decorate their common area the same every year, one of the support workers becomes enchanted.
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Other content notes: Day 2: Glitter
Fandom: Original Work
Lia stood back and supervised as the elves decorated the common room, it was a common activity, done every few months in an effort to give them something new to look at, but in her years of working at the home she had begun to notice a pattern in the decorating.
Every year at around the same time the elves would begin to complain about the décor, prompting a decision to let them redecorate. And every year they would decorate the place the exact same way. Every year they insisted on a tree, and they insisted on so little that no one could resist.
She watched as their grand plan for this year took form, watched as three of the elves danced around the tree, trailing silver and gold strings behind them. She watched as Yel spotted an elf who had decided to pin a glossy leaf to the ceiling. She watched as silver circles of needles were placed on doorways, supervised as glittering baubles were hung on the tree, emerging from who knows where as pretty things often did in the presence of elves.
Her shift ended, Terixes came to relieve her but Lia decided to stay just a little bit longer. She felt like an outsider, like she was watching through a window instead of someone in the same room as the elves laughed and danced and kissed each other.
The lights were dimmed and Lia caught her breath as the remaining light scattered across the decorations, casting glitter onto everyone. No wonder the elves love this décor, she found herself thinking, as the elves themselves gasped and smiled. If I loved glitter as much as they do I’d never want to change the décor, yet next month she remembered, the elves would grow tired of this décor and beg to change it.
She watched for what felt like hours and perhaps it was, loving the beauty and knowing deep in her bones that it wasn’t for her. They may have accepted Yel but something told her that Yel was a special case, a different case.
Then Lilian approached her, the elf reaching out to grasp Lia’s hand in her own. Slowly Lia let herself be pulled into the light, let the glitter sparked light cover her body, keenly aware that someone was glaring at her, poison in their eyes but not wanting to turn and find out who.
There are smiles on the faces of the elves around her, genuine smiles, smiles she rarely saw on them, and she knows that she doesn’t deserve to be part of their celebration, knows from the glare piercing her back and the ghost of memories she hasn’t yet gained access to and yet are making her feel guilty anyway.
She pulls her hand from Lilian’s and steps back, out of the circle. Lilian jumps forward to catch her hand once again, her eyes pleading. “Christmas spirit is free for everybody, no one should be left out.”
The eyes on her back are gone now, and Yel comes around the circle, putting her arms around the two elves nearest to her. Lia doesn’t know why but her eyes are seeking Yel’s for emotion. Not for the first time Lia is reminded that Yel has eyes of sadness, but today that sorrow has a layer of happiness above it. “Well? What are you looking at me for? Are you going to join us or not?”
Lia only smiles in answer, and the elves descend, spinning her around to see the glittering light emanating on her body.
Author/Artist:
mouseyearLength/Size of work: 600 words
Summary: The elves decorate their common area the same every year, one of the support workers becomes enchanted.
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Other content notes: Day 2: Glitter
Fandom: Original Work
Lia stood back and supervised as the elves decorated the common room, it was a common activity, done every few months in an effort to give them something new to look at, but in her years of working at the home she had begun to notice a pattern in the decorating.
Every year at around the same time the elves would begin to complain about the décor, prompting a decision to let them redecorate. And every year they would decorate the place the exact same way. Every year they insisted on a tree, and they insisted on so little that no one could resist.
She watched as their grand plan for this year took form, watched as three of the elves danced around the tree, trailing silver and gold strings behind them. She watched as Yel spotted an elf who had decided to pin a glossy leaf to the ceiling. She watched as silver circles of needles were placed on doorways, supervised as glittering baubles were hung on the tree, emerging from who knows where as pretty things often did in the presence of elves.
Her shift ended, Terixes came to relieve her but Lia decided to stay just a little bit longer. She felt like an outsider, like she was watching through a window instead of someone in the same room as the elves laughed and danced and kissed each other.
The lights were dimmed and Lia caught her breath as the remaining light scattered across the decorations, casting glitter onto everyone. No wonder the elves love this décor, she found herself thinking, as the elves themselves gasped and smiled. If I loved glitter as much as they do I’d never want to change the décor, yet next month she remembered, the elves would grow tired of this décor and beg to change it.
She watched for what felt like hours and perhaps it was, loving the beauty and knowing deep in her bones that it wasn’t for her. They may have accepted Yel but something told her that Yel was a special case, a different case.
Then Lilian approached her, the elf reaching out to grasp Lia’s hand in her own. Slowly Lia let herself be pulled into the light, let the glitter sparked light cover her body, keenly aware that someone was glaring at her, poison in their eyes but not wanting to turn and find out who.
There are smiles on the faces of the elves around her, genuine smiles, smiles she rarely saw on them, and she knows that she doesn’t deserve to be part of their celebration, knows from the glare piercing her back and the ghost of memories she hasn’t yet gained access to and yet are making her feel guilty anyway.
She pulls her hand from Lilian’s and steps back, out of the circle. Lilian jumps forward to catch her hand once again, her eyes pleading. “Christmas spirit is free for everybody, no one should be left out.”
The eyes on her back are gone now, and Yel comes around the circle, putting her arms around the two elves nearest to her. Lia doesn’t know why but her eyes are seeking Yel’s for emotion. Not for the first time Lia is reminded that Yel has eyes of sadness, but today that sorrow has a layer of happiness above it. “Well? What are you looking at me for? Are you going to join us or not?”
Lia only smiles in answer, and the elves descend, spinning her around to see the glittering light emanating on her body.
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Date: 2023-01-24 08:32 pm (UTC)