Child at Heart (RotG Fanfic) Chp. 4

Moving to Memory Lane

Ten Years Later

After Caroline graduated from high school, she took a year off before moving to Burgess when she turned eighteen. She didn't have any second thoughts about her decision since she has always dreamed of living in Burgess after all those years. Caroline decided to stay in her Grandpa's old home, which she heard was still standing to that very day.

As the years went by, growing-up to what she appeared now, she looked completely different from when she was a child. But a hint of her childhood innocence remained in her azure blue eyes. The short boyish platinum blonde hair she had from her childhood grew into flowing locks. Caroline was a cheerful, optimistic young lady, though her age made her act more mature and sensible.

Her parents felt disheartened when Caroline announced her decision. When she saw how sad her parents were, she thought that maybe she shouldn't go now that Matt moved to college as well. After all, she hasn't decided on course she will go on. But her parents, though hesitantly, insisted that their daughter should move on, knowing that she's old enough to make her own decisions.

Caroline will miss her hometown but she felt like she will be happier in Burgess since her most precious childhood memories were there. She wanted to experience the cold weather and the homely atmosphere of her grandfather's house. Speaking of cold weather, she hasn't seen Jack ever since he visited the neighborhood that night after Christmas.

Ten years was quite a long time. It was long enough to make her forget about all those childhood fables. It was also long enough to make her stop believing in things that seemed impossible in ordinary circumstances. Like what everyone else had to go through. But Caroline didn't want to. Everything that brought hope and joy in her childhood made her believe that life didn't seem so harsh and cruel.

The small town, Burgess did make her feel that feeling of wonder. During those times when she visited that town made her feel nothing more than happiness and faith. After all, those times were exclusively for celebrating and making merry. And even though Burgess seemed to have little to offer for Caroline's custom of modern living, the simple, old fashioned lifestyle was all that Caroline needed.

And so, Caroline packed all her belongings: clothes, personal items etc. before departing. Caroline wore her winter wear considering that Burgess was known for its constant observance of cold weather. The other passengers in the plane seemed like they knew as well. She smirked at the thought that Jack Frost is most likely responsible for such wintry conditions.

When Caroline exited the plane, she went straight into a taxi for her Grandfather's neighborhood. The undersized structure and faded colors of Grandpa Thomas' house made it stand out from all the other residences. But even so, it felt like home to her.

"Just like how we left it" Caroline thought as she stared at the façade; an old abandoned house with snow covering the roof and lawn. The living room was dim, brightened only by the light that came from the window. And there were sheets on the cabinets, tables and chairs. She felt nostalgia when she peeped inside the living room.

"I've been good this year! I now I have!"

"Merry Christmas! It's nice to see you all again!"

"Let's write a letter to Santa! Come on, it'll be fun!"

Ghosts from the past haunted Caroline's mind as she gazed at the room, imagining the Christmas lights, the festive decorations and everyone who celebrated with her. She imagined how everyone gathered around the room, listening to Grandpa Thomas' narration of "A Christmas Carol". The fireplace was obscured by the remnants of ashes and smoke.

"I guess Santa hasn't been down here for a while" Caroline mused as she leaned down and peeked up at the chimney. She continued to wander around the house before unpacking her luggage, and heading out to the backyard.

The ground was covered with big patches of snow. "Plenty for making a snowman" Caroline said. She bent down and collected a handful of snow then she rolled it along the snowy ground. Then, she continued the process until she had three snowballs to stack up. Lastly, she collected small stones from around the yard to represent the face of the snowman.

"Oh man, I don't have a carrot for the nose" she said when she finished. "Oh well." Caroline placed a larger stone on the centre. "There!"  She admired her creation. "It's still missing some things." Caroline took her warm parka jacket off the coat rack before heading outside. "I should probably find a job too. Maybe tomorrow. I'll take a look at the wanted ads" she thought.

Not far from the house, a snowball fight was commenced by a little boy, hitting the first two kids he saw behind him. "Jamie Bennett! No Fair!" a girl said frustrated.

"You threw first!" the boy exclaimed.

"So, his name is Jamie" Caroline smiled. Her smiled faltered as soon as she saw someone who really caught her eye.

Jack Frost was throwing snowballs at every kid there. The kids didn't seem to notice Jack when he kept hitting them with his snowballs so instead of hitting him, they hit each other. This went on until the girl who Jamie hit before accidently hit a much larger girl who growled angrily as she turned around.

"Crud! I hit Cupcake!" the girl said.

Cupcake picked up a snowman's head that coincidentally bared an irritated expression. Before she could hit anyone with her snowball, Jack hit her face with one his enchanted snowballs, which made Cupcake laugh and grin. The next thing Caroline knew, the kids got chased by Cupcake who held her snowball in the air before preparing to hit one of them.

Caroline decided to follow them but it was a little hard to keep up especially when Jack flew by Jamie and made the path in front of him (Jamie) slippery, making him fall down on his sleigh. Fortunately, Jamie came back around, landing on a snow pile in front of a nearby statue. Caroline hid behind a tree so Jack wouldn't become suspicious of her appearance.

Jamie ecstatically told the group of kids about his little through the town sleigh ride before being run over by a couch that fell from a moving van, making Caroline and Jack cringe. Jamie pooped his arm out from behind the couch, baring a tooth between his fingers.

"Cool! A tooth!" Jamie said as he stood up.

Jack's efforts were paid no attention when the kids instantly thought about the tooth fairy. Once again, Jack failed in his attempts to be believed in. Caroline just watched wide-eyed at how Jamie walked through Jack.

"Strange." Caroline thought. "I thought they could see him. I guess not" she watched as Jack took off into the sky.


Hours later

After dinner, Caroline decided to visit a place that was really special to her before going to bed. The coo-coo clock wasn't on the wall above the fireplace anymore. The only thing that assured her was the darkness and the chill of the night. The hoodie of her parka was pulled over her lowered head when she walked outside. She carried a bag with something quite heavy inside.

Caroline walked across the road, passed by a statue and entered a forest of snow covered trees. She still remembered where it was, even after a decade. The moon shined in full view above the branches that towered over the path. It wasn't scary, but rather a beautiful sight. But what did make chills run through her spine was the feeling of someone following her.

Caroline paused to scan the area around her. "No one…at least, I hope so." she thought before continuing her walk. Even if she did make sure, she still couldn't shake off the feeling of being stalked. Soon enough, she arrived to that special place. Caroline sighed. "Finally here."

Caroline sat down on the cold ground, slipping off her winter boots then slipping on her simple white ice-skates. She forced herself to stand up on the blades before walking towards the frozen floor. "No more fences to support me now" she thought to herself.

As soon as she stepped on the ice, she swiftly skidded across the floor. "Not too fast" she cautioned herself, slowing down a bit. Caroline circled the lake a few more times before she realized that the ice was breaking underneath her. "Uh-oh" she whispered before skating towards the shore of the lake. Caroline pulled her knees to her chest as she watched the ice crack. "Just like my first time…only that…" she frowned. "He isn't here to save me this time or make the ice thicker."

"I know you've been following me!" Caroline shouted out to nowhere. "Come out already! You're creeping me out!"

…
…

"…I'm behind you actually…" a familiar voice whispered.

Caroline turned around. The speaker was a few feet away. When Caroline saw him, he had his mouth agape and his eyes wide open. He stepped a little closer to her with his barefeet touching the cold ground.

"You can see me?"

Caroline smiled warmly and nodded.

"Nice to see you again, Jack Frost..."