The Winter Light

Maddy woke one night to the stars swirling on her ceiling. This didn’t scare Maddy at all, though it would have her older sister. Instead, Maddy lay mesmerized until she heard a noise outside her window. Shuffle, tap, shuffle, tap. She pushed the covers back and climbed out of bed.

The snow had been falling. Large, thick drops flew past her window to join the already thick white blanket below. Nothing stirred as her street slumbered. Maddy was just about to turn back to bed when it came again. A soft shuffle, tap, shuffle, tap. She squinted and there, just past her friend Elijah’s house, she saw him. A man was walking through the snow. His head carrying a top hat, on his body a long formal coat like she had seen when her sister showed her A Christmas Carol the night before (even though her mom said she was too young). In his hand, he held a cane. The silver head caught the streetlight and glinted up at her. The man shuffled through the snow, his cane tapping the street under the snow.

She watched him go, spellbound. He stopped and stood still, listening to the long hoot of an owl. The large barn owl that lived in the woods on the edge of their subdivision swooped past Maddy’s window. She could swear it looked in at her as it went past, its long wings stretched full. The owl swooped down and landed on the man’s outstretched arm.

He turned and stared up at her window. His face broke into a wide smile and he wiggled his fingers at her as a hello. Maddy jumped back from the window, then peered out again. The wind gusted and sugary snow swirled around her window, blocking her view. When it settled down, the street was empty. She sighed. It must have been her imagination again. Before going back to bed, though, Maddy squinted out into the snowlight. She saw his footprints.

Maddy had to find them. She needed to know where they were going. Maddy snuck down the stairs and ran to the laundry room, where her mom kept their coats and boots and mittens. She put them on, hopping to pull on the last boot. She hoped she wouldn’t be too late. Maddy went to the front door and turned the lock, slipping out the door.

The cold air met her lungs, and she drew up straight, slightly giddy, to sneak out alone in the middle of the night. Maddy took time to glance up to her parents’ bedroom window, which remained dark. She ran down the middle of the street, following the man’s footprints, which were just disappearing under the fresh falling snow.

As she rounded the corner, she found him on the street that led to her school. The owl sat perched on his shoulder. Its head turned around, watching her. The man turned onto the street leading to the park. He paused at the entrance, and the owl’s head turned to him. It looked like it whispered in the man’s ear. She was half a block away when he went in.

The man walked like he wanted her to keep up. Shuffle, tap, shuffle, tap. The center of the park contained a large creek. In the summer, families waded around looking for interesting rocks and wildlife. It was deep winter tonight, though, and while the creek ran, it was sluggish and icy. Maddy’s mouth hung open as the man stepped in. The owl shook its wings, but stayed put. The man began walking, still using his cane, down the creek.


Maddy stayed on the path next to the creek but followed. When he stopped again, the owl spread its wings and swooped to the path in front of Maddy. It turned its head to hoot at her. The man raised his cane. He looked over his shoulder at her, that wide smile still on his face. This time, Maddy smiled back. With a chuckle, he turned away. He waved the cane.

The wave of dizziness that hit Maddy surprised her, and she bent over to her knees. When she raised up, the picture in front of her had changed. The creek was wider, the water still. On Maddy’s side, small pine trees dripping with snow lined the path. The owl had returned to the man’s shoulder. Its eyes were on her, its head cocked to one side.

The other side of the creek was no longer a tangle of trees, brush, and people’s trash. Instead, she gasped at the towering pine trees glistening in the snow. The snow sparkled like diamonds. A street light was shining down from the bank, its light illuminating the posts swirls and loops. Light shone down from overhead, too. She looked up and found paper lanterns floating in the air. They led down the creek, which now had a bend Maddy didn’t remember.

A low rumble came from that side of the creek and the tree branches swayed. The man stopped and waited. Out from the forest, a large white head peeked out. Maddy gasped again and stopped in her tracks. A polar bear walked to the edge of the water, snorting. The man walked toward it, but the owl once again spread its wings and swooped away, landing just in front of Maddy this time. It eyed her. She took a step backwards.

“Hello, Girl” it said. Maddy’s mouth fell open. It was cocking its head, watching her again. “Do you know how to speak, girl?”

“Oh,” Maddy said. “Um, yes. Hello.”

“Better.”

Maddy frowned. “Do you have a name?”

“Of course I have a name,” he said. He puffed his chest. “I am Skirr.”

She looked at the man. He stood in water up over his ankles, but now he next to the bank. He stood with one hand on the bear’s head. They looked at Maddy and Skirr. Her heart beat faster.

“Who is that man?” She tore her gaze away and looked down at Skirr.

“His name is less important,” Skirr said. “than what he wants to show you.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Because the stars danced for you,” Skirr said. He paused, looking back at the man. “It gave him hope.”

“Hope for what?”

“In time, girl. In time. First, you must decide. Will you go deeper into the woods?”

Maddy was about to step forward, but hesitated. She eyed the water, the man, and the polar bear. Her heat was leaping around in her chest and her palms were sweating. Looking at the path behind her, it relieved Maddy that her park hadn’t disappeared. It looked far away, though. She wondered if they had walked a lot further than she realized. She wished her mom was there to hold her hand.

“What if I want to go home?”

“We’ll take you,” Skirr said, nodding. “It is your decision. If you want to proceed, Bane will carry you.”

“Bane?”

“The bear,” Skirt said, shifting his head in the polar bear’s direction. “He is here for you to ride.”

Maddy tried to picture herself atop the polar bear, her arms hugging him to hold on tight. Her face broke into a smile. Her sister had learned to read first, ride a bike first, got to walk herself home from school alone first. She had never ridden a polar bear, though. Maddy nodded.

Skirr gave an excited screech that made Maddy cover her ears. He flew away and landed on the man’s shoulder again. This time, Maddy knew he spoke into the man’s ear. The man gave a nod. Bane lumbered into the water, splashing as he made his way over to her.

“Good evening, Maddy.” He lowered his head. “You are welcome to ride on me, to stay dry.”

She agreed. He lay down to make it easier for her to climb up. When she had, he instructed her to hold on to his neck, rose, and walked into the water. When they reached the man, he held his cane and swept into a low bow. Maddy giggled, and he smiled up at her.

“Thank you, Madeline,” he said. “I hope you can help us with a problem. You are brave to come tonight.”

“What problem? Is it dangerous?”

He smiled again. “It’s best you see it in person.”

He walked with Skirr on his shoulder and Bane splashing behind. She felt the cold and snuggled down on Bane’s back for warmth. He laughed and his sides rumbled.

Maddy wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but she woke to Skirr’s soft screech and the slowing of Bane’s footsteps. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The man was still in the water. In front of him, the stream ended, and the woods began. Snow was drifting down onto the man’s shoulders, sparkling like sugar. Maddy stuck her tongue out to catch the flakes coming down around her. They tasted like cotton candy. A glow coming from deep in the woods illuminated trees, but Maddy couldn’t find its origin. He turned to her.

“Ready?”

She didn’t know what to be ready for, but she nodded and clenched Bane’s fur. He snuffled and lifted his head closer to hers. She leaned against it. Skirr’s feathers ruffled, and he rotated his head, scanning the scene. He whispered in the man’s ear. The man tickled the feathers under his chin. Skirr looked pleased.

“Madeline,” the man said. “I want to tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a forest where magic lived. The forest was beautiful and magical creatures of all kinds lived together. The King and Queen of Winter’s Light ruled over the forest. They were fair to all around them. The king’s brother, though, was a jealous man who embraced the darkness.”

The man stopped. They had reached the end of the stream. With a smile, and assurance the story wasn’t too scary, he stepped up onto the bank. Bane followed, shaking the water off his legs. Maddy laughed, hanging on for dear life. As they walked, the trees swept their branches out of the way with a bow. The man continued his story.

“The king and queen had a child. She was as beautiful inside as out - filled with the same Winter Light as her father. No one could resist her. Except her uncle. He used his dark magic to cast a curse. Once cast, the curse swept through the kingdom. The king and Queen fell into a deep sleep. The Princess, though, forgot what magic was. She forgot the forest she had grown up in, the creatures she had loved, and her own family. She was alone, in a land where magic didn’t exist.”

“That’s terrible,” Maddy said. Tears filled her eyes and crept out onto her cheeks. The man nodded.

“It was. But fear not, little one. Because the story improves.”

He explained the girl found a home and family. As an adult, the girl fell in love and married. They had two children. While the girl still had no memory of her past, the spark hadn’t left her. She had, in fact, passed it on to her youngest daughter.

Maddy asked, “How do you know this?”

“Because the kingdom sent a creature to keep watch over the girl. To make sure she was safe. Watching for an opportunity to set things right.”

“What kind of creature was it?” She glanced at Skirr, suspicious. The man stopped and turned to her, his smile broadening and a spark lighting his eyes.

“You are clever, aren’t you? The creature is a barn owl. Most humans dismiss them as ordinary, but barn owls have an extraordinary talent to see the unseen.”

Despite a strange feeling of having already known the answer, Maddy’s mouth dropped open. She gaped at Skirr, who smiled back at her.

“I’ve been watching for a long time, girl. Tonight, we put everything back the way it should be.”

They continued following the path in silence. Maddy was turning everything over in her mind. She was the granddaughter of the king and queen. Her mom was a princess and didn’t know it. Wait.

“What happened to the uncle?”

Skirr flew from the man’s shoulder to Bane’s head, his claws eliciting a snort from Bane. The barn owl rotated his head around to her.

“The kingdom rose against him and he… saw where his dark path would end if he didn’t change his ways. However, we can’t undo the magic he cast. Not without your help, girl.”

“He’s right, Madeline,” the man said. “The king and queen require your spark to awaken.”

The glow that surrounded them suddenly went out, and a roar rose up from the woods. Shadows emerged from the trees and began swopping down around them. She felt something cold grab onto her arm. Before Maddy knew what was happening, Bane had run.

The man shouted for Maddy to hang on tight. She obliged, wrapping her arms around the polar bears neck and flattening herself against his back. When he stopped, she looked behind her to see the path empty. Only the bear’s footprints in the dark snow. She shouted for them, but there was no answer. Her heart pounded in her chest. She clung to Bane tighter.

“Where are they?”

“Protecting you,” Bane sat down in the snow with a plop and raised his nose. He sniffed the air. “Your uncle is no longer embracing the dark, but there are those who still believe. Your natural light is a threat to them.”

A shiver ran down her spine. “How did they know we were here?”

“The Winter light dimmed. Then the shadows saw your spark,” Bane said. “Maddy, here, you glow. You are almost as bright as the kingdom itself.”

As if on cue, the glow from somewhere in the forest returned, flickered, and stayed. They waited for their friends. It felt like an entire night, but finally Skirr appeared, flying. The man trailing behind, leaning more heavily on his cane than he had before.

“We’re almost out of time,” the man said, grimacing. They continued walking without another word. Bane rose and followed them. No one spoke for the rest of the journey. Maddy was spilling over with questions, but too scared to voice them. The shadows roar still echoed in her ears. Then she heard another sound. A humming that sounded like a lullaby. The man stopped and smiled at her.

“We’re here.”

They stepped out from the trees and into a clearing. Maddy gasped. The kingdom rose before them. It glowed. The spires soared up into the clouds, illuminating them pink and green and purple. The snow was thick here, and falling fast, but she wasn’t cold anymore. As they drew even with the gate, made of perfectly clear ice, it lowered on its own. The walkway was the same, crystal clear ice. Bane let her down to walk, but even when two enormous furry cats walked past her, growling, she didn’t slip as she backed up into Bane’s comforting middle.

“This way,” the man said. He led the group down a long, echoing hallway. Maddy’s head swiveled back and forth, taking in the paintings of men and women, the ornate lights and chandeliers that lit without light bulbs. They were walking towards a large doorway and as they got closer, the lights flickered, but stayed on.

“We’re here,” Band said in a low voice. Maddy looked ahead to see a large doorway. The man moved his cane to the right, and the doors swung open.

Inside, the room was cavernous and empty. No, Maddy realized, not empty. At the far end was a bed. Thin, white curtains hung down the sides of the canopy. At the end of the bed, a small group gathered. When the door closed behind Maddy and her friends, the group turned together. Maddy froze, her heartbeat picking up its pace again. The group included both humans and animals - another bear, a large turtle, and another owl. Skirr hopped on her shoulder.

“Your grandparents,” he said. “Small groups gather each day, keeping watch to ensure your grandfather’s spark doesn’t go out.”

“What would happen if the light went out for good?” Maddy asked.

The owl by the bed made a soft noise and flew over to the man. It landed on his shoulder and they murmured together. Maddy tried to hear, but they were too far away.

“The kingdom would have lost its light,” Skirr said. She brought her attention back to him. “And none of us would be here.”

“But the light is flickering. Does that mean” the man’s approach interrupted her question. Skirr nodded his head at her and she felt the tears spring into her eyes.

“Come, Madeline,” the man said. “The kingdom has waited long enough. It is time to use your spark and wake them up.”

Maddy didn’t move. Couldn’t if she had wanted to. She didn’t understand this spark they had talked about, hadn’t asked how they would use it. She could hear the blood moving in her body and her breath coming quick, like she couldn’t get enough air. Suddenly, all Maddy wanted was to go back home to her bed. To crawl in with her parents and hold her mother’s hand. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Skirr shrieked in alarm. The man knelt down beside her and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“What is it, dear?”

“I, I,” she stopped and took a deep breath. “I don’t know what to do. Are you going to hurt me?”

The man laughed, but it was a gentle laugh. He squeezed her hand again.

“Oh, Madeline, dear. There’s been enough dark magic, don’t you think? We have no intention of hurting you. You’ve been so brave this far. Do you think you can be brave for us awhile longer?”

Before she could answer, Bane stepped close and rubbed his enormous head against her shoulder. Maddy nodded, and they walked to the bed, the crowd whispering and parting to make way. She stared down at her grandmother, who looked so much like Maddy’s mother. Her sister shared a nose with their grandfather.

“What do I do?” Maddy stood as straight as she could, taking deep breaths.

“Just stand there,” the man said. He took his cane and raised it, chanting. Then he brought the cane down to her chest and held it there, above her heart. The room spun and Maddy’s stomach twisted. She was swaying, in danger of falling, but there was nothing she could do. The now familiar polar bear fur pressed against her back. Bane was holding her up.

A blinding light blazed up and hurt her eyes. She raised a hand, but she was still too dizzy and sick to keep it there. Skirr hopped on Bane’s head and held his wing out to shield her face. Maddy gave a little gasp. The light was coming from her. It was pouring out in waves where the man’s cane rested.

The man was speaking, but it was hard for Maddy to hear. She thought he asked if she was ready. She gave a nod, eager to be done. The man moved his cane away from her and she watched as the waves of light spun and crashed through the air, following it. Maddy sank to her knees and curled into Bane. She could see the man’s feet by the bed. His chanting grew louder, and the light flew past him.

She watched as the light rose over the bed and hovered, as if deciding on its next move. Then it split into two rivers and one crashed down onto her grandmother and one onto her grandfather. The man shouted. The light extinguished, plunging the room into the darkness.

While she waited for her eyes to adjust, she heard the gasps from the surrounding people. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing them to see again. Bane pressed against her and Skirr chirped in her ear. When she opened her eyes, the King and Queen sat on the edge of the bed, side by side, watching her.

“Alexia,” her grandmother whispered. Her grandfather’s smile faltered. He put a hand on his wife’s arm and shook his head.

“No,” he said. “That isn’t Alexia. Who are you?”

“Maddy,” she said. She coughed. “Madeline. They told me I am your granddaughter.”

The king’s smile lit up the room. Maddy had to squeeze her eyes shut again. Then she felt him take her hand and pull her into a hug. He carried her back to the Queen, who wrapped her arms around Maddy. 

“You have the spark,” the queen said. She smiled at the king. “Just like you, dear.”

He nodded and smiled down at Maddy. “Madeline, do you know anything about your lineage?”

She shook her head. She didn’t know what lineage meant, and told him so. He laughed, and it filled the room. The crowd began laughing too, and Maddy blushed.

“Don’t be afraid, Madeline.” Her grandmother whispered in her ear as the small crowd was cheering. “They named you for my mother. She was very brave, like you.”

“I don’t think so,” Maddy said, confused. “The man said that my mother remembered nothing of her life here.”

“I see.” The queen’s smile faded. Then she shook her head and pulled Maddy a little closer. “Maybe not, but fate has a way of reminding us who we are.”

Her grandfather nodded and then clapped his hands again.

“Our family has held the winter light for generations. It passes down from parent to one child, destined to lead the kingdom. I passed it to your mother and she to you. You, Princess Madeline, will someday be Queen of the Winter Forest.”

The queen held Maddy at arm’s length. She considered her, seriously. “Dear, you are so young. Where is Alexia? How did you come to be here?”

Maddy looked around for the man. The owl from the crowd hopped forward, along with one woman. The woman cleared her throat.

“Your Highness,” she began. “When the curse fell, Alexia lost all her memories. The curse took her to another realm. One without magic. We sent an emissary to keep watch and he, along with some others, brought Madeline here.”

Skirr and Bane stepped forward to the edge of the bed. Skirr hopped onto the top of Maddy’s head and she giggled. Her grandmother squeezed her hand.

“My King,” Skirr said, sweeping his wings and his body into a bow.

The king frowned, his glance swiveling between Skirr and Bane. Maddy rested her hands on them.

“An owl and a bear, together here in my court,” the King said. “Curious that one of my court emissaries is with a creature of darkness. Explain.”

“I am your brother’s emissary,” Skirr said. His feathers ruffled. “I am no creature of darkness. I can merely see through it better than most. They involved me in bringing your granddaughter here.”

There was murmuring from the crowd and shuffling of feet. Maddy looked up to see the Man parting the crowd.

“King,” the man emerged from the crowd. “At my request, Skirr has kept watch over your daughter all these years, and your granddaughters. He has been waiting for Madeline’s spark to ignite so we could wake you back up. He has proven himself to the court.”

The King stared at the man. It startled Maddy to realize tears were streaming down the King’s face. The Queen took his hand and squeezed, holding it tight. When she let go, the King rose unsteadily to his feet. The man reached out a steadying arm. They continued to stare at each other, the crowd silent. The King reached out, pulling the man into an embrace. When they finished, he still held the Man at arm’s length, unwilling to let go.

“Thank you, brother. I had always hoped you would turn from the darkness. If your curse was the price, I am glad to have paid it.” Then he turned to Skirr and Bane. “For keeping my family safe in the other world, we shall reward you. Thank you.”

The King and Queen thanked everyone for their vigilance and dismissed them, promising to emerge from their chambers after some time with their brother and granddaughter. Skirr and Bane were the only ones allowed to stay. Maddy had climbed up on Bane’s back and Skirr was once again sitting on her head.

“Well, Princess Madeline,” the Queen said. “You have had quite the adventure. I’m sure my daughter is wondering where you have gone off to. Would you care to fetch her for us?”

Maddy sat up, the thought of her mother causing her heart to squeeze. Then she had a thought.

“What happens now?”

“With the curse broken, Alexia will remember,” the man who was the King’s brother said. “You will come here to live.”

“All of us?” Maddy asked the question. Her grandmother smiled. Maddy smiled back.

It would be a splendid adventure.