A Yule Story: Barreth The Yuletide Tree

🎵 Ereth the Yule-Tide Tree by Olivia Statler Cheery voices rang throughout the tree farm as families picked this year's yule trees to come home with them.

Puffs of clouds came from Eppony's lips as she sipped her hot chocolate while scrolling through her Insta account.

Her little sister Lisa tugged on her coat sleeve whining,

Come on,

Give me a sip of the hot chocolate.

Drink your apple cider.

Waping her nose with the back of her hand,

Lisa complained,

It's too spicy.

Rolling her eyes,

Eppony traded cups with her sister.

I told you you wouldn't like it.

Next time maybe listen to me?

Taking a big gulp of hot cocoa,

Lisa quipped,

But it's good to try new things.

Not when I'm the one who always has to finish them.

An alert pinged on Eppony's phone and she turned her attention back to it.

Come on you guys,

Called her father from up ahead.

If we don't choose soon,

All the good ones will be gone.

You're the only one who cares about this,

Eppony muttered.

I care,

Said Lisa,

And ran to her father who started laughing at her as he tried to mop up her chocolate moustache.

Whatever happened,

He said,

Looking back at her phone.

She was looking at a memory,

One when their mother had still been alive.

It had been two years,

This month,

That she had been gone.

For obvious reasons,

They hadn't done much the last two holidays.

Her dad had numbed out on whiskey and work,

While Eppony had numbed out on wilko and pot,

And Lisa had gotten really rather strange talking to imaginary friends who weren't there.

Earlier this year,

Though,

Her dad suddenly quit the booze and had decided that they were going to have a good old-fashioned yule this year,

Like their mom's grandma used to do.

Apparently,

Her grandmother had been a bit strange as well,

Saying she could see fairies and such.

Eppony was glad that she had never had the pleasure of meeting the old woman.

Dealing with her eccentric little sister was quite enough.

Jumping up and down excitedly,

Lisa shouted,

This one,

This one!

His name's Barreth.

He wants to come home with us.

I don't know,

Munchkin,

Said their dad,

Ruffling Lisa's braids.

This one's awfully big.

Eppony shoved her phone into her pocket angrily and tossed the cup of cider behind her into the snow.

Just give her the one she wants.

Let's get this happy family time over with.

She air-quoted the word happy.

Her dad looked at her sadly and opened his mouth to say something,

But Lisa distracted him by gulping down the rest of her cocoa in one go,

Giving herself the biggest moustache yet.

It was practically a hipster beard.

His eyes crinkled into a smile as he wiped her face.

So you're sure you want this one?

You know,

You're going to have to water it every day and clean up the needles.

Pouting profusely,

Lisa said,

Him,

Not it.

His name is Barreth.

Their dad solemnly shook one of the tree's branches,

Saying,

I'm sorry,

My good man.

I will endeavor to remember your pronouns.

This caused even Eppony to smile,

Though she did her best to hide it.

Getting down on all fours,

He said,

Hey,

This tree has what your gran used to call a fairy door.

And that caused Lisa to dance in the fresh-falling snow,

Clearly happy with the evidence that this tree was indeed magical.

As their dad set to sawing,

Lisa asked,

How come we never had to water the tree before?

Because we had an artificial one,

Dummy.

Art-y fish?

Art-y?

Fake?

Bogus?

Not real?

Mass-produced?

Leave her alone,

Eppony,

And come grab this tree.

It's about to fall.

A deep,

Lush primordial scent enveloped Eppony as she held the tree in her arms.

It transported her to another time,

One where she had skated through the woods with her mom at night.

There had been flickering torches lighting each side of the icy path.

Lisa didn't remember all those good times.

She had just been a baby strapped to her dad's chest.

Tears began to prick her eyes,

And she wanted to run away,

Just as the tree's weight crushed into her.

So she had to hold it,

Drinking in more of its rich,

Triggering scent.

Her dad looked up at her through the branches.

You got it all right?

She nodded.

Then he added quietly.

Take it easy on your sister,

Okay?

She hasn't had many holidays.

So try not to be such a curmudgeon.

Come again?

He got up and took the tree from her,

Whispering exasperatedly into her ear.

Don't be a killjoy.

Feathers ruffled,

Eppony was stony silent all the way home,

While her dad and sister sang along to Christmas tunes on the radio.

Putting fresh salt to the wound,

Her dad asked her to hold the tree again while he screwed it into a special stand.

At his signal,

She released the aromatic prickly branches and stomped up the steps to her bedroom.

As she tried to slam her door shut,

Her father caught it.

Hey there,

Kiddo.

You okay?

I thought we were going to decorate the tree together.

Do it without me,

Eppony said,

Flopping on her bed.

It was excruciatingly painful,

Even thinking about pulling out all of the mingled memories living within the ornament box.

I'm making my world-famous popcorn.

And I'll even make you a cocoa.

One you can actually drink this time.

I said,

Do it without me.

Her bedroom door squeaked shut,

But not before she heard a murmur.

Teenagers.

No longer able to hold the floodgates back,

Eppony wept until she was so exhausted that she fell into a dead sleep.

Growling and clawing within her belly woke her at the witching hour,

And she trudged groggily downstairs,

Wiping sleep from her eyes.

Starburst shone before her as the tree stood there showing off all of its glittery new glory.

Reverting her eyes,

Eppony rushed past it and made herself some toast,

Carrying her food back upstairs just as quickly,

Ignoring the tree.

Munching the edges of her toast in incremental bites,

She watched cutesy animal videos on her laptop to numb out her mind.

Before she drifted off again,

Eppony made a trip to the bathroom,

Noticing that her sister's door was ajar.

The dark opening made her nervous.

Lisa never slept with her door open,

Saying it was an invitation to bad fairies.

Expecting to see the light on in an otherwise occupied bathroom,

Eppony just found another shadowed opening,

With a small nightlight casting a dim glow.

Hmmm.

She must have had a nightmare and crawled in with Dad,

She said quietly to herself,

Before doing her nightly toiletry ritual and then crawling back into bed.

The next morning before school,

As the sweet smell of raspberry pancakes filled the kitchen,

Eppony sat engrossed,

Staring at her phone,

At least until Lisa kicked her beneath the breakfast bar.

Ow,

What was that for?

Everything okay?

Dad asked,

Glancing over his shoulder briefly as he flipped another cake.

Yep,

Saying Lisa happily before whispering urgently to her sister.

I need to show you something.

Fairies are really,

Really real.

Not this again,

Replied Eppony,

Making a crazy gesture next to her temple.

I think you might need some help.

Grabbing her book bag and an apple,

Eppony headed to the front hall.

Rain check on the pancakes,

Dad.

Just remembered I have to be at school early.

Over the next few weeks,

Leading up to the winter solstice,

Every time Eppony got up in the middle of the night,

Lisa's bedroom door remained open.

Finally one night a couple of days ahead of Yule,

She switched on Lisa's overhead light and saw that her bed was still made,

And a chill crept through her.

Soundlessly she opened her father's door and poked her head in,

Seeing no sign of a smaller lump lying next to the big snoring one.

By the cold,

Grave dawn,

Eppony made her way downstairs and she found her little sister sleeping beneath the yuletide tree that was still warming the space with its tiny glowing lights.

As Lisa lay curled like a little cat,

Sucking her thumb,

She held in her other hand something that shimmered strangely like a winter star.

Mesmerized by the sparkle,

Eppony tipped out closer and saw that it was a pinecone covered in crystallized ice.

It's not melting,

She breathed in awe.

Then,

Raising her eyes,

She looked at the tree,

Seeing a heart-shaped ornament that said,

Baby's First Christmas on it.

The encased photo was of her mom holding her in a puffy red onesie snow suit,

Eyes twinkling,

Like Eppony was the best gift ever.

The tree's gleaming lights expanded,

Stretching out like fingers as tears blurred her vision,

And Eppony ran back to her bedroom,

Forgetting all about the magical pinecone until homeroom the next morning.

Taking some serious chomps out of her ballpoint pen,

She mulled over the shimmering pinecone and her sister's late-night excursions.

Fairies,

She muttered,

Deciding that she better wait up tonight and see exactly what Lisa was getting up to before telling their dad.

Retiring to her room as per usual after dinner,

Usually to do online stuff with her friends or to watch something on her laptop,

Eppony went straight to sleep,

Setting her phone alarm for just past Lisa's usual bedtime.

She didn't need it,

However,

As voices from the hallway woke her from her nap.

I know you're a big girl now,

But it's the night before the solstice.

Are you sure you don't want me to tuck you in?

Nope,

I'm good.

The door across the hallway shut and Eppony heard her dad continue to his own room muttering,

They grow up so fast.

Soon the low sounds of her dad's TV could be heard and Eppony chanced peeking out,

Finding Lisa's shadow doorway yawning widely.

Avoiding the fourth stair from the top because it squeaked,

Eppony slunk down the stairs just in time to see Lisa disappear within a bright,

Shining light at the base of the tree.

The gnarled spot her dad had called a fairy door.

Lisa!

Eppony called after her without stretched hands.

The illumination from the magical doorway began to recede and before she could think,

Eppony was diving for the passageway,

Getting a face full of snow for her troubles.

Getting up,

She brushed the cold powder from her clothes and face,

Looking around in astonishment.

Tempest Aries dressed in the royal blue of the night sky just before dawn blew snow trumpets that sent cascading flurries all about a dense wood of pine trees.

Meanwhile,

Little people dressed in mouse-brown coats scrambled about the trees coating the pine cones with a glistening dust.

In the middle of the wood,

Lisa stood in front of a single,

Decorated tree,

Holding the hand of a tree spirit.

He was tall and graceful like a windswept pine,

And his warm,

Liquid eyes peered out at her from thick green needle-like hair.

When Lisa saw her sister,

She squealed in delight,

Dropping his bark-covered hand and running to her.

See?

See?

Fairies are real!

I can't really believe my eyes,

Said Eppony as Lisa dragged her towards the dryad.

This is Barreth.

He's our tree!

Eppony dug her heels in when she recognized the ornaments hanging on the tree behind him.

His arms made a sweeping,

Elegant gesture towards the ornate tree as he asked,

What memory would you like to live next?

Lisa ran to him,

Hugging him as he patted her head.

Remember to choose carefully,

We one,

For the spell will be broken at the returning of the light on solstice morning.

Beckoning her sister forward,

Lisa said,

I think Ebby should choose.

I've had lots of goes.

But Ebony just stood there shaking her head,

So Lisa approached the tree,

Touching a glowing,

Beaded candy cane.

It doesn't have words or pictures,

But it has a nice warm feeling.

Smiling tenderly,

Barreth signaled the weather fairies overhead,

And they blew their trumpets again.

This time the snow swirled about them so thickly that Ebony lost sight of the forest altogether.

When it cleared,

She was surprised to see that the scene had changed.

They were now inside a wooden structure,

And although many oil lamps were lit,

The light was still very dim.

A woman in a sturdy floor-length dress with a long apron tied over it was giving instructions on how to make beaded candy cane tree decorations.

The multicolored beads were spread out before her on the counter like scattered gems.

Ebony knew one of the women listening to the lesson on the opposite side of the divide and gulped as the pale woman with lustrous blonde hair turned around.

Her cheek dimpled as she said,

Come on Bonbon,

Let's make new ornaments for our tree.

Trembling,

Ebony could only mouth the word MOM as Lisa pushed at her from behind.

Numbly she walked to the counter trying to recall how old she had been when this had taken place and thought,

Maybe eight or nine.

Starting to show her how to slip the beads over the metal shafts that they were given,

Her mom placed one of her light-toned hands over Ebony's darker one.

While her mom was intent on the work,

All Ebony could do was stare at her,

Trying to etch her more deeply within her mind.

It was scary how the faces of loved ones eroded in one's mind over time.

She had quite forgotten that her mom had a small mole on her cheek.

Hopping up on the counter,

Lisa started to make her own candy cane.

Pretty great,

Isn't it?

I had to get used to her calling me Bonbon,

But I finally got to know her.

How is this happening?

Her little sister looked at her like she was a dragon with three heads.

Magic!

Then she added rather smugly,

Dummy.

Looking back at her mom,

Ebony smiled,

Tears now misting her eyes.

I don't care how.

This is… this is everything.

They sat there talking and beating,

And then when they were done,

All three of them twisted their bejeweled shafts together to make one fat candy cane.

As Ebony put the ornament in her pocket,

She said,

I love you,

Mom.

Her mother squeezed her and said,

I love you too,

My Bonnie Bonbon.

Then she kissed the tip of her nose.

I can't imagine loving anyone more.

Ebony saw Lisa's little face fall at the words,

And she picked her up off the counter hugging her.

That's because you haven't met this little monster yet.

Why,

You both look so alike.

You could be sisters,

Their mom said,

Tucking some of Lisa's braids behind one of her ears.

You both look so much like Terrell,

She smiled,

Cheek dimpling again.

Talking about the small room warmed by a wood-burning stove,

Ebony asked,

Where is Dad?

He should have been right here in this memory.

Then a thought occurred to her.

Maybe we're supposed to bring him here too.

Clapping her hands jubilantly,

Lisa shouted,

Let's go get him!

Tumbling out of the tree and barreling up the stairs of their house,

The fourth stair to the top of the landing shrieked under their combined weight.

Their Dad's door opened and he rubbed his stubbly face,

Inquiring,

Is the house on fire?

Without hesitation,

They pulled him down the hallway,

Both competing to explain the situation in shrill excited voices,

But just ended up sounding like an upset flock of seagulls.

Still,

He let himself be dragged along,

Gaping when he saw the glowing base of the tree.

I'll be goddamned.

It really is a fairy door.

Tasting it,

He got down on all fours and put a hand through the doorway,

Marveling when he pulled it back,

Cupping pristinely white snow.

Great Grand Lydia was right!

Entering the fairy world together,

Tears streamed down all of their faces when their Dad and Mom got to kiss again.

After a puppet show and an old-timey jig and reel at the Pioneer Village's grand house,

Ebony pulled her little sister aside.

Let's give them some time alone together.

With conspiratorial smiles,

They slunk back to their own time and set about sloppily making heart-shaped raspberry pancakes.

When their Dad returned starry-eyed,

He said,

Barreth said that we have one more night.

We should all pick a memory together.

Opening the oven to fetch out the pancakes that they had kept warm,

Ebony paused,

Asking,

And what are we going to do for Barreth?

This is a wonderful gift that he's given us.

With pounding steps,

Lisa rushed from the room and soon returned with a whole armload of pinecone shining like little stars.

We're going to plant a lot of trees!

Embracing his two daughters,

Tyrell said,

Yes,

Yes we certainly are.

The end.

No matter what you celebrate or don't celebrate,

I hope that you're happy and safe and warm and that you have everything that you need.