Snowy Wishes (4 page)

Robyn grinned. “I will!”

She didn’t notice Storm shrinking further down inside her coat, his dewy eyes looking around nervously.

The fjord began to get narrower and more winding. The sides of the mountains were steeper here, without any houses or farms. Ice and snow clung to the jagged black rock face and the gray clouds seemed lower.

Robyn was quite enjoying the gloomy landscape. It was easy to believe that fierce trolls lay in wait for unwary travelers.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling cry rang out behind her. Robyn almost jumped out of her skin, and Storm yelped in terror. Robyn whipped around to see a number of hairy men with huge teeth, pointed ears, and lumpy faces running toward her across the deck. They were dressed in rough fur cloaks and shaking their fists.

“Trolls!” gasped Robyn.

Storm growled, his whole body tensing inside Robyn’s coat.

Robyn’s heart beat fast. Some of the other passengers screamed and one little girl hid behind her dad.

And then Robyn saw one of the “trolls” adjusting his mask and another one of them straightening his hairy wig. It was just some of the ship’s crew who had dressed up to put on a special
performance for the passengers.

She started to laugh. “It’s okay, Storm. It’s only…,” she began in a reassuring voice, but it was too late.

Robyn felt a familiar, warm prickling sensation down her spine as big gold sparks flowered in Storm’s fluffy white fur and his ears crackled with magical power.

Something very strange was about to happen.

Robyn watched in complete amazement as Storm leaped out of her coat and sprang on to the deck, trailing a comet’s tail of gold sparks.

He lifted one tiny front paw and sent a huge spray of glittering sparks whooshing into the icy air. Robyn saw them hang there for a second and then transform into grayish smoke, which sank down on to
the trolls in the thickest mist she had ever seen.

“Hey! What’s going on?” one of them cried from the middle of the dense mist.

“Oops, sorry,” said another one, as he tripped over his friend.

They couldn’t see where they were going. Robyn could hear the disguised crew members staggering around and bumping into each other. The other passengers thought it was all part of the
act and began laughing and cheering them on.

But as the magical mist spread, they became swallowed up in it, too.

“Follow me, Robyn! I will save you from the monsters,” Storm yapped. His little form glowed as brightly as a lantern as he scampered toward the door to the lower deck.

“Come back, Storm!” Robyn called to him above all the noise. “They’re not real trolls. They’re people dressed up. It’s just for fun!”

Storm stopped dead and then padded back toward her. In the little pool of light made by his magically glowing body, Robyn could see a shamefaced expression creep over his fluffy white face.

“I am sorry. I thought that you were in danger,” Storm yapped quietly, flattening his ears.

“It’s okay. I know you were only trying to protect me, but I think you’d better make the fog disappear now,” she said gently.

Storm nodded.

He sent a big spurt of bright gold sparks whooshing across the deck. The sparkles were like a powerful jet spray at a car wash, magically blasting the fog into thin strands. Seconds later it all blew away on the icy wind.

The disguised crewmen stood there on the clear deck, looking puzzled. Their wigs were all crooked and their troll masks were dangling around their necks. But they soon recovered.
Straightening their costumes, they skipped around the deck, roaring and waving their arms.

Delighted applause broke out as more of the crew came on to the deck, holding trays of hot drinks, food, and snacks.

“You must pay the price for entering our land,” one of the trolls boomed, grinning broadly. “We order you to feast with us on troll brew and hot troll soup!”

As everyone began helping themselves, Robyn decided that this was a good time for her and Storm to make their exit.

Later that afternoon after
Sea Princess
docked at the harbor, Robyn, Storm
and her mom and dad went ashore. They caught a bus to the south of the city with lots of other people on the cruise.

Robyn sat with Storm safely inside the shoulder bag on her lap. He stuck his head out to look at the broad, snow-covered streets and modern shops and offices.

Robyn could see colored lights gleaming from house windows, and there were lots of green wreaths hung
on doors. Here and there, they passed traditional wooden buildings, painted in shades of red, orange, or mustard.

“Everything looks so Christmassy here. I love it,” she whispered. “I hope I can get some presents for Mom and Dad.”

Storm twisted round and looked up at her. “What is Christmas?”

“Oh, of course. I don’t suppose you have it in your world, do you?” Robyn realized. “Christmas is a special time when we celebrate the baby Jesus being born. We sing carols, and families all get together and exchange presents and eat lots of yummy food. Dad usually stuffs himself with turkey, stuffing, and pie and then moans about his pants being tight! At least, that’s what we usually do
at home. It’s going to seem a bit different this year. We celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve aboard
Sea Princess.
”

Storm looked a bit puzzled, but his midnight-blue eyes were twinkling with excitement. “It sounds very odd, but I think I will enjoy Christmas, especially the food!”

The bus stopped near an enormous cathedral with a towering spire and lots of amazing stone carving. Colored light streamed out on to the snow from its stained-glass windows.

Robyn’s mom produced a tourist brochure she’d picked up on the way to the bus. “I think I’d like to look around inside that cathedral. It says here that it’s almost a thousand years old. Imagine that!” she said enthusiastically.

“Wow!” Robyn said. She couldn’t imagine anything being that old. But she didn’t really want to walk around some musty-smelling old cathedral for hours, however impressive it was. “Do we all have
to go?” she asked, without enthusiasm.

Mr. Parsons smiled. “I don’t think so. I’m not as interested in old buildings as your mom. You and I’ll go shopping and meet her later.”

“Oh good,” Robyn said, relieved.

“Fine,” Mrs. Parsons said. “I’m quite happy to wander by myself.” She turned to her husband. “I’ll see you back here in a couple of hours?”

Mr. Parsons nodded. “Sounds good.”

Robyn waved to her mum as she set off toward the cathedral, and then she and her dad set off in search of interesting shops. Storm leaned up and hooked his front paws over her shoulder bag, so that he could look at the surroundings.

They had been walking for a couple of minutes when Storm reached out
and tapped Robyn’s arm with one front paw. She looked down to see that he’d pricked up his little ears.

“I can hear music,” he yapped.

“I can, too,” Robyn whispered. “Can you hear that, Dad?” she said in a louder voice. “It’s coming from over there.”

Mr. Parsons listened. “Oh yes. It’s quite faint, but it sounds like folk music. Let’s go and have a look.”

As they walked to the end of the street, the music got louder. They reached a cobbled square, surrounded by stalls heaped with crystallized fruit, gingerbread, and spiced cookies. Cheery lanterns were strung between the buildings encircling the small square, and green garlands and decorations were looped between the stalls.

Storm yipped excitedly as he saw the bandstand, with musicians playing violins. Women in colorful felt skirts and men in vests and buckled shoes were dancing. A festive smell of spiced wine and roasted nuts filled the frosty air.

“Oh, it’s a Christmas festival!” Robyn exclaimed delightedly.

Robyn sipped a cup of hot spiced apple juice as she watched some children building snowmen. It was a competition, and a number of half-built snow trolls and elves stood in one corner of the square. There was even a Santa Claus snowman with his snow reindeer.

In the strange half-light, the glowing lanterns cast a cheerful glow over
everything. Storm jumped out of Robyn’s bag in another little flurry of sparks.

At first, Robyn was worried that his little paws would get cold on the frozen ground. But Storm’s white ears sizzled with tiny sparks, and she noticed that he was now wearing four tiny furry boots.