Eggnog 3: The Sled
Title: The Sled
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Eggnog 3 (sleigh ride/sledding), whipped cream (Lars is about ten), malt (SC 484: "Beware the fury of a patient man." - John Dryden).
Word Count: 688
Rating: PG.
Summary: In which there is a fight over a sled, and Anna gets revenge.
Notes: Anna grows up to work for the CIA. Are you surprised?
The sled was the nicest thing any of them had ever seen. It had red runners that glided over the snow, polished yellow-wood slats, a braided rope that steered it (sort of). It shone where it sat on the snow before them, like some kind of holy symbol.
The only problem was that the sled only sat three.
And there were four of them.
Lars, Anna, and the twins all spoke at once. "I'm going first!"
"It's my sled," Lars said, immediately thereafter, and there was no denying this; it was indeed his sled. It had his name on it, burned into the wood of the first slat, and anyway he was the only one who'd asked for a sled that Christmas.
"I'm the oldest," Anna pointed out, also with impeccable logic.
Elliot scowled under his pink knit cap. "We're the youngest," he said. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Yeah!" Elisa said. "And anyway our birthday is sooner, so we should go."
Anna rolled her eyes. "You guys were born in May, that's not even soon. Anyway, my birthday was more recent."
"July," the twins said, together. "May is sooner than July," Elisa added.
"It's my sled," Lars said again. "Don't I get to decide who goes on it?"
All three of them looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "No," Anna said, at last. "We all know you'd pick the twins because you don't want to deal with them fighting if you pick me and one of them."
Lars, stung, retorted, "I might pick them because they haven't put snow down my back recently."
His sister rolled her eyes again. "If you're going to hold things I did in a snowball fight against me, we can't be friends."
"You're not my friend," he said. "You're my sister."
"Whatever," Anna said. "Look, if I go, I'll take you guys down the ridge. It's the best sled ride in the world. Theo and I used to go down it when we were little."
The twins looked at each other. "Why'd you stop?" Elliot asked, eventually.
"Theo broke his sled," she said. "And it wasn't there, either. Come on, let me go first!"
This time, the look the twins gave each other was calculating. As one, they turned to Lars and begged, "Please? We'll give you all our dessert tonight!"
That was enough for Lars. He picked up the rope, and said, "Hop on. Where are we going?"
The twins cast evil smiles at Anna as they settled themselves on the back of the sled. "The ridge," Elliot said.
"You guys!" Anna exclaimed, sounding horrified. "Not without me!"
"Ridge!" they chanted. "Ridge, ridge, ridge!"
Lars shrugged. "Sorry, Anna. Shouldn't have put snow down my back."
"You're all jerks!" Anna snarled, and stomped inside. Lars stared after her for a minute, biting his lip-- he hadn't thought she'd be that upset.
"She's just jealous," Elisa said wisely. "Let's go, let's go!"
Yeah, she totally was. Anyway, she'd called him a jerk.
"Okay," Lars said, and pulled the sled towards the ridge.
--
Later that evening, after the sled had been pulled out of the thornbush and the three of them had been patched up, Lars stomped over to Anna, who was peacefully reading by the fire. "You did that on purpose," he snapped.
"Duh," Anna said, and turned a page.
He was so totally taken aback by the casual confirmation that for a moment he couldn't speak. "Well... well, that was mean!"
She glanced up at him, flames reflected in her eyes. "So was putting coal in my stocking," she said. "Don't bother denying it, I know it was you and the twins. Anyway, you can't die in the ridge, you just get banged up. I could've done worse."
"I'm telling Chrissy!" he shouted.
Anna laughed. "You do that. See what she does to you for the coal. Besides, I think you'll find I told you not to do it without me." She smiled sweetly. "I know the safe route."
Lars's mouth worked for a moment, then he snarled, "Jerk!" and stomped off.
Anna just went on laughing.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Eggnog 3 (sleigh ride/sledding), whipped cream (Lars is about ten), malt (SC 484: "Beware the fury of a patient man." - John Dryden).
Word Count: 688
Rating: PG.
Summary: In which there is a fight over a sled, and Anna gets revenge.
Notes: Anna grows up to work for the CIA. Are you surprised?
The sled was the nicest thing any of them had ever seen. It had red runners that glided over the snow, polished yellow-wood slats, a braided rope that steered it (sort of). It shone where it sat on the snow before them, like some kind of holy symbol.
The only problem was that the sled only sat three.
And there were four of them.
Lars, Anna, and the twins all spoke at once. "I'm going first!"
"It's my sled," Lars said, immediately thereafter, and there was no denying this; it was indeed his sled. It had his name on it, burned into the wood of the first slat, and anyway he was the only one who'd asked for a sled that Christmas.
"I'm the oldest," Anna pointed out, also with impeccable logic.
Elliot scowled under his pink knit cap. "We're the youngest," he said. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Yeah!" Elisa said. "And anyway our birthday is sooner, so we should go."
Anna rolled her eyes. "You guys were born in May, that's not even soon. Anyway, my birthday was more recent."
"July," the twins said, together. "May is sooner than July," Elisa added.
"It's my sled," Lars said again. "Don't I get to decide who goes on it?"
All three of them looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "No," Anna said, at last. "We all know you'd pick the twins because you don't want to deal with them fighting if you pick me and one of them."
Lars, stung, retorted, "I might pick them because they haven't put snow down my back recently."
His sister rolled her eyes again. "If you're going to hold things I did in a snowball fight against me, we can't be friends."
"You're not my friend," he said. "You're my sister."
"Whatever," Anna said. "Look, if I go, I'll take you guys down the ridge. It's the best sled ride in the world. Theo and I used to go down it when we were little."
The twins looked at each other. "Why'd you stop?" Elliot asked, eventually.
"Theo broke his sled," she said. "And it wasn't there, either. Come on, let me go first!"
This time, the look the twins gave each other was calculating. As one, they turned to Lars and begged, "Please? We'll give you all our dessert tonight!"
That was enough for Lars. He picked up the rope, and said, "Hop on. Where are we going?"
The twins cast evil smiles at Anna as they settled themselves on the back of the sled. "The ridge," Elliot said.
"You guys!" Anna exclaimed, sounding horrified. "Not without me!"
"Ridge!" they chanted. "Ridge, ridge, ridge!"
Lars shrugged. "Sorry, Anna. Shouldn't have put snow down my back."
"You're all jerks!" Anna snarled, and stomped inside. Lars stared after her for a minute, biting his lip-- he hadn't thought she'd be that upset.
"She's just jealous," Elisa said wisely. "Let's go, let's go!"
Yeah, she totally was. Anyway, she'd called him a jerk.
"Okay," Lars said, and pulled the sled towards the ridge.
--
Later that evening, after the sled had been pulled out of the thornbush and the three of them had been patched up, Lars stomped over to Anna, who was peacefully reading by the fire. "You did that on purpose," he snapped.
"Duh," Anna said, and turned a page.
He was so totally taken aback by the casual confirmation that for a moment he couldn't speak. "Well... well, that was mean!"
She glanced up at him, flames reflected in her eyes. "So was putting coal in my stocking," she said. "Don't bother denying it, I know it was you and the twins. Anyway, you can't die in the ridge, you just get banged up. I could've done worse."
"I'm telling Chrissy!" he shouted.
Anna laughed. "You do that. See what she does to you for the coal. Besides, I think you'll find I told you not to do it without me." She smiled sweetly. "I know the safe route."
Lars's mouth worked for a moment, then he snarled, "Jerk!" and stomped off.
Anna just went on laughing.