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elsanna-shenanigans · 3 years

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December Contest Submission #1: The Christmas Spirit

Words: ca. 4400 Setting: mAU Lemon: No CW: language

“Thank you! Have a wonderful holiday!” Anna grins as she hands a customer two large green bags of books and toys. As soon as the customer walks away, Anna’s grin turns down; she hates the holiday season. People are selfish, greedy, and never appreciative, and she’s already been yelled at twice today.

The second time wasn’t even her fault. The woman had left her basket alone on the floor in a corner of the bookstore for more than 10 minutes without bringing it to customer service to hold. So Anna had put the items from the basket into a bin to be shelved. That’s the store’s procedure! But, of course, Dumb Basket Bitch had to yell at her because customers suck from late November to January.

“You just lost a huge sale,” DBB had yelled. “I want to speak to your manager!”

Anna rolls her eyes thinking about the situation from 2 hours ago. Thank god her manager moved her to cashwrap after the customer left without making her huge purchase.

At least cashwrap makes the day go by faster, she thinks. Then, stealing herself for more fake holiday cheer, she raises her hand to wave the next customer over. “I can take the next guest.”

Indeed, the rest of her shift goes by quickly; and, since the managers like to update employees on the store’s mid-day sales targets, she knows that the store is doing very well even without DBB’s contribution.

Anna walks out into the crisp November afternoon air and wishes she bought a muffin from the café inside the store before leaving. But she doesn’t want to wait in line for an overpriced- even with her employee discount- muffin. Taking a deep breath, she reminds herself that this is temporary. Her job at the bookstore is not her endgame, just a stepping stone. Her true passion is baking.

Not that she’s done any baking lately. Like any artist, for she sees herself as one, she’s in a rut. Ever since her mom died.

Baking used to be their thing. You name it, they made it. They were even going to go into the cookie-making business together. Arendelle’s Artisanal Cookies was to be the name. Anna even had a forgotten Instagram account set up for it. The only post- an introductory photo of her mom and her in matching green aprons with their names embroidered in large white letters along the chest. But Anna doesn’t want to think about that.

Her mom passed away 10 months ago after a short battle with breast cancer, and it was still fresh in her mind. She was Anna’s only family after her father died in a freak accident at the beach when she was 5. He’d drowned while saving a little boy from a riptide. He’d died a hero, but Anna doesn’t want to think about that either. She doesn’t want to think about how she’s alone for the first time in her life.

She walks the crowded city streets, wishing she could hibernate for the next two months. She vaguely thinks of Han Solo being frozen in carbonite and wishes Star Wars was real so she could have a lightsaber. Yeah, she thinks. This is a safer topic. I’d have a green lightsaber.

So lost in thought is she, now that she imagines herself as a hybrid of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, that she doesn’t pay much attention to the people around her. Until she notices the most gorgeous woman she’s ever seen before standing on the other side of the street in front of a corporate building.

More beautiful than Leia Organa… Shut up, brain!

Anna stops and stares for a moment.

But she really is beautiful. Though, Anna notices, something is off about her. For one thing, she’s wearing a long, flowy white dress that looks like haute couture and her brilliant white gold hair cascades down her back. For another, more puzzling, thing, she seems to whisper to everyone that passes her by. That’s when Anna notices the man in worn Army fatigues leaning against the building’s wall.

He’s homeless, she thinks. That’s sad. Anna tilts her head as she continues to watch them. The woman seems to acknowledge the man, but he does not acknowledge her. And what’s even more unusual is that nearly everyone that the woman whispers to drops change in a cup sitting in front of the man.

Anna smiles at the sight. At least some people are kind, unlike Dumb Basket Bitch. She wishes she carried cash with her, but debit cards are so much easier. Nodding to herself, she vows to bring him a sandwich from the cafe after work the next day.

Turning her attention back to the woman, Anna finds herself under a quizzical gaze. The blonde’s head is tilted just as Anna’s was a moment ago, and she appears to be concerned by something. Anna wonders briefly if there’s something on her face but finds no evidence when she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. When she looks up, the woman is gone.

Anna looks up and down the street, but the woman has vanished.

“Strange,” she mutters before the sound of her stomach rumbling reminds her that she’s still hungry. “There’s a Starbucks around here, right,” she asks herself.

She begins to walk away in search of the famous coffee house and runs right into a man.

“Watch it, lady,” he snaps as she blinks, the action still registering in her mind. When the words seep in, her brows come together and her mouth sets in a frown.

“You watch it, asshole.”

“The fuck. You ran into me, bitch,” he sneers.

Anna’s temper flares. After the day she’s had, she has no patience left or fucks to give. She opens her mouth, a string of expletives on her tongue, when, suddenly, a cold breeze creeps across the back of her neck, causing goosebumps.

Let it go, a voice whispers, but the sound seems to be in Anna’s head; and, considering the string of expletives running through Anna’s head at the moment, she doesn’t think the voice belongs to her. Which is strange.

She must stand there zoned out for a little too long as the man finally sidesteps her and mutters, “Dumb bitch.”

She turns around to give him a piece of her mind, when she hears the voice again. Let it go.

The words on the tip of her tongue die there; and, she takes a deep breath. Letting it out as she turns back around, she stops short. The woman has returned and is standing a few feet away from her.

“Can you see me?” The blonde asks.

Anna blinks. “Yeeeeesss?” She looks around and it slowly dawns on her that no one is paying any attention to the woman as they walk the busy sidewalk. Not one person dodges her like they’re dodging Anna.

The woman’s eyes widen in surprise at Anna’s confirmation and she quickly grabs her hand.

“Come with me.”

Anna finds herself pulled in the direction of an alleyway but digs her heels into the concrete. Despite her earlier observation that this woman is gorgeous beyond belief, she is still a stranger. “What the hell? No! Are you insane?”

The woman stops and drops Anna’s hand; and, the traitorous romantic part of Anna’s brain focuses on how warm her pale hand had been in her own.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just…” She bites her lip, and Anna can’t help but think it’s adorable. “I just didn’t think you’d want to look crazy in front of people.”

“What?” Anna is thoroughly confused at this point. She crosses her arms and shifts her weight to her left leg. “Listen, lady, I don’t know what’s going on; but, I’ve had a long day, and I’m tired.”

The woman’s eyes are downcast and her shoulders slump slightly. Anna can’t help but think she’s still very pretty.

“I’m sorry. I’m… not very good with people.”

Anna sighs. “No, it’s okay. Just… I’m Anna.”

At the introduction, the woman looks up. “I’m… I don’t really have a name.”

At this, Anna’s eyebrow quirks. “You don’t have a name?”

The woman licks her bottom lip. “No. I’m more of… well… you know me as the Christmas Spirit.”

“The Christmas Spirit,” Anna asks incredulously. “As in ‘rockin’ around the Christmas tree, let the Christmas spirit ring. Later we’ll have some pumpkin pie, and we’ll do some caroling’?”

The woman shyly smiles, a blush forming on her cheeks. “I suppose so, yes.”

Anna looks at her and determines that the woman is somehow telling the truth. Not that Anna is great at reading people, but something in her gut tells Anna that the blonde is completely sincere. She then realizes something.

“You were telling those people to put money in that guy’s cup, weren’t you?”

At this, the Spirit’s eyes widen. “I knew you could see me. Yes, I was- well, no. I never tell anyone to do anything. I only suggest things. Like giving to those in need or letting go o-” She stops speaking.

“Letting go of anger? That was your voice in my head when that guy ran into me?”

Anna is completely intrigued by this woman. She knows she should be freaked out by the apparent fact that only she can see the Spirit, but it doesn’t bother her.

“Yes,” the Spirit says. Her soft smile warms Anna’s heart as she explains. “I know you’ve had a long day, but blowing up at him wouldn’t have made you feel better. He’s had a hard day too.”

“So, wait, you can feel people’s feelings?”

“Well, I’ve never had to explain it before, but kind of?” The Spirit’s nose scrunches up adorably. Anna thinks that she is one of those people that can’t make a scary face. Every face is adorable.

Just as she is about to question further, Anna’s stomach rumbles again.

“I’m starving. Can we talk more though? Or do you need to go spreading Christmas cheer or peace on Earth and all that?”

The Spirit laughs lightly, and Anna swears it’s like bells ringing, or some other dumb analogy, because it’s the loveliest sound she’s every heard.

“Well, I could, but I’m also unsure of why you can see me. That’s never happened before.”

“Well, let’s discuss it over dinner. You eat, right?” Anna starts walking toward the sidewalk again, looking over at the Spirit as she falls into step beside her.

—

When they get to Anna’s tiny apartment, Anna apologizes for its state. “I’m, uh, not usually this messy. I just haven’t had much time to clean lately with work and everything.”

The truth is that Anna’s apartment has not been fully cleaned since her mom died. Sure, she picks up food containers and other trash from time to time, but her clothes haven’t seen her closet in months. Piles of clean clothes merge with piles of dirty clothes to the point where Anna has just cleaned everything over and over again because she can’t remember what’s what.

“It’s fine, Anna. It looks very cozy,” the Spirit smiles as she walks into the middle of the den.

“So,” Anna says as she picks up a green lacy bra from the floor and throws it in the direction of her bedroom. “First, we need to decide what to call you because ‘Spirit’ sounds weird.”

“Oh, well, I-”

“Don’t worry, I’m usually very good with picking out names for my childhood pets. And this’ll be different because you can, ya know, actually tell me if you like the name or not.” She gives the Spirit a lopsided grin.

“Elsa,” the Spirit says quickly.

“Elsa?”

“My name,” the Spirit looks down with a small smile. “I like the name Elsa.”

Anna’s grin widens. “Elsa then. It’s nice to officially meet you, Elsa.” She holds out her hand to shake Elsa’s.

Her hand is so warm and soft, and her eyes are… wow. Shut up, brain. She isn’t even really real. Like Leia. You can’t have a crush on people that don’t really exist, even if you have just touched Elsa, and she’s warm, and oh my god, her new name is cute!

Anna finds herself missing the contact when Elsa drops her hand. But with introductions out of the way, she can continue her line of questioning as she walks to the kitchen.

“So, are you hungry?”

“I don’t really need to eat, so I don’t, but I wouldn’t mind something,” Elsa says, sitting on the small beige couch in Anna’s living space. She hears Anna rummaging around in the kitchen for a minute.

“Well, I make a pretty excellent grilled cheese, if you want one. I mean, it’d be better with tomato soup, but I don’t have any of that because I haven’t been to the store in a while- I usually just order food. But I always have bread and cheese and butter so I can whip us up sandwiches pretty quick.” As she speaks, Anna walks back out to the den so she doesn’t have to yell through the wall.

“I’d love one, Anna. Thank you,” Elsa smiles.

Anna returns the smile and then tilts her head to the side. “Are you… am I… please don’t take this the wrong way, but, are you up here suggesting I do this?” She taps her temple.

“No,” Elsa shakes her head. “My powers as the Christmas Spirit aren’t to get people to do things for my own personal gain.”

“Oh, okay,” Anna nods. “That’s good,” she adds dumbly. I mean, what else do I say to that? “So, what kind of powers do you have?”

“You’ve basically seen them. I have the power to suggest that people do nice things for others,” Elsa shrugs.

“That’s a pretty cool power.”

“It is, and I love it, but, it does get lonely since no one can see me,” Elsa sighs.

“Until me,” Anna grins.

“Until you,” Elsa says, though her brows knit together. “I still don’t understand that. Nicholas may know though.”

“Nicholas?” She can’t mean…

“Oh-” Elsa suddenly blushes. “He’s… well, you know him as Santa Claus.”

Anna’s jaw drops. “Shut up.”

“Anna, I know it sounds crazy, but-”

“He’s real?!” Anna can’t believe what Elsa is saying. Her mother had told her that Santa wasn’t real when she asked for her father for Christmas when she was 6. And now, Elsa is saying that he does exist and those stupid M&M’s commericals are right?! “Holy shit.”

“Anna,” Elsa stands and walks toward her. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Are you kidding? You just confirmed the existence of the most famous person on Earth!”

“Yeah, but, Anna,” Elsa seems worried as she wrings her hands together. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“Why not?”

“Because some things don’t need to be seen to be believed. Like me. People don’t need to know I exist to understand the joyful, generous feelings they get during the holidays.”

Anna blinks as she processes this explanation. “Okay, well, I don’t think anyone would believe me anyway, especially since I can’t prove it. But, like, is he your dad or something?”

“What?” Elsa bites her bottom lip to suppress a smile. “No, he’s not my father. Nicholas is a man- he was born to parents and grew. I was born from belief. Once his deeds were recognized and he became Santa Claus, I just sort of came into existence. I help him keep the magic of the holiday alive.”

“That seems like a pretty big responsibility.”

“It is, but I love it,” Elsa says.

“Even though it gets lonely?”

“Yes,” Elsa smiles sadly. “Up until you, I’ve only ever talked to Nicholas. He’s my only friend.”

Anna’s heart aches for Elsa because she knows what loneliness is like. Before her mom died, Anna had friends and a social life. She dated and met boys and girls that she brought home to meet her mother occasionally when things were going well. Ever since the funeral, though, she stopped going out. She quit talking to most of her friends. She gave up her dreams of the bakery.

The only reason she has a job now is because her best friend Kristoff gave her a good talking to, during which he reminded her that she was still living- and she needed money to keep her apartment. She’s not the same person she was though, and she knows it. She hasn’t made any friends at the bookstore. She declined so many invitations to go out after work that her coworkers finally stopped asking.

Her life isn’t lived, and hearing Elsa talk about loneliness just accentuates her own.

Anna straightens up a little and squares her shoulders. “Well, now you have another,” she says definitively.

Elsa grins. “And you’re going to make us sandwiches, right?”

“Crap, totally forgot.” Anna turns back and runs into the kitchen to make their food.

—

“Okay, so, you have no idea why I can see you,” Anna asks with her mouth full of half-chewed grilled cheese.

“No,” Elsa shakes her head. She’s barely touched her sandwich, and Anna can’t decide if it’s because she doesn’t need to eat or she doesn’t like it.

“But Santa Claus may know.”

“Yes,” Elsa giggles. “It probably sounds ridiculous.”

Anna shrugs. “I mean, if Isaac Newton can discover gravity without seeing it, then I suppose I should just accept that you are real and Santa’s real, and my whole life is a lie.”

“It’s not a lie, Anna,” Elsa shakes her head with a smile. “We don’t typically want people to know about us because that would be self-serving. We exist to inspire hope, joy, charity, and togetherness.”

“Well, you were doing a pretty good job today with that man. People were giving him lots of change.” Anna manages to notice Elsa’s flushed cheeks in the poor lighting of her kitchen. Does she have freckles? Oh god, she’s impossibly cute.

“He’s a good man who just needs a little bit of help right now,” the Spirit explains.

“How do you know?” Anna says after another bite of her dinner.

“I know people the same way Nicholas does. It’s just a part of us, an innate knowing.”

It’s Anna’s turn to blush as she wonders if Elsa knows that she thinks she’s cute. “So, you know everything,” she asks with a bit of worry in her voice.

“Not quit. I don’t dig into people’s heads to know their entire life’s story, but I can feel how they feel. Like today, I could feel that man wanting a better future, and I could feel your anger.”

Anna nods. “That makes sense. You’re like an empath.”

“I suppose that’s kind of true, though I’ve never really thought about it,” Elsa finally takes a small bite of her grilled cheese.

Anna watches her for a moment. The way Elsa’s mouth chews the small bite, the way her neck bobs when she swallows. And what a neck she has. Anna can’t help but think it must be soft. The pale flesh looks smooth like fine marble, and Anna wonders if her collar bones were chiseled out of nothing. Her whole body seems to be that way- carved out of the purest marble by an invisible sculptor. Since she wasn’t actually born, does this mean she’s perfect? Yes, Anna decides. Even with the freckles.

“Anna?”

“Hm?” Anna shakes her head, brought out of her reverie. She’s met with patient blue eyes, and she wonders why she hasn’t noticed them before. They are the color of the bluest sky, and they focus on her like she’s someone. Like she isn’t a lost person that merely exists.

“I need to go now- to talk to Nicholas- but perhaps I could see you again soon?” Elsa’s question is hopeful.

“Yeah!” Anna starts enthusiastically before reining herself in. “I mean, yeah, of course. You know where I live, and, uh, I’m always around to talk since, ya know, you can’t exactly talk to anyone else.”

Elsa smiles. “I have enjoyed talking to you tonight, and I appreciate you making me a sandwich. It was really good.”

Anna can’t help but glance at the grilled cheese in question. It maybe has two small bites taken out of it. “No problem,” she looks up with a smile. “It’s been nice having company tonight.” It really has. Please come back.

Anna walks Elsa to her door and opens it. Elsa steps out into the hallway and turns back. “Good night, Anna.”

“Good night, Elsa.” She closes the door and looks through the peephole to see if Elsa lingers, but she is surprised to find that Elsa has disappeared. Must be a spirit thing.

Turning back to look at the state of her apartment, Anna groans. Time to clean to impress the pretty Christmas Spirit. She groans again. Yep, someone has a crush. Shut up, brain!

—

A week later, Anna has all but given up on Elsa returning. She isn’t even sure Elsa exists. Her mind must be playing tricks on her, imagining people since she has no real friends. However, the time she spent cleaning has led to her attempting to bake again.

She taps her fingers on the counter as she looks at the timer on the oven. With the holiday season in full swing now that it’s December, she woke up this morning and decided to tackle her mom’s family’s cheese straw recipe, something she has never done on her own before.

As she’d kneaded the dough, she felt like she was kneading her ache away. Sure, she is still sad about her mother’s death, but it hadn’t hindered her from completing her task. Instead, she had remembered the fond memories of stealing cheese straws as a child while her mother scolded her because they were for her teachers. By the time she’d put the treats into the oven, she’d felt like she was finally healing.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The timer goes off, and Anna opens the oven door, breathing in the familiar scent. They smell like they should. She grabs her oven mit and pulls the tray out to cut the strips of baked flour and cheese into smaller strips.

The smell is so good that she can’t help but eat one, just to make sure it tastes like her mom’s used to. She smiles as she chews. Yep, just like mom’s.

“Those smell really good,” a familiar voice says from behind her.

Anna jumps and nearly spills the tray of treats, putting the try on the counter and whipping around to come face to face with the Christmas Spirit. “Elsa?”

“Sorry,” Elsa looks at her apologetically. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Anna smiles. “Hi!”

“Hello,” Elsa giggles. “What are they?”

“Cheese straws,” Anna hands one to her to eat. “They’re kind of like cookies, only they are long.”

“They don’t have a hole though,” Elsa comments as she inspects the flaky piece in her hand.

“Right?” Anna grins. “Like, why aren’t they called cheese sticks? I used to ask my mom all the time, but she just laughed and said that cheese sticks isn’t a good name.”

Elsa takes a bite from the cheese straw and closes her eyes. She takes another bite and another until it’s gone. “Anna, these are amazing.”

Anna blinks. It feels like the biggest compliment she’s ever gotten, and from a spirit that doesn’t need to eat no less. She tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Thank you.”

“What are you planning on doing with them?” Elsa asks as Anna grabs a tin from her kitchen table.

“Actually, I’m going to deliver them to the homeless shelter,” Anna smiles. “I guess you inspired me to do something nice; and, I found out the shelter is doing a big Christmas party, and I wanted to help out.” She breaks off a piece of wax paper to put in the tin and begins to arrange the cheese straws on top of it.

Elsa walks up to her side with a smile. “You’re getting into the holiday.”

“Well, the Christmas Spirit did visit me recently,” Anna looks up at her with a smile of her own. “Did you learn anything from Nicholas?”

Elsa leans against the counter, and Anna can’t help but think she looks very human. “No. He doesn’t know either. But it has to mean something, right?”

“No idea,” Anna shrugs. “But I like it. I think… I mean, I certainly don’t know, but I’ve had a while to think about it, and when I’m not thinking that I’m going crazy, it feels like I was meant to see you.”

“You’re definitely not crazy, Anna. I am real, even if most people can’t see me.” Elsa reaches out and squeezes Anna’s forearm. The touch feels affectionate, and Anna’s whole body thrums with a pleasant warmth.

“Yeah,” Anna blushes. “It just feels like maybe we’re meant to know each other.”

“I feel the same way.” Elsa pulls away but not without taking another cheese straw.

“Hey, those aren’t for you,” Anna teases. “If you stick around, I’ll make some for you.”

Elsa grins, and Anna hopes it’s at the prospect of staying.

—

Anna sits down at her desk with a fresh ache in her heart. Elsa had stuck around to go with her to the shelter, and she’d taught her to make cheese straws; but, the Spirit could never stay long. Elsa’s last visit just ended with her letting Anna know that she probably wouldn’t be back. With Christmas Eve days away, Elsa is needed elsewhere, but the thought of never seeing her again still brings tears to Anna’s eyes.

Despite knowing that Elsa belongs to the world, Anna wishes she could have her to herself. It’s selfish, yes, but she has never asked for anything like this in her life. So she picks up a piece of paper and a pen and begins to write.

“Dear Santa…”

—

On Christmas morning, Anna wakes to the same quiet that she’s become accustomed to since her mother’s death. She stretches and gets out of bed to make herself a cup of coffee. At least Kristoff has invited her to dinner with his family or else she’d stay in bed all day watching Hallmark movies.

She trudges into the kitchen, yawning as she reaches for the coffee pot. She turns toward the sink to fill it up with water when she stops short, a familiar figure in her path.

“Merry Christmas, Anna,” Elsa grins.

#elsanna #submission #december 2020 contest #prompt: warmth

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