I understand what the light is for now. I was starting to suspect it was something like this and I was not disappointed! This is such a fun and creative gift. Something I definitely don't already have! A paper lantern for those of you who are confused.
And look how stinking cute these stickers and pin are!!! I know exactly where I'm going to put them (on my clipboard for work.)
I do have to say, I did suspect you @daae-dancer93 just because of the RAM being your voice coach (she might have shared a post or two about you on Instagram) and then I saw the video going around of the performance and that solidified my suspicions. So blame RAM!
Thank you sincerely for the asks/questions and the gifts. They're wonderful!
Also if the 93 in your username is the year you were born, we're the same age lol
Christine loved Christmas almost as much as she loved her family and music, but this year would be different. It was her first holiday season with Erik in ten years, along with their daughter, Charlotte. Little Lotte was with her father in the music room. They were perfecting Charlotte’s violin piece for the holiday Mass. Erik was overwhelmed when he learned that he had a ten-year-old daughter who was just as much an angel as her mother. Her face was identical – but she shared their eyes. They were most unusual, one sapphire eye like her mother and one amber gold like her father. With her fiery amber curls she was such a beautiful child that very few others noticed her mobility challenges, but Erik did and because it was their first Christmas together he wanted to create a miracle. He despised himself that he wasn’t there for his child when she contracted the infection that took away her ability to walk, but her spirits were high as her mothers because they shared the love of the holiday he had so despised not so long ago.
“Charlotte your fingers are going to blister, and your mother will be cross with me, let’s take a break from the violin for a minute,” Erik said scooting her closer to him on the piano bench.
“But Papa! It just has to be perfect for Christmas Eve!” she whined as he took the instrument from her hands and put it back in the case.
“And it will be my little angel, but how about we go see what Maman is up to – I think she said something about making cookies in the kitchen. I’m sure she would love a little helper to cut them out and decorate them.”
Christine smiled when her two favorite people joined her in the kitchen, giving them each a kiss. “My love, my little angel. I’ve got the gingerbread ready to cut and bake, and while they bake, we can string cranberries and popcorn. After they cool, we can decorate our little gingerbread people! Erik, are you going to help?” she asked, her smile reaching her eyes in a way he usually couldn’t turn down.
“As much as I’d love to be in the kitchen doing festive things, I have a project of my own I need to work on in my workshop, so with your permission I’ll take my leave and be back for bedtime. I do believe it’s my turn for a story tonight.” He kissed the top of Charlottes head, ruffling her unruly ringlets and making her giggle, and in turn he chuckled too. “I’ll see you angels in a while.”
Christine shook her head, all attention was on the task at hand of rolling out the dough, cutting and placing it on the cookie sheet. “Maman?” a little voice interrupted the process in Christine’s head. “Yes Petite?”
“This is our first Christmas with Papa…I want to get him something special, but I don’t know what I should do? He has all the music, and all the tools, he has an entire park of things. I’m just me. What can I get him that’s meaningful?” she rambled, Christine knelt next to her little girl, brushing a curl away from her face.
“You are gift enough for the both of us. I know you want your violin piece for Mass to be perfect, and it will be I’m sure. What if we practice a new song, one that your papa taught me when I was living in the opera house, and we sing it for him together, hm? Does that sound fine with you my duckling?” Charlotte considered the offer, pursing her lips in deep thought before she nodded.
“Yeah, I’d like that but when will we practice? Papa hears us sing and he’s here in a moment!” She said tossing her hands up in the air, letting them fall to her lap in an exasperated fashion. Christine laughed at her little girls’ antics. “All right, let’s finish these cookies then.”
Erik locked himself in his basement workshop. He laid out various lengths of metal rods and plates, screws, nuts, and bolts, along with the softest leather he could find in his supply. He had sketched out the design of a brace that would support Charlotte’s hips all the way down to her feet. He hoped it would help her gain strength to walk on her own again. He took a deep breath and started the first prototype. He had made one similar for one of his coworkers on Coney Island, but one leg still mobile at the hip is different from both legs lacking the ability to bear weight. For the first time, he prayed to Christine’s God for a miracle. He realized that she would also need stability to lean on her arms too. Erik quickly sketched out crutches she could use for her forearms and hold onto. He smiled to himself and got working.
When the cookies finished cooling Charlotte took great care in creating ginger people with a striking resemblance to her family. Erik had come upstairs as she was putting a frosting mask onto the one that looked like him. “Now where have I seen this cookie before?” He asked, kissing the top of Charlottes curly head.
“That’s because this is us! See! You, Maman, and Me…” she said looking at her own cookie sadly. “The legs got broken on this one because I accidentally dropped it…so, I figured it should be mine since they don’t work.” Erik was new to the role of father, but this kind of sadness did not belong to his little girl, even if it did come honestly to some degree. He didn’t like this feeling of distress from his Lotte.
“Now then, is that something to be so upset over? I think you’re perfect and so is your cookie. While I was in my workshop, I realized that I’m going to have to show you what I’m doing and have you try it on. Would you like to come down and see what I’m working on?” His gaze moved to Christine, “You may join us if you’d like my Angel. How does that sound little duck?” Charlotte nodded and smiled a little.
“Because I’m learning what my gift is early, does that mean I won’t get anymore presents?” Lotte asked as her Erik carried her to the workshop with Christine right behind, she smiled.
“No Petite, you will still get other presents I’m sure.” Christine looked at the contraption Erik had put together in just a few hours. “Erik what is all this?” she asked as Erik set their daughter on the table.
“A miracle, I hope. This is just the first go at it. – I’m want my little girl to have independent freedom from her wheelchair and being carried.” He pointed to each part of the design of metal and leather straps. “This piece will go around your waist because you are stable there. The rest work like trousers in a way that the next part goes around your thighs here.” He pointed to her upper thigh. “Above and below the knees and then under the bottom of her shoes to hold them in place.”
Christine stood gob smacked and wide eyed as ever. Charlotte beamed with excitement.
“Charlotte my love can you lift your dress up for me so I can get to your waist?” Erik asked picking up the contraption. “Yes Papa, Maman, Will you help me?” Christine came over, picked up Lotte, and held her as if she was standing. “Would this be easier my love?”
“Yes, actually thank you. Charlotte, this strap is lined with wool to go over your underclothes so it wont dig. I need you to pull it as tight as can and still be comfortable.” Charlotte took the strap and pulled. It felt weird but it was like wearing a tight sash. Erik punched a hole where she pointed and threaded it through the buckle. Next he lined the legs up to hers, he looked up at her with a smile. “Breath my love. I can tell you’re nervous. We will make this work.” As he fastened the straps all the way down to her feet, Christine continued to hold her little one. “Ok last part,” he brought out the crutches he altered to her size. “You’re going to hold on here” Erik pointed to the handles that protruded, “and your forearms go right here so you can lean on them. They will hold her Christine let her lean on them.”
“Papa, I’m scared I’m going to fall.” Lotte’s eyes were wide and surprised she was standing on her own.
“Little Lotte, my petite angel, you aren’t going to fall because – you are going to fly.” He smiled. “Let’s go upstairs and try it on the carpet, would that be better?” Lotte nodded. Christine was in tears. Her little baby hadn’t stood on her own in seven years. Erik carried her back up the stairs and into the living room where there was a plush carpet.
The doctors had given her exercises to keep Charlottes’ muscles from deteriorating and they did them enough that she could move them a little on her own but not enough to bear weight. Occasionally she would have cramps so badly that she screamed to wake the dead.
Erik set Lotte on her feet once more, not letting go until he was confident that she could balance. “Charlotte. My duckling, my petite – I want you to take the crutches a little ways away from you, and try to get your legs to go forward with you. If you can’t its ok, we’ll work on it. Can you try for Papa?” Charlotte put on a brave face, nodding.
“Yes Papa, I’m going to try, you’ll catch me if I fall right?”
“Yes little one.” Erik smiled.
Christine sat on the sofa, wringing her hands, hoping and praying that she would be successful and not get hurt. Of course it was a foolish thought Erik would never allow injury to come to their little girl. Charlotte took a deep breath and moved her crutch in front of her and used her hips to push herself forward. Lotte’s right foot slid forward just a little. Christine gasped and her tears flowed freely. Charlotte pulled her left foot to be parallel to the right and tried again.
Erik grinned, “That’s my little girl, come to me!” he was almost giddy. “You can do it my Lotte Marie.” He encouraged. Charlotte was breaking a sweat and crossed the small distance between them.
“I’m doing it Papa! I’m doing it! Maman, Look!” she beamed
“Yes Baby girl you are.” Christine moved closer and knelt on the floor with Erik.
Charlotte opened her arms and hugged them both. “Thank you Papa! This is going to be the best Christmas Ever. Can we go eat our Christmas cookies now?” Lotte grinned.
Erik kissed Christine, and held his girls closer. “Yes, I think we can go celebrate with some cookies now.” He scooped up his little girl and put his other arm around his wife to enjoy their festive holiday evening and eating Christmas cookies.
* * * * * * * * * *
The days passed, and Erik spent much of the time leading up to Christmas squirreled away in his workshop. He had made many notes the night of that first fitting, it took him most of a week to make those modifications and refinements. The second fitting was less climactic, most of that fitting involved clipping the wool of the pads that transferred her weight to the framework, ensuring its even distribution, and preventing rubs and blisters.
The structure had been refined so that everything lay close to the leg, without sacrificing needed strength or stiffness, and extra, counterproductive stiffness eliminated. What remained was elegant in its simplicity, the only places there was even a dram of extra weight was to all for adjustments as Charlotte grew, both in size and in strength. He was afraid to voice it, but his hope was that one day, with exercise and practice, she would gain enough strength to walk unassisted, but until then the braces would support enough weight to allow her mobility.
One of his realizations early on was that he had to allow a way for the brace to bend at the knee. Taking the brace on and off was not going to be an option every time she needed to rest, at least not unless they wanted to take up naturalist ways, and the winter weather on Coney Island was hardly suited to that! He looked at the devices others had made, took the best parts, and designed his own hinges for the knee joint, and rebuilt the hip support so it would articulate too, both joints controlled by a single lever located at her waist
As she practiced with the braces in his workshop she was often in just her night dress, which gave him ready access to all of the adjustments. When he saw that despite his careful trimming the wool caused redness, he had special silk stockings made for her that fit her frail legs perfectly, and provided the final bit of protection. There would be no pressure sores on his angel’s legs.
Once the mechanicals were finished, the real work began. He constructed a device that ran on a track from an overhead trolley he scavenged from a ride, and then built parallel bars to use for stability, so Lotte focus on learning the gait needed to walk with the braces without having to focus on her crutches too. The trolley relieved her of most of her weight in the beginning, each day he adjusted to add a little more of her weight to give her muscles a chance to get accustomed to the work.
A week before Christmas he took down the hand rails, and they started with the crutches. He helped her dress, putting the braces under her clothing, and then helping her into custom boots that were both fashionable, and worked with the braces. Other than her crutches you could not tell she had any disability at all. She clapped and laughed and cried when he showed her herself in a full length mirror.
“Papa! Call Maman, I want her to see how pretty I am!”
“My little duckling, you are beautiful, the braces only let you stand, so others can see how beautiful from farther away,” but he also did as she asked and called Christine to the shop.
Charlotte took a few more paces around the room with Erik while they waited for Christine to join them. but Lotte kept making her way back to the mirror. “Papa, I’m not so broken.”
Lotte stood and looked at herself in the mirror for a while longer when she heard the footsteps she turned her head. “Maman! Look! Stay there!” She turned and all of her practice with the parallel bars paid off, as she had with the crutches, she was slow to turn but she could do a straight line. Christine started weeping tears of joy seeing her little girl finally taking her first steps.
Christine saw the sight of her little angel in her new long holiday dress. “My Little Lotte, look at you! You’re walking!” Erik stood behind Christine with a smile. “She is. She’s walking, the one thing I didn’t get to miss. For which I will be eternally sorry for not being there for you, or her.” He whispered in her ear. Lotte crossed the workshop and stood in front of her mother, her arms embracing her tightly, but careful to not upset her balance.
The night of the Mass, his generous contribution has ensured him a secluded seat in the Triforium. His angels might see him as beautiful, but no others, and tonight he did not want to hear the people’s gasps and exclamations. “One would think,” he thought, “that by now I would be used to it, and normally I am, but tonight I want to be perfect.” He sat in his dark corner and watched the mass, hearing the once familiar Latin chants and prayers. As he listened to the service if wondered if the God that Christine prayed to really existed, but he perked up when Charlotte began to play. She was to the side of the sanctuary, almost in the Transepts, but still in the nave, in a spot that resonated with her instrument, reinforcing its tone and volume. The song was beautiful and perfect, as he knew it would be, and he sat for that moment, transfixed by its perfection. At the end of her performance there was a stunned silence, and then, despite being in church, applause from the people seated in the Nave.
When she finished playing, he watched as she stood. He hoped she was not taking a bow, he wasn’t a believer, but he knew the church was not big on vanity. Charlotte didn’t bow, simply stood there, and then Christine joined her, a single note was played on the piano, and they began to sing. The song seemed familiar to him, he suddenly remembered. It was a Christmas Eve, he was to have sung with the children’s choir, but kindly old father Francis had fallen ill four days before the midnight mass, and another priest came in to fill his duties. Father Alfonzo took one look at his disfigured face, and told him right in front of everyone that he was longer a part of the choir, that even if he had the voice of an angle, he would still spoil the performance. He had run all the way home, chased by the laughter of the other boys, and his nounou had comforted him, singing the very song that Christine and Charlotte sang. It was later that year that his mother sold him as a freak…. It transported him back, there had been few moments of tenderness in his childhood, and while the sting of rejection was still there, he had the same unconditional love from his Angels. His emotions overcame him, and he did not even realize that his rich baritone had joined theirs for the final verse until he saw that there were people looking at him in awe, no trace of revulsion on their faces, as if they did not see the horror that lay covered by his mask.
I suppose I don’t still need to stay anonymous anymore. But I hope you had a great day and I’m so happy you love your gift. 🥰
Was it hard not to check the “anon” box when sending this ask, @daae-dancer93?? 😂 (I get so paranoid about that during Secret Santa time.) I had a great day and I hope you did, too! How is your toe feeling?
I ADORE my present! 😍Every time I look at the illustration I find some fun new detail to love and I’ve reread the story multiple times. Thank you again! I’m glad you were my OGSS 😊
"murderous rampage- "Sashta Darling! Please calm down! Please! Tell me what happened."-Erik
Sashta snarled again her fist pulled back as if to punch or hit...but she stopped at his words, her eyes clearing and she shook her head as if to clear it. “I...I don’t...what happened...I...didn’t...” She started to shake, her fist clenching so hard she drew blood.
Erik looks in the messy office and sees her asleep on her papers. "Sashta... wake up. You'll have a crick in your neck if you sleep that way."
There came a snort and her head lifted, turning to look sleepily at him. Her papers were stuck all over her face. “HuH? Oh....gosh I’m sorry...” she sighed, carefully pealing papers off.
