GIVE ME RITA AND EL DECORATING A CHRISTMAS TREE
“These not for talking to Upside Down?” El asks, a frown furrowing her brow as she holds up a pile of very tangled Christmas lights I’d found in the makeshift basement storage below the floor. I have to laugh a little, shaking my head.
“No, El. No-one worth talking to is stuck in there anymore. These are for the Christmas tree.” I pad across the carpet barefoot towards her to retrieve the lights.
“Christmas… tree?” Her frown deepens in even more confusion. I’d only been a year or so older than she is now when I too was completely baffled by the festivities and traditions of Christmas. I’d had to hide my confusion though, trying not to let the Millers realise that their ‘daughter’ was an outsider. Here, El can be openly baffled by the world outside Hawkins lab.
“Christmas tree!” Hopper announces, the door crashing open as he tries to squeeze an enormous fir through the doorway. “A little help here El?” He asks breathlessly, clearly struggling.
El folds her arms over her chest and huffs in protest. Hopper and I cast a glance at each other, a little bewildered by her refusal until a second later her face splits into a mischievous grin.
“You little horror.” I say as she holds out a hand in front of her to move the tree through the door and into the corner we’d cleared out for it to stand in. She turns to stick her tongue out at me. I’ll have to thank Erica Sinclair for teaching her that trick.
“Thanks kiddo,” Hopper says, flopping down onto the couch to catch his breath. El sits down on the floor in front of the box of decorations and begins to rifle through it. She pulls all kinds of faces at reindeers with legs missing, scratched and dented baubles and a rather terrifying angel.
“Pretty…” She says, and it’s the first time I’ve heard her be sarcastic. I burst out laughing, and so does Hopper.
“Yeah… these decorations are a bit well loved, Hop.” I agree, handing him the lights to untangle while he’s sat down. “But I guess they suit us, mismatched and a little bit wonky.” I wrap some tinsel around El’s neck like a scarf and then myself. El giggles, a sound I’m still getting used to hearing. A sound that makes my heart feel light as a feather for the first time in years. She jumps up and onto the sofa with another length of tinsel for Hopper. She tilts her head in the direction of the record player and Elton John’s ‘Step Into Christmas’ starts playing.
I can’t stop the grin that spreads across my face even if I wanted to. I reach out for El’s hands and start to spin her round, as Hop sings along, trying not to laugh at his ridiculous little misfit family.
