CHAPTER XII
IVRA'S BIRTHDAY
"To-morrow is the shortest day in the year," Ivra told Eric one nightafter they were in bed. He did not answer, for he was very sleepy. Butafter a minute she spoke again. "It's my birthday too!"
Then he opened his eyes and sat up, for her voice sounded very queer andfar away. He saw that she too was sitting up, her hands folded under herchin. "Mother always had a party for me," she said. "Such fun!"
"Perhaps one will happen to-morrow even with her away," Eric comforted."Oh, goody! I do hope so!"
"Perhaps. Anyway I'm going to pretend there's a party waiting for meto-morrow. You pretend too, Eric, and then even if it doesn't come truewe will have had the pretending at least."
Eric agreed to pretend. It was one of his favorite games. And very soonthe two children nestled down under their covers and drifted into sleepand dreams of a party.
They were roused early in the morning by something tapping lightly onthe doors and windows. Eric was out of bed first, and saw the WindCreatures, half a dozen or more of them, looking in and beckoning. Theirpurple wings gleamed gold in the early morning sun. Wild Star wasstanding in the open door.
"Happy birthday!" he cried and tossed a snow ball into Ivra's bed. Shepopped to her knees, laughing and rosy with sleep. But then she wasgrave in a minute. "There's to be no party, Wild Star," she said."Mother's not back yet. Are you all here for that?"
"Yes, we're here for that, and there is to be a party, an all day onetoo. Your Forest Friends have seen to that."
The children were radiant with joy. And Ivra whispered to Eric, "We hadour pretending, too!"
The Wind Creatures would not come in to breakfast, for of course they donot like in-doors at all, and besides, they need very little food. Sothey played in the garden while the children dressed and ate. Very soonthe children were done, though, and came leaping out ready for a day'sjoy.
The Wind Creatures led them then out through the forest. The Tree Girlwas watching for them at her door. It was plain to be seen, when shejoined them, that she carried something in her arms very secretly underher white cloak. But no one mentioned it. Ivra knew it must be asurprise for her birthday. Where the party was to be no one told her,and she did not ask. She liked surprises.
They came to the Forest Children's little moss village. The youngestForest Child of all was the only one up so early. He was busily breakingdead twigs from bushes to build his morning fire and making up a littlerhymeless song about Ivra's birthday as he worked.
This is her birthday, Spring's little daughter-- Spring's little daughter-- This is her birthday.
Wake now, wake now, All you Forest Children, Wake for her birthday And tie your sandals on.
When he saw them he cried, "Hurrah! Happy birthday, Ivra!"
At his cry all the little windows in the little moss houses opened andthere were the tousled heads of the Forest Children, their eyes blinkingsleepily against the gilded morning light.
"Thank you, thank you," Ivra cried back to the youngest Forest Child."Hurry and follow."
Before they had gone on their way five minutes more the Forest Childrenwere up with them, tugging at buckles and sandal strings as they ran,begging not to be left behind. Soon they came to Big Pine Hill, a hilldeep in the forest with no trees but a giant pine at the top. The WindCreatures had built a slide there by brushing away the snow and leavinga broad track of shining blue ice. Up under the pine were sleds enoughfor every one, made all of woven hemlock branches. They needed norunners for the ice was so slippery and the hill so steep _anything_would go down it fast enough. Ivra's Forest Friends must have worked allthe day before to make those sleds--and now her shining face and claspedhands were reward enough.
She was the first to try the hill. She threw herself on her sled anddown she flashed. At the bottom she tumbled off, and still on her kneesshouted up to Eric and the others at the top, "Oh, it's splendid! Comeon!"
Then the hill was covered with speeding sleds. The Bird Fairies had noneof their own, for they were so little they might have come to harm onthat hill. But they had just as good a time for all of that, catchingrides with the others, clinging to shoulders or heads or feet as ithappened.
Every one was there, even the Snow Witches who had not been invited.They came whirling and dancing through the forest almost as soon as thesliding had begun. Ivra gave them glad welcome in spite of their roughways and stinging hair. For she, the only one of all who were there,liked them very well and had made them her comrades often and often onwindy winter days. And they, who cared for nobody, cared for her. "Sheis not like anybody," they explained it to each other. "_She is a greatlittle girl_."
But they would not take Ivra's sled as she wanted them to. They had notcome to spoil her fun. Instead they raced down the hill behind her orbefore her, pushing and pulling, their stinging hair in her face. Butthat only made her cheeks very red, and she did not mind them at all.Then she tried sliding down on her feet, with the long line of witchespushing from behind, their hands on each other's shoulders. That was thebest fun of all, and almost always ended in a tumble before the bottomwas reached. Though the others avoided the witches as much as they couldthey admired Ivra for such hardy comrading.
Before noon every one was very hungry. Then the littlest Forest Childsaid, "Follow me. The Tree Girl has gone ahead."
It was true, she had slipped away when no one noticed.
The littlest Forest Child led them away to a little valley-place wherehemlock boughs had been spread to make a floor and raised on three sidesto make a shelter. When they had come close enough for Ivra to see whatit was perched so big and white in the middle of the hemlock floor shestopped and sighed with joy while she clasped her hands.
It was a beautiful frosted birthday cake with nine brave candles of allcolors and burning steadily, just the kind of cake her mother had alwaysbaked for her birthdays.--Only last year there had been eight candles.She had not hoped for this final delight. She ran quickly forward andwas the first to kneel down by it. The Tree Girl was there waiting, andnow Ivra knew it was the cake that she had been carrying so secretlyunder her cloak.
The Snow Witches did not follow into that shelter. They have a greatfear of shelters, you must know, for when forced into them they quicklylose their fierceness, and their fierceness is their greatest pride. Butbefore they left the party one of them came close to Eric, so close thattears were whipped into his eyes and quickly froze on his lashes. "Takethis to your little comrade," shes said, thrusting a box made of pinecones into his hands. "It's for her to keep her paper dolls in. Wewitches made it."
Then all the witches went screeching and swirling away through theforest, and Ivra, Eric and the others settled down to the business ofeating the birthday cake.
But first the Tree Girl, who is very sensible, insisted that they eatsome nuts and apples. Indeed, she would allow no one a bite of thewonderful cake until he had eaten at least one apple and twenty nuts.
Before Ivra cut the cake the others blew out the candles, one afteranother, and made her a wish in turn for every candle. The Tree Girlwished her a bright new year, the Bird Fairies that her mother wouldsoon return, the Wind Creatures that she would keep her gay heartforever, the Forest Children that she would become the most famous storyteller in the Forest World.
And then it was Eric's turn. He had never been to a birthday partybefore, and never had he made a wish for some one else. So he was alittle puzzled. But at last he had an idea and cried, "I wish that yourhair will grow golden and curly before to-morrow morning." Allprincesses Ivra had ever told him about had curly golden hair, andthough she had never said it, Eric had suspected for some time that Ivrawould like that kind of hair herself. Then he puffed his cheeks and blewout his candle, a fat green one. Ivra laughed.
"The Snow Witches would never let me keep curly hair," she said. "They'dwhip it straight in an hour."
That reminded Eric of the pine cone box and he gave it to her and toldher about i
t. She was almost as delighted with that as with the cake.
What a wonderful cake it was! Such food Eric had never dreamed of, andhe was a great dreamer! The frosting was over an inch thick.
Then, of course, Ivra must tell them stories. All the Forest Peopleloved her stories. They built a fire to keep from freezing. The WindCreatures sat a little way off where it was cool enough for theircomfort, but not too far to hear Ivra's clear voice. This time she toldall she knew about the birthday of this Earth, one of the most magicaland splendid and strange of her stories.
But it was the shortest day in the year, Ivra's birthday, and night fellall too soon. Then the Tree Girl, who seldom forgot to be sensible, saidthey had better go home. The littlest Forest Child was already asleep,curled close by the fire. They roused him gently. Good-nights werecalled and a few minutes after, the shelter was deserted, and the fireout. And by starlight could be seen many footprints leading away in thewhite snow out into all parts of the Forest.
Eric and Ivra walked toward home hand in hand. They had to pass themorning's slide on the way. When they came in sight of it they began towalk more quickly and quietly and to look intently. The blue ice shonebluer than ever in starlight, but more than the ice shone. Shining_people_ were using the sleds and the hill was covered with them.
"Why, they must be Star People," Ivra cried excitedly.
When they were quite near they stood to watch.
The strange Star folk were very silent, never calling and laughing asthose who had slid there in the morning had done. Two, a little boy anda young girl, came spinning down on the same sled and stopped so nearthat Ivra and Eric might have touched them by leaning forward. But theStar-two must have thought the Forest-two shadows, for they paid noattention to them at all.
Now that they were so near Eric could see that their hair was blue, likethe shadows on snow, and their faces a beautiful shining white. Theirstraight short garments were blue like shadows, too, and their arms,legs and feet were bare. But they did not seem conscious of the cold.Eric did not hear them speak, but they looked at each other as thoughthey _were_ speaking, and then suddenly the little boy laughed merrily,as though the young girl had just told him something very amusing.
Soon the girl turned and ran away up the hill. But the little boy was asquick as she and threw himself on the sled while she never slackened herpace, but drew him straight and fast up the steep slope.
"I have never seen them before," Ivra whispered to Eric. "But mother hastold me of them. They don't talk as we do you see. They don't _have_ to.They know each other's thoughts. They almost never leave their Stars. Doyou think--perhaps, to-night they saw our slide shining, and wondered somuch about it they had to come down? Even mother has never seen them.It was Tree Mother told her."
Eric was very silent, for he had never seen such beautiful people. Thelittle boy had had a face like a star, and great shining eyes. The younggirl had been clear like the day, and without smiling her face had beenbrimmed with happiness.
But now he felt Ivra trembling. She whispered again, "You know, Eric, itis wonderful for us to see them like this. Some day, mother says, we mayget to be like them!"
"And speak without words?" Eric asked wondering.
"Yes, and more than that. We may be as _alive_ as they. Now we're onlyForest people, and not all _that_ even--almost dreams. They are _real_!"
Then she took his hand and drew him away. "I cannot look any more," shesaid; "can you? They are too beautiful!"
Eric put his fingers to his eyes as he walked. "Yes, it's hard to seethe ground now. My eyes ache a little."
But how the children wished their mother were waiting for them in thelittle house to hear the tale!