Even before he opened his eyes, Little Pine felt something special in the air. Something had changed. When he looked out at the world, at first he thought it had snowed. But no, it wasn’t snow. It was a deep, shimmering frost.
It almost looked too delicate to walk through, he thought. But then he remembered that today was the day that he was going to the elves’ house for breakfast and he shivered with excitement.
He stepped out into the sparkling air. And then he saw that indeed, his friend Too had gone. His empty form lay on ground beside his mother tree. Mother Oak saw Little Pine peering at the empty leaf and said, “Look, Little Pine. He left you a message. Look by his stem.”
Little Pine bent over and saw the marking in the snow. As he fell, Too had managed a final dance and etched a heart on the frosty ground. Little Pine felt his own heart glow with love. It was just like Too to leave a mark of friendship behind. “He said to tell you to always remember your dreams, Little Pine,” Too’s mother said. “I think that’s wise advice.”
Little Pine thanked her and set out through the glistening frost toward the elves’ house. Every twig and weed and blade of grass was sparkling. “What a magical world!” he thought.
The day was already warming, and by the time he got to the elves’ house, the frost would be gone. He was curious to see what they had to say about the Festival and why it was going to be so special this year.
He whistled as he walked, glad that the world was so beautiful and that he was lucky to have such good friends, even when some of them lived in an invisible part of the world.