#lost tooth

Virgil was bored. 

That was nothing new for him though, not for this time of year. The children had all gone back to school, more people complained about the snow and cold than those who enjoyed it, and the excitement of Christmas and “Santa Claus” had worn off. It was time for the world to warm up and for people to get back to their lives.

So, Virgil was left with being bored. Sure, he could make it snow, but the last time he did that he got himself in some trouble. He didn’t want to experience that again. The memory was enough to make him shudder. So he waited, listening for an excuse to have some fun. 

Lucky for him, it didn’t take long to find an excuse. 

Virgil has let the wind carry him, nowhere particular in mind when he came to the small town where he spent most of his time. He could see the people getting up and starting their day, hear the voices calling to each other on the street as they moved throughout their normal activities. Most of the people on the street right now were adults, getting newspapers and leaving for work. The lack of children is what made Virgil curious enough to get closer and investigate. 

“- too cold for school is what the message said.” Virgil heard a woman say into a phone as she picked up her paper from the step in front of her home. Looking around, Virgil smiled. It seemed Mother Nature might be on his side today after all. 

The world looked chilled. The greens in the plants that had started to grow back looked slightly dulled against the chill leftover from winter, many of them had a small sheen of ice reflecting the light from the sunrise. The plants that didn’t looked heavy were dripping water that moved too  quick to freeze as if fell to the ground. 

A cold day? At this time of year? Well, that was something Virgil could work with. Smiling to himself, he called upon the wind to take him higher. If the kids were staying home from school due to the cold, he might as well make it worth their while. And what better way to that then by turning a cold day into a snow day. 

To say the kids were happy when they woke up was an understatement. Many of them were outside as soon as possible to play in the freshly fallen snow. Something many thought was gone for the year with Easter around the corner, so it was a pleasant and very welcomed surprise. Seeing the kids happy and smiling and hearing laughter brought a smile to Virgil’s face. He makes them happy, even if they can’t see him. He provides fun for them when they want it and need it most. And, as he told himself, that was enough. 

“Come on Remy let’s go!” He heard. Looking to the left from his perch on a tree branch, Virgil watched a young boy jump from a porch while putting on his coat. He was moving quick, wanting to go and play with his friends on his day off. His wide smile was enough to tell Virgil that the day was a success already. 

“I’m coming!” The boy, Remy called back. He was stopped by his mother, grabbing his arm and placing a hat on his head. Remy sighed and adjusted it, mumbling some complaints. 

“Oh hush,” his mother spoke, “you don’t want Virgil Winters nipping at your nose do you?”

“Who’s Virgil Winters?” Remy asked, running off before an answer could be given. 

Virgil watch the boy ran to catch up with his friend, an unreadable expression on his face. It wasn’t uncommon for people not to know who Virgil was, but they weren’t usually so in your face about it. It was almost an unspoken thing, someone mentions Virgil Winters and you just ignore it. You don’t ask about it, not like this kid did. 

“Who’s Virgil Winters?” he mumbled, following a little way behind the group, “I’ll show you who Virgil Winters is.”

Virgil began packing the snow in his hands, forming a snowball. He watcheded the group of kids settle and begin playing in the snow; making building snowmen and making angels. He waited, looking for the perfect opportunity to throw his snowball. He saw the boy, who he assumed was Remy based on the amount of times people had called the name out, begin to turn and took the moment. He threw the snowball, hitting the boy in the nose. 

Everyone froze when that happened. The other kids looking at each other to try and determine who had thrown the snowball. Remy looked at his friends too, confused at first. A smile made its way to his face slowly, he began to laugh before stooping down to pack a snowball of his own. 

It didn’t take long after that for an all out war to begin. The kids were running and screaming, making snowballs and throwing them as quickly as they can. Virgil created a few of his own, leaving them on the ground for the kids to find and throw. He felt himself start to smile, watching the fun and leaning against the staff he carried.

This was it. This is what he did, and he enjoyed it. He liked giving people something to do and something to make them laugh. He loved seeing the joy on their faces, even if they never knew it was him. He could live his whole life being unknown, as long as he could keep making people smile. That’s what mattered to him. He didn’t care what the man in the moon had to say about, if he ever had anything to say about. 

Virgil was pulled from his thoughts suddenly when he heard the laughter pause. Looking around, he saw all the kids looking at each other, some in shock and others in fear. The mumbles of ‘who hit…’ and ‘it wasn’t me…’ reached his ears. Looking over, he saw a child who hadn’t been involved in the fight had snow on their back. It was clear, looking the tense posture and shoulders, that this person hadn’t expected to be hit by a snowball. 

Virgil made a snowball of his own, throwing it when the person turned around. The children gasped and dropped their snowballs, watching as it hit the other in the face. When the snowball hit, it seemed the child’s attitude changed. They no longer looked angry, instead beginning to laugh. The other’s soon joined in, and the snowball fight continued. The children shrieking with joy. Everything was going just how Virgil wanted, and he was even able to throw a few snowballs of his own. 

It seemed as if nothing could ruin this day. Everyone was having fun and things were going good. And then he heard aa yell from behind him. Turning, he saw Remy had fallen on a sled, and that started the chase. 

Remy was scared, it wasn’t hard to tell. It was written all over his face as the sled rushed down the hill and towards the road. He could see the cars passing back and forth, could hear the hum of the engines and the muted sounds from the music playing inside. He could hear it all, but it sounded so quiet. It sounded muffled and muted, like he had cotton stuffed in his ears. Remy didn’t know what was going to happen. He was moving too fast to stop, and he was afraid to let go. He didn’t know what to do, all he really knew is that the cars on the street were getting closer and he was almost out of time. He heard the squeal of the breaks and he heard the horns blaring all around him. He waited, tense and ready for the impact that was sure to come with all the noise around him. It never came though.

“Hang on kid, I got ya.” Virgil said as an ice path appeared to guide the sled away from traffic.  

Slowly, as if the boy had heard him, Virgil watched him open his eyes. He watched as the wonder and excitement replace the fear on the boys face, and listened as his laughter filled the air around him.

Virgil smiled, seeing the joy on the boys face and hearing his laughter. This is it, they were having fun! This had to be the moment where the kids realized that there was someone who brought them the snow, someone who made it possible for them to have fun on days like this. They had to believe he was there, they had to see him now. There was no avoiding, this was the moment he’d waited for his whole life. One of them was going to say it, they were going to say his name and believe in him, and they would see him. 

“Remy watch out!”

Virgil was ripped from his thoughts to see the sled flying through the air. The boy, Remy, was still smiling, but you could see his expression changing. You could see him bracing himself, and when Virgil looked forward he saw why. He was heading straight for a statue in the park. 

Everything seemed to slow down suddenly. Virgil and the children all watched as Remy flew through the air. No one knew what to do or how to stop him, no one could look away from the scene unfolding before them. There was no stopping what was happening in that moment. 

Remy hit the statue with a loud thud, causing everyone to cringe and turn away. Everything seemed to pick back up then, the kids rush at the statue, cries of “Remy!” and “Are you okay?” overlapped each other as they all tried to check on their friend. Virgil stood back, not knowing what to do or what to say. Not knowing if they could see him there or if they believed in him enough for him to be able to help. Instead, he watched and waited. 

The worried yells quickly changed to cries of joy and excitement as Remy’s hand shot into the air, “Look, a tooth!”

“Dude that’s awesome!” one of the girls called out, a bright smile on her face.

“That means cash.” another boy said.

“Tooth fairy cash.” chimed in another boy standing next to him. 

“Hey wait, come on.” Virgil said, moving so he was standing outside of the huddle. “What about all the fun we just had? That wasn’t the tooth fairy, that was me! Don’t you rememb-” his words were cut off with a sudden gasp as the kids passed through him. 

‘No.’ was all Virgil could hear, all that was running through his mind as the small group began making their way out of the park and towards their home. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. They were supposed to have fun and that was supposed to make them believe; they were supposed to see him now. That was his plan, that was how it was supposed to work today. 

He couldn’t bring himself to go after them. Not now, not when he could still feel the ghost of them passing through him like he was nothing. Not when the pain of realizing they’ll never see him, that no one will ever see him, is still fresh.