Earlier this month, Kitty was on a book tour in Canada. One of her fans, named Chloe, contacted her and wanted to meet her. That night Kitty traveled to a remote location in northern Canada. As she stood there waiting in the cold, she was glad to have her cozy Christmas cape. High up in the sky, a tiny snowflake appeared which slowly got bigger and bigger.
Kitty realized it wasn’t a snowflake at all. It was a little girl with wings! Her skin glinted like diamonds, and she wore a sparkling gown. A silver lace crown with sequins topped her silky white hair. Her boots reflected all the colors of the rainbow, and she carried a star-tipped wand.
Here is their conversation:
CHLOE: Hello, Kitty. I am so glad to meet you. It was nice of you to make the trip all the way up here. I’m an Ice Fairy, in case you haven’t already guessed.
KITTY: Wow, Chloe! You really surprised me! I’ve never met an Ice Fairy before. How did you hear about A Tale of Two Hittys?
CHLOE: Well, I travel a lot. I’m originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, but I go wherever the wind takes me. Once I followed an ice storm down into the U.S. as far as Austin, Texas! It warmed up pretty quickly there, so I didn’t stay long. But on that trip, I found a copy of your book and really enjoyed it.
KITTY: I’m glad to hear you liked the book. But I am even more interested to hear about your travels. You said you can follow ice storms. What do you do in the summer?
CHLOE: Ice Fairies can melt if it gets too warm, so we prefer to stay wherever the weather is cold. Most of us summer near the North Pole, but a few of us go all the way down to the southern hemisphere. I have a friend who travels to Antarctica in July because she loves to see the emperor penguins.
KITTY: Penguins are cute. Is that your favorite animal?
CHLOE: Actually, my favorite animals are polar bears! The little cubs are adorable. But I also like baby harp seals, and I like penguins, too.
KITTY: I was wondering how you can fly all the way to Antarctica without melting.
CHLOE: It all has to do with altitude. We can fly very, very high up, where the air is thin, and it is extremely cold.
KITTY: I love your wings. What is it like to fly? And what else do you like to do for fun?
CHLOE: You’re right that flying is a lot of fun. Since Ice Fairies are lighter than air, we don’t really need wings to fly. They are more useful for steering. I also enjoy ice skating a lot. And I like to watch all the winter sports during the Olympics. Go CANADA!
KITTY: I see that you are wearing a crown. Are you a queen?
CHLOE: I am actually an Ice Fairy princess. All Ice Fairies take turns being princesses. Have you ever seen a sun dog? It’s a halo around the sun, and it only happens in winter. Whenever you see one, it means a new princess has been crowned.
KITTY: And what are a princess’s duties?
CHLOE: Every princess is in charge of a group of Ice Fairies. Our main task is to make sure that wishes are granted. Whenever someone wishes on a snowflake, Ice Fairies do their best to make those wishes come true.
KITTY: But how do you make wishes come true? It must be magic.
CHLOE: Our magic is powered by sunlight. Whenever sun reflects off of newly fallen snow, and you see those beautiful diamond glints, we get more energy to grant wishes. Ice storms are the best. I know they can be inconvenient for people when they knock out power, but we get immense amounts of magic from ice storms. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful than the sun shining on a tree encased in ice?
KITTY: You’re right, it is beautiful. And I will be wishing on snowflakes a lot more, now that I know that Ice Fairies are out there! Can you show me some magic?
CHLOE: I’d love to.
Chloe waved her wand, and out of thin air a golden jewelry box appeared in front of Kitty. On top of the box was an opal cabochon. The stone glinted and flashed with a fiery glow, like an Ice Fairy’s wings. It felt as smooth and cold as ice when Kitty touched it.
KITTY: That was amazing!
CHLOE: On behalf of all the Ice Fairies of Canada, I would like you to have this jewelry box. The opal contains the magic of Ice Fairies embedded deep inside. If you ever need our help, simply rub the stone and make a wish.
KITTY: Thank you! What a wonderful gift. I wish I could give you something in return.
CHLOE: Well, things haven’t been easy for us lately. The weather has been crazy at times, and in many places, the temperatures are warmer than they used to be. Ice Fairies have had to move farther north to stay cool. Some Ice Fairies have even melted before they were able to relocate. And it isn’t just Ice Fairies who are affected. Many polar bears and penguins are losing their homes because of the melting glaciers. You write such wonderful stories. Maybe you could write something to make people more aware of our plight.
KITTY: Of course! I promise to spread the word about the Ice Fairies.
Then Kitty hugged Chloe and said goodbye. As Chloe flew off into the sky, she started to hum. The haunting melody reverberated all around Kitty. Suddenly, the sky blossomed into swirling colors of green, yellow and pink. The beautiful aurora lingered long after Chloe had disappeared, and her humming had faded into the distance.
