Winterfrost by Michelle Houts Read Free Book Online

finished.”
    At that, Gammel stood and strode slowly over to the young nisse. He, too, greeted Klakke with a hearty hug.
    “Come,” said the old gentleman. “Come sit by the fire and tell me what is new with the Family Larsen.”
    “Well, sir . . .” Klakke began, but he got no further. Two tiny nisse children burst in from an adjoining room.
    “Klakke’s here! Klakke’s here!” they cried with glee, throwing themselves around his knees, dancing and cheering.
    “Good day, Tika. Good day, Erik,” Klakke greeted the little ones.
    Behind them another gray-bearded nisse man, older than Klakke but not nearly the age of Gammel, entered the room.
    “Good day, Hagen.”
    Hagen was a burly nisse, hardworking and strong. He greeted Klakke with a hearty hello and a handshake so firm, Klakke tried not to wince.
    “It’s good to see you, my boy.” Hagen grinned and slapped the young nisse on the back.
    “And you, too,” Klakke agreed, but instead of taking a step farther into the room, he turned nervously to look at the door behind him. Gammel, being the eldest and wisest, picked up quickly on Klakke’s behavior.
    “Klakke?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Have you someone with you?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Well, then, who is it? Don’t be rude and leave our guest standing outside in the cold.”
    Gammel took two quick strides toward the door, but Klakke stood in his way.
    Gammel looked up in surprise.
    “Klakke.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Look at me.” Gammel’s voice was stern.
    Klakke obeyed and stared directly into the small black eyes of his elder. Gammel’s eyes narrowed in thoughtfulness and then widened in disbelief.
    “A human child? Klakke!”
    “Yes, sir.” Klakke broke eye contact with Gammel. He stared down at the neat wooden floor.
    Pernilla and Hagen gasped in unison. Even the little ones became suddenly quiet. All eyes turned to Gammel, who didn’t hesitate a moment.
    “You must bring the baby inside,” he declared. “Immediately.”

Klakke wasted no time following Gammel’s instructions. But when he emerged from beneath the big gnarled root, he was perplexed. There was no baby Pia. He was sure he’d left her right outside the house, at the base of the tree. Indeed, he could see the impression of her blankets in the frost-covered snow. He darted quickly around the oak, first in one direction, then in the other.
    Klakke took off his cap and ran his plump fingers through his thick curls. Once more he studied the spot where he had left Pia. And once more all he saw was a small impression in the snow where the woven blanket containing the baby had been not long before.
    Reluctantly, Klakke returned to the tiny house under the tree. This time he didn’t knock. Instead, he gingerly opened the small wooden door and stepped inside. Hagen, Pernilla, and the children were waiting, excited to meet the human child, but Gammel stood by the fire, one boot on the hearth, stroking his beard.
    Pernilla was the first to ask.
    “Klakke, where is the babe?”
    Gammel kept his eyes fixed on the fireplace.
    “She . . . she wasn’t there,” Klakke stammered. “She’s missing. I’m sorry, Gammel. I don’t know what happened.”
    Nisse, by nature, are slow to anger, and Gammel had lived enough years to know that quick tempers lead to no good. He didn’t scold Klakke. He didn’t pace or appear to ponder the situation. But when Gammel finally looked up, his small black eyes had lost some of their sparkle.
    “I feared something like this would happen.”
    He seemed to be speaking to Hagen, who nodded solemnly. Even Pernilla appeared to understand whatever it was Gammel wasn’t saying aloud. Klakke looked from one nisse to the next, hoping to make sense of their unspoken words.
    “Do you believe this is
his
doing?” Pernilla asked, eyes wide.
    “I do,” Gammel confirmed.
    “ ‘His’ whose?” Klakke asked, his tiny toes tapping nervously on the smooth oak floor.
    The older nisse ignored Klakke, talking as