RotG- The Overland Boy

The Overland Boy

Couldn't think of a better title. Summary: Jamie accidentally slips into the past and witnesses Jack's death. (Sounds crazy? I know... :-P) One-shot.

Ever since he started believing in Jack Frost, Jamie Bennett had always wondered where the winter spirit came from. He searched the Internet, but not much was said about the guardian there, save for the expression 'Jack Frost nipping your nose'. He had even combed through the public library and came across multiple books, mostly story books, with Jack Frost as a character, but the writers' interpretations of Jack Frost differed from the one he knew. Jamie didn't think it polite to ask the guardian where he came from, and it was not very often they met, either. A year had passed since the battle of Burgess and he had only been paid a visit by the spirit once, the previous summer.

It was a cold Sunday morning, in the middle of winter. At 8 A.M. in the morning, half of Burgess was still asleep, appreciating the weekend, and staying indoors to avoid the cold. Jamie, however, had decided to go skating with a few of his friends on that pond near the woods, a common hangout for them. They had been waiting for weeks for the ice to completely freeze over, afraid of any accidents.

"Be sure to be back before lunch," Mrs. Bennett reminded her son as he pulled on his sweater. She saw her son out through the front door. "Have fun, but be safe!"

"Sure, mom," the 11-year old responded, walking out through the gate. He noticed the abundance of snow in his yard and groaned slightly. When he returned, there was sure going to be a lot of shoveling to do.

As he headed for the pond, Jamie thought about the winter spirit and the battle. Though it had already been a year, the memories were still fresh in his mind. Often, when he had trouble sleeping at night, he would replay it in his head and almost like it could summon the Guardian of Dreams, he would drift peacefully off to sleep and have recurring dreams of the Guardians. The freshly-fallen snow reminded him of Jack Frost. It was a sign that the spirit had visited Burgess, just like he did every year, and Jamie was wondering why he hadn't seen him. Perhaps now that he was a guardian as well as the winter spirit, there was double the work to do.

Jamie arrived at the pond, and climbed up onto one of the large rocks surrounding it and docked his belongings there. He was early; none of his friends were there yet. From where he stood, Jamie could see the forest surrounding the pond, the evergreen trees with snow hanging from their boughs. It had long been turned into a forest reserve and was almost like a second park to the people of Burgess. With one glance at the quiet, lonely pond, Jamke decided to go off exploring on his own. How long would he take, anyway?

The boy hurried deep into the forest reserve, the snow crunching beneath his feet and the trees forming a canopy above. He took random twists and turns, not quite worrying about his way back. How large could the forest reserve be? He should be able to find his way back easily.

After several minutes, Jamie halted in his tracks. Something wasn't right. He surveyed his surroundings, and couldn't brush away the feeling that he was lost. The trees seem different, somehow. He turned and faced more trees. The pond was nowhere in sight. Jamie suddenly regretted those random turns he made earlier. He turned and began walking in the opposite direction, hoping that would take him back to the pond.

It seemed like an eternity. Jamie was starting to grow anxious. Thoughts raced through his mind. What if he couldn't find his way back? Would he ever get out of the forest? His mother would probably call the police or something and perhaps they would search the forest for him. Jamie trudged on, hoping the pond would suddenly loom into view, but he couldn't see anything ahead of him save for acres of evergreen trees. Then he turned and...

"Yes! Finally!"

Ahead, through a crack in the trees, the boy could make out a pond, similar to the one he had been to earlier. Well, it had to be the same one. As far as he knew, there was only one pond in that area. Ignoring the still-disturbing fact that his surroundings seemed to have changed, Jamie raced towards and finally emerged from the forest. That was when he stopped short and stared in surprise.

He wasn't alone. People milled about the pond, with sad, mournful looks etched on their faces and others were sobbing. But what surprised Jamie the most was the attire everyone was dressed in. They were all so old-fashioned; the only time Jamie had ever seen people geared up like that was in movies set during the 17th to 18th century, or earlier. He stared at every passer-by, but no one seemed to notice him. One girl who looked about his age pointed up at a branch of a nearby tree. "Remember how Jack used to swing from that branch? We were so afraid he would fall off. He was such a daredevil." The girls accompanying her broke into sobs. "Pity the Overlands. He was their only son," said a passing lady to her husband.

Jack?

Jamie shook his head and shut his eyes tight before reopening them but the scene did not fade away. Was he hallucinating? He turned back to the pond and noticed something new. The people were leaving flowers by the pond, some uttering prayers, others just looking mournfully at the icy surface. A small family of three were gathered at the edge, the father was trying to comfort the mother as she sobbed uncontrollably, clutching her husband and her daughter, who also looked to be about Jamie's age. "He saved me. He died to save me," she was saying, her face streaked with tears. Jamie edged closer to the pond's edge and peered down at the ice, which was thin enough for him to be able to make out the silhouette of a body in the pond's depths. He finally understood why there was so many sorrowful-looking people around. It was a funeral of some sort. For someone who, apparently, had fallen into the pond and died. As hardly anyone was speaking, Jamie wondered what could've happened.

Things around him seemed to get a little blurry. Jamie shut his eyes tight, leaning against a tree nearby for support, hoping he wasn't about to faint. When he finally opened his eyes, he started at the sight before him. He was still at the pond, but all those people clad in old-fashioned gear were gone and so had all the flowers they left by the pond's edge. Jamie turned and noticed smoke spiraling upwards not far off, but before he could check it out, he heard voices which redirected his attention back to the pond.

Two figures were walking towards it. Jamie recognised the girl from earlier, the one with her family, grieving over the drowned family member. She was with someone older than her, who appeared to be her brother and looked so strikingly familiar to Jamie. Judging by the skates slung over their shoulders, they were going ice-skating. Jamie peered at the older boy, trying to remember where he had seen him before. As he watched, the girl put on her skates and skated to the centre of the pond, where the ice suddenly cracked a little. She stopped short, in shock, staring down at the cracked ice.

"Jack."

It finally registered as Jamie watched the boy, barefooted, stepping on the ice, edging closer to his sister, who seemed really frightened. He had to be Jack Frost. But he seemed so different, with his brown hair and 17th century garments. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't look down, just look at me," brown-haired-boy-whom-Jamie-couldn't-believe-was-J ack-Frost-but-could-not-deny-it said comfortingly to the girl.

"Jack, I'm scared." The ice cracked further. Jamie edged closer as the scene unfolded before him. He didn't have to try to remain hidden, just like those people, the siblings didn't seem to see him there.

"I know, I know." The boy took a step and the ice cracked beneath his bare feet, too. Jamie watched with a grimace, imagining the whole pond opening up beneath them and both plunging into the ice-cold water. He shook away the thought. "But you're going to be alright. You're not going to fall in." The boy named Jack hesitated before continuing, "We're going to have a little fun, instead."

"No, we're not!" the girl cried.

"Would I trick you?"

"Yes, you always play tricks!" Jamie thought he was a sadist as he couldn't stop the smile that crept onto his face. That line was so true, judging from his previous encounter with Jack Frost. But could it really be Jack Frost? Jamie still wasn't sure, though the resemblance was uncanny.

"But not this time. I promise, you're going to be fine." The ice was cracking like crazy beneath their weights and Jamie couldn't help wondering what the boy was going to do next. Judging from the funeral, his sister survived.

"You have to believe in me."

He was Jack Frost.

The boy began displaying hopscotch on ice to soothe his sister, and Jamie made a mental note to try it out someday. The ice continued to crack under every step he took and finally, he leaped over to a part of the pond where the ice was thicker. Jamie noticed a long stick with a crook at the end lying on the frozen pond and recognised it as Jack's staff. He stared as the boy who was supposedly Jack reach for it. His sister began moving forwards, slowly, gasping each time the ice cracked. Jack held the acquired stick and held it with the crooked end facing his sister. Jamie looked from it to the girl and noticed that she was small enough to fit into it.

... three!" The brother hooked his sister with the crooked end and flung her to a safer part of the frozen pond. Jamie's eyes widened as he noticed the boy sliding backwards. A moment later, he fell through.

Jamie's heart thudded as he was caught off-guard when it happened. He remembered seeing intricate frost designs swirling on Jack's brown cloak before he fell in. They were similar to the ones Jack created. He took a few steps backwards as the young girl tried to reach her brother but daren't step any further than her current position, fearing she might fall through herself. She scrambled off the frozen pond and hurried off to get help. Jamie glanced at the hole in the ice. By the time she got back, it would be too late.

The 11- year old turned and tore though the forest reserve, away from the scene, his pulse racing. He didn't pay attention to where he was going, as a million thoughts raced through his head, half of them on the siblings and the other on the subject of how he had gotten there in the first place. How did he see all that? Was he hallucinating? Was the forest haunted or something? Was this the home of spirits who played tricks on unsuspecting people who passed through?

Jamie skidded to a stop as he arrived at another pond. He was about to turn and run off but something stopped him. He wasn't at another pond, he was back in Burgess, present day. His belongings were still there, on the rock, and gathered at the edge weren't traditionally-dressed people but his friends who seemed to be wondering where he was. Claude pointed up at the rock. "He's been here," he said.

"Hey," Jamie panted, walking towards them, catching them by surprise.

"Jamie! What happened?" Pippa rushed forwards, concerned.

Jamie hesitated. What was he to tell them? That he had traveled back through time in the forest? That he had witnessed the death of his favourite guardian? It occurred to the boy that it could've happened before Jack became the winter spirit. Perhaps it did, and that was how Jack came to be a spirit.

"Nothing," Jamie said. "I just... went for a little jog."

Everyone looked at him questioningly. He brushed past them to the pond's edge. "Okay, forget it. I'm fine. Now, who wants to play ice hopscotch?"