Part 6 (2/2)
”Yes,” she cheerfully confirmed. Grammie Esme had begged for a girls' day out, and Prissie had leapt at the chance ... and successfully pleaded for them to include Koji in the shopping adventure. ”It's so much fun!”
They hurried to the big mall entrance, where the automatic doors opened with a whoosh of warm, peppermint-and-pine-scented air. Inside, they were met by the hubbub of voices, and a subdued jingle of seasonal music played somewhere overhead. Koji drifted to a stop, his eyes darting in every direction, for there was a lot to see. Grandma Nell checked her watch. ”Do you want to meet up in the food court in a couple hours? You can show him around, and then we'll take a break to grab a bite.”
Prissie glanced at her friend, but the young Observer was too busy studying an oversized set of silver bells to offer an opinion. ”Two hours, food court,” she briskly confirmed. As her grandmothers bustled in the direction of one of the large department stores, Koji wandered closer to the gla.s.s wall that rimmed the second level's walkway. She followed, but only partway. He might be willing to lean out over the edge to admire the view of the skylights up above, but she wasn't going anywhere near that dizzying drop to the lower level. ”What do you think?” she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the din.
Dark eyes flashed her way. ”It is interesting,” he replied. ”There is light and color and even music.”
”All good things!” she exclaimed, smiling happily over the festive feel in the air.
As Koji rejoined her, his fingers touched the back of her hand. Eyes on the crowds, he quietly said, ”I do not wish to become separated.”
She glanced around, wondering if anyone would notice or even care, then sighed. Did it matter what any of these strangers thought? She didn't want to become separated any more than he did. ”We'll hold hands when it's busy.”
”Thank you, Prissie,” he accepted, fitting his fingers between hers and holding on tight.
”Are you nervous?” she asked curiously.
He shook his head. ”There is so much to see, I believe I will become distracted. However, I do not wish to behave irresponsibly. My place is with you.”
She smiled at his earnest admission. ”We can walk slowly. I like seeing the decorations too, so it's no problem.”
”Thank you,” he repeated.
They strolled along, looking in huge windows plastered with ads for holiday discounts and gift ideas, which got her thinking. How did one decide what to give an angel for Christmas? The list of people she wanted to do something special for had expanded considerably this year. ”What do you think Harken might like for Christmas?” she quizzed.
Koji shook his head. ”I cannot say because I do not know.”
”What about Tamaes? Or Baird?”
”There is nothing we need that G.o.d does not provide.”
Prissie stubbornly argued, ”But it's Christmas!”
”On that day, as any other day, our desires are the same.”
”But I want to be able to give you a present!” she pressed.
Dark eyes blinked. ”Me?”
”Obviously!” she grumbled. ”You and just about everyone else in your Flight!”
Koji only shook his head in amazement. ”We expect nothing.”
”That's fine,” she said briskly, eyeing a display of baubles on one of the many kiosks they pa.s.sed. ”Sometimes the nicest presents come as a surprise. They need to be perfect, though.”
”Why do you insist on giving us presents?” he inquired curiously.
”Because ... because the wise men brought presents to baby Jesus!” she replied with a triumphant smile. He couldn't possibly argue with that.
Tipping his head to one side, the young angel asked, ”Will you commemorate all other aspects of the events surrounding the birth of the Son of G.o.d?”
”Like what?”
”There was song,” he replied, a hopeful light sparkling in his eyes. ”Much song.”
”Were you there?”
”No, that was before I was formed. But Harken told me about it. He was there.”
”He was?” Prissie asked in amazement.
”Yes. He has told about many of the things he saw and learned while he was an apprentice,” Koji explained. ”It is good practice for me. Many of the records I make for s.h.i.+mron have been tales of Harken's telling. His stories are vivid.”
”Is that so?” she mused, pausing to admire a display of brightly painted nutcrackers. ”It's hard to picture Harken being our age, but I suppose he must have been.”
”Indeed.” Koji leaned down to peer at the scene of a tiny village inside a snow globe. ”He loves parables so much because he heard them firsthand.”
”He knew Jesus?”
”Every angel knows Him,” Koji said. ”But, yes. Harken's mentor was close to the Redeemer while He walked the earth.”
”Was he his Guardian or something? No, wait,” she interrupted herself. ”His mentor would have to be a Messenger too.”
”That is correct,” the young angel replied. ”Harken's mentor was Gabriel.”
Prissie was stumped. Scarves, hats, and gloves were pointless for an angel who didn't feel the cold. Plus, there wasn't a store in the world that carried clothes big enough for giant warriors like Taweel and Jedrick. And it seemed silly to get Harken a book when he owned an entire store full of them. ”I wonder if there's any instrument that Kester doesn't have?”
”I do not know. Should I ask?” Koji offered.
”No, that would spoil the surprise.” She frowned thoughtfully, then sighed. ”I don't know what to get anyone! Maybe I could just bake for them again? But ... that might not be special enough.”
As she rambled, Koji listened with a thoughtful expression on his face, but he offered no solutions. Finally, she huffed and glanced at her watch. ”I guess it'll have to wait. Something will come to me. Let's go! We only have an hour left, and I want to start looking for my ornament.”
Koji had followed her in and out of some of the smaller shops, never complaining like her brothers might have. He seemed just as interested in the items lining the shelves as he was in the people perusing them. As she steered him toward one of the big stores anchoring the end of the mall, he asked, ”Ornament? Are you seeking some form of adornment?”
”I think the word you're looking for is accessory, but no,” she replied. ”I'm talking about tree ornaments.”
”Your brothers have spoken extensively about your family's Christmas traditions,” Koji noted, reaching for her hand as they joined the throng of shoppers entering the department store. ”I am to be afforded a sock of my own.”
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