Dancing Queen

Chapter 25

Christmas time in Sweden was something magical, the steady fall of snow outside the window seemed to draw a landscape that came out of the festive postcards of many years ago. Sleeping under the comfy duvet on a soft mattress was just heavenly.

"Frida?".

But Frida's beautiful restorative sleep had been insistently interrupted for a few... hours by now by someone calling her name on repeat, whispering... No, perhaps "hours" was an exaggeration, but surely enough to snatch her away from the wonderful arms of Morpheus.

"Frida? Frida?".

Frida wrinkled her nose and moved her head slightly as if to shake herself. With almost superhuman strength, she opened her eyes slightly and found herself in front of two huge blue eyes still sleepy, but extremely enthusiastic.

"Hey, baby" Frida croaked, her voice still full of sleep and her eyes threatening to close again.

"It's Christmas!" Heléne murmured, starting high and then remembering that she had to keep her voice low as her dad had told her. Well, her dad had actually told her not to wake Frida up, but she was too excited not to.

Frida smiled "It is. Merry Christmas".

"Merry Christmas!" Heléne told her joyfully, hopping lightly in place, her elbows resting on the mattress beside her.

Frida reached out from under the duvet and moved over to the edge, hugging her and enjoying her soft warm breath on her neck as she lunged at her.

"Do you still want to stay in bed?" Heléne murmured, looking at her with wide eyes, as if an affirmative answer from her would be taken as the national offense of the year.

Frida frowned slightly and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table and then turned behind her. The other side of the empty bed. "Why are we whispering?" Frida asked, whispering, making Heléne laugh loudly.

"Daddy said that I didn't have to wake you up..." Heléne explained to her, playing with the bracelet she had on her wrist, looking at her out of the corner of her eye, as if she were afraid of a reproach.

Frida chuckled "It's okay, baby girl. You did good. I couldn't wait to wake up on this day" and she sat up on bed, rubbing her hands over her face to wake herself up more before pushing back the duvet and grabbing the dressing gown on the chair at the foot of the bed, finding the room unusually warm.

'That man is too thoughtful' she thought, smiling a little.

Frida turned and found a grinning Helène behind her, trying to climb up on the bed.

"You're up very early, did you wake up on your own or daddy did?" Frida asked, leaning on one elbow next to Heléne who had her hair electrifying from rubbing against the sheets.

"I woke up and nobody was up, so I came and woke up daddy but he brought me to the living room and told me to sleep another bit on the couch, but I don't want to sleep, Frida" she explained seriously.

Frida smiled amused "I see. So you left daddy snoring on the couch?".

Heléne giggled "Yes, he's snoring!".

"Then come on, let's go wake him up" Frida said in an almost conspiratorial tone, leaving a kiss on the little girl's forehead and then quickly getting out of bed. Frida put on her slippers and followed Heléne outside the room.

They crept quietly into the living room.

Heléne turned to her and put a finger to her lips, barely holding back a giggle.

Frida smiled and leaned towards her, whispering in her ear "How about we wake up daddy with a tickle?".

Heléne looked up at her shocked and grinned mischievously, nodding immediately. She looked so much like Benny in that precise moment and Frida smiled warmly.