Across the Divide and Through Valhalla

Snowing in the Slums

Chapter 69

Sherry grinned down at the children that had gathered around. "Would you like to see snow? Or at least as close as I can get."

Several of them gave her dubious looks, but Kid tilted his head. He didn't really know her, but everything he had seen so far said she wasn't a liar. His voice was curious. "Can you really do that?"

Her grin widened, and she looked around. She noticed that several children had bubble wands. That made it even easier. She turned back to Kid and nodded. "Yep. Can all of you make as many bubbles as you can? We need to fill the air with them."

There was some murmuring at her request, but Kid stepped back and pulled out a tiny bottle from his pocket. There was palpable excitement in his eyes when he turned to his friends. "Help me!"

He started blowing bubbles before any of them answered. Most of them looked at him with concern. At least until they noticed that the bubbles weren't falling. Sherry had flicked her wrist, and a mild flow of air was keeping them airborne. When they saw that, a few more joined the boy. It was only a matter of moments later that every child that had bubbles with them joined in. There were a few that looked disappointed that they couldn't, but Sherry hoped they would still enjoy the outcome.

When the air was so thick with bubbles that it was hard to see through them, Sherry called out. "That's enough. Now watch this."

All the children froze and looked up. Even the ones that hadn't helped to fill the air. There was a collective gasp as Sherry snapped and instantly froze every tiny sphere in the air. She let go of the air current and let them drift down. She felt a pang in her chest as she watched them hold out their hands and let the frozen bubbles land. It brought back memories if Anna and Stella, but she pushed them back and tried to focus on the moment.

There were a great many awed whispers as the children each looked around to the ground that was now covered in a fine layer of white. After a few minutes, the 'snow' started to melt, and they all looked back to her with excitement. Sherry didn't need to wait for them to ask. She grinned as she nodded to them. "Are you ready to try again?"

There was excited chatter as they all immediately started blowing bubbles again. Sherry laughed at their exuberance and flicked her wrist to repeat the process. This was supposed to be a distraction, but she was glad it was something they all enjoyed.

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Genesis had stepped away when Sherry shooed him off because he realized his presence was intimidating, but he didn't go far. Despite her request, he hated leaving her alone for longer than necessary. He already hated the idea of leaving her to find Aerith. At least they had told the girl to be ready and waiting for them not far from where they were.

When Sherry looked back at him, he realized what she had planned, or at least the gist of it, and he couldn't help himself. Even after he acknowledged her nudge that it was time for him to go, he had to stay and watch. He was just as fascinated as the children when she used her magic to first lift and then freeze the bubbles. It was something he would never have considered, but it was effective.

When the frozen structures started to fall, he knew he didn't have time to stick around. He looked across the clearing and saw Reno staring with open awe at the false snow and knew he had to leave before the Turk regained himself. He turned with a smirk. At least he understood how the man felt. It wasn't just the fascinating show of magic. The Turk was a slum rat. He knew Reno had to have seen real snow at least once, but seeing it in the slums somehow made the gritty surroundings just a little more magical.