Fiction Fragment Friday
A short one this week and if I’m honest not much of a story. More a scene with some dialog.
“Happy New Year Lilly.” I glanced up from the clock on my phone to look at the pixie flying around my living room. We had just shared a bottle of champagne, and I realized that her tiny body could not handle as much alcohol as I first assumed. Her normal level of hyper and inquisitiveness paled compared to drunk Lilly. The circles she thought she was flying looked more like curvy country back roads in the air.
“Why is now a New Year?”
“Because it’s midnight. That means it’s January 1st.”
“Well duh. I know that magic man. I mean, why do you humans start tracking your year on January 1st? What makes that day special? I’m mean it’s right in the middle of a season.”
I thought about her question for a moment. “Well, we had to pick a month to be the first month, so why not January?”
“Because there’s nothing special about the day. You could start the year on any day. Heck, you could start a month on any day. Why not make the first day actually significant?”
As I thought about her question, I began to realize that she might have a point. At the very least I didn’t know the answer to her question. I’m sure there was a reason New Year was January 1st, but I had no idea what it was. “Ok, let’s say you are making the calendar. What day would you start the year on?”
“How about a solstice or equinox? Those have meaning and anyone that has even a minor magical talent can feel them.”
She had a good point, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. She would never let me hear the end of it. “Maybe the Romans didn’t have any magical talent.”
She looked at me like I was the biggest idiot she had ever met. “Nope, and you know it. What else you got?”
“Well Lilly, if you’re so smart, why do you think we picked January 1s?”
“Cause humans are big dummies, that’s why. You all just have to give names and numbers to everything. You think it gives you power over it.”
I smiled at her. “Well, to be fair, most of the time it does.”
“Don’t remind me.” That was when she let out a belch that should not have come from such a small body. “That’s what I think about you humans and your egos.” Her words started getting more slurred as she spoke. “Cept you, you’re alright.”
“Well, I’m glad I live up to your high standards.” I got up and grabbed my laptop from across the room. I figured I would do a few searches and give her an actual answer. Before I had the chance, though, the sound of her snoring filled the room. Instead, I just smiled and whispered. “Good night Lilly. Happy New Year.”
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