Bellamy drove the sled to the section of the garden where he’d carved and chiseled the ice sculptures that depicted the dream vision he’d had of his mother’s past and his origins.
Doris gasped when she recognized her younger self carved out of ice and confronting the comely sorcerer Agathon. Doris’s plain brown eyes flared in shock. “But that’s…me,” she exclaimed in a small, cracking voice.
When Bellamy drove past the sculptures he’d carved of Raul and Doris sharing their first kiss, tears filled Doris’s eyes. “Raul.”
Bellamy pulled back on the reins to stop the sled directly in front of the ice sculptures that depicted the moment when Raul had saved not only his mother’s life, but his own.
Raul had been so brave and heroic in that moment, Bellamy thought with a pang in his chest.
Crystalline tears began to slide down Doris’s face as she looked at that moment literally frozen in time - the moment Raul had saved her and the life of her unborn child.
“What is all this?” Doris asked, shaking her head in confusion. “How…?”
With a myriad of emotions swirling in his blue eyes Bellamy began to explain, “Ever since I came here I’ve been having these…dreams. Dreams that I think are actually visions of the past. First, I dreamed about the yeti girl Abigail, and discovered how she was cursed. Then I dreamed about you, Mom. I dreamed about how you saved the sorcerer Agathon, how he offered to grant you a wish, and how you wished for Raul DeWinter to love you. I saw it all - how Raul fell in love with you, but how all the men in Yeti Town that met your eyes did too.
“I saw how even after you married Raul, their obsession with you did not stop - it only grew worse, more poisoned, venomous. You were going to leave Raul and free him from yourself, but when you became pregnant you decided not to. I saw…my father. I saw how Raul saved your life, and mine. I saw how Raul named me with his dying breath.” Bellamy turned to give his mother a searching look. “Why? Why didn’t you ever tell me about him?”
A flash of guilt crossed Doris’s face. “I…thought it would be easier this way. And it was painful for me to remember Raul, and how in the end he did truly love me…us.”
Bellamy could feel the anger pulsing through his veins. “I thought my father was some deadbeat loser or maybe he’d been unfaithful to you…and that’s why you never talked about him. I always assumed he abandoned us. That he was a bad person. I cursed him. And now…I find out my father was a hero. He protected us. Saved us!” He slashed his hand angrily through the air in a gesture of frustration.
“Bellamy, I’m sorry,” Doris apologized with an ashamed look on her face. “I’m sorry about everything.”
Some of Bellamy’s anger began to deflate at the sad, lost look on his mother’s face. “I know. I blamed you too, you know? I used to wonder what horrible thing you did to get yourself cursed by someone. Some days…I wanted to hate you because of everything I was going through.”
“What I did was horrible, I-” Doris started.
“No!” Bellamy burst out and took his mother’s hands in his. He noticed that Doris’s hands were like ice and began to rub them. “Just, no. None of this is your fault. I know that now. It’s all because of him…the sorcerer Agathon. That evil charlatan! Everything is his fault. He cursed you in the guise of granting you an innocent girlish wish. What teenage girl doesn’t wish her crush will magically fall in love with her? Your wish was not evil, Mother. You just didn’t want to be alone in this frozen, barren wasteland. Who could really blame you for that? The sorcerer Agathon…he’s the evil one!”
Doris remembered how the sorcerer Agathon had warned her that magic has a price. The balance of the universe must be maintained. She shook her head. “Bellamy, I appreciate you saying that, but I am partly to blame for all this. I made a choice - I made a wish. And Agathon warned me about the possible consequences. I should have heeded his warning. It’s my fault. I don’t know if the sorcerer Agathon is truly evil or not.”
“Oh, he’s evil alright,” Bellamy snarled, his lip curling with disgust as he thought about how the sorcerer had turned Abigail into a monster just for being a little superficial. “And if I ever encounter him, I’ll…” He trailed off.
Worry and fear clawed at Doris’s insides at her gentle son’s vengeful words.
Bellamy’s grip on Doris’s hands tightened unconsciously until it began to hurt. “Bellamy, you’re hurting me.”
The bookworm instantly let go of his mother’s hands, and his expression turned sheepish. “Sorry, Mom, I was lost in thought for a moment there. Anyways, let’s go back home.”
“Home?” Doris asked hopefully thinking of their small log cabin back in Yeti Town.
“To the yeti’s mansion,” said Bellamy.
“Oh, right.” Doris’s shoulders sagged disappointedly. “Of course.”
Bellamy drove the sled the rest of the way to the mansion and stopped the sled in front of the stone staircase that led to the front door. He helped his mom up the slippery quartz steps to the front door and knocked using the yeti-shaped lapis lazuli doorknocker. The door opened and Bellamy guided his mother inside.
“Welcome back, Master Bellamy,” Jett greeted amiably.
Bellamy flashed Jett a grin. “Thanks, Jett. It’s good to be back.”
Doris stared at the talking black onyx statue that looked like a butler in shock. “It…the statue just talked.”
“Jett, I’d like you to meet my mother Doris,” Bellamy introduced with a nod of his head in his mother’s direction.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madam,” Jett greeted politely.
Doris was a little caught off guard by Jett’s prim, velvety British accent. “Likewise.”
Bellamy noticed that his mother was trembling slightly and frowned. “You look cold, Mom.”
“Oh dear, let’s get you warmed up by the fire, Madam,” Jett offered as he took Doris’s hand and started to lead her in the direction of the living room. Doris nodded numbly for a moment and murmured an assent.
However, that’s when Jett and Bellamy heard a thud and turned to see that Doris had fainted to the floor. “Goodness, I must have startled her,” Jett said reprovingly.
“Don’t worry about it, Jett,” Bellamy assured the butler. “She’s just had a long day.” He swooped his mom up into his arms and carried her into the living room, followed close behind by a concerned Jett.
Bellamy set his mother down on the jade armchair that was sitting in front of the fireplace. There were now two soft, emerald green velvet cushions on the chair that hadn’t been there before, which made the hard chair much more comfortable. Bellamy was touched by the gesture. A fire was crackling pleasantly in the marble and stone fireplace.
“Jett, do you have any smelling salts?” Bellamy asked skeptically.
“Why, of course, Sir,” the butler said. “I’ll fetch them right away.” Jett walked off to fetch the smelling salts and returned a few minutes later with Lazuli the maid in tow. Lazuli was holding a silver tray arranged with a crystal pitcher filled with water and a matching goblet.
Jett handed Bellamy the jar of smelling salts. “Here you are, Sir.”
“Thanks, Jett.” Bellamy held the jar beneath his mother’s nose and waited for a reaction. In seconds, Doris regained consciousness with a gasp, and blinked, glancing around her with obvious confusion.
“Hey, Mom, how are you feeling?” Bellamy’s voice was laced with concern.
Doris looked around the living room and spotted the statue made out of lapis lazuli that was shaped like a French maid, and her eyes flared in alarm. “Uh…”
Lazuli poured Doris a glass of water and held it out to her. “Would you like a glass of water, Madam?”
“Now it talked too.” Doris was surprised by the maid’s sultry French accent. She felt dizzy as she swayed in her seat a little. “I think I’m going to faint again.”
“Mom, don’t freak out,” Bellamy soothed. “They’re not ghosts.”
“They’re not?” Doris questioned.
Bellamy shook his head. “Nope. They’re human. Just like you and me. The sorcerer Agathon cursed them into being stone statues.” A hard edge had come to his voice.
“Agathon did?” A flash of surprise crossed Doris’s face and her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Now, that’s a long story,” Bellamy sighed as he raked a hand back through his hair. “But I think you ought to know it before you meet Abigail again.”
Doris gave her son a reluctant nod. “Alright.”
Bellamy told his mom all about the dreams he’d had about Abigail, and how Holly Snow had been sick, how Aspen Snow had been trying to find his wife a cure through magic and alchemy, and how eventually both of Abigail’s parents died making her a rich heiress.
Bellamy went onto tell his mother about how Abigail had these over-the-top, extravagant parties where only the best-looking socialites were invited. Then he related how Agathon had shown up in the guise of a homeless man during Abigail’s eighteenth birthday party and had offered her an Aurora Borealis quartz stone in exchange for shelter from the rain. Bellamy had explained that Abigail had refused due to her disgust of the homeless man and had been subsequently cursed. “So you see, even though Abigail looks like a ferocious yeti she’s actually an eighteen-year-old girl suffering from a horrible and totally unfair curse,” Bellamy finished with an adamant look in his blue eyes.
Sympathetic tears were leaking out of Doris’s brown eyes. “That really is horrible.”
Jett offered Doris a silk handkerchief. “Here you are, Madam.”
Doris took the handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes with it before blowing her nose loudly. “Thank you, Jett.” She shot the butler a grateful look before turning her attention back to her son. “What do you intend to do now, Bellamy?”
Bellamy blinked. “I plan to help Abigail find a way to break the curse. Duh.”
A proud expression fell over Doris’s face. She reached out to cup Bellamy’s cheek fondly, and gave him a watery smile. “I’m so proud of you, my son.”
Bellamy beamed at his mother and leaned into her comforting touch. “Mom.”
At that moment, Kristal entered the living room with shy steps, and curtsied nervously. “Milady would like you all to join her for dinner,” she announced in her tiny, girlish voice.
Doris glanced towards the doorway and caught sight of the little girl made out of blue quartz crystal that resembled Shirley Temple. She couldn’t stop the smile that curled her lips. “She’s adorable.” Doris stood up from her chair, approached Kristal, and crouched before her. “And what might your name be, young lady?”
“Kristal,” she answered timidly while shifting from one foot to the other.
“My name is Doris. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kristal.” Doris held her hand out to the girl. “Can you show me where the dining room is?”
Kristal beamed and took Doris’s hand. “Of course, Doris!”
Bellamy sauntered over and took Kristal’s other hand. “I guess it’s time for you to meet Abigail Snow.” He addressed his mother. “Properly this time.”
Kristal giggled at that as she led the guests to the dining room.
***
Abigail could hardly believe it when she saw Bellamy’s dogsled reenter her estate. “He came back.” There was a wistful note to her voice. The yeti squinted at the sled and could see that Bellamy’s mother Doris was with him. She let out a sigh of relief at the sight. So he’d been able to rescue her after all.
Abigail was just about to run out of her room and go and greet Bellamy and his mother when she looked down at herself and her furry body. Her blue lips dipped into a troubled frown. The yeti realized that she was about to meet Bellamy’s mother for the second time, and this time she wanted to make a good impression.
I don’t want to scare Bellamy’s mother by looking like a monster. I can’t let her see me like this. Abigail decided to fix herself up as best she could, considering her current form. It took her a little more than an hour, but somehow she managed to squeeze herself into one of her designer evening gowns.
Abigail gazed longingly at her shoe collection for a moment, and wished that her furry, clawed feet would fit into her Christian Louboutins, but there was just no way. She pouted and made her way over to her dressing table instead. Abigail got out her curling iron and began to style her hair. Once her hair was finished, she carefully and tenderly took out her mother’s jewelry box. She ended up selecting a pair of cascading diamond earrings and a matching necklace.
Once she was finally finished getting ready, Abigail looked at her appearance in the cracked dressing mirror, and touched mirror’s surface with her clawed hand. “Do I look even a little bit like you, Mother?” She took a deep breath to steel her nerves. She had guests to attend to! It had been so long.
Brimming with excitement, Abigail headed to the dining room, prepared to meet Bellamy’s mother Doris. When the yeti arrived, Bellamy and his mother were already seated at the table and awaiting her presence.
Abigail swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, took another deep breath, raised her chin, and strolled into the dining room as elegantly and gracefully as possible.
Bellamy raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of Abigail all dressed up. He wondered how she’d managed to get herself stuffed into that golden-yellow silk evening gown. Her hair was a series of large, curled ringlets that looked…hilarious, and reminded him of a French wig. Bellamy snorted as he tried really hard not to laugh. He didn’t want the yeti to change the main dish of tonight’s menu to roasted Belle.
Doris’s dull brown eyes merely widened at the unexpected sight.
Abigail walked over and took a seat at the head of the table. As she sat down, however, the back of her dress ripped open slightly and audibly. A faint, magenta-colored blush rose to Abigail’s blue cheeks, and she pretended that nothing was amiss. “Good evening, I am Abigail Snow. The owner of this estate.”
“Doris DeWinter,” Doris introduced herself politely.
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Doris,” Abigail said with a gracious smile. “It would please me greatly if you’d join me for dinner.”
“Of course, I would be…” Doris searched for the right word. “Delighted.”
Abigail’s smile widened. “Excellent. Let’s dig in, shall we?”
Before Doris and Bellamy started to eat they shared an amused, conspiratorial look at Abigail’s efforts to be a gracious, ladylike hostess. That evening the chef had prepared veal scallopini with button mushrooms, wild rice, and grilled zucchini.
Abigail raised her fork and knife, and daintily began to cut into her veal scallopini. However, with a popping sound one of the buttons from the front of Abigail’s dress suddenly flew off and landed on Bellamy’s plate with a plop as it landed in the mushroom sauce.
Bellamy had to bite down on his lower lip to hold back a laugh, and used his fork to discreetly push the button to the side of his plate.
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