Chapter 12

It had been two weeks since Todd's arrival to Annette's house. Todd was busy cleaning the attic. Annette wanted to clean up there with him but he told her he'll take care of it since he didn't want to risk her getting hurt. He was a bit more durable than a fragile human. Over his many years of serving humans, Todd seen humans break over the slightest things, regardless if it was physical, mental, or emotional injuries and pain. Annette, at her advanced age, was still fiercely independent and wanted to clean with Todd. So he offered her a bargain. A simple one at that. He'll bring down boxes to have her help sort through so that way she can help with what she could.

Todd finds another box. This one had his interest. As soon as he picked it up, he heard some bells jingle inside it. The box was labeled 'Christmas Stuff' in green and black marker. Todd gently shakes the box again as he makes his way downstairs.

"Annette look at what I found," said Todd as he walks into the living room where Annette was seated. She had just finished sorting through one of the boxes that Todd had brought down earlier.

"Let me what you found, Todd," said Annette. She waits for Todd to set the box down by her feet before she opens it.

"Seems you found the Christmas decorations." She pulls out a red and green stocking. It was a bit small and it had a couple of holes in it. Plus the fluff around the top of the stocking was kinda patchy. "This used to be your Christmas stocking, Todd. Your family used to come by for Christmas every year until your father and I had our argument." She hands the stocking to Todd.

"I made that for you when you were a year old. Speaking of which, Todd, how old are you again?" Annette asks with a confused look.

"Eighteen I think," said Todd as he scratches the back of his head. He didn't want to tell Annette his true age so he lied and said the age he knew the human Todd would be if he was the one living with Annette.

"Eighteen years?! Time has flown by since I had seen you last. Even though it's been ten years. Tell you what, as soon as we get the chance too, I'll take you out to eat to one of the restaurants here in Amber Falls as a belated birthday present."

"That's fine, Annette." Todd sits down next to Annette to help her sort through the box. He pulls out the angel that was used to top the tree. It's halo was broken, wings were crooked, and it's dress was torn and covered with cobwebs. "Annette when was the last time you decorated for Christmas?"

"I think you ready know the answer to that, Todd." Annette wipes a tear from her eye.

"Sorry I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It's okay. It's best, at my age, not to bottle up your emotions. Otherwise they just eat away at you. The holidays haven't been the same since Arthur passed away. They felt...empty. It just wasn't the same when he wasn't here to celebrate with me. Then when your father made it so you never came back to visit me, there was no point to decorate for the holidays. I missed how your eyes shown in wonder on Christmas day when you seen all the presents underneath the Christmas tree. How you always asked for seconds for the homemade stuffing even when you were too full..." The tears were now falling freely from Annette's eyes.

"Hey, there's no need to cry. I'm here for you now and it's going to stay that way. I don't plan on leaving again, even if my father tries to drag me away from you," said Todd. He hugs Annette while she cried silently. He kinda felt useless. He didn't know how to handle a situation like this. In the past he never seen the ones who has summoned him, cry. He was no stranger to emotions but seeing someone cry, he did not know how to handle it.

Later that day, after Todd puts Annette to bed from exhausting herself from crying, he heads back up to the attic to finish cleaning. He had managed to clean himself a spot and uncovered an old recliner that had a yellowed sheet over it to protect it from dust, to sit down in. Todd also had the window opened to let the fresh evening air blow through the attic. The sun had just began to set. Todd at this point was trying to find pictures of when the human Todd was a kid so he could make his current appearance look more like how human Todd would look like when he was eighteen. Todd was over thousands of years old. Even though he was still considered old, he was still young.

Todd opens up a box that sat by his feet. The socks and jeans he was wearing were now covered in in thin layer of dust. "Seems like a lot of this stuff Annette has forgotten about. Always happens with old age. You forget about something but when you see it, sometimes you remember," said Todd to himself. Sitting at the stop of the box was a photo album. He picks it up and opens it. The first picture shown was a large picture that was in black and white of Annette and Arthur. They were both smiling in the picture. The picture was taken during the World's Fair in 1984 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

"Oh yeah I remember that one," said Todd with a weak laugh. "My last summoner lived in New Orleans. I'll have to go back there one day." Todd turns to the next page in the album and sees a picture that was taken with Annette visit Arthur in the hospital. It must have been on the day he was just admitted. Todd knew how fragile human life was but it always surprised him how love brought the best out of people.