Dalahast Tier 3: A Magical Gift

“Pssst, Mira. Are you awake yet?”

The red Paralogos opened her eyes. If it wasn’t normally a regular occurrence, she’d have yelped in fright at the other Paralogos staring three inches from her face. Thankfully Mira did not startle, for Iris did this to her nearly every morning.

“Hooray, you’re AWAKE!” Iris cheered, the clouds billowing from her form accelerated their diffusion with her excitement.

“Good morning, dear,” Mira smiled kindly, resting her hand on Iris’. The younger Paralogos wordlessly helped Mira to her feet.

Mira was the eldest of the three Paralogos that took care of the children’s daycare/library they called home. Although each of their true ages weren’t exactly known, Mira was physically an “elder” Paralogos, being associated with an older word that began to fade from the vernacular when trees became scarce on Lingua. The shortest of the three, she was a bright red color with white, green, and blue brush strokes that adorned her body, matching the paint job of her word focus: dalahäst.

Then there was Hasani. Towering over the other two, he was the strong and silent type. He preferred to listen than talk, making an excellent companion for babbling children. The kids also loved him for his word focus, “giraffe”, and crowded him to try and pet his fur. He always displayed unending patience, never once showing any frustration at the children for their overeagerness.

While Mira and Hasani were quiet and calm, Iris was bubbly and very excitable. She kept spirits high by always finding something to be positive about. Her word focus was “rainbow” and she proudly showed off her multi-colored stripes that stood out against her brown skin. She would have the kids point out their favorite color on her form and memorize each of their responses.

“Hasani’s already up and turning on the fireplace,” Iris chirped. Of course, the fireplace was mainly for display. With no firewood available to burn, their building relied on electric heating like the rest of the city. But their caretaker liked the look of traditional fireplaces, believing it gave their library a calm and comforting atmosphere.

“Is your gift ready?” Iris continued. “I don’t see it under the tree. I can help you if you need to wrap it. We still have time -- Miss Rose isn’t here yet!”

Mira chuckled. “No need to worry, Iris. I promise my gift is ready.” She gave the younger Paralogos a hearty wink.

“You still want to keep it a surprise, even from your B.F.F. Iris? It MUST be good!”

“It will be worth the wait, little one. Now, let’s go lend Hasani a hand.”

Normally the three Paralogos would busy themselves with preparing the space for the arrival of customers, but on this day the “CLOSED” sign would remain displayed in the window. It was Sermos’ winter gift-giving holiday, therefore most children and their families were staying home for the occasion. The only visitor they were receiving that day would be their own caretaker, Miss Rose.

Miss Rose lived in a house across the city. Born from a wealthy family, the young woman used the rest of the healthy sum of money set aside for her education to purchase books for her dream: to run a children’s daycare, where she teaches children using authentic, paper books. She had yet to receive the rest of her inheritance, however, and the only space she could afford to launch her business in was a rental space in a multi-business complex downtown. She would love to have her Paralogos live with her, but the little dinosaurs all unanimously agreed they preferred living close to the library, so it was mutually decided they reside apart.

With half of the business’ lights on and the faux fireplace emitting an orange glow, the Storytime Library looked very cozy and inviting for the occasion. A six-foot tall fake pine tree stood next to the fireplace, its branches decorated with baubles and multi-colored string lights. Drawings of gingerbread men and cut-outs of snowflakes doused in glitter were plastered all over the walls, each of them labeled with the child artist’s name with care. No scent of baked goods filled the air as the space did not have a kitchen, though their caretaker would likely bring goodies she baked at home for them to nibble on.

The front door’s bell chimed. With a rush of cold air, Miss Rose stepped into the building and quickly shut and locked the door behind her. She wiped her feet on the mat as the three Paralogos approached her.

“HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MISS ROSE!” Iris trumpeted to her caretaker as she helped with her belongings. The woman had brought a shopping bag filled with wrapped gifts.

“Why thank you, my sunshine!” Miss Rose replied cheerfully. Hasani helped her out of her down coat and hung it on the coat rack while Mira took her gloves and set them by one of the heater vents. “I hope you three kept warm last night.”

The four of them settled down comfortably by the decorated tree and fireplace. Though her Paralogos did not need to eat normal food, Miss Rose brought her dinosaur companions homemade iced sugar cookies for them to nibble and taste. Iris in particular loved the sugary treat and savored hers the longest.

“Happy Holidays, my loves,” Miss Rose smiled as she handed each of them a neatly wrapped gift. Each present contained a paper book, the subject matter chosen to satisfy the giftee’s word focus. The three dinosaurs let out gleeful melodic trumpets in response to their caretaker’s generosity.

They continued to exchange gifts. Iris proudly presented an intricate scene she’d painted over the last several weeks, which displayed the four of them in a meadow under a vibrant rainbow. Hasani knitted a woolen cap for their caretaker, spotted to match his own pelt.

Finally, it was time for Mira to present her gift to Miss Rose. She went to the back room to retrieve it from the shelf next to her bed and returned to the fireplace. Reaching upwards towards Miss Rose with her palms open, Mira offered her a small wooden Dala horse.

Miss Rose gasped. “But Mira, this was my first gift to you?” The red Paralogos nodded.

Years prior, before the Storytime Library was established, Miss Rose was finishing her university degree. She was already planning to start her daycare business and visited one of the toy stores downtown for ideas. While perusing the store’s stock, she stumbled upon a small, gray Paralogos wandering down the aisles. She smiled at the tabula rasa and attempted to converse with her, although without a bond the dinosaur could not communicate with her telepathically. 

They wandered through the store together and eventually found themselves at the back, in the antique section. Most of these toys were fragile and made of materials not commonly found in their modern variants, so Miss Rose wasn’t planning on purchasing any of those particular wares. But the tabula rasa was rooted to the spot, staring at a small painted horse high on the shelf. It had a hefty price tag considering it was made of wood, a scarce material on Lingua, but Miss Rose decided to buy the toy regardless. After completing the transaction with the clerk, she handed the toy to the Paralogos, who had followed her to the register.

“Here you are, little one,” Miss Rose said to the dinosaur, kneeling down to talk to her at eye level. “This is a gift from me. I hope it helps you grow big and wise.” The tabula rasa held the Dala horse close to her chest and smiled. Miss Rose thought that was the end of their interaction and she wouldn’t see the Paralogos again, but the dinosaur followed her out the store and back to her home. Their bond was initiated soon after that.

“Are you sure you wish to return this to me?” Miss Rose asked, pulling Mira back to the present. Mira nodded, but pulled her hands back when her caretaker reached for the toy. The dinosaur held up a finger signaling for her to wait.

Mira held up the toy wooden horse once again, concentrating on the precious item in her hands. The toy was visibly aged, with scuffed paint in the corners revealing the wood underneath, and even a small chip on one of the legs. She focused hard on the impurities and the item began to glow. The other three leaned in, entranced by the magic they were witnessing. With a final pulse of magic the toy ceased its luminescence, revealing a pristine coat of paint and no scuffs or chips in sight.

“Oh, how wonderful!” Miss Rose exclaimed with a gasp. She took the Dala horse and held it up to inspect it. “You repaired it with your magic! It looks like it was just carved and painted yesterday.”

She handed the toy back to Mira, who looked back at her caretaker with a confused expression.

“I insist you keep this Dala horse, my precious Paralogos,” Miss Rose explained. “Your gift to me was your magical prowess. I’m so proud of you.” It was then that Iris launched herself at Mira, beyond excited about her new magical abilities. Even Hasani had something to say about it.

The four of them continued to celebrate together, warmed by friendship and holiday spirit.