"Jack Frost, you are now and forever more a guardian!"
I couldn't help but feel pure joy flood into my veins. Finally I would belong. I would have a family. I would never have to be alone anymore.
As we sailed off in North's sleigh, I let that thought sink in. My three hundred years of empty loneliness was over at last.
A soft noise woke me from a peaceful slumber. Sleep? I didn't recall going to sleep. Maybe I was so tired after fighting Pitch that I crashed on a couch at the North Pole? Slowly I peeled my eyes open. A starry sky hung overhead. Dawn was barely beginning to peek over the horizon streaking the east with peach ribbons.
Where am I?
I sat up and looked around. I was in Burgess.
Why am I in Burgess? I was just heading to the pole. I must have had too much eggnog before I left.
My thoughts were interrupted by another shuffle. I scampered about, searching for my staff, which I spotted a few feet away. I grabbed it and raised it into attacking position, despite the fact that it is most likely just a rabbit or something. The shuffles come closer. No, it can't be a little rabbit, what ever was making the noises was certainly larger. A tall, familiar figure emerged from behind a tree. Well, I was right about one thing, it was not a bunny, it was a kangaroo.
But why is he here?
Bunny, whose face was concealed by shadow, bent over, placing something on the ground. I watched at he did this for a minute or two, before realizing that he was hiding eggs.
Was he trying to make up Easter? I mean, I won't say anything against him for trying, and it might get a few believers back, but all of the effort that he probably spend growing and speed painting a few "Googies" might not cut it.
"Jack frost?" It took a moment for me to realize that the Easter bunny was now staring at me from a few yards away. "what are ya doin' here mate?"
"I might ask the same to you." I said, wearing a friendly smirk. However, I was a bit confused by the way that Bunny said my name. It sounded strange, like he wasn't used to the words coming out of his mouth.
"Well, lets see... It's Easter Sunday." Bunny said, rather coldly. "Now aren't you s'posta be off in Antarctica right about now?"
Easter? No, Easter was yesterday. What was this guy trying to pull?
"Unless," he continued. "You're tryin' ta make another '68"
What? He had to be kidding. Why was he acting this way?
"Kid, are ya listening?"
He was acting like the last two days hadn't happened. Unless- no, that's impossible. It couldn't have been a dream. It was all too real!
"Bunny-?" More words failed to reach my lips. The overgrown rabbit just stared as I began to mumble incoherent words. This couldn't be happening! How was it possibly a dream? Did none of it happen? And my memories! Was I anyone before Jack Frost?
Every thing that had happened over the past few days, was it nothing more than a dream?
It was too good to be true.
Realization hit him like a freight train. It was all just a dream. A dream that made reality a nightmare.
My breath hitched in my throat. Tears sprung to my eyes. A shiver of emptiness shook my spine.
I have no friends. No family. No believers.
I am all alone.
It wasn't like I hadn't thought about this before, because I have many times during my 300 years of solitude. This time, it just hit so much harder because the dream had given me faith that I would never be alone. That I meant something to someone. But that faith was ripped away.
I stumbled backwards as deep sorrow and pain swelled up inside of me. I needed to run. To escape. To cry. To scream at the top of my lungs.
I forcefully suck in a gasp of air before rocketing off the ground and taking Bunny's advice and heading to Antarctica.
It took me many years to remember what fun was. And even then, it was often overridden by loneliness. I never forgot the feeling of belonging that I felt in the dream that I had after I accidentally fell into a stream of the Sandman's golden dream sand. That dream that gave me a taste of things that I will never have.
The love and care that I had felt, was nothing but a dream.