Page 4: Tree
Abdiel puts a ban on mistletoe, because Andre’s around so often he might as well live with them, and neither of the St. Jude siblings even considers decorating with holly, since that plant shares the same name as Eden’s late foster mother. That significantly cuts down on the amount of greenery they can put up around the house, but Abdiel figures that a tree will make up for that.
It surprises him when Eden confesses she’s never had a Christmas tree before.
“There was nowhere to put one in our apartment,” she says.
Abdiel’s adopted family always had a tree, so Abdiel is no stranger to chopping down evergreens. They don’t have any ornaments, but there’s plenty of stuff around the house they can use. He’s been tinkering for years and has amassed a ridiculous collection of tiny mechanical animals and steampunk gadgets. It’s kind of nice to finally find a use for them.
“This is cute,” Eden comments about a cage made completely of clock hands, which contains a cricket made out of watch parts. She hangs it from a branch at eye level then picks up a tricked out compass.
“This is going to be the weirdest looking tree ever,” Abdiel says with a chuckle.
“It’s going to look great,” Eden defends. “Tinsel and red bulbs are so clichéd.”
“Our tree will definitely have character,” Abdiel agrees. He snaps off a piece of wire and winds it around the top of a fist-sized orrery, turning the device into an ornament.
Brass and gold is their theme, though the odd tin or copper decoration makes it onto the tree as well. They use plain lights instead of colored, because they both agree that the white light will look better reflecting off all the metal.
“Isn’t something special supposed to go at the top?” Eden asks when they’re just about finished. “On TV they usually use a star . . . I don’t suppose you happen to have one of those lying around somewhere?”
She’s joking but Abdiel is prepared. “I’ve got something better than a star,” he tells her and picks up the box that he set aside until this topic came up. He hands it over to Eden. “You do the honors.”
Her breath catches when she opens it, and a smile lights her face as she removes Abdiel’s latest creation – a gleaming clockwork angel. “It’s gorgeous . . .”
Abdiel lifts his sister by the waist so that she can reach high enough to set the angel in its place (chairs and ladders are for lesser mortals). Eden laughs, just like she did when she was two, and he held her up so that she could hang ornaments more than three feet off the ground. When he puts her down she makes a beeline for the electric outlet.
Their tree lights up in a blaze of gold, and it’s beautiful, but to Abdiel it can’t compare with the light in his little sister’s eyes.
