The next day, Katie told Abby about Alisa's idea for a Christmas musical. She loved the idea and got busy with her actors and music students to put on a small Christmas show. She invited Alisa to the school for story time.
Alisa agreed and brought a handwritten copy of " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the school. She had written a modified brief history of Santa Claus and Christmas. As a children's author from Earth, Alisa had experience writing books and reading stories to children.
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the fireplace with care, in hopes that Santa Claus would soon be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of cheesecakes danced in their heads...
The kids loved the new stories and songs. They were excited to put on a Christmas show. Since it was less than a month away, they only focused on a few songs. Abby gave a copy of the stories and poems to the printing press and had them start making copies.
Alisa had another idea for the Christmas Show. She went to the craftsman's shop. The doorbell chimed as Alisa opened the door to the shop. Arno and Yuno were busy with the wooden puzzles that Alisa had shown them last week.
Arno raised his head at the sound of the bell. His eyes lit up as he cheerfully greeted Alisa. She was one of his favorite people after all of her inventions and contributions to the Kanta people. He greeted her warmly, "Alisa, welcome! We are almost done with the puzzles that you introduced us to last week. They will be a hit!"
Alisa smiled at both of them and walked over to see the progress of the puzzles. She had loved puzzles in the modern world, but had mostly had cardboard puzzles. They had plenty of wood in the mountains, so wooden puzzles were not hard to make. The most time-consuming part was cutting the patterns on the wood. They had to be cut by hand.
Alisa was impressed. Each wooden puzzle would be unique. She praised, "Wow! They look amazing! They should be a big hit with the vendors the next time they visit in the spring."
Yuno blushed slightly at the praise and smiled. "Thank you for the praise, but we wouldn't be able to create these without your idea. We are merely bringing your vision to life." Yuno was humble and grateful to Alisa for her contributions.
Alisa flattered them again, "Honestly, my ideas may have started these puzzles, but you both are bringing them to life beautifully! The details on the puzzles and even the boxes are exquisite."
Arno looked a bit sheepish at the praise and replied, "It was Tobin's idea to decorate the box of the puzzle pieces. He named the puzzles and carved the names on the outside of the box. That boy has good ideas once in a while."
Alisa sighed at the mention of Tobin. She hadn't seen him since the awkward rejection of his confession. He had been busy when she went to see Kirin. She hoped that his heart would heal quickly and he would be able to move on.
"Actually, I came to offer a new idea and see if it is possible to replicate here. Where I am from, we have something called fireworks. We set them off during the winter holidays, and I would love to have some for the Christmas show that Abby is planning with the children." Alisa explained the basics of fireworks to the best of her knowledge.
Basic fireworks were made from saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. Luckily, they had these ingredients available from the nearby mines. Alisa drew a few designs of modern fireworks and explained how to wrap the thick paper and add a fuse to one side to light it. It was based on modern Roman candle fireworks.
She drew out a base to place the fireworks in so they could have them fire up into the sky. After warning them about the dangers of fireworks, she left the rest of the design up to the craftsmen. They were very creative and would be able to come up with exciting things to add to the Christmas show.
As Arno and Yuno discussed designs, the bell chimed again, and Tobin entered the shop. He had come to work after his morning training. He stopped in surprise when he saw Alisa in the shop. At first, he wanted to talk to her, but then he remembered how she rejected him, and he walked past her quietly.
Alisa wanted to put the awkwardness behind them and move forward with their friendship. "Hi Tobin, nice to see you. Arno told me that it was your idea to decorate the puzzle boxes. They look exquisite."
Tobin hunched his shoulders a bit at the praise and tried to downplay his excitement. "It's no big deal. I wanted a way to distinguish the puzzles from the other games." He busied himself with a new puzzle box.
Alisa approached Tobin and asked hesitantly, "Can we talk? How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while."
Tobin's hands paused on the box, but he didn't meet Alisa's eyes. "I've been busy." He said nonchalantly.
Alisa sighed, "I know that you are busy. I miss my friend. I hope that you will make time for yourself. Abby is going to do a Christmas show with the kids soon. I was hoping that you guys could help with the props. I showed Arno and Yuno a design for fireworks. It will be fun!"
At the mention of something new and potentially fun, Tobin's dull eyes sparked slightly. "What are fireworks, and Christmas?"
Alisa laughed at his child-like reaction to fun new things. Arno and Yuno had given them space to talk, but at the mention of Christmas, their ears perked up, and they came closer to hear Alisa's story.
Alisa shared the basics about Santa Claus and Christmas and told them that they would need to wait for the Christmas Show to hear the rest. They were all excited! Alisa could tell that Tobin's attitude had warmed up to her. Maybe they could be friends again. It was a Christmas miracle!