Chapter Seven: Winterfest

 

On Tuesday morning, I left the twins asleep whilst I went to make some breakfast. Erytheia came to join me.

"Hey lovely!" I said. "Do you like being a big sister?"

"Yeah! The babies are cute!" she smiled.

"They are, aren't they?" I replied. "You and Xanthe can be great role models for them."

"Huh?"

"Role model. It means that when you behave like a good girl, they will watch you and hopefully do the same." I wasn't sure if I'd explained it properly, but it was a decent explanation for a toddler I thought.

After breakfast, I went to the bedroom to brush up on my charisma. The babies were awake but quiet, so I was keeping an ear out for any noise they might make. I had recently switched to a new acting agency, and they were understanding about me having young children. 

After a little while, Artemis started crying, so I went over to attend to her. To be honest, I was relieved; I always felt rather silly talking to my own reflection. 

It wasn't long before Artemis and Apollo were also toddlers. Early on Winterfest morning, Apollo came into my bedroom and started crying.

"What's the matter, Apollo?" I asked.

"Scary dream!" he wailed.

"Oh dear, that's never fun," I said, getting out of bed. "Never mind. Mummy will make you feel better."

I lifted him up into the air and began dangling him upside down. Although a little shocked at first, he soon started giggling.

"Wheeeee!" he grinned.

I had actually had a pretty good sleep, so I went through to the living room and did a bit of tree decorating, which Peter had already started. We'd decided to go with a blue and silver theme, in keeping with our joint love of the colour blue. 

I'd bought the children Christmas jumpers, which they wore to eat their turkey dinner that evening. I'd been particularly happy to find Xanthe's, as it was the only yellow jumper I'd managed to find. I wasn't too worried about them getting dirty, as they'd likely only be worn the once before they were outgrown, and my mother had thoroughly taught me how to wash woolly clothing. 

Once we'd all eaten, we gathered round the tree to open presents. Erytheia and Xanthe could recognise their names and so easily spotted their gifts, whilst I helped Artemis and Apollo with theirs.

I had earned a role in an upcoming episode of ZBB: Apocalypse Rising, a primetime TV show. It was pretty exciting! I headed to the gym the day after Winterfest to work on my fitness. Snow was falling outside, coating the city in a cold white blanket. I didn't really have a favourite season; all of them had their good points.

After my workout, I decided to head to a nearby bubble tea shop. I'd heard of the stuff, but hadn't ever tried it. Some of the people I'd worked with on various projects had recommended it, so I had to give it a go myself. 

I decided to go for a "mango milk tea", as mango is my favourite fruit. The mixture of fruit and milk was a little odd at first, but ultimately I got used to it. It was really quite tasty, and I wanted to try more flavours in future. I'd liked the sound of "chocolate milk tea" until I'd further read that it came with cheese foam. I liked chocolate and I liked cheese, but I wasn't sure if they went together.

On Friday evening, I thought it'd be a nice idea to take the children to the Festival of Light in Mt Komorebi. They probably wouldn't get much out of it, but it'd be nice for them to get out of the house, plus they liked meeting strangers and chatting to them.

I bought myself a special festival kimono and donned it, before going to greet an elderly woman nearby.

"Konnichi-wa," I said, grateful that the one Japanese word I knew was a useful one.

"Konnichi-wa," the woman said. "My name is Sachiko Nishidake."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Caroline Masterson," I replied. "Do you live here?"
"Yes, I do. It's a lovely place to live."
"It must be," I smiled. "So, what food do you recommend I try?"
"I'd go with a taiyaki," she said. "It's only brought out for the light festival. Yaki soba is also delicious, but you can buy it anytime if you come to Yukimatsu which is where the ski slopes are."

"Thank you for the recommendation," I smiled. 

I duly purchased a strawberry taiyaki, which tasted amazing. As the sun went down, I went to stand on the bridge to look at the colourful lanterns floating down the river. It looked so peaceful. 

I'd like to take the kids on holiday here, I thought. Perhaps when they're a bit older so they can join in with skiing and sledging.

Then, feeling tired, I grabbed the kids and we headed home.