“Of course,” she whispered back just as softly. Pulling back, her eyes were as watery as mine. “I meant it.”
A soft tug on Kehl’s leg had us glancing down in the direction of the small blue fuzzball gazing up at Kehl curiously in his Krampus form. We had no idea if his shift was permanent or temporary for now.
“Mithter Kehldor?” Rosa’s oldest asked with her cute little lisp from the front teeth she was missing. Lifting a small, hand-made looking book out to him, he knelt to take it from her.
It was a children’s book. There was a Krampus similar to Kehl on it, and it was dancing. While I didn’t recognize the book, I knew who had written it.
Dace. But… how? When?
“Ith dith you?” Kehko asked.
“May I see that?” I asked.
She nodded and handed it over as Rosa came up behind her.
“It was Dace’s idea. She made one for every family with a child in the village while you were recovering,” Rosa explained. “She thought it might help them understand.”
Written in English, Spanish, what I assumed was French, and in the Creeson symbols of the Lo denaii, a story of a dancing Krampus-Lo denaii who was a little different but still the same as everyone else, a cute little easy to understand story for little ones unfolded. I was fighting back tears as I finished it and handed it back to Kehko. “That sounds like Kehl,” I confirmed.
Her little face lit up and she grinned up at Kehl. “This is me, too,” she told him, hugging the book to her chest. “I’m didfrent but same too! Like my daddies and bruvers!”
Kehl opened his mouth as if he meant to say something, frowning slightly, but then snapped it shut when she beamed up at him happily.
Turning with a happy sound, she squeezed past everyone to cry out as she rushed back to her siblings, “Itth him! Poo thaid itth him!”
This was her third set of “permanent” teeth, according to her mama. The poor thing just kept losing them and they kept growing back in. They were going to go broke financing the tooth fairy business.
Clasping her brothers’ hands, Kehko and her brothers all danced in a circle, just like the hybrid Krampus in the book did.
“Thank you for that.” Rosa smiled at Kehl. “That book is all she’s talked about since they were distributed. She swore he must be real.” Leaning in, she mouthed, “He’s like Santa to her.”
“Sandy Claweds bad. Not nice. Kehl not want scare bebehs,” Kehl whispered, looking absolutely horrified by the idea. “Sandy Claweds scary, hunt beasts.”
“Huh?” I blurted.
Rosa blinked, gaped, but then recovered quickly. “Earth Santa. The nice one. She doesn’t think you want to murder her, I promise. She wouldnotbe smiling about that,” Rosa spluttered out as she spoke fast. “There’s only the good Earth Santa at our house.”
“Wait… there’s a Sandy Claws and he’s bad?!” I blurted, thoroughly confused.
Kehl shuddered.
“I’m justnowhearing of this?” I whispered. Was it some kind of secret?
“There’s a reason for that,” Rosa responded with a grimace.
Glancing around and finding a similar reaction amongst several Lo denaii, apprehension, revulsion at hearing the name Sandy Claws spoken, and worry, I whispered quietly, “Does this Sandy Claws guy live around here?”
Kehl shook his head. “Long times ago, portal leads to Bad Sandy Claweds close. Leave Krampuses escape here trapped. Sandy Claweds bad like Krampus, but badder.”
That sounded super not good, especially if Krampus were the perceived villains of Yetidom.
“Be-ed goot or Sandied Claweds come, eat face, Da say,” Doogie chimed in from Carrie’s side.
“One of your daddy’s scared you with that?” Carried asked.
“Not nice,” Elle grumbled. “Elle maman no like talk scare babies like that.”
“I don’t like it either,” Carrie admitted uneasily.
