3. Excitement

Word count: 1167.

Five-year-old Cassidy squealed with delight when her mom told her the news. She would be going to the Frozen party to see Anna and Elsa at the local library!

"I can't believe it! This is the best thing that's ever happened to me!" She jumped up and down and clapped her hands, her green eyes glowing like traffic lights. Frozen was her favorite Disney movie, and she had always wanted to meet the Queen of Arendelle and her sister.

"Will you be able to wait patiently until next week?" Mom asked, smiling.

"Maybe not—I might burst or something!" Cassidy responded, giggling. She twirled around the kitchen, singing Let It Go and pretending to be Elsa. A whole week seemed like such a very long time to wait.

Cassidy ran upstairs to her room and gathered her stuffed Anna and Elsa dolls into her arms. She had to pull Olaf out from under the bed where the cat had left him. Kristoff and Sven were in a corner with some plastic carrots. She picked them up and put them all together on her bed, propped against her pillow, then climbed up and started telling them the wonderful news.

"I'm taking you, Elsa, and Anna, and maybe Olaf too, if Mom lets me. I can't take too many of you to the library cause you might get lost in that big place. Aren't you so excited? You'll get to meet your family! I can't wait!"

At kindergarten the next morning, the Frozen party was all Cassidy could talk about. She shouted to all of her friends as soon as she arrived,

"Did you hear the news? Mom's taking me to meet Elsa and Anna on Sunday!"

Her best friend Andrea grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"My Dad's taking me there too! We'll be going together! Oh, isn't this wonderful?" She grinned and bounced back and forth on tiptoes, swinging her arms.

They giggled and hugged each other and ran in circles in the playground. When quiet time came, the teachers had to remind the two girls to calm down. They could hardly contain themselves, leaning in close to whisper and chatter about the big day.

When Andrea visited Cassidy at home, they brought out all their Frozen toys and had a big, noisy celebration with singing and dancing. Andrea's older brother Sam thought the whole thing was ridiculous.

"I don't see what there is to be so excited about," he complained. "Don't you know those are just ordinary people wearing costumes? Anna and Elsa don't really exist."

"Of course they do! You can't say that!" Cassidy cried.

"Don't pay any attention to him," Andrea told her. "He's just upset that he isn't going with us!" She smiled at Sam and leaned over to hug him. "You must feel really bad. I'll let you have my dessert at dinner tonight to make up for it."

"What??" Sam was baffled. "Uh, yeah, thanks!"

Cassidy felt such a rush of happiness whenever she thought about the party, it seemed like no chore was too much. She fed the cat and spent extra time petting him and giving him treats, babbling to him all the while about her good news.

***

Saturday afternoon, however, Cassidy got sick. She had a fever, and Mom tucked her in bed early with a cup of chamomile tea.

"Mom, will I still be able to go to the Frozen party with Andrea tomorrow?"

"We'll see, honey. Just rest and say your prayers."

On Sunday morning, poor Cassidy had a runny nose along with the fever. Mom shook her head as she looked at the thermometer.

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay in bed today, honey. You're too sick to go out."

Cassidy started to cry. She lay in bed and tried to sleep, but she kept imagining all the fun she was missing out on, and worst of all was the thought that now she would never get to see Anna and Elsa in real life.

She hugged her Frozen dolls, pretending that they were unhappy as well.

"Don't worry, we'll meet them someday," she said, but her voice cracked and she started crying again. Mom came in to check and tried to comfort her.

The day seemed to drag on endlessly, now that there was nothing to look forward to. Cassidy tried to read some of her Frozen storybooks, but she was too sad and feverish.

It was late in the afternoon. The library's Frozen party was already over. Cassidy lay on her side in bed, staring at the wall and wishing that Andrea had been the one who got sick instead of her. There was a knock at her bedroom door.

"Cassidy? Guess what? Elsa came to visit you! She heard you were sick and couldn't make it, and she wants to cheer you up."

Cassidy sat bolt upright in bed with a shriek.

"Elsa's here? Oh, Mommy, bring her in!"

She picked up her dolls and arranged them quickly by her side. She smoothed her rumpled clothes and smiled a huge grin, squeezing her stuffed Sven.

Elsa walked in with a lovely smile. Her long platinum hair was braided neatly, her aqua blue gown sparkled with icy glitter, and the crystals in her silver snowflake tiara caught the light in tiny rainbow twinkles that bounced off of Cassidy's pillow.

"I'm so sorry you're not feeling well, my dear," she said, sitting down by Cassidy's bed and patting her hand.

"Oh, Queen Elsa! It's so nice to see you! Thank you for coming to my house! Where's Anna?"

"Anna had to go back to Arendelle to take care of the royal duties for me while I stayed to visit you. We can't let the country be without a leader for too long, now can we?"

"No, surely not!" She couldn't contain the eager rush of chatter. "Show me your ice power! Did you bring Sven when you came here? How far is it to Arendelle?"

Cassidy's face flushed, and her heart seemed ready to take flight. She drummed her fingers on the blankets, trying to restrain herself from jumping out of bed, dancing and shouting. Her eyes shone with a quiet glow, and she forgot all about being sick as Elsa sat and told her wonderful stories about Anna and their friends back home.

When it was almost time to leave, Elsa invited Cassidy to sing Let It Go with her. Then,

"Can you please make a snowflake for me? Pretty please? I promise I'll keep it for the rest of my life!"

Elsa laughed softly and clasped her hands together. When she opened them again, a beautiful crystalline snowflake rested there.

"It's all yours, Cassidy."

The little girl reached for the snowflake with a squeal.

"Oh, it's too wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll hang it in my window where the sun will make it sparkle. This is the best day ever! I can't wait to tell Andrea all about it!"