Status Updates From The Christmas Pig

The doors are to be locked after some unnamed person goes to bed but Ambition has not been able to find her. Clearly, she is acting suspicious. This thing and another were supposed to sit in their chairs. I bet one is Happiness. A bunch of things come through the door and they bring an odd assortment of food. They only fod they have is lost food. Things don’t need food but he accuses Jack of being a living boy.

Ch. 45 The room fills with scarlet light. All are dim in comparison. They bow and curtsey. Ambition introduces Power, who is their king. He has to squint to see him. He asks how Jack and CP like his city. Their weak answer offends the king. He’s angry when he sees Principles. This looks like a big mistake. He orders everyone to sit down. Jack sits between CP and Beauty. The king asks if the door is locked. Uh-oh!

They decide to find a new project and that project is the king. He is in desperate need of principles.

Six blue balls of light arrive. They are called Principles. I love this!!! They were small and neat and serious looking. They speak with one voice and they bow. Beauty thinks the king ordered them to stay in their room. They decided it was against themselves so they decided to come to dinner. They once belonged to a businessman who became very successful but lost them. They realized they would be here a long time.

Optimism is friendly and asks them about the toy pig. He says how wonderful the king is and then looks awkward. Beauty asks for them to admire him. He makes a snarky remark about their looks. An indigo light appears and she is a very old female thing named Memory. She tells them about how her mistress owned a piggy bank 85 years ago. Beauty interrupts her story. Memory continues to mumble her story. Nobody listens.

Ch. 44 They are in a room with a long table with lit candles on it. There is room for 15 people. At the head of the table is an empty golden throne. They see an emerald-lit shape admiring his looks in the mirror. He greets them while looking in the mirror. His name is Beauty. The ball of orange light is a young man named Optimism who gives off a pleasant warmth. Ambition leaves to talk to the king.

Ambition seethes over what happened. Jack is now nervous about trusting Ambition because she seems a little unhinged. After walking up lots of stairs, they come to a door guarded by glinting knives.

Ch. 43 They follow Ambition to a door guarded by some adjustors. They let them through without a word because she represents the king. They walk on a crimson carpet and they feel the warmth of two fireplaces. The diamond earrings from mislaid work as maids here. Her human is a politician who did great things until suffering a small setback that caused her to lose her ambition.

Jack worries that he is running out of time based on what Poem had told him. He’s willing to take a risk. Jack walks to the violet shape waiting under the arch.

The Loser is the overall ruler, but the city of Missed has a royal family. She is the ambassador to the king and, if anyone knows where DP is, it will be the king. Like Admiral Akbar says, “It’s a trap!” She points out that they can provide a cozy place for them to stay as she notices Jack shiver. CP and Jack talk quietly. Jack believes that, because DP is so loved, he will surely live in the royal palace.

Ch. 42 The figure in the black cloak says the king has invited them to dinner. She lets them think that Happiness told her but I doubt that. CP does not want to go but Jack is doing with or without CP. She takes off her cloak and she has a similiar glow to Happiness. She glows violet in the same way that Happiness glows gold and her name is Ambition. She has not seen DP but the king does.

People lose them through age, memory, lack of use, or injury causes them to be lost. The cell phone saw a magic trick disappear before it could be finished because it was remembered. Knacks put on a show every evening. After them comes a great performance. A voice sings a beautiful opera song. Sometimes the voice tell stories. Something asks them in a whisper if they are looking for a toy pig. You betcha!

Several are blue. A crowd of things stand around watching a performance and Jack and CP join them. They do notice notice the figure in black following them. They stop and stare watching transparent human shapes like Pretense. They were doing all sorts of interesting things: flipping pancakes, tying knots, doing backflips. Ironically, a cell phone tells them they are lost knacks (no doubt caused by screens).

Ch. 41 They walk under an arch into a square and the choir sings in one corner. Jack marvels at the beauty of the sights and sound. He sees a white palace with a golden roof and arched windows. This is so medieval. That’s right JKR. Let’s break those Enlightenment thinkers. People-shaped things like Happiness stand in a balcony giving off light. One is scarlet, one green, one blue (Faith, Hope, and Love?).

They hear Christmas carols. Jack gets the feeling he is being followed. The third time it happens he sees something black out of the corner of his eye. (Tammy freaks out! DEMONS!) CP agrees. They decide to head for the singers to blend in with the crowd.

Ch. 40 CP nearly drowns because he didn’t know he couldn’t swim. Jack saves him. They shiver and set off down cobblestone streets. The lighted candles and Christmas wreaths are beautiful. Nobody seem curious about them and they are friendly toward Jack and CP. Jack wonders if toys are in a different quarter. I think that toys have all been given to children in the world above! It’s Christmas Eve.