Christmas Special: The Present

December 24th, 16:00

"Mummy! What do you think Santa will give me this year?" Little Samuel asked, skipping down the sidewalk, holding his mother's hand.

His mother smiled, "I don't know Samuel. We'll just have to wait until Christmas Day to see." 

Samuel grinned, "I've been a nice boy all year, so Santa must be giving me nice things this year!"

His mother smiled again, "Yeah, he must've."

They walked home, preparing dinner and waiting for Samuel's father to return for their Christmas Eve's dinner. By the time they were done, it was already well past seven. Samuel sat in front of the television, silently praying for his father's return as he watched. As they sat at the table, waiting for his return, Samuel's mother received a phone call.

"Honey, I might be back later than usual, you and Samuel should eat first." He said.

"John, are you alright? Samuel's still waiting for you." She asked, rather worried.

"Yes, I'm fine, Jane. I just have some work to finish. Go ahead, eat first." John said, smiling.

"If you insist. I'll see you then." Jane sighed.

"Alright, don't wait up." John said, hanging up.

John stood up from his desk, picking up his huge red sack. He put on a red hat, put on his black boots, and shouted to his colleague, Jack, "Let's go, Jack! Santa's in the house!"

"Mummy! Mummy! It's Christmas! Lets go see what Santa dropped off!" Samuel yelled as he opened the door to his parents' room. But there wasn't anyone inside. Instead, he heard his mother's voice in the living room.

"Oh good morning officer, how may I help you?" His mother asked as she opened the door.

"Mrs. Jackson? Hello, I am Detective Tennant. I would like to confirm that is  this your husband, John Jackson?" Detective Tennant said as he held up a picture of John.

"Y...yes. What's wrong? What... What happened?" She asked, apparently worried.

"Mrs. Jackson, I am sorry to tell you that your husband is found in an alley this morning. We suspect that he may have been mugged and killed." Tennant said, putting John's photo back into his pocket.

"Oh...oh my god." That was all She could muster. 

"Ma'am, please follow us to the precinct to make sure we didn't make a mistake." Detective Tennant said.

"Al...alright." She took her coat and grabbed her shoes. "Samuel! Mummy's going out for a while. I'll call the babysitter, she'll be here in a while. Sit tight. Alright?" She said.

"Alright! See you soon mummy!" Samuel said as he walked back to his room.

After a while, Samuel heard the doorbell ring. He dashed downstairs to see the babysitter opening the door, greeting an old man with a white beard.

"Hello, does the Jacksons live here?" He asked.

"Of course we do!" Samuel shouted as he walked towards the doorway.

The old man smiled, and took out a Bo with an envelope stuck on it. On the envelope were the words "To Samuel".

"Ah, you must be Samuel. Here, take this, Merry Christmas, boy." He handed the wrapped box to Samuel.

Samuel looked at the old man, "Are you Santa, mister?"

"Oh no, little Samuel. The Santa would be your father, my dear. Trust me, he'd like you to have this." The old man smiled, "Merry Christmas!" He said as he walked away.

"Mrs Jackson, reports say that an old man, specifically a man in his mid 80s with a long white beard found your husband this morning in a Santa costume with an empty sack beside him..."

Note: hi guys! Merry Christmas. I know it might a little late but here is my Christmas present to you all. It's a short story, and my first try at writing with Pathos. For those who aren't sure what it is, go look it up. Anyway, I hope this isn't too bad, relfections are appreciated. Thanks.

Exams, thou art a heartless bitch

Once upon a midnight dreary,

 while I revised weak and weary.

While I nodded, nearly napping,

suddenly there came a clapping,

"'Tis some literature", I muttered

Just a book slamming shut.

Only this, and nothing more.

  

Ah, distinctly I remember,

it was in the bleak December.

That I had to prepare for tests,

trapping me inside a net.

"Oh Examinations," I exclaimed,

"Why art thou a heartless shrew!"

Quoth my neighbor, "Diddly-doo."

I know I suck at poems. Just wanted write something. YES, I paraphrased Edgar Allen Poe's Raven. Stop complaining, I PARAPHRASED it.

 

Writing Challenge: Natalie

Natalie

14 year-old Natalie wasn't the brightest girl in class. But she wasn't the dimmest of them all, either. She wasn't pretty, but she's not ugly either.

In fact, if one had to describe her, "mediocre" or "average" would be the first words that will pop into your mind. But, her average life changed on that fateful day.

She was walking down the stairs of her new home. Holding her flashlight, she ventured into the basement, where she found an old parcel. She also noticed a door inside the basement, a door to another room. She turned the knob, but it was locked. She decided that it wasn't wise to kick open a door and possibly strain her ankle two days before her swimming competition. Doing what anybody would do, she picked up the parcel and left the basement.

Back in her room, she unpacked the parcel and saw two things- a key, and a Super 8mm film. She remembered her dad finding an old projector in the attic. She hauled it into her room and put it next to her chair. Putting the film inside the projector, she let it do its thing while she sat down on a chair, grabbed a soda and waited.

The first thing she saw was a girl, oddly resembling her, but with more scars on her face and a few bruises on her arm. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. A few seconds later, the girl finally spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry it lead to this, and I'm sorry that you had to find this. But it's either this or..." Her voice trailed off. The girl shook her head, speaking again, "If you found the key, that means you have to open the door in the basement. The seal is rotting, and I need your help. Now, this may sound absurd, but your life may depend on this."

At this point,  Natalie frowns. What was the girl talking about? She drank another sip of her soda.

The girl inhaled deeply, "It's going to be dangerous, but if you don't do anything, it's going to get bigger and meaner until it consumes your whole family and nobody, absolutely nobody will remember you. But if you want to save your family, here is what you need to do. Don't blink, don't turn back, and don't look away. It's fast. Faster than you'd like to believe. That thing can look like anything, from a box to a giant spider. It gets you when you're not looking. One touch is all it needs. Once you open the door, remember: Don't turn away, don't look back, AND DON'T BLINK."

And then the film stopped. Natalie stared at the key on her table, wondering her next move. She took a deep breath, and grabbed the key. She went down to the kitchen, and grabbed the sharpest cleaver she found. She took her torch and headed down.

She turned on the lights. She faced the door, key in hand. She unlocked the door.

Click.

She opened the door and ventured inside, seeing nothing but a black, wooden box. Then she remembered.

"Anything from a box to a giant spider." The girl had said.

She unconsciously blinked. The box was gone. She heard a growl behind her and turned. A giant spider hung from the ceiling.

Natalie slashed at the spider. The head fell off. And then the body disintegrated. A low voice was heard from the spider's head.

"I'm back."

She turned around. A statue stood before her. The statue of a demon. Pointing at her. She stepped back and turned away, a mistake she couldn't afford to make.

She was thrown to the floor. The demon's face shifted from a frown to a wicked smile. His body shifting into a posture of a throw. She stood up and patted her arm, realizing that there was a bruise on her arm.

She blinked. Again. This time she felt a hot sensation run through her face. She touched her cheeks and felt three claw marks on her face. She backed away, staring at the demon. It wasn't moving. Her hands touching the door, she tried to open it. It was locked.

She looked away from the demon for a moment, trying to unlock the door. But it was too late.

The demon touched her with its palm.

That was the last thing she felt before blacking out.

She woke up in an ally. She walked out of the ally, catching a flying newspaper.

"January 24th, 1969"

She froze. She was sent back in time. That was what the girl had meant. Her brain made a rational decision: to record her findings and pass it on.

And then she realized. She was the girl in the video. She made the tape to make sure she knows her way out. 

She ran back to the house after a confusing run-in with the locals, stealing a camera afterwards. She closed in on the deserted house. Preparing herself, she kicked the door open.

The sunlight was shining through the windows as she walked towards the basement. She opened the door, an turned the lights on. The door was... open. She crept up behind the door, and heard faint breathing. She inhaled deeply, and peeked.

The statue was there. It was looking straight at the door.

She gathered her courage and slammed the door shut, using the key to lock the door. And then she noticed something on the door she haven't seen before: a seal. It looked like a ritualistic drawing. She stated at it, perplexed. 

The door shook. Like something was trying to get out from within. The seal is supposed to keep it from coming out, eh? She thought. She backed away slowly. Deciding that it wasn't a place for her to stay, she quickly left the basement.

She put the film in the camera, turning it on. She hesitated. Should she be doing this? But it was too late to turn back now. She opened her mouth, and spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry it lead to this..."