The Last Christmas
Midnight came and went as the wee hours settled in. The store was empty, even the late-night security guard had gone home for the night. It was Christmas eve, after all. No one should have to work on Christmas Eve. Yet one man is expected to. With every passing year, the thanks given to him is less and less. As children grow, the magic dies along with their beliefs. There is no room left in their world for fairy tales as the truth strangles their innocence.
Without belief, an idea dies. The imagination is powerful enough to create gods. A lack of it is enough to destroy a memory. Many stores have graven images of the jolly fat man. Grotesque replicas fill a void and perpetuate the myth. It’s an important ritual, for, without it, Christmas would die. And so, would the children.
He sat alone in the store with nowhere to go. No families were allowed in this year, not in 2020. He had been deprived of his children. No visits were allowed. No one to ask for presents. No one to bring him joy. No one to satiate his thirst.
It had been a year since he feasted and the hunger grew. The light within him had died and the darkness that he kept at bay had poisoned his soul. The laughter of the children kept him on the sides of angels. Without their joy, the evil it kept at bay had manifested into a vile craving. Without Hope, despair flourished.
No longer could he suppress the hunger, it was impossible to hold it at bay for another year. It boiled the acid in his stomach. Hurting him. He shouldn’t be made to feel his pain. He needed to feed.
And he would. If his children can’t come to him. Then he will go to them. While they slept he would feast on their purity. Their delight at hearing the bells outside their window tenderised the flesh.
They shouldn’t have starved him this year. He won’t be held responsible for what comes next. He’s checked his list to see who has been nice. The nicer the better. The more innocent, the sweeter.
The saliva dripped from his fangs as his blood warmed with hunger. He rose from his throne and picked up an empty sack. He’d need something to keep the remains in. He might even need a snack between houses and even he can only consume so much at once. He mustn’t be too greedy.
The cold air soothed him as he left the store. The night wind chilled, the sky clear. He checked his list for a second time and decided on who to see first. Ah, yes. She’d do. She has been very good this year. And he can’t wait to taste why.
