Nathan smiled at his partner. After all the holiday shopping and feasting now he was ready to head back to work.

But before he got ready, he greeted his partner with a kiss. Kate yawned and stretched her arms.

She gave Nathan a tight squeeze. Then asked him how he slept. He replied, ‘‘The moment my head hit the pillow~ I was in dreamland right away.’’

Kate laughed, and shook her head. Nathan was such a serious business guy, but he surely did have quite a creative & imaginative mind.

Even his dreams were something that Kate would have loved to jump right into. Now that Christmas Day had past, they could enjoy the next day- Boxing day.

Kate was glad that Nathan was only going to work from the morning to noon. He’d have the rest of the afternoon/day off. He usually worked from eight in the morning to six in the evening.

She on the other hand had two weeks off from work. Kate was ready to start getting ready for the New Year. Nathan wouldn’t be working that day, so they could go out to the park, or maybe just stay indoors to watch a movie.

While Nathan was out for the time being working, Kate packed all the christmas decorations away. It was time to put them back in the christmas holiday storage boxes.

After Kate had cleaned up, she decided to start preparing lunch. She cooked a beef stew, steamed some vegetables and prepared basmati rice, too.

Once the meal was done, she decided to listen to music. Kate wondered what music to play? She chuckled. Hmm, she hoped that Nathan wouldn’t mind it when he arrived home and found her still listening to Christmas jingles.

#AprèsNoël

I saw it in your eyes, a snapshot of a frozen memory

The small fractals, delicate and small, designed so cleverly 

We saw them fall, white glitter, blanketing the world

And the air, so light yet so frigid, around us it swirled 

The moonlight brightened the land, a pure white kiss

One moment we stood, touching the snow, in perfect bliss

Even in the dark, there was a glow from the pearl white clouds

My arms outstretched, smiling at the snow which enshrouds

Us from the rest of the world, holding us within it’s trance

The wind carried the snow with grace, slowly, much like a dance

The lights around us were Scattered and spotted amongst the velvet night

But Did you see what I saw? Hidden within the soft light?

I saw magic, springing from our hearts and up into the sky.

But I never understood the fascination, all I could ask was why

but standing here, falling in love with the iridescent snow 

Feeling it touch my skin, shocking my nerves, I finally know

Because I saw your eyes, around the frozen ground they roam

I think somewhere, in the magic of the snow, it reminded you of home

You were fond of what floated from the worlds above

And once again, I saw it in your eyes, an intrinsic love 

After a month of being held hostage in a snow globe it’s time to return to reality. Less Hallmark movies and more Serial Killer Documentaries, The electric bill for your Christmas lights comes in and the pine needles from the tree will be stuck in the carpet until July.

The weight that was gained from holiday cookies will now be combated in at the gym for which you got a discounted membership, courtesy of all the New Year’s resolutions just around the corner. It’s time to pack the ornaments making sure that none break, if they do you’ll never get all the glass and it will stab you when you least expect it.

Making new friends is easy around this time of year, all the standing in line to return well meant but ill sized gifts means socializing with strangers in the same position is a breeze. The carpal tunnel that was earned from wrapping gifts flares up as insincere “Thank You” cards are written, sealed, and stamped.

Tinsel has lost its shine, the scent of Evergreen is nauseating, and mistletoe has never been charming but is even less so now. The egg nog has gone bad, guests have overstayed their welcome, and the overpriced wreath that was purchased from the neighbor boy’s Boy Scout troop has rotted.

The lights are unplugged and packed away, next year half the bulbs won’t work and the string will be tangled… so they’ll be thrown out and another string will be bought.

The tree which was picked out with such thought and care, in such a picturesque, cliché kind of Christmas way is now discarded on the curbside.

The saddest reality of all is the angel. Her wings are tinged from years of storage and her nose is chipped from where the cat had pushed her from her perch during “The 2008 Incident” but she’s still beautiful. She has golden hair, and scarlet lips, alabaster skin.

After Christmas we dethrone the angel. She goes back in her box. Her cream colored dress is folded with care and special thought goes into how her wings will be placed for the next year. She’s the last thing to go, and once she’s gone, so is Christmas.

My body laid between aisles of unsold clearance items. I stare blankly at the fluorescent lights above. A few flickered. They were dying. Like me.

“Leena?” A voice called out. “Leena!”

Josh sprinted over to me, skidding on his knees halfway down the aisle. He scooped up my head in his hands. “Leena! Can you hear me! We made it, Leena!” He sobbed. “Leena, don’t you dare give up on me!”

The sounds of ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ died down over the store’s speakers. One of his tears fell on my cheek. “Leena, come on! The Christmas rush is over!”

“Can we go home now?”

“No!” He cried. “We have to work overtime to fix up the mess.”

“Dammit.”

The door was open. I crept inside and walked towards the desk. I reached out and sighed with relief. My hot chocolate was still warm. I switched off the light and started walking towards the living room. I stopped. It sounded like someone was opening a drawer in the kitchen, but the problem was that I was home alone.

I had lived in this old house for practically my whole life. 17 years. My mother and father both had day jobs, working for 6 hours and leaving me home alone. After coming back from school on the bus, I had 3 hours to myself. Spending that much time in an old, creaky house, you would know some things. What sound does this door make or that cabinet? So I knew exactly which drawer was creakily opened. The one with the knives in it.

The whole house was dark except for the Christmas tree. It definitely looked like nobody was home. But if the perpetrator thought that nobody was home then why did he need a knife? Why not a gun? But I did know one thing: I had the element of surprise.

I quietly set down my mug and carefully walked towards my parent’s room. I knew which floorboards creaked and so I had stealth on my side. Fortunately, the perpetrator didn’t and I could tell he was already in the living room. He or an overweight woman. The floorboards don’t lie. There was a safe in my parent’s closet. They didn’t know that I knew the code for it. I mean it didn’t take too long to crack since it was the date my parents got married. How romantic.

I heard a click and opened the door of the safe. There it was, shining bright even in the dark. A semi-automatic Glock pistol. I smiled. The floorboards creaked behind me.

“Thought you would never come,” I said, turning around. My perpetrator was dressed in all black with his hood pulled down and shadows covering his face. The moonlight cast a pale light on the 6 in knife, making it eerily glow. I hid the gun behind my back.

“What do you want,” I asked, “I swear I don’t have anymore cookies left. Santa must have eaten them all.” I was trying to waste time. What this man didn’t know is that the moment he entered, a silent alarm went off, warning the nearby police station of an intruder. This might be an old, creaky house, but its security is the state of the art. It has to be with my parents line of work.

The man looked surprised, as if he didn’t expect to see me here.

“Move away from the safe and I won’t kill you,” he said, gesturing with the knife.

“I’m going to need you to put your hands up” I said, pulling the gun out from behind my back. The man’s eyes widened in shock and he stumbled back.

“On the ground now! Get your ass in the ground now or I’ll put a bullet in you!” I was hoping that he would listen and do exactly what I told him to do. The man froze. I could see him processing my words and deciding on what to do. He studied me a bit and then came onto a decision. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one. He lunged at me, swinging the glinting knife in an arc. In that moment I knew two things. One, the gun has no ammo (I might have accidentally emptied it on a trip to the woods.) Two, this man wanted to kill me. I dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the knife’s brutal edge. He quickly recovered and lunged again, this time bringing the knife straight down, as if to stab me. I brought up my gun and pulled the trigger. It worked! No bullet came out but the man still flinched. Using the precious seconds I had, I got up and ran across the room. I grabbed my mug, hoping that it was still hot, and flung it at him. The coffee mug hit right on target and broke on impact. There was now a bloody gash on his forehead. I continued running down the hallway. I could begin to hear the sirens and see flashing lights, signaling that the police were near. Almost there. The front door came into my view. I reached out for the door handle and stopped. Something didn’t feel right. The world rolled over and suddenly the door was sideways. I could feel my shirt getting wet. Maybe I slipped? I reached behind me and felt it. The knife. My fingers came back red. With my blood. The police were now right outside. Doors slamming and radios gawking. The man walked up to me and smiled. He was holding a Manila envelope.

“Sweet dreams,” he said.

Colors were now swirling in my vision, and the door was becoming more blurrier by the second. I could feel a heaviness trying to envelope my body, trying to close my eyelids and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. I felt a tear running down my face. Sorry mom. Sorry dad. I felt cool air. Someone was shouting. I closed my eyes and sighed.

What happens after Christmas? You're lucky to not know. You'll be even luckier to never find out. Those who are smart will hide for the six days following Christmas Day. Those who are foolish? Well, let's just say, whatever possesses them sure isn't the Christmas spirit. Ignorance is bliss, and in this case, it's a lifesaver. For six days, there is freedom. For six days, your sins will not be documented. For six days, there is no naughty or nice, and this is because, for those few days suspended between Christmas and the new year, Santa isn't watching. And it would seem,

neither is God.

The apocalypse begins on the 26th of every December. When people know their actions bear no consequences, their actions wreak havoc. Crime. Vandalism. Murder. Treason. Riots. Gangs. Shootings. If humanity has no reason to behave, why should they? Yeah, Santa Claus came to town, but then he left. And in his wake, destruction. Chaos. Darkness. It's the descent of humanity. An ongoing cycle of suffering and pain, and all for what? So we can get revenge for the rewards we didn't receive this year? So we can give ourselves the Christmas we know we deserve? Or is it so that, for the other 359 days, we can be on the nice list? Trust me when I say, if you think you want to know what happens after Christmas, you don't. Because, until the first day of the new year, the world you thought you knew turns into a living hell.

One you don't want to be a part of.

Kriv the elf punched in the last several commands, prompting a beep from the terminal.

"All systems are online and ready, Sir!"

"Excellent," the massive figure said in a deep baritone that rumbled through the chamber. He was big, bigger than any living thing Kriv had ever seen. The puffy red coat and trousers added to his girth, while the thick-soled black boots added to his mountainous heighth.

If you can call him alive, Kriv thought. If you can call any of us alive.

The Demon King of the North could be considered alive, in a way. The energy that he and his helpers drew their forms from was a living energy after all, siphoned from any and all that invoked the Demon King's true name.

Kriv moved aside as the Demon King took step after thunderous step towards the dias and the obsidian throne that stood behind it. Each step sent a tremor through the floor.

He seated himself upon the throne and pulled a silver-domed cap down over his head; a tangle of soft white hair beneath the relective cap.

"Activate the temporal flux," the Demon King said. "Be sure to link all time zones. I want them all to hit at once."

Kriv nodded and then flashed a questioning glance to his partner, Evenia.

She offered him a nervous smile in response, then flicked a series of switches on a panel in front of her.

Lights flashed to life within the emotion siphon, a mysterious device as old as the Demon King, indicating the procedure was ready.

The device hovered above the silver cap, connecting to it by way of a single cable. It sparked and popped with electricity as the cogs within the machine synced with each other.

"What is our theoretical output this year?"

Kriv glanced at one of the displays and performed a series of quick calculations in his head.

"About seventy percent of last year's output," he said.

The Demon King muttered a curse under his breath, then said, "Oh well. It can't be helped. That should still be enough to get us through until next year. Barely."

He just didn't understand it. Where had all of their spirit gone? Humans numbered exponentially more than in previous centuries, but their Christmas spirit had dwindled to half of what it used to be.

It made the Demon King ravenous.

"Proceed," he said, his voice a rumble of thunder.

The Demon King tilted his head back and opened his mouth as wide as it would go.

This part always made Kriv nervous. If humans only knew what they were actually doing when they invoked the name of Klaus, they would run screaming and dive under their beds.

The Demon King's mouth expanded wider, stretching far beyond its natural limits. His teeth elongated and split into multiple rows.

This continued until the Demon King's gaping orifice was as wide as his body. It was a miracle that the domed cap stayed put on his head.

The emotion siphon hummed as it increased in power.

A thin stream of chromatic light streamed down from the machine's pinched tip and drifted down into the maw that was the Demon King's mouth.

Kriv heard the sounds of the memories pouring out of the machine. Laughter, joy, love, and some sadness-there was always a little sadness as not everyone had an occasion to be happy on Christmas-all flowed down to be consumed by the Demon King.

The entire process lasted fifteen minutes before the machine fell silent, the flashing lights within winking out.

The Demon King closed his mouth and licked his lips. A warm red glow emanated from his cheeks.

"Ho, ho, ho!" he said and rubbed his belly. "Not bad for seventy percent!"

Both Kriv and Evenia grinned at the Demon King before powering down their equipment.

The Demon King approached the two and in one smooth motion, scooped them up and placed them on his shoulders, one per side.

Together the three exited the workshop and were met with the sounds of laughter from the other elves as they danced and played in the snow.

A snowball rocketed out of the darkness, headed straight for the Demon King's face.

He threw up a nonchalant hand and caught it, smiled at it, then tossed it aside.

"Until next year," he said, and continued out into the snow-dusted night while the northern lights shimmered and sparkled overhead.

#fiction #fantasy #Christmas #Klaus

What happens after Christmas? Good question. Aside from the clichéd idea of Santa Claus taking a much deserved vacation I always have the idea of mentally rolling up my sleeves, ready to tackle the new year head on.

January, aside from being the start of new beginnings always seems very busy to me or at least it has since I've been an adult. When I'm I the most busy usually the first two weeks of the year because the first two weeks of the year involve organizing everything for the next eleven months.

I already know I'm going to be busy this year and have a lot of big things going on and goals I intend to keep. I need to straighten out my insurance and get my lift installed, afterwards I need to schedule my foot surgery. After all that I need to contact Duo, the service dog organization I'm working with and say "okay, you can start training a dog for me now". Hopefully I will be part of a working service dog team by the end of 2020. That is an overall goal.

In short, I want to keep my independence as I get older and so many of the things I have to do this year are part of that. I want to continue to be mobile so I am continuing to work on controlling my chronic pain so I'm taking yoga classes. The little pieces that are part of the big pieces that go into the weeks that go into the months that encompass the year.

So, here's to rolling up sleeves.