I…. I did a huge no-no…
The children I took under my wings rebelled against me when I told them to do what I requested. In defiance, they stopped making toys, so I slaughtered them all, one by one. When the deed was swiftly done, their blood splattered on the little choo-choo trains; I was filled with cheer, feeling the blood on my fingers, making them sticky when I spread them apart. However, the sense of delight later vanished after realizing what I had done, for I started to fear what was coming. Before I could clean up my mess, I heard the sound of joyous whistles and a vast shadow on the lit-up hallway walls. As their festive bells' jingles echoed throughout the cave, I stood still in dread, knowing who it was.
"Ho, Ho, H—! …Oh, shit." It was my master, The Man in Red.
"Master…? Master, I—"
"Silence…! What the hell did you do?"
"Master, they-they weren't listening to me. They were misbehaving."
"I don't give a damn if they were misbehaving. You don't do shit without me giving you permission. I told you if they try crap like that, you'd let me deal with them, right? Why-Why didn't you?"
"It's hard not to do such a thing when everyone… irritates me. I…. I was angry, Master."
"The hell is wrong with you? Killing all my workers 'cause you were pissed off."
"I know…" I said, falling to my knees.
"Get up."
As I started to stand, he grabbed the back of my neck.
"What the hell are you doing, huh," he scolded to my ear. "I'm in a bad spot right now 'cause of you, damn it. When I let go, you're gonna get your shit, and you're gonna get more, ok?"
Apologizing with my groans, he released his hand from my neck, and before he could speak, I picked up my empty bag and rushed to one of the blood-stained walls, waiting for him to choose where I was going.
"What about them," I hesitated, referring to the mess.
"I'm not cleaning this up. You'll worry about it later," he said, kicking a limb.
The Man in Red opened an exit to a place full of trees covered in pure white, his pretty, little purple ring's light illuminating the painted cave. I walked into the space, feeling the white, freezing powder on my feet, leaving bloody prints. I turned to The Man in Red and was only greeted by more trees behind me, leaving me with only my thoughts.
I have worked with The Man in Red for a very long time. So long that he became a paternal figure to me, so letting him down would make me very unhappy. If I make him angry, he beats me. Sometimes he does it just because. so when a day like this comes, I must not disappoint. This is how I can make him proud of me and make the pain stop.
But most importantly, this is another chance to receive a gift I forever desired: to let this world be coated in snow. For many, many years, I have done nothing but what he has asked of me, and I enjoyed every second of it. But, he still hasn't given me what I wanted in return.
When I'm finished, I must ask him about this. I can only do this for so long…
After long moments of treading on the frost, the Sun is now gone, and in the distance is a small homestead. I walked to the little home and peeked through one of the windows. What my little eyes spied upon were two little ones peacefully sleeping in their beds. I pressed my face up to the glass, my breath hitting the window. I watched them sleep with my unblinking eyes as I tapped and scrapped the glass with my fingernails, making a "sh-sh" sound loud enough for them to hear. One woke up, sitting up inside its cover. It uncovered itself and looked around the room in confusion. Seeing my face exposed by the moonlight, we locked eye contact, and after moments of silence, she screamed, waking the other child. They both ran out of the room, yelling "Gloog-ga-gaysh" repeatedly.
"Gloog-ga-gaysh?" What does this mean? While thinking to myself, I saw an orange light seeping through the crack of the door. I quickly fled into the dark abyss and hid behind a tree. Peeping, I could see a man looking out the glass while raising a candle next to his face. He looked to the ground, seeing my footprints. He glanced behind him and hurried out of the room. I could hear muffled arguing, and minutes later, a man wielding an ax and a candle, alongside a woman standing behind him, exited the house. Once they spotted the trail, they slowly followed it, leading to me. Out of panic, I got on all four and quickly ran deeper into the woods, hoping for them to dismiss me as an animal. I calmly waited behind another tree, just wide enough to cover me entirely, and heard the sound of the ground crunching become louder and louder, and the light from the candle become brighter.
"«Thordis, my dear, it's just a critter,»" the man said, stopping in his tracks.
"«'Critter?' No animal has these kind of paws, Björn. Give me one,»" the woman said.
"«Uh… reindeer?»"
"«No, Björn,»" she scoffed.
I peeked around the tree and saw them bickering gibberish at each other. I covered my mouth with my cold hands to keep my lips still from giggling too loud. They continued babbling until the man became frustrated and walked back to the cabin.
"«Thordis, there's nothing to worry about. I'm taking the children back inside before they become ill. My eyes hurt, and I'm too tired for this,»" he yawned, leaving her to her own in the dim woods.
She later followed, constantly glancing behind her, unaware that my eye was looking straight at her.
When they were finally gone, I fell to try knees laughing, my chortles muffled by the sound of the loud winds. The thought of my trick actually working and them being unaware of my existence was laughable for some reason. I couldn't breathe, having to place one of my hands on the ground, trying to keep my balance.
My laughing session quickly ended, leaving me on my back, coughing on the ground. I later sat up, thinking about the couple. There was something about them. They were not who they appeared to be. Outside their flesh and bone, they seem innocent like their children, but inside…. But inside, they were naughty.
By now, I decided what I was going to do with them: I was going to spare them. But, I have no toys, which means there are no gifts to give. What a shame. How could something so fun as killing all your workers be so counterproductive? And now I must pay for my foolishness.
The Sun is now out, its warmth hitting my cold, oily skin. I lurk around the house once more, waiting for something to happen. Through the thin wooden walls, I could hear their muffled voices arguing with each other. I pressed one of my ears against the wall to listen to more of what they were talking about, even though I couldn't understand a word they spoke. I love eavesdropping.
While listening, I could hear heavy footsteps and the sound of a door opening. I quickly hid behind the corner.
"«Enough of the nonsense, all of you,»" The man shouted, exiting the house. "«How many times do I have to tell you that it was just an animal.»"
"«Are you stupid,»" the woman yelled. "«Where are you going?»"
"«Out.»"
"«Out, where? You'll kill yourself.»"
"«Better than listening to you,»" he chuckled. "«Gluggagægir isn't real; he never has been. It was an animal, Thordis, an animal. The children are just bored; they'll make up anything.»"
"«Okay, Björn, then die out there. See if I care. You'll be back in moments,»" the woman said before slamming the door shut.
Poking my head out, I could see the man mutter to himself out of frustration, kicking the snow as hard as he could. I continued to stare at the man, amazed by how he spoke, his body language, and how he looked. It was… appealing to me. Then, while gazing, he turned to me, and I quickly hid. While hiding, I notice my footprints visible on the ground. Before I could do anything, I heard the man mutter to himself and begin walking toward me. But before reaching around the corner, a massive gust of winds flew by, diverting the man's attention to the cold breeze.
"«It's too damn cold out here,»" He grunted, sprinting back to the door.
I could hear the man banging on the door, pleading to come in.
"«Oh, no, you wanted to be out there. You put this on yourself, Björn,»" The woman said, shouting out through one of the windows.
"«Come on, Thordis, don't act like this. What do you want me to say…? I'm sorry.»"
The woman did not respond.
"«…Damn you, Thordis…!»"
As the man continued to try to open the door, I heard the sound of the door breaking, causing the woman to act like my master when I did something bad.
Giving me time, I fled. As the Sun began to set, I saw a pack of foxes fighting over its prey in the distance. This gave me an idea.
The night of gifts is almost upon them. To the children, my gift is Lincoln Logs made out of the legs of the animals that I could catch. It hurts me to kill them, but I had no choice. I'm not used to making toys by myself, but that shouldn't matter. It's the thought that counts, not the gifts. I hope they don't mind the bite marks on them, though. But looking around my environment, I realized I could have used tree branches instead of animals…. Now I feel bad.
However, despite this, I find this more pleasant to work with than wood. Using flesh feels more… right. Maybe if I can make my master very happy this time, he will let the workers make toys with this instead, so they can experience the same enjoyment I'm feeling.
But the thought of it makes me wonder: how good would it feel to use human meat? The more I think about this, the more desiring it becomes. Sadly, knowing my master, that will never happen. If he disappears somehow, leaving me in charge, maybe I can change that.
Perhaps one day….
The family is becoming more and more aware of my existence. Like many days before, I stared at the home, waiting for something to happen, but nothing was the outcome. When they came out, they looked paranoid, glancing around frantically and then rushing back into their home when hearing the slightest noise.
Aching from the boredom, I tried to find more things I could make a gift into. Wandering through the crowded trees, I noticed tiny, little holes inside many of them. Giving them a closer look, I could see a reflection looking straight at me. Having nothing to explore them a bit further, I continued to search for more toys. Finding nothing, I returned and was greeted by fresh footprints on the ground. They weren't mine, nor did they appear similar to the family members. Instead, they looked identical to my master's boots but in various sizes.
I thought nothing of it and carried on.
It is time….
As they peacefully slept, I walked to their door, opening it oh-so-slowly. As I opened it, I hit something. Looking through the crack, I saw pots below me. Moving them aside, I entered the house and was faced with two doors, one leading to the parents, and the other, to the children. I picked the door farthest from me, avoiding the creeks from the floorboards. I opened the door, revealing the kids resting in their little beds. I entered their room, its surroundings exposed by the dark moonlight, and walked to them. I turned to one of them and stared deeply into their closed eyes, hearing their soft breathing from time to time. Still wondering who I was going to take, I came up with an idea: a test of obe—
"Gluggagægir…?" she whispered behind me.
I turned to find the other child was wide awake. I placed my hand on her mouth and said something any child could understand.
"Shhh," I whispered, releasing my hand.
I tucked her back into bed and began walking away from them. There was a spot barely touched by the moonlight in the corner of the room near the exit. I opened the door and pretended that I had left.
"Don't go anywhere, and you will be rewarded," I said, closing the door.
As I hid in the dark abyss, I silently watched the little one sleep, putting her obedience to the test. Not long after, I saw the little one slowly leave her bed.
I give her the simplest demand, and she disregards it. I don't understand. If I can follow my master's every order, why is she struggling to do the same?
Holding in my anger, I waited for her to come to me. Finally, when she reached the door, hesitantly turning the knob, she turned to me, noticing my breathing and looking down at my exposed withered toes.
"Child, what are you doing out of your bed," I quietly asked, leaving the corner, revealing myself.
Before letting out a shout, I rushed to her and closed her airways shut. Hearing the scuffle, the other child woke up. Seeing what I was doing to her sister, she cried for help.
As I tightly held my hands around her neck, its face turning blue and its bloodshot eye slowly turning outwards, the father rushed into the room and opened my flesh with his ax, leaving it inside my waist. I yelled, dropping the child to the floor. The man attempted to retake the ax, but before he did, I grabbed hold of his face and plunged my thumbs through his eye sockets. I pushed him into the kitchen, leaning him onto the table, sliding utensils and bowls to the ground.
The angry side of me deeply relished the moment, hearing his wife's muffled cries and feeling her frail punches as nothing but deep, echoed thuds scrapping my back. After realizing it, I released my grip and turned to her. She stopped beating me, stepping away in horror. I slapped her and pushed her away, making her fall over, hitting the edge of their chimney with the back of her head. She went limped, her eyes still open, but nothing was inside.
Watching her body twitch, her arched arms partially in the air, I turned to the man, seeing him on the floor, the side of his face covered with vomit, blood, and splattered leftovers. I left him to his lonesome and grabbed a lit candle in their room. I grabbed the ax and pulled it as hard as I could, pushing the handle up and down to slide it out. After taking the ax out of my body, I leaned the burning wick to my wound, scorching my flesh. The pain was unbearable, but it felt so… thrilling. After fusing my flesh together, I placed the melting candle on the stained table. I later entered the children's room, trying to find the other girl. She was nowhere to be seen. I walked to her bed, stepped over her sister's cold body, and looked under it. I found her quietly crying to herself. Noticing me, she cowered, eventually pressing herself up against the wall. My arm slowly reached for her, making her panic.
"Calm yourself, child. It's all right," I said, caressing her cheek and wiping her tears with my thumb, smearing blood on them.
I slid her out under her bed and held her like she was a child of my own.
"You listened to me, and for that, you shall be rewarded," I said, covering her eyes to avoid seeing the… mess I made.
Before stepping out the door, I tipped the candle onto the floor, starting a fire. I don't know why I did it. I felt like I had to. I left the burning house, still holding the little girl against my chest to try to keep her warm, and in the distance, I heard static and saw more strange footprints from the day before. People in black suits appeared behind the trees. I could barely tell who they were, only seeing a strange symbol on their arms with three arrows pointing at each other. My parental instincts quickly faded, and I used the child as a shield.
"Control, we found our target, but it seems to be holding one of our remaining Class-D captive," one man said to himself. "He's too dangerous to keep active. Requesting neutralization."
I cautiously stepped back without looking away, going deeper into the forest. Not knowing what to do, I tossed the little girl to them as a distraction and ran away as fast as I could. Behind me, I could hear loud noises and something constantly whistling in my ears. After running for what felt like hours, I realized that the whizzing sounds had stopped. I later calmed myself, resting near a tree.
My side hurts, I only found one house, and I lost the child. This was not how it was supposed to go. Contemplating my recent failures, I slumped against the tree, looking down at my bloodied hands. While staring intensely into them, a faint light appeared in front of me. I looked up to see The Man in Red looking not so…. Not so cheerful anymore.
"Come. Here," he said sternly.
I entered back into my chamber, accidentally leaving the empty bag behind. I could see he was not happy. I was quiet but later spoke to try to ease the tension.
"Master, I didn't mean t—"
"You had one job. One job, and what do you do? You fuck it up."
"I'm sorry, m—"
"No, shut it," he said, hitting me. "I'm low on elves, and out of all the years you could've done this, you do it when I'm at a shortage. God, this is worse than my Coca-Cola ad campaign! You need to do it again."
"They hurt me, look," I pointed, showing him my torn wound. "I just can't, master. It hurts too much."
The pain in my waist started to come back but even worse, making it hard for me to breathe. I pleaded with him, but he didn't listen.
"Look, I'm not asking you; I'm telling you," he clenched his teeth. "I don't give a reindeer's ass if it hurts. Hell, you definitely deserve it by messing up this badly. Do it again, but no mess-ups this time."
As he continued to ignore my concerns, my frustration grew, and a red hue slowly blurred my eyesight.
I was angry.
Fogged by my thoughts, I stared at him, ignoring his commands.
"Hello…? Stop staring at me and get off your ass. I'm not playing," he said.
"Master… when will you give me what I want," I breathed heavily.
"What are you—? Not this again," he sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you that you'll get it soon, all right?"
"You've been saying that for a very long time, master," I yelled. "And I'm starting to get—"
"What? Annoyed? Oh, please, shiver me-fuckin'-timbers, what are you gonna do? Christ, you're making me nag more than my wife," he said, hitting me yet again. "Do what the hell I say and get out there."
(No….)
(No….)
"No."
"What do you mean, 'No?' Stop pissing—" Before he could hit me a third time, I caught his arm and grabbed his neck.
"Master, why must you lie to me?"
"What are you doing," his voice shallowed, struggling to speak.
"Something I should have done a long, long time ago." I smiled, showing my crooked teeth.
"You dumb bastard, I-I created you! You can't do this t—!"
Crunch….
Without hesitation, I pierced his jolly, red cheek with my teeth. The sounds he made were… delightful. Then, as I was chewing his chubby flesh, ripping it piece after piece, I broke bits of ice I found on the freezing walls and put them in my mouth. Oh, how I love the taste of cold blood settling on my tongue.
When I was done, The Man in Red became redder than before. After realizing what I had done, his breath being no longer visible in the air, I felt no shame or grief whatsoever. I felt…. I felt relieved, knowing he was not around to tell me what to do anymore. I am… free.
Still dining on his flesh, I could hear his glowing ring slightly scraping the ground. No one should waste a beautiful thing like this, so I removed it from his lonely finger and wore it. I felt better for some reason.
After finishing my feast, I realized the cut on my waist had healed instantly. I was… confused? Did the ring give me powers…? Testing to see if it was true, I tried to make a portal like The Man in Red did many times, and… it worked. Happy with the results, I left the now brown-suited, devoured corpse in another snowy landscape, never to be seen again.
Even after being lied to for the entirety of my existence, I still felt sad, knowing the happiness I got from having children working around me was not needed anymore. The man that used me is now dead. No more him… no more Christmas.
(…)
(…)
