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beastkachu · 6 years

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A Christmas Tale Starring: Nothing!

It was the holidays! Christmas was soon to come barreling right around the corner. As per tradition, a story was in order! Something to capture the true spirit of the season! Something deep, heartfelt; a tale to deliver warmth in the most frigid time of the year. The only problem: He had nothing!! Absolutely no idea where he was going to take the story! The countdown for the seasonal get-together ticked down faster and faster, as if to mock him. If Matt was going to put a meaningful bow on the festivities, he had to manage his way through the Christmas Crunch. But how?

How could he condense in words

The sheets of snows,

Snowmen in herds?

Every shining winter light,

Bringing cheer and warmth tonight?

Tinsel wrapping verdant trees

Packed presents by its feet?

Every smile glowing bright,

Fuller than the orbs hung tight;

Brilliant like the crowning star.

Can mere words take heart that far?

More than these, how much worth

Are words to tell a Savior’s birth?

Time is ticking,

Sinking quick…

Find the spirit

And hope they stick!

“Good morning, Kami-sama!” Junpei barged in, turning Matt’s mood even worse.

Matt groaned. “No time, Junpei! I need to get inspiration!”

“Stuck in the muck again?”

“Christmas is almost here! It’s a good thing I planned days ahead. Otherwise-“

“Otherwise this calendar would be super horrifying!” Junpei held up a calendar… 12/24 was circled in purple.

“IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE!”

“Did my purple-y hat not tip you off, Kami-sama? I love the holidays!”

“How did I let it get so bad?!”

“You’re lazy remember?”

“… … Get outta the way. I gotta find something to get the eggnog churning!”

Junpei followed Matt out of his room. “Where is it hiding?”

“In the living room!” The two set off at once.

How could he condense in words

The sheets of snows,

Snowmen in herds?

Every shining winter light,

Bringing cheer and warmth tonight?

Tinsel wrapping verdant trees

Packed presents by its feet?

Every smile glowing bright,

Fuller than the orbs hung tight;

Brilliant like the crowning star.

Can mere words take heart that far?

More than these, how much worth

Are words to tell a Savior’s birth?

Time is ticking,

Sinking quick…

Find the spirit

And hope they stick!

Down the stairs Matt flew, faster than he ever seen himself. There had to be inspiration around here somewhere! Duke heard his master and best friend walk into the living room and jumped up to meet him.

“Hey there, Dukey-duke!” Matt patted and scritched Duke, causing him to whine and rub against his legs. The fluffy long-haired german shepherd always had a thing for rubbing against Matt’s legs. It was like a cat, but heavier. The tail whips were unpleasant, but ignored. A large lion, inversely named Tiger, with a mane like burning rubies lay near the fireplace. With him, a small girl in a silver and white jacket, black pants, and thin brown boots nestled against Tiger’s mane. Duke hopped back into the living room, paws thumping around his best friend. With her was Finnick, a farofin. His black bandana that sported a cyan lightning bolt streaking diagonally right to left, ending at the front edge of the fabric, was replaced with a red and green one. He was taking a nap in the soft red hair, big ears twitching in his dream.

“Hey, Knife!” Matt greeted. Junpei waved his long purple Ugly Christmas sweater sleeve.

She lifted her head a bit and said, “Good morning!” Lion lifted his head for a quick pat and brush of his mane, purring lowly.

“Are you writing still?” Knife asked.

“Just figured I get some ideas before I go,” Matt answered. “Why do you ask?”

“Junpei said you’re probably not getting it done.”

Matt looked at Junpei. Junpei avoided his glance and studied the mid-size Christmas tree. It glistened with silver and red tinsel, ornaments, all topped with a gold and white Starby at the top. Lights of red, blue, green, and yellow blinked on and off in soft timing. Truly a beautiful sight, and a wonderful addition to the holiday celebration.

“You should write about the tree!” Knife suggested.

Matt chuckled. “A tree that dreamed to be well dressed?”

“Yeah!”

“That would be lovely. I just might.” Could he spare an entire story to a single tree? He wasn’t sure anybody would find it an interesting story. Plus, it confined him to nature imagery for the most part. Perhaps adding the smell of pine mixing with warm baked cookies would add more of a home element to it? No, the idea perished under further scrutiny. However, Matt had an idea. An awful idea. A wonderful, awful idea. Cookies were being made in the kitchen. Under the guise of needing a job in creativity, he could make off with a couple. Bidding Knife, Duke, and Tiger bye, he went off to execute his plan.

How could he condense in words

The sheets of snows,

Snowmen in herds?

Every shining winter light,

Bringing cheer and warmth tonight?

Tinsel wrapping verdant trees

Packed presents by its feet?

Every smile glowing bright,

Fuller than the orbs hung tight;

Brilliant like the crowning star.

Can mere words take heart that far?

More than these, how much worth

Are words to tell a Savior’s birth?

Time is ticking,

Sinking quick…

Find the spirit

And hope they stick!

Matt and Junpei found Efpy and Parfait au Lait at work making cookies, the perfect treat for the best holiday. Dumpling, a white and black cat, watched them, tail occasionally flitting behind her. Dumpling enjoyed the attention she was receiving from Sword, the black-haired older sister of Knife, found herself in a red sweater with black leggings and matching brown boots, like her younger sibling. Beastakyu, a taller, red and black farofin, was, of course, enlisted to help. Not being the best artist, he was happy to receive backup.

“Hey, guys!” Matt waved as he entered. “Woah, those look nice!” There were sugar cookies, freshly baked in rows of sheets. Efpy’s white hair bobbed as she sang a tune, helping the blonde purveyor of puddies decorate the shapes. Trees were crafted from red and green frosting while blue and white were used for snowy backgrounds. Parfait even made Farofin shaped cookies and colored them in with yellow and dark purple for black. If there was one thing she was good at, it was making the best snacks. Anything Matt tried either burned or is mutated into a torturous life.

“Merry Christmas, Matt!” Efpy said over her shoulder.

“Merred Crambles, Dumpling!” Junpei said to his long-time pet. She answered with a meow.

“We should be almost done,” Parfait added. “Then Poker Face can have one!”

“Why, where is he?”

“Out of the kitchen,” Sword answered. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Oh, guard duty, huh?” Matt asked, amused.

“Protection is why I was created. No one gets past.”

“Not even me?”

“Sorry, Matt,” Efpy said. “Everyone should try it together. It’d welcome in the festivities, don’t you think?”

“Couldn’t argue with that,” Beasty said, scarlet eyes studying his next delicious canvas. “I tried.”

“True, true.”

“That goes double for you, Junpei,” Sword said. Junpei gave her a look, without opening his eyes, as if he was wrongfully accused. Both shot down immediately. Matt couldn’t risk a sneak move with Sword there. He didn’t want to disappoint her. He regretted having set his mind to it. He’d have to wait, which isn’t the best advice to receive when he so desperately needed an idea. Any idea to make his story. If he kept going at this rate, he would have absolutely nothing. As he exited with Junpei, a familiar masked figure made is existence known… kind of. Poker Face peeked around the corner, wearing a “Jingle Balls” jacket, the only festive thing he probably had.

“Did you score any cookies?” PF whispered.

“No,” Matt answered. “Why?”

“C’mon man, I need it. It’s the only thing that raccoon hasn’t taken from me, with its tiny sock hat…”

“I can’t help you, man.”

“Dude please, I’ll suck your bah humbugs!”

Junpei flapped his sleeves. “No, PF! This is a Christian server holiday!”

“As if he isn’t a fan of yellow snow.”

“Ok, you’re wrong, goodbye.” Matt couldn’t think inside the house. It was cold, but if the answer would come after a walk in the snow, so be it. The more he wasted time with PF, the less work he would get done. Inspiration had to be somewhere. He needed it now.

How could he condense in words

The sheets of snows,

Snowmen in herds?

Every shining winter light,

Bringing cheer and warmth tonight?

Tinsel wrapping verdant trees

Packed presents by its feet?

Every smile glowing bright,

Fuller than the orbs hung tight;

Brilliant like the crowning star.

Can mere words take heart that far?

More than these, how much worth

Are words to tell a Savior’s birth?

Time is ticking,

Sinking quick…

Find the spirit

And hope they stick!

“Where are you going, Kami-sama?” Junpei asked, concerned.

“Out in the cold. It’s stuffy in here, and I need a change of pace.”

“But you have a love-hate relationship with the outdoors!”

“Better than staying in here and waiting for the inevitable.” Clad in a heavy red jacket, Matt set off alone into the snow. Every foot crunch was supposed to be a step in the right direction. Every falling flake brushes another coat of vibrant paint into the puzzle words made. Right now, he wasn’t feeling anything. The brisk beats of frosty wind, but nothing else. Matt took his phone from his pocket and held the home button.

“Hey, F.A.T.E.,” Matt began, summoning a teal-haired young woman that served as A.I. “How cold is it out here?” She was dressed in a Santa outfit that matched the color of her hair, head sock and all, trimmed with white fluff, ready to rock the holidays.

“Calculating…” F.A.T.E. answered. “It is testicle-freezing cold out here, man.”

“Ah.” Was Matt’s response. He didn’t realize until it, but it was, in fact, that cold. His mind screamed for him to stop his current action and focus elsewhere. Preferably somewhere warm. He took a look back at the Winter Hideout, as he liked to call it. It was a house, wide with two stories. Light hugged the roof, edged around the corners and down by the window frames. Snow-Poker-Faces were out in the front. One of them was smoking, because the heat would destroy it, and PF had a weird sense of dark humor. Matt could see curling ropes of smoke exit the chimney. Red, blue, green, yellow, orange, back to red. His eyes were lost in the beautiful sequence of lights. It made him forget about his outside warmth and focus within. Surrounded by all of this supposed Christmas, and none of it jogged any idea forward. There was nothing to write about that didn’t seem cliché, plowed down by prose, or just plain flat on its own. What could he do? Time counted down no matter what he did. Maybe, came a small voice from inside his mind, maybe it doesn’t have to be grandiose or filled with countless pages. Perhaps what was missing all along was the beauty, the liberty of simplicity. All these things, the fire, the cookies, the lights, the companionship and family, all these things are fantastic and deserving to be there, but without Hope, the greatest Hope, born in a manger on that day we know as Christmas, well, there’d be no reason to hope in anything else on that list. He got it. Matt got it at last. As for as he was concerned,

He knew how to condense in words

The sheets of snows,

Snowmen in herds and

Every shining winter light

Bringing cheer and warmth tonight.

Yes, tinsel coiled verdant trees

Presents packed along its feet.

Family smiles glow so bright,

Fuller than the orbs hung tight.

Brilliant like the crowning star.

Agreed, words reach far in heart.

But more than these, share the hope

In words that tell a Savior’s birth.

Time does tick, and

Might sink quickly…

This is the Spirit:

Love wasn’t finicky.

Wait. He had to write that down! Before it melted away and was gone forever! Matt bolted back to the house and threw off his jacket, draping Junpei in it. He gave PF’s position with noise as he fled the kitchen and startled Duke by rounding up the stairs with booming footfalls. He fell into his chair with a creak. Thank God the story he was about to write was still freshly loaded into his mind! Now all of his searching, whining, complaining, and finally, his epiphany, would all serve to create a finished product! He couldn’t wait to share this with his family and friends beyond the Spire! Matt threw open the Documents page and…

“This computer has updates that require-“

Matt opened his bedroom window and tossed the laptop into the powdery cold below.

#Merry Christmas #christmas #writing #short story #holiday #winter

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