Home Invader

[Floyd Looney]

I had just checked and the kids were sound asleep, I tucked them in because it was getting cold. I threw another log into the fireplace. It was a calm and silent night, all was well and I could smell the ham we were going to have for dinner tomorrow.

Suddenly I heard a strange noise. I rushed to a window and poked my head out to see if a bear or raccoon was eating the trash again. Nothing was there. That was strange... I thought I heard some kind of music. Our nearest neighbors are a mile away.

All of a sudden I heard a loud noise on the roof, so it was raccoons after all. A big whole family of them! I laughed to myself for being startled. Then I heard a series of loud thuds that moved from the center towards the chimney. I hoped a bear hadn't hopped up there.

I stood in the hallway and stared at the fireplace. I was close enough to the bedroom to get to a shotgun rather quickly should the need arise. I shut the kids room door all the way, hoping the noise wouldn't rouse them.

Something happened. A dustcloud rose from the chimney and I was on alert like a good father should be.

Then all of a sudden someone was standing there and looking around. My house had just gotten its first home intruder, I quickly reached the shotgun and returned to the hallway. I would defend my home and family if this man didn't leave.

The man saw me and gave a laugh. A hearty chuckle. I saw him clearly for the first time now. He was a bit chubby, wearing some kind of dark red flightsuit with white fur mink trim. Tight leather isotoner gloves on his hands. His ears were pointy!

With the wave of a hand a small tree appeared in the corner, with colorful lights. Then big socks appeared above the fireplace. Three of them! Three boxes appeared under the tree.

Then the man chuckled again and I heard him say as he turned to the fireplace, "Merry Christmas!".

Then he vanished.

I ran outside and looked at the roof. There were animals on my house and a silver sleigh with signal lights. The man was pulling a scarf around his neck as he closed the cockpit canopy. The animals flew. The whole thing lifted vertically off the ground and roared away into the night, I could hear bells and laughing.

I don't remember much else. I woke up the next morning to the sound of my kids, squealing and giving me a shake. Someone had put cookies and a glass of milk on the coffee table, my favorites.

They each had a gift, one got a new baseball glove and ball and the other child found a remote controlled helicopter. Things they had been wanting for months.

They hugged and kissed me and thanked me. I told them I hadn't done anything, I told them the truth as I ate my cookies and drank my milk. They looked at each other and laughed, "Silly daddy, you have way too much imagination".

They didn't believe me, that was very dissapointing.

But I believed!


Merry Christmas everyone!

[Aaron Burr]

What the Fudge? This wasn't scary at all....well, maybe a little in the beginning...but mostly it was a cheery, feel good missive directed at the better nature of Man's immortal soul.

Good Job. And that's just some dust in my eye and no I don't need a Kleenex.

But make another forum for this kind of stuff. Call it, oh, I dunno', Popular Fiction. It's a broad enough title that a lot of random stuff can go in there. Also, by using the word "Popular" in the title, it subliminally reinforces the general theme of good will towards men and all that stuff, so the thread will undoubtedly be fairly positive.

Skirts dig stuff like that.

[Floyd Looney]

We don't have enough boards already? Ever see the "Storyboard" board?

[Aaron Burr]

No, you don't have enough boards. A big board helps sustain the illusion of activity at the website. More boards means more opportunities for the casual reader to sample different stories. If you have 4 updates in the same board, no one is going to read them unless they hunt around.

It's the same deal in retail. If you want to sell something, put it out on the shelf where people can see it instead of hiding it in the back.

[Attero Dominatus]

Good Santa Claus story. I like how the kids did not believe the POV character.

[Floyd Looney]

The adult believes and the kids don't. heh.