Averie's Journal

The Nightmare Before Christmas

The night before Christmas was a bustling time in the factory situated at the North Pole, where the hardworking elves were busy packing gifts and loading them into bags, while others were occupied with preparing the sleigh. Santa Claus, the jolly old man, was in his office, poring over his list one last time when he heard a faint knock on the door.

"HoHoHo," exclaimed Santa, "Are the gifts ready yet?" he asked a young elf who was carrying a cup of steaming hot chocolate. The elf, who was a novice at that time, was taken aback. He recalled his mother's warning that getting too close to his employer would only lead to trouble. Consequently, he merely smiled and politely replied, "I don't know, sir."

Santa smiled back and resumed checking his list. "It's about time," he finally said. "I must get going. The children of the world are eagerly awaiting my arrival." With that, he rose from his chair, gulped down his chocolate, and rolled his list, tucking it into his pocket.

The little elf took Santa's empty cup and said, "Be careful, sir." Santa was pleased with the young elf, whom he had never met before. "HoHoHo," he placed his hand on the elf's head, flashing his warm, jolly smile. "You're such a very nice elf," he said. "What would you like?"

The elf looked down, embarrassed. It was the first time someone had ever asked him what he wanted. And to think that it was Santa who asked, he was overjoyed. But still, his mother's warning flashed into his mind, and so he simply smiled his shy, silly smile.

Santa noticed the elf's discomfort, so he took a pen and a piece of paper from his desk and handed it to him. "Here, son. Take this," he said, kindly. "If you're not comfortable saying it out loud, just write it down here. Then put it in my desk over there."

"But sir," the elf said, at a loss for words, thinking it was unnecessary. After all, he was just a worker at Santa's factory, a mere elf.

"No, son. My name is not sir," said the jolly old man, brushing his white beard and beaming. "It's Santa Claus."

"Santa, I haven't done anything nice," said the elf, with some effort, as he thought it would be incredibly disrespectful to address his employer so casually.

The elf was filled with happiness as Santa smiled at him and said, "Oh Son. Telling someone to take care is already a nice thing to do." It was as if all his worries and discomfort had vanished in an instant. Santa then handed him a pen and paper and said, "Now take this and write your Christmas wish."

The elf joyfully took the pen and paper and ran out of Santa's office. His chest was filled with excitement as he thought to himself, "I'm going to receive a gift!" As soon as he reached his room, he sat down and began writing his wish. His giggles echoed in the room.

Suddenly, he heard a loud crash from outside, followed by elves screaming and reindeer letting out a loud screech. He stood up and crept slowly to the door, his heart racing with fear. As he reached for the doorknob, an elf, probably the same age as him, suddenly burst into the room and locked the door behind him.

The other elf was covered in blood and cuts. He was trembling so badly that the young elf felt weak on his knees. He wanted to ask him what was going on but his lips were dry and not a single voice came out.
Finally, the wounded elf looked at him with terror and grief in his eyes. He started crying and bawling that his words were inaudible.

"Calm down please." Begged the young elf. "What happened?"

"HE'S HERE! HE DEFINITELY CAME TO SLAUGHTER US ALL AND SANTA!" The young elf's face contorted in anguish as tears streamed down his cheeks. His body trembled violently, overcome by a wave of intense emotions. The mere mention of Santa's name had a profound effect on him, causing him to feel lightheaded and disoriented as if his thoughts were slipping away from his grasp. In a daze, he stumbled towards the door, his hand outstretched to turn the knob, but faltered at the last moment, unable to muster the strength to leave.

The young elf was trembling as he stood in a dimly lit room, his back pressed against the wall. His companion, an older and more experienced elf, had a firm grip on his arms, trying to prevent him from making any noise. But the young elf could not hold back his tears as he whispered, "What are you doing?" His voice was barely audible, yet it was enough to convey his fear and confusion.

The older elf looked at him sternly and replied, "We'll get caught if you don't keep quiet. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

The young elf tried to protest, but his voice was drowned out by a sudden noise. The door burst open, and a strange creature entered the room. It was hairy and had horns on its head, and its eyes glowed with an eerie light. The young elf froze in terror, unsure of what was going to happen next. He was carrying an axe and was covered with blood from head to foot. He looked at the two elves who were both shaking and trembling in fear.

"T-The Krampus." Said the wounded elf. His voice was shaking and almost inaudible but the young elf managed to understand him. He knew who the creature was. Everybody knows what that creature was.

Who wouldn't know who this monster is? He is an Anti-Santa Claus who kidnaps bad children and takes them to hell inside his bag.
But he wasn't supposed to be here. He wasn't supposed to kill and slaughter anyone, especially the elves. He wasn't supposed to hurt anyone, most especially Santa.
Something's not right.

The young elf was distracted. His thoughts drifted to Santa. Where is he? How is he? That is all he could think of. Is he hurt? Did he manage to escape?

The two little elves hugged each other, closing their eyes, and were already waiting for their doom when the Krampus fell on his knees. His face suddenly lay flat on the floor and crimson blood began to pool around him.
There was a knife stuck on his back, and there they saw Santa standing just a few feet from the Krampus' body.

"Santa." The two elves sighed in relief. They helped each other up and were about to run to the old man when they noticed that something wasn't right.

He was holding a knife and his eyes were bloodshot. He stood there motionlessly just looking at the two elves who started trembling again at the sight of the bloody old man.

"S-Santa?" The young elf called trying to reach out to the once jolly old man.
He was slowly walking towards Santa when something grabbed his little foot. It was the Krampus.

"Run S-Son." The Krampus said. The elf recognized the warning in his voice and soon realized something very unsettling. A twisted truth.

The old man is not Santa anymore. It is the Krampus inside his body.
And the Krampus that is lying on the floor bathing in his blood is the real Santa Claus.

This brought chills to the Elf's spine. He looked at the old man that was standing in front of him.
That smiling face is already gone and was replaced with a sinister sneer.
The two elves knew they were already doomed.

|| E N D ||

*PLAGIARISM IS NOT JUST A CRIME; IT IS ALSO A SIN.

-Averie L。
(12-26-2022)

----->>
I was supposed to write a happy christmas themed story filled with Love, Joy, Hope and Magic.
But somehow I ended up writing this.
I'm not an anti-santa or anti-christmas person- although I'm a little more gloomy during holidays-
It popped out of my head.
Anyways, I hope everyone's having a wonderful and safe holiday❤
God bless everyone 😊