The Mistletoe

Chapter V

Summer had arrived, and Christmas was approaching. Due to recent events and the harassment from conspiracy theory enthusiasts, our house began to receive soil from the "graveyard," some small dead animals, dolls, and sometimes rotten eggs thrown at us.

My dad just cleaned up and prepared for classes as if nothing had happened. We had set up the Christmas tree, but no one would come home due to fear and harassment from the crazy people around the neighborhood. Finally, we learned that my grandmother would be the only one to come and see us. My dad didn't show it, but I could feel the stress and sorrow of living in this miserable situation.

Approaching December, when things seemed to be calming down, while having breakfast and watching the news, a new case came up.

A girl in her twenties had been reported missing for three days, and a search was underway. The location was said to be near the lake, where she and a friend were swimming.

The friend had reported simply seeing a bird-like creature that had hit her with a kind of tail and left her unconscious overnight. Since both were under the influence of alcohol, although the police started the search, it didn't seem like they took her account very seriously.

Seeing the face of the girl and her family moved me a lot, and it motivated me even more to take matters into my own hands. My dad said:

"What a shame, and so young. I hope they can at least find her body. If only we could help..."

"In fact, we can..." I said, seriously. "I can."

My dad said:

"It must be some kind of animal. Once they detect it, a couple of shots will take care of it."

"Dad," I said. "A farmer posted on social media that he had seen it and shot it, and I don't think he did much harm."

"Son, don't believe everything posted on social media. Many times, there are no filters, and anything is uploaded without verifying the facts."

There was no point in arguing; I didn't want to further diminish the tense family atmosphere that had already psychologically worn out my father. I simply affirmed what I had said and began to plan how to track the creature on my own.

With both of us on vacation, it was going to be difficult to sneak away since we both had days off. The only possibility was to use the days when he was asleep.

I thought about which day would be better and chose Christmas Eve. My grandmother and my father drank a little more on those festive days. My father, not being accustomed to drinking, only did so on holidays. He never smoked or drank, really.

On that date, when they had gone to sleep, I would go to track the creature. During these days, I had also noticed that I was becoming faster and more agile. I was already able to climb trees and tried to use movements I had learned in my karate classes. My senses had sharpened enough to see in the dark.

Counting the days left for Christmas Eve, I watched videos of hunting and animal tracking, taking notes. I also took a map of the sites around the lake and tried to remember the drums and sensations I had when I first encountered that creature. This would serve as a reference when I started tracking it. I also used videos to practice axes movements like throwing it, lateral and frontal cuts, etc.

When Christmas Eve arrived, my grandmother came, as usual, with her usual bottles of champagne, my grandfather also came, and they apologized for the rest of the people.

"Hello, my children, how are the poor ones?" said my grandmother as she hugged both of us.

"We are ready for the barbecue," said my grandfather, showing his beers and a large piece of beef.