Candy Cane Monster

Chapter One

     I could not get the taste out of my mouth. So vile. It tasted bitter and sweet like licking a bug off the ground.  The candy cane crunched in my mouth as I chewed heartily. Last night, I had set up stockings and a Christmas tree for my dog. I rubbed her belly as she closed her eyes, tail thumping. 

"You want your present?" I asked, waiting for the clock to signal twelve midnight, hearing her whine. "Well, you're going to have to wait your turn."

My dog looked at me with glazed eyes and thrusted her nose on my lap. I gave her my last cookie and milk. She wolfed it down with a couple of bites. My stomach grumbled. The tree I'd set up was turning brown, the needles carpeting the barren floor. I had that tree for many years now. The lights stopped working so it appeared lifeless and without mirth. 

I heard something crash on top of the roof. The slow thuds overhead made its way to the chimney. I scratched Koko behind her ear. 

"Almost time now," I whispered. I sat back on the frayed love couch. I felt my crashing heart beat slower and slower. Before I knew it, my hand went slack, my jaws loosened, and my tongue hung out. I could still feel the aresenic in my mouth. "This will be your last Christmas present, baby--my last gift for you."

It's been a long time since any of us ate meat. Splayed naked except for a terrycloth robe, I waited for death to come with open arms.