Anthology of Extras

Asylum Trilogy | Christmas Special

Michael stood outside in the cold, dressed in a damp sweater that smelt and looked like something from a past nightmare, covered head to toe in glitter. Someone so sad never looked so fabulous.

Christmas didn't mean much to the Wilton family, not anymore. No gaudy decorations, no dead tree adorned with ornaments and certainly no exchange of gifts was to be had on Christmas day.

Ava Wilton had thrown out the decorations before she and Michael moved to their current location, not that the decorations had seen the light of day for quite some time. 'Tacky' she had called them and a tedious waste of time. Michael didn't particularly disagree but throwing them away altogether had a worrying alternative meaning to him.

That morning, Michael slunk out onto the balcony of his home and sipped a cup of coffee.

It appeared the weather didn't feel like Christmas either considering it was Christmas Eve and there was no sign of snow. It was a fact that had a lot of people disappointed.

Michael didn't particularly like the cold but did enjoy seeing people struggle to go about their business when there was ice on the ground and snow soaking their trousers.

He lowered his coffee and squinted when he spotted a figure standing over the other side of the lake. He watched them jump up and down flailing their arms about.

A grin slipped across his features at the sight of Sam attempting to gain his attention. He waited a little longer, at least until he swore he saw Sam give him the middle finger before he waved back. Sam gestured for him to come over.

Michael nodded to himself, a wave of relief flooded his body at a chance to escape the house.

He pulled on his jacket whilst he considered sticking some of his mother's jewellery into a bag to give to the Hanz ladies for Christmas. He decided against it when the witch herself came to see him off.

"Where could you possibly be going on Christmas eve?" she crooned with one hand on her hip and a tumbler glass of whiskey in the other.

His brow furrowed.

"It's Christmas Eve?" he spluttered, feigning surprise.

Ava pursed her plump lips. "Do you honestly plan to disappear on today of all days?"

He eased his left foot into a shoe with his finger before he stood up straight to stare at her.

"What does it matter? I don't smell a turkey in the oven" he remarked.

Ava tilted her head away from him and directed her eyes to the side. Her dark brows pulled together briefly before she returned her gaze to him.

"Well, I'll be here when you're ready to come home" Was all she said before she shuffled back into the living room.

It took Michael a total of 15 minutes to pull up onto Sam's driveway. Even as he climbed out of the car, he could already hear the chaos taking place inside. He paused outside for two reasons: to prepare for the intense social interaction he was about to subject his fragile psyche to and to observe the chaotic Santas grotto stood before him.

Fake snowflakes plastered the windows of the Hanz bungalow; an enormous flimsy sign requesting "Santa stop here" was propped up against the tractor wheel Sam trained with and; a waist-high, matted, ugly looking reindeer decoration stood guard beside the front door. Sure enough, the sight before him had the adequate level of tackiness to lay his mother to rest.

He had to knock several times loudly before anyone came to the door.

Milly answered in a fluster. Her blonde hair was loosely tied back, but wisps had escaped and were wrapped around her heart-shaped face. A headband with reindeer antlers swayed on top of her head and, as his eyes briefly travelled down, he clocked an ugly Christmas sweater.