The wind blows cold these December nights, where people are nestled in their coats and beds, waiting for the day that they can be together on the dawn of December 25th, Christmas Day.
But this is an Austy Quinn story! Of course it isn't going to be ordinary. What did you think this was? Those 60s Christmas shows they play on ABC every year? No! This is new and improved, with more of the sweet twists you'd expect a Quinn story to be.
Anyways, where was I? Oh yes!
The sun sank below the San Luis Valley, a place now nestled in a mountainous hug and wrapped in a soft white blanket of snow. The night was a peaceful grey, as it had previously been snowing. Cars were driving. People were talking. Just another winter in Alamosa.
That is, except for two people who would change the face of Alamosa's Christmas, and for that matter the State's Christmas as they currently viewed it, forever.
"Not too much farther|" Called out the voice of our hero, Austy Quinn, his red and black hair nestled under his santa hat and his chest wrapped in his coat (He still wore his shorts, of course.) He was followed by Kathy, who was still unsure as to why she followed him through the snow. The threat of divorce papers, perhaps?
"You've taken me all throughout town, will you just tell me what it is we're looking for?" Quinn hushed her as he approached the now-white bridge, a rushing river now put into an icy hibernation underneath. In the summer, the Valley was a garden of reds, oranges and greens. In the winter, however, the white overwhelming presence of snow warned those it encountered to return home and not search for the secrets hidden in the snowbanks.
"I found it earlier today, Kathy, I hid it behind a tree because it was too important to leave out in the open!" Austy huffed as he trekked along the bridge.
"Why not take it home, then?" She asked quizzically.
"Because, Kathy, I couldn't risk them getting taken by my brother! Or worse, my dad!" As one would expect with Quinn, his schemes were odd, but, alas, they somehow made the plot move along. Could you really blame him? He reached behind the withered tree, and pulled out a big bag, slumping it over his shoulder. "Check it out!" He smiled. It was a deep red velvet, with gold string tied along the end of the bag in a big bow. "I found it on the bridge, like someone had dropped it."
Kathy looked at it with confusion. Who in their right mind would leave such an expensive-looking bag in the middle of a snow-covered bridge? "What's in it?" Kathy asked as she saw Austy rummage inside.
"Well, um...a bunch of Christmas stuff." He explained as he pulled out everything from holly berries to candy canes.
"Do you know what this means, Kathy?" He asked, a devilish grin spreading across his face.
"No, Austy, we're not playing Santa." She stated, knowing he'd have another crazy scheme in tow.
"Aww, Kathy, come on! It's our last Christmas living in Alamosa! Let's play Santa!!" He grinned as he pulled out a sugar cookie and ate it. It was almost as good as his own. "We'll stop by my mom's, hotwire Steel Magnolia and go for a real sleigh ride!" Kathy crossed her arms.
"Isn't that...illegal?" Austy shook his head.
"Kathy, what if we're saving Christmas with this bag?! What could go wrong with that?" He skipped over the frosted bridge, Kathy following behind him.
♦♦♦♦
It wasn't hard to get Austy's old car back. He felt like a normal human again driving in Steel Magnolia. He redecorated her in the traditional red and black, as when he lost her, his mom returned her to that disgusting olive green. Kathy sat in the passenger seat, unsure of what Quinn would bring unto the world, and the bag was nestled in the back.
And so they traveled far and wide in the state with one night and occasional stops for gas. And Quinnmas had begun.
Santa was not wearing his fat red and white suit this year. He was skinny and red-and-black now.
What Quinn and Kathy never realized was the cookie. Because, seriously, cookies that aren't broken in bags like that which were pushed around for extended amounts of hours? No coincidence!
This cookie was magic, of course. And it was this magic that would turn those ordinary Quinnmas gifts into demented tools of torture.
What fun!
End of Chapter 1
YOU ARE READING
Austy Quinn's Christmas Special I
AdventureA Very Austy Quinnmas! The long awaited Austy Quinn Christmas Special! This is the first in the annual series, and was written in 2017 by me. Names have not been changed since then, everything has stayed exactly the same. This was written as a Chri...
