Genesis: KRAMPUS

8

"Help! Help! Help! Help me! Cora! Help me!" Stevie screamed as she saw Cora approach.

"Hey! Asshole! I take back my wish! I take it all back! Give me back my family!" Krampus turned towards her her. She threw his bell at him and it landed in the snow. It sunk into the snow. The Underworld opened up in a large hole. Krampus jumped over to the other side to face Cora.

"Cora!" Stevie screamed.

"Let her go!" Cora charged at Krampus.

"Help me!"

Please. I know you can fix this. Give them back. Take me instead." Krampus began to laugh. "What are you doing? Take me! No!" The Elves pushed Stevie into the Underworld. "Stevie!" Krampus grabbed Cora's head and placed her over the Underworld. "No! Let me go! No! No! Please!" She looked up at Krampus. "I'm sorry. I just wanted Christmas to be like it used to be." Krampus dropped her. "No!"

***
Cora woke up and fell on the floor. She looked out the window to see the lights on. She turned and opened the 25th day on the calendar.

"You want down?" Cora heard Aunt Linda say.

"This dog didn't keep you guys up? She likes to bark at night." Uncle Howard told Dad.

"She sure does." Mom said.

"Thanks for making pancakes." Dad said.

"About time you got up. We've been waiting forever." Beth said as she passed Cora.

"Oh, hey, there she is. Hey, kiddo. We thought the sugarplum fairies may have gotten you." Uncle Howard smiled.

"You're all alive." Cora gaped.

"Barely. I haven't felt this hungover since the pope died." Aunt Dorothy quipped.

"What's up, buddy?Are you okay?" Dad asked as Cora sat down beside her Dad.

"Yeah, I just-- just had a bad dream, I  guess." Cora said.

"Enough with the sappy crap. Let's open up the damn presents." Stevie urged.

"Okay. Okay, already. Come on, Linda. Let's do this." Mom said.

"You're gonna help me? Okay." Aunt Linda asked.

"Merry Christmas, Cora." Omi handed Cora a mug of hot chocolate.

"Girls." Aunt Linda frowned.

"I got two beverages." Aunt Dorothy remarked.

"Stevie, sweetheart." Aunt Linda gave her a present.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Oh, ho ho ho!" Jordan said.

"Isn't that fun?" Uncle Howard told her.

"Hey, Chlorine." Jordan said showing off her present.

"Training batting gloves." Aunt Linda said.

"What could that possibly be? Oh, my god!" Mom opened her present.

"'Oh, my god' is right." Uncle Howard told her.

"Oh, my--"

"That's from me and the girls." Aunt Linda said.

"I had to reattach the foot." Uncle Howard grumbled.

"Yeah, if you look closely, he did a really good job of reattaching it." Aunt Linda said.

"Oh, thank you. This is great." Mom added.

"Omi, that's beautiful." Beth said. Cora hugged Mom.

"Wow. What's this all about?" Mom asked.

"It's nothing. Just-- merry Christmas." Then, she hugged Dad.

"Oh. Well, merry Christmas to you too, Cora." Mom saidm

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart." Dad sidehugged her. Aunt Linda handed her a small box. Cora opened it to find Krampus' bell. She looked up at Omi who looked concerned. The rest of the family looked around confused and concerned. The message was clear.

Krampus was real and he was not done with this family yet.