Cory Stratus was not enjoying Christmas vacation. His Mom had decided to go to the little old cozy house in Willowage Park, a forest near Scotland. It's not that Cory didn't like the house, he really loved it, but it was that he didn't want to spend Christmas away from all of his high school friends again and also the house always made him feel funny.
They'd just landed in the only airport in Willowage and were now renting a car to go to the house.
"Can't we just… I don't know stay at our house?" Cory asked his mom.
"Well, first off, we are going to our house and you are…," Alya Stratus looked at her watch," five hours and fifty-three minutes late to ask that question. Plus you shouldn't complain. We have someone coming to visit us while we're there."
"Who would visit us? We don't know anybody here."
"I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
"This Christmas is going to be terrible."
She looked at him straight in the eyes and said in a mixture of fear and anger," Never say that."
With that the two Stratuses got into the car and drove off on their way to a small clearing in the huge forest an hour away.
Halfway through the ride, the car came to an abrupt halt. We can't be there yet, Cory thought, it's only been half an hour. "Is there a new restaurant somewhere on this road?" he asked dumbly pulling off his headphones.
"No," His mom said looking straight ahead.
"Well, then why'd we stop?" To answer his question, he looked ahead, out into the road. There was a sign that said:
ROAD CLOSED
CONSTRUCTION AHEAD
"Well that's all fine and dandy," Cory's mom said as she drove around the sign.
"Umm… mom? What are you doing?"
"Not letting that sign get in our way. I'm not paying all that money and having wasted." They drove on.
When they reached the house that uneasy feeling gripped Cory's stomach. "I'll be right back," Cory promised running inside with all of his bags.
"Probably going to the bathroom," his mom grumbled as she had to carry the rest of the luggage in. She walked inside and set the bags and boxes down in the entry way. "Are you going to help me decorate?"
"Just a second!" she heard his muffled voice through the bathroom door.
"I'm starting right now! Help me when you get out!" She started unpacking the decorations.
Cory came out of the bathroom and his mother asked," Why do you always run to the bathroom when we first get here? Is it some sort of tradition or something you eat every time we come here?"
"I don't know… whenever I see the house it always makes my stomach queasy," he admitted.
"That's so odd," she replied," I feel the same way but not as urgently as you." She unwrapped the last of the boxes and Cory grabbed the lights and went to work.
At six o'clock, the house had been half decorated and Cory was at the table waiting for dinner. "Have you put the tree up yet?"
"Oops," his mom said spilling potato soup on her apron," not yet. Would you do that for me? The food will be done when you finish."
"Sure, why not. It's not like enjoy Christmas anyway. Make the kid do all the work."
Once again she looked at him with outright terror," Never repeat those words again or anything like them."
He got up and went to the living room quickly where the disassembled tree lay waiting for him in a box. The uneasy feeling crept back into his stomach as he pulled the branches out. Shaking his head, he dismissed the feeling and went back to work. The tree was put together and the bottom half of the tree had been peppered with gold and red when Cory found a box that he had never seen before."Mom? Did you buy a green and red gift-looking box of decorations?"
"No.. show me."
He walked in the kitchen and showed the little box to his mother."Hmm… I have never seen this before. Are you sure that this was with our boxes?"
"Very sure. It was sitting by the box with the holly and skaters."
"Hmm... that's odd. We might as well use it!" She cheerfully said," Put it on one of the midsections after dinner. I'm going to read later."
Dinner had been finished, Alya had gone to her room, and Cory was by the tree looking at the box. The lid looked firmly taped on. He tried opening it. The lid slid off easily even though the tape was stuck on it. He cautiously peered inside. A note was all that filled the box. Naturally, Cory opened the note and read the four words on the card:
Don't go to bed
The uneasy feeling turned into a shiver traveling down his spine. "MOM!" Cory called while running to her room with the note and box in hand.
"What is it dear?" she asked a bit annoyed.
"Mom look," he shoved the note into her hand.
She looked a bit worried then said," I'm sure it's just a joke one of our friends left in our car."
"Speaking of friends, who did you say was coming to visit us?"
"Oh it's just old…," then she laughed and said," You almost got me to tell you! That was smooth, Cory. Now go finish the tree."
"Bu.."
"No buts. I'm not telling you. Go finish the tree."
"Fine," Cory grumbled as went back down the hall.
The tree was finished and Cory was in bed messing around on his phone when something flashed outside the window. A bit confused and a bit worried, Cory got up and went to the window. He saw the fence with lights on it, the forest on the other side of the road, and an old birch in the yard looking out into the dark night. Then he saw something odd, the lights had been rearranged in a different pattern than what he and his mom had set up. He looked closer at it WHAM! He screamed and ran down the hall towards his mother. A hand had slammed on the window.
"What is it?!" his mother came out of her room and was looking very frightened.
"I-I w-was looking out the window when a hand slammed out in front of my face on the glass!" He stammered out through his chattering teeth.
"What are you talking about? I just turned off your light a few seconds ago."
"What? But it marked the glass!"
"You're imagining things, Cory," she said walking towards his room.
"Don't go..!"
"Look, you're fine. See no marks."
"I could've sworn that something happened."
"Nothing happened. Go back to bed, honey."
"Ok."
Cory got back in his covers and turned back to the window. He didn't dare go back looking through them up close, but he noticed something on the frosted glass. More words:
The last warning you did not heed. Now you've sealed the darkest deed.
Caution you have yet to use. You have met the end of the fuse.
"MOOOM!" He yelled.
"Cory it's your imagination!" She called back.
"Just come here, please!"
He heard her door open and her slippers coming down the hall. "What is it?"
"Look." He was pointing to the window.
"Cory if you're imagining things then I will…" She looked at the window and ice cold fear gripped the usual fiery joy in her eyes. Cory looked back at the window and saw the words had changed to:
Your friend is here.
"Mom? Who was coming to visit us?"
Her reply was," Get your stuff and get into the car."
"Mom, what's going on? Who is coming?"
"K," she said as she ran out of the room taking Cory's bag with her.
"K? K as in Katherine Miles?"
"That's what I thought too, but it's not her. I don't dare speak his name." She had picked up her room and his.
"Mom what are you talking about?"
Suddenly there was a crash from the living room. "M-mom?" Cory whispered," what's going on?"
His mom was by the window shoving luggage out into the night," Quickly get to the car and help me take our stuff."
She climbed out the window with Cory right behind her. They got into the car, sped out of the driveway and kept driving back down the road. Neither of them had spoken as they drove into town. They booked the next flight and took off back to America.
Finally relaxed and feeling safe the two exhausted passengers sat quietly in their seats.
"Mom… Who is K?"
Tense she let the word slip," Krampus."
CRASH!
"BREAKING NEWS! A plane crashed over Scotland this morning, but that's not all that happened. Jess? Would you show the picture?"
A picture taken from high up showed the wreckage. The plane had crashed in a large meadow and clearly visible in the picture written in the snow was the words:
Never be Ungrateful for Christmas