The Christmas Beast

A 500 word story I wrote for a Christmas competition. The prompt was "T'was the night before Christmas"

Children were so full of hope it was almost funny. The way they gleefully bound into their beds, crossing their fingers until they fell asleep. The sandman hated this evening; there's only so many thoughts of wanting a shark he could take. The day after was always filled with disappointment.

Bright eyes flashed from outside a young boys window.

He almost relished at the thought of it; all the children of the world waking up with no sharks, but hands coated with black dust that had come from the coal they yanked out of their stocking. He let out a short. He could only dream. (Though, he couldn't. The Sandman had banned him.)

If you were to ask a child, they probably wouldn't believe in him. Their minds were so full of 'he knows if you've been bad or good' the threat of another festive being had been banished from their simple minds. The window creature looked down in shame and pondered; where had all their christmas spirit gone? He grinned. He knew he had taken it.

When it came to good behaviour children always thought they were elite. The best. He knew it was a lie; he saw it all. The deceit, the secret telling, the one time they stole their classmates toy and refused to give it back. It was pathetic in his mind. What's the point in believing in a hoax if you aren't evening trying?

There was a shuffle from inside the room; the boy was getting up, possibly to go to the bathroom. The creature heard the thoughts echoing from the child's mind.

"What if I see santa?"

It was a shame he wasn't going to.

The being shifted himself; it was time. He moved his hand outwards causing his fur cloak to fly from behind him, pieces of snow breaking off into the wind. His claws curled around the window and began to tug. The eagle-like talons sunk deeper as he realised more force was needed. He grunted. In one foul swoop he drove his hands backwards, the frame and shards of glass clattering past him. He was in. He knew what he had to do next.

As he planted his hooves onto the carpeted ground, the house shook. Then: silence. He heard the childs breathing quicken and his lips turned up in delight. The creature began to straighten himself out, extending his body to its full length and surveying the room as he grew. The clock ticked. The boy stood still.

The being took one deafening step: the house wobbled again. You could hear the sound of his horns scraping along the ceiling and the bells laced across him jingled with each movement.

The child's thoughts continued to bombard his mind, ideas racing about the presence. His red eyes beamed again and lit up the room like a fire. The boy was around the corner. Suddenly everything came to a halt. The clock ticked again. One thought sounded throughout the room:

"Krampus."

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