The cookies and milk for Santa went untouched. The presents went unopened. The fire in the fireplace went unlit. The house was still and cold, in fact it was horribly drafty and all that could be heard was the distant humming of some appliance. How could it be that this morning, of all mornings there was no-one here to welcome the day. The exquisitely decorated tree had no scent. There was no Christmas music, no children shrieking with glee, no mother or father, no-one.
I stood frozen in this house, unfamiliar to me and tried to make sense of it. Was it a dream? Wake up, wake up. No, it was not a dream. I looked about the room. I felt guilty. Who am I to be in this house? I felt like a voyeur. The room was neat and clean and the furniture was all perfectly placed. I saw a staircase with red carpet and contemplated walking up it but for some reason I was unable to move.
Suddenly, I heard a deafening, thunderous noise and what seemed like voices but extremely loud and muffled and without warning there was a bright light that nearly blinded me. A giant hand came towards me and grabbed my body and I saw before me the enormous face of a child giggling and singing as she ripped my clothes off and dressed me up in an evening gown. Then she hugged me so tightly I could not breath.
Just as I was beginning to understand who I was, her brother grabbed me and ripped my head off.