The Christmas Monster

A faint sound of the brass band urged me forward. 'Hark the Herald Angels' were getting nearer, my sodden shoes trudged in time. "Peace on Earth and mercy mild..."

It was so very bitterly cold. The once thawing snow had refrozen making it treacherous to walk. I found patches of thicker snow to walk on and it resisted my shoes just slightly..

I stopped.

An unease unravelled from around my midriff as my senses prickled. Perhaps it was the shadow which stole across my path, or the leering silence as the band paused between carols. Lifting my gaze away from the snow underfoot, directly ahead of me there stood a great figure. It blocked much of the light from the town behind.

The creature exhaled hard emitting a cloud of frozen vapour from its warm lungs yet it did not move. I studied it hard though it was difficult to determine what it actually was, only the haloed light of the town gave me clue to its supernatural size.

After a short moment, it seemed to collect itself and crouching to the height of a man, proceeded to put its great hands together as if in prayer.

The brass band began again, awakening my senses I began to back away through the uneven ice, stumbling, my feet began to slide uncontrollably. With my arms flailing I landed hard on my backside and so hurt myself that I could only groan feebly. Oh misery! I put my arms across my face.

Nothing has come, only a streak of light about my foot where the creature has moved away. I look about me and squint further, yet can see only mist and darkness punctuated by occasional street lamps. I gingerly test my weight and finding that I have no serious injury, clamber clumsily to a standing position. I hear my breaths short and rhythmical. I don't know if it is the cold alone or fear that makes me tremble.

I begin to hobble towards the light of the town, the pain is beginning to subside and I'm gaining power. The town is upon me and I gladly enter the bustle of people, shops and music.

The brass band strikes up again, its jolly rendition of 'Rudolf' eases my fear. A sea of bobbing woolly hats shows me that a children's choir is next to perform, they giggle excitedly.

Looking behind me into the mist, I see nothing but darkness.

I begin to think that I must have been mistaken, my encounter must only have been with a large farm animal of some sort. The immense size of the creature must have been a trick of the light, I am tired, I am hypersensitive, nothing more.

The children are organised in to two rows, bigger ones at the back, smaller ones at the front. The small ones wish they were big. Hot faced adults bustle about. A squeal cuts through the crowd as a wobbly toddler trips, throwing his beaker of juice all over his sister.

I adjust my weight and can feel a sharp stab of pain up my left buttock, it really hurts and I grimace. Stepping back from the crowd that has gathered around the children's choir, I find myself on the edge of the mist again. The snow has only been cleared up until the grassy area and my feet begin to slide again. Cursing my ridiculously slippery shoes, I decide to call it a day and head home.

Squinting into the darkness, I see nothing, though I know where I am, I just have to get across the park and then I'll be at my road. An uneasiness takes me, I would rather not walk alone. I make a phone call. No answer. I curse. No one will answer, they're all with family enjoying Christmas Eve. I wonder whether to call my dad, but decide it's wiser not to worry him.

Taking my keys in one hand and my mobile with torch activated in the other, I begin the journey home.

The snow is as high as my shins in some places, where it has drifted. My ridiculous shoes have exposed my socks to much of the snow and my feet have become numb.

Forgetting my fear for a moment, I focus my energy on picking my way through the drifts and icy patches. The park trees outline the path I must follow and in the distance I can see the street lamps on my road.

As if from nowhere, the great figure again appears before me, this time it is not motionless, it is striding towards me.

It moves faster, elongated arms swinging, its long jacket flapping behind it. The moonlight shows me its face. Oh what a face! I think of Frankenstein's wretched monster, a cruel line for a mouth, its eyes narrowed, its hair swept back into a tail. But the height, the height is that of 2 men.

I leap out of its way though it seems not to see me. Striding out, it gains momentum. It puts its hands skyward then forward as if stretching out for a dive, then falls onto four legs. Like an ape it charges at the town, charges at the light.

I watch, stricken with horror.

The choir sing on, unaware of the devilish monster lunging towards them. I hear the children's voices high and bright.

It is then that I drop to a crouch. A mighty thunder clap makes a curious white crack appear in the night sky. I hear my heart hammering but transfixed by the scene I look on. The white line is opening and releasing small forks of lightning which pummel the ground below. I curl up and grasp my knees but cannot take my eyes away. It blasts a continuous circle around the hurtling creature eventually forcing it to a stop. Its muscular shoulders swell and drop as it pants.

Aside from my heart and the hot noisy breath of the monster, a quiet ensues. I can even hear the drips of the thawing branches though it's soon replaced by the snorts and whines of the creature who appears to have become fearful. A tangible tension builds. Finally when the air is too thick to tolerate, a great white figure climbs out from the torn night sky and sitting upon a storm cloud strikes down with an almighty and conclusive bolt of electric.

The monster arches its back and howls, its arms raised and fingers crooked. Slumping to the ground, it appears to melt into the snow leaving nothing but a sleek dark puddle. The sky closes once more as the white figure climbs back through the darkening clouds.

I manage to stand, aghast. Staring at the night sky and then back to the puddle. A freezing grey mist warms and becomes cold rain. After some minutes, I turn and continue home.

No one could ever believe what I saw.