Advent Ghosts 2009: The Stories

Christmas Eve is here and with it comes all the hustle and bustle, the fussing with wrapping and ribbon, carving the turkey and cutting the ham. But before the fire burns all the way down, before the east begins to brighten, before the cameras come out and the children start their shrieking, let us give you that oldest of gifts.

Let us tell you a story ...

• "Christmas Eve Ghost Story" by Phil Wade on Brandywine Books
• "Frost" by Loren Eaton on I Saw Lightning Fall
• "The Wary Imposter" by S.D. Smith on SDSmith.net
• "The Christmas Rime" by B. Nagel on B. Nagel
• "Nativity"by Chestertonian Rambler on The Winding Road to Roundabout
• "Dale Yoder, Pet Santa" by Ehren von Lehe on von Lehe Creative
• "Near Midnight" by Tony Chavira on FourStory
• "From Mouths of Babes by C.N. Nevets on Nevets.QST
• "The Meaning of Christmas" by Nathaniel Lee on Mirrorshards

* * *

"Holiday Spirit" by Ollwen Jones

"... cessa decipere humanas ... libertati laqueos injicere ... Da locum Christo, in quo nihil invenisti ... Nick! Nick! Snap out of it!"

Nick was suddenly aware of himself, as though awakened from deep slumber, on his feet, sweating, back to a wall in a dark alley. A frantic old man in red vestments was shaking him.

"Who are you?! What happened to me?!"

"I am St. Nicholas. You have been possessed by an evil spirit: The Holiday Spirit! Now we flee another monster! Hurry!"

Behemoth footsteps approached.

"What monster?"

"Why ... your debts!"

("Holiday Spirit" copyright 2009 by Ollwen Jones; used by permission)