Spirit

There is little belief in Christmas anymore, and so I find myself protecting her; the Christmas Spirit

Who knew that Christmas Spirit could be broken so easily? I must admit that I could not bring myself to ever conjure up such a thought; that’s not my job. My proficiency lies in guardianship. Unlike the others, I was constructed out of pieces of scrap and made into a living, once unfeeling being. A sad existence? No, not at all. More like ecstatic, free and beautiful.

As one who could not feel, I did not understand what it was like to experience depression, to be disappointed nor did I realise how to accomplish envy. However, this did come at some expense, for I was not aware that I could �" as a being �" feel happy and understand the complicated concept that is love. At least, I did not understand until I was put at my post; to take care of little, frail Holly �" the Christmas Spirit.

I recall when I had been educated in such a creature, it was some time ago, when I was first being briefed on my mission, I do believe. A huge man dressed in the brightest of red, with the seemingly jolliest of demeanour, had explained it to me; “Lately, less and less people have been feeling any Christmas Spirit. This is not good news. So, I am asking you, as a friend, to protect little Holly for me; the Christmas Spirit”

Apparently, all the magic and contentment from this festive season gave this modest, winter imp power to go on and, in turn, she shared this energy with the man they named “Santa Clause”. I remember the first day I had the pleasure of making her acquaintance, tiny, adorable Holly.

The jolly man called out to her as we stood amongst the trees. It must have been cold, for all the miniature elves were dressed in woollen clothing and had bright red cheeks. I remember wondering what it must have been like to address the cold, for I had never �" and never will �" experience it. Or, that is what I had been told, anyway.

My skin is dry and firm, and to the naked eye it appears to be normal, human flesh. That would be incorrect though, for I am made out of tin, plastic and all sorts of bits and pieces from the Workshop. Many of the elves commented on how I looked a lot like a winter spirit, just like Holly. My hair it short and choppy, dyed a white more luminous than the very snow. Eyes stolen from a doll, glossy and hazel, filled my once empty sockets. They had dressed me in a long, baby-blue winter coat lined with fur down the middle and about the hood. Boots hugged onto my legs, which were buried under knitted stockings.

A shuffle in the snow caught my attention and then I could see her, poking her head out from behind a tree. She was possibly no bigger than the elves were and looked more like an innocent, human child than a spirit. Her hair was brilliant silver and cascaded down her small back. Gleaming, diamond eyes stared onward with an edgy gaze. Stumpy, little fingers hooked onto the snow-dusted bark of the tree and feet kicked about below her. Even she, one who dwelled with the winter, was dressed in a thick, white coat and black, suede boots.

“Come on now, Holly,” the jolly man called with a laugh, holding onto his belly. The girl blinked and tried to hide, cheeks tinted pink. “Don’t be shy, now. We’re all friends here”

Abruptly, the girl skittered from where she concealed herself and dived into the man’s arms. He gave a cheerful chuckle and patted the girl’s head affectionately. Then, setting her down on the ground, he angled himself round to me. In my hands was a box wrapped in shiny, ruby foil. A present for the baby spirit.

“This is Winter,” he introduced me, holding his mitten clad hand out to me. I gave the girl a smile, though I wasn’t too sure at the time if I was happy or trying to coax her into safety; it was merely an automatic response, one I assumed was in my programming.

Bending down on one knee, I held the box out to her, keeping at a distance so that she wouldn’t feel intimidated by me.

She shook her head and hid behind the jolly man, who ushered her on with kind, encouraging phrases. Biting her pink lip, she crept out. One step, two...

Swiftly, she snatched the box and ran into hiding again. Experimentally, she gave the box a shake, holding it up to her bright red ear. I found it strange, how a winter spirit could actually feel the cold. Perhaps if she were hollow, like me, she would not have been burdened or even blessed by it. I wouldn’t know which it would have been.

Tearing into the paper, she removed the lid from the box and gasped, a beam bigger than no other stretching across her face. She discarded the box and wrapping and embraced the pink, fluffy bear tightly. It gave a squeak in response and she gave an excited giggle. Then, as though she held no hesitation in the first place, she bolted right over to me.

“Winter! That’s what I’ll call him, after you!” she beamed, holding the bear up to me, “Thank you!”

Unexpectedly, she wrapped her petite arms around my neck and I was jerked downward to her height. At first, I was unsure of how to respond; none of this was ever covered in my training. But, in less than a moment, an instinct came over me and I found myself holding the girl in my arms. Was this instinct maternal? Is that the term humans used when one feels as though they should protect something as small, and as helpless as this little Holly?

“I’m putting you in charge of her now, Winter,” the jolly man addressed. He marched over and ruffled the girl’s hair. “Take good care of her now, she means a lot to me; Christmas Spirit means a lot to everyone”

The strength of my grip tightened protectively and I nodded, firm and alert. “Yes, I understand,” I said in my monotoned voice. Then, I pulled back from the embrace and stared Holly in the eye. “No matter what happens, Holly, Christmas Spirit, I will be here to protect you”

In response, she laughed and hugged onto me again. “We’re going to be good friends!” she yelled with exhilaration.

Friends? I looked up at the man in red; however he and the gathering of elves were already making their exit, leaving me and the spirit alone in the wintery forests. A sigh escaped my lips and I scooped the girl off the ground, balancing her on one arm as I stared out into the distance, light snowfall spilling from the weightless above.

Holly clung onto the rim of my coat and pouted, clutching onto the bear with her other hand. “I’m cold” she whimpered.

A smile came across my lips and I set her down, removing my coat from my shoulders. Beneath I was dressed in a thick, woolly scarlet jumper, a short brown skirt and stockings. She tried to refuse the garment, but I enfolded her into it like a blanket around a baby and picked her up again. “Won’t you get cold? I don’t want you to get ill,” she whispered timidly.

I met her gaze and held it. “Fear not,” I reassured, though it was difficult in my robotic voice, “I do not think that I can experience illness. Also, I do not feel the cold and therefore it shan’t trouble me”

Holly rested her head against my shoulder and I couldn’t help but flinch at a sudden feeling; could this... Could this be warmth?    

“Let’s go home,” she mumbled, seeming exhausted. I let her fall to sleep on me, not at all bothered by it. I knew the way to her home, for Santa Clause had shown me the way before we arrived, in case of such an event occurring. It was a humble log with a gaping hole in it, though in spite of any blizzards or bad weather, none of it effected the inside of her home. Warm, plain and simple; I knew that would surely bring that emotion to Holly. What was it again? Comfort.

A fire was brewing at one side of the cylinder shaped room and a wooden table sat in the middle, a half eaten orange and a pile of candy-canes on top of it. Opposite the wooden �" yet amazingly not burning �" fireplace, was a bookshelf. The books were all leather-bound and worn, their yellow pages leafy and some coated with splashes of hot chocolate. In front of this was a plush, crimson sofa with golden embroidery. On the side of it was a sticker with the jolly man’s face on it �" a present from him from the year before.

At the far end of the room was a set of ladders, leading up to a ledge sticking out of the wall. Blue sheets were hanging haphazardly over the edge of it and numerous teddy-bears were gazing down upon them with curious eyes.

Hefting Holly up, I grabbed the first step with a definite grip and pulled the two of us up. Then, carefully, I set Holly into her bed and tucked her into the warm duvets, setting up her toys so they would not tumble over the edge. I smiled at her and mumbled “goodnight” before making my descent.

 

Days turned into months and then into years. Neither Holly nor I aged and we both spent the days lazing away. Not once did anything threaten her. The beasts of the forest were extremely kind to her, particularly the reindeer, who were always fond of her. More often than not, she’d have me help her in baking several treats for Santa, claiming that cookies were his favourite, then next brandy cakes and after that gingerbread men. What was that phrase? “Her mind changes like the weather “or something similar, I believe.

In all honesty, I could not truly say this, for the weather here was always the same. Perhaps in a different region of the world then, yes, I could say as much.

Over this long period of time, the two of us grew closer and eventually Holly had started to do things for me, claiming that it was not fair for me to be looking after her all the time. She would help me reapply my paint when it would flake away, oil me if I required it and actually started to take much better care of my hair than I ever had. I requested she kept it short, as it would get in my way of work, otherwise. She did, but instead made it appear fluffier than in ragged, straight chops as it had been, and she also made it so it never had to be dyed again; it would forever remain as snow, just as the vast coated surface outside.

Yes, we shared memories aplenty together and in time I may have grown to love her. Was that right? Love? I’m not too sure, but it was a strange feeling, like the warmth when I first met her only it had grown considerably. At first I thought that I might have been malfunctioning, but now I’m not too sure.   

 

“Winter,” Holly moaned groggily, wiping her eyes. I stood from my place on the sofa and marched obediently up to her, crouching down so I was level with her. She was dressed in a long, stripy shirt and was holding her bear’s hand in her own; the very one that I had given to her years ago.

“What is the matter, Holly?” I asked in my impassive voice. She sniffled and looked at me with huge, watery eyes. Another nightmare, I concluded. Gathering her in my arms, I brought her back up the ladder and into bed, crawling in next to her. Fortunately, the ledge was stronger than I had first assumed and would effortlessly accept both our masses. By design, my arm coiled tenderly around her as she snuggled in closer to me. For a while, we simply laid like that, neither of us falling to sleep �" not that I required it.

Lately, she’d been receiving horrible nightmares every night, about shadows coming in and stealing away with her in her sleep. Sometimes she would scream and cry out in agony and terror, and then she would not sleep until her body could not take it anymore and forced her into it. I had consulted Santa about it, and he answered gravely; “I do not know many humans that hold Christmas Spirit dear anymore...”

The severity of his answer had hit me and left me bewildered. I did not know what to do, nor did I know what the outcome would be. All I could do was protect her to the best of my abilities. I would chase away the demons of the night, I would fight to bring back people’s belief in her and I would never leave her side for a minute. No matter what would happen to me.

 

The next day was Christmas Eve and Holly was as bubbly as she was every year, fiddling about with last minute decorations and having me assist her in making cookies for Santa Clause. More often than not it was messy, trying to bake over the fire, but with a little help from Holly’s natural magic, we got them done.

She twirled around, clothed in a red and white dress and held the tray out toward me. Smiling, I picked a cookie and brought it to my lips. Over the time spent with her, I seemed to have developed taste buds somehow; only for her cooking though. Whenever the elves would visit and try to see if their food would work, I could never find a taste to it �" not even a hint. But, with Holly’s food, I could experience everything. The sugar, the chocolate, even the heart that she put into making them, I could taste them all. There was nothing sweeter than the heart of Holly.  

“This is delicious,” I complimented, “just as they are every year”

She beamed at me. “Then Santa will like them, won’t he!?”

Resting my hand upon her head, I ruffled her silken hair. “Of course he will” I encouraged. She gave a gleeful howl and raced over to the bright, decorative tree and poured the sweets into a bowl. The tree stood close to the bookshelf and was almost falling over with the vicious amount of tinsel and baubles on it. Dusting off her hands, she grinned with satisfaction and turned to me. Then, she regarded me. “You need to change,” she remarked, gesturing to my outfit. The same red jumper and skirt she had first met me in. By now, the jumper was worn and the stockings had a few holes in them. Yes, I had different clothes, but not that many.

Hastily, she snatched a box from under the tree and shoved it under my nose. “Here!” she cheered, “You can open this one tonight! I made it specially!”

I couldn’t help the smile stretch across my face and went to take the wrapped parcel off her hands, when the tree suddenly quaked. Holly gave out a cry and hugged onto me, arms snaked about my waist. The present was on the floor. With one arm, I held onto her and leapt out of the house. In time too, as the tree gave a monstrous groan and then collapsed. Holly screamed and reached for the pile of sharp chunks of bark and decorations, but I pulled her back. “No,” I whispered, “it’s not safe”

A high-pitched shriek tore through the air, causing Holly to cup her ears and writhe in pain. But, the cries did not affect me and so I helped the poor spirit protect her ears. I was on alert, eyes darting and my body ready to move at any moment. Who could have had the heart to destroy this little girl’s home? What could?

It was then that they emerged, plummeting from the tree tops; I didn’t know what they were. They didn’t have only faces, longs pieces of thick, hairy, dark wire draped over them and shadowing them from view. Hunkered down, they swayed from left-to-right, clacking their invisible teeth and wriggling their long fingers. Three talons kept them balanced on their feet and a wretched smell that even I could detect filled the air from them. Steam rolled off their bodies and evaporated eventually in the icy air.

“Be gone!” I commanded my voice strong as I held onto Holly tightly. They chirped and chatted, eventually making sounds similar of that to apes. I ran through my internal catalogue and could find nothing; they were not ogres, trolls nor ghouls. There was no way that I was able to determine just what they were.

In my arms, Holly trembled and dared a peek over my shoulder. She then gave a wail and buried her face into my chest. “I-It’s them! It’s the monsters!” she whined, clutching tightly onto my jumper with her shivering digits.

“Monsters?” I glanced at them, “From your nightmares?”

She whimpered and nodded, frosty tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. I cupped her face in both of my hands and gently lifted her head, making her look at me. If she gave me the order, then she and I both knew that I could rid her of them. She would just have to say it first. For a minute, her eyes shook and then she pressed her lips together. “Winter,” she spoke in a harsh tone, “Do not let those monsters harm me; get rid of them!”

I bowed my head loyally. “Yes, Christmas Spirit,” I murmured mindlessly and rose to my feet. The beasts made clicking sounds, their heads jerking this way and that, seeming very confused. Then, I turned to them and held my hands out.

A flash of brilliant light filled the air and then, in my hands, it appeared; my trusted weapon, a cane with red and white stripes, as solid as steel. There was a snap and a blade flipped out from the staff, turning the meek cane into a scythe. A chime rang through the air and bells tied themselves onto my blade. “Be gone!” I shouted, “Or I shall have to take immediate action”

For a second, the beasts conversed with themselves, and then they were upon me. In total, I calculated that there were about seven of them present. The first one came upon me, claws curved and a hiss erupting from its throat, much like a velociraptor. My weapon whistled as I swung it round, slicing easily through flesh and then through bone. The creature screeched and fell to the ground, wriggling in tremendous pain before vanishing and leaving only a black stain in the snow. Not once did I abandon Holly’s side, I fought with her safely behind me, only letting my guard down to check up on her.

Instead of going to them monsters, I let them come on to me. One by one, they did. From the left one came and then the right. I told Holly to get down and spun around in a sharp circle, cutting through the two and watching them disappear as they fell onto the ground. One tried to outsmart me by coming from below, but I estimated as much and caught it before it did me.

Then, one came in from behind, talons stretching towards Holly. Stamping a foot firmly into the ground, I whirled around and buried the blade into the beast’s gut. It howled, hanging on the end of my scythe until it turned into soot on the ground.  That left two of them. The first one came up from up front and the second behind. With two, rapid swipes, I attacked them both and they slumped into the ground; then they were gone.

“Winter!” Holly cried, jumping at me and holding onto me tightly. Her body was shaking violently. I sighed and held her with one hand and my blade with the other. “T-They were the ones from my dream!” she sobbed, “They’re Existers!”
I had to stifle the gasp threatening in my throat. That made sense. If less people were going to believe in her, in Christmas Spirit, then Existers would come. They were the ones who eradicated the unicorns, were still taking care of the fairies and now they were after Holly. As soon as belief in something had diminished, then the Existers would come and take the actual being away; there was no longer any need for them on this earth.

“Fear not, Holly, I shall protect you,” I whispered, planting a kiss on her cheek. She whimpered but nodded. At the moment, I knew that the safest place would be at Santa’s Workshop, the Existers wouldn’t make a move against them there; they’d be outnumbered. Additionally, it was against the rules for them to appear before creatures and beings that are still believed in; meaning they could not appear before the elves regardless.

“WINTER!” Holly exclaimed.

I winced and whirled around, ready to face yet another Exister. Only, this time, I had miscalculated. The bony, pointed talon shot out from beneath the snow and embedded itself right into my spine. I gave out a choked cry, yet felt no pain. Though, that could be said different after I realise what had happened.

Gritting my teeth, I looked down finding a lengthy claw protruding out of my chest. I followed the rest of it and my eyes widened. It had gone right through my back and into Holly’s chest, right into her heart. My lips parted into a gawk and I grunted as the beast retracted its talon from us both. Suddenly, my arm gave way and my knees buckled. The two of us fell onto the floor in a heap; my left arm shattered and dislodged itself completely from my shoulder, its ashes around Holly. The creature had fractured my core and now I had lost complete function of my arm, not to mention that my knee was loose; though not gone.

Her eyes were squeezed shut and ragged breaths escaped her mouth, her chest heaving up and down. I felt a fire develop inside of me. Could this be... rage?

Slowly, I got up to my feet, hand still wrapped tightly about my scythe. I stared with horror at Holly for a moment, before whirling around. This Exister was enormous compared to the others, but I did not take this into account and sliced its head clean off. It vanished in seconds, along with my scythe.

I angled my body back to Holly and fell by her side, lifting her head up onto my lap and smoothing her hair back from her face. “Holly!” I cried and she blinked, a small smile coming to her lips.

She placed her tiny fingers against her chest and pulled out a small, pulsating, pink diamond. A piece of her heart. “This...” she croaked and slotted it into the gaping hole in my chest. She barely avoided the jagged shards of metal and sparking wires within as she placed the piece inside of me. “Was going to be your Christmas present...”

Then, her arm fell and she went limp in my arms. Her body was then as cold, as numb as mine. The fire within me had been put out and it left nothing behind, nothing but this tiny, precious fragment of little Holly. Fluid poured out of my eyes and landed on her cheeks. “I love you,” I found myself whispering, hugging her to me. A gust of wind blasted by us, picking up the snow as I gave out a desperate, sorrowful cry. “Holly!”

 

I was left alone, as requested. Santa understood how I felt and so kept his distance, ensuring that others nearby did too. But, they did help me a lot. Together, we reconstructed Holly’s home to exactly the same way it was, with the decorations, cookies and all. I took her and laid her out on the sofa with a blanket and all her toys, tucking her bear, Winter, under her arm. Then, I left the fireplace burning.

With none of her magic to hold the flames at bay, it was let loose in the house, scorching everything that it touched. The smoke climbed up high to the starry sky above. It singed the nearby trees, though Santa made sure that the blaze could not affect the rest of the forest as it was allowed to burn.  

I held my only hand to my chest. A bandage had been wrapped around it and I had several offers for repairs, but I refused. Instead, I would fight on the way I was now, with this piece of Holly’s heart inside of me.

Dressed in my blue winter coat and stockings, I gave my final farewells to tiny, adorable Holly and marched off in the distance. Many wondered where I was going and to be truthful I did not know either. I just knew one thing; I would bring Christmas Spirit back.     

    

Author's Note

Listening to some soundtracks from some movies and series, and in the end I came up with this; soundtracks are wonderful things, are they not? I checked this one really quick, since it took me so long to write it! Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this mortals. Even being from another dimension, Christmas Spirit is a very important thing to me...

Reviews

[Tony]

I would not say anything critical or bad about anyone's writing, no matter how awful I thought it was.
I am obligated however, to catch writer's doing it right.
This is an excellent short story.

I feel the author is from another dimension, having an eerie ability to read the shadows of reality.
The Existers.... Great Name.
However, I think the real ones can be found here on earth, The BilderbergGroup.
Only they could kill Holly. And not in a noble or gallant way either, deceptive and cruel, material world megalomaniacs, demons incarnate.
anyway.....

[LittleGuitar94]

This is a really interesting take on Christmas Spirit, i like it and i'll favourite it :)