“But Fiona and Simon can’t have them frightening their guests,” I replied.
“Fun! Christmas. Laughter. Children. Enjoy.”The Ovilus spat the words out.
“How can we take this from them?” Cherry asked, and I chewed the inside of my cheek.
That was the hard question. Simon and Fiona had to make a living, yet how did we respectfully move the ghosts on? I couldn’t think of a single way.
Sunny
I glowered from the corner I’d been banished to. Jack claimed my negative energy was distracting the ghosts. Several times, I’d felt pushes to make me move away and into the corner. While I wanted to confront the spirits, I knew my attitude was making this whole scene dreary. What a fuckin’ word. Dreary. Where the hell that had come from, who knew.
Jack was happily interacting with the spirits, as the others helped him. I didn’t need to be here, and the whole thing was making me even more sour.
“I’m leaving,” I said to Diaz.
She nodded and turned her back to me. Well, fuck you too, lady!
Uncaring who heard or if my boots disturbed an investigation, I stomped down the stairs and back out into the open. We’d come by sleigh, but I could walk back. It wasn’t too far, and it might help clear my thoughts.
Mom had put the fear of God into me. A lot of what she’d said had been honest and heartfelt.
I couldn’t lose Callie. She was my whole world, and while I’d survive, I certainly wouldn’t be a pleasant asshole to be around. Not that I was at the moment, anyway. As I trudged through the snow, I tried to get to the bottom of what was really pissing me off. Sadly, I couldn’t. The deeper I dug, the angrier, more embittered, and blinded I became.
I looked around at the bright, cheerful Santa Village buildings and the lights strung throughout the trees leading to the portal tunnel. This would give even the most miserable fucker some semblance of joy, so why not me? What was so wrong with me that I couldn’t find happiness in this?
Lost in my thoughts, it didn’t take me long to reach the portal. I stamped through and came out on the other side. Looking at the clear sky, I took a deep breath and sighed. This was a beautiful place, yet I wasn’t at peace. Above me, the starstwinkled, and I knew Callie would love to sit in a sleigh, drinking hot chocolate and gazing up at them. She’d find it incredibly romantic. For me, well, it was meh.
The stars were stunning; I’d never seen such a clear sky. Yet all this left me cold. I wanted to yell ‘Humbug’ at everything. I knew I was over fifty, but surely that was too young to be considering shouting at kids to get off my grass.
As I moved through the woods, the way the ornaments turned to face was disconcerting.
“Scrooge, Grinch. Miser. Wretch. Grouch. Grump. Crank. Curmudgeon.”The words floated in the air as I passed them. The last one was good. Not one I’d heard before. Callie would like that word, I’m sure.
Ignoring them, I kept heading in the direction of Christmas Village when I heard a slithering noise.
I turned around suspiciously and checked all around me.
“Miserable whiner. Ungrateful fool.”
Okay, I got the message. I continued walking when I heard the noise again.
I turned and stared, searching all around me. My eyes lit on a bright green bauble, half the size of me. Had that moved? Nah, I was imagining it.
I began to turn away when, out of my peripheral vision, I saw a red bauble move. Spinning, I caught it in motion.
“Gotya!” I yelled triumphantly. The red bauble wobbled and then began rolling back and forth. I wondered what the hell it was doing when I saw the green, blue, gold, and silver ones all doing the same thing. A bad feeling sank into my gut, and I moved away quickly. There was a loud slithering, and I turned and saw the red bauble heading towards me.
Without a second thought, I dived out of the way as it barrelled straight at me. I hit a snowbank as it rolled down the path. I climbed to my feet and glowered after it, brushing myselfdown, as I heard more movement. Turning, I saw the other four all heading straight at me. A very unmanly screech left me as I darted from side to side to avoid them. The silver one clipped me, and I was knocked onto my back in the snow. Angrily throwing snow after them, I stood up and swiped at myself.
Nobody could say I was a fuckin’ fast learner. I started stamping down the path, muttering threats about taking a hammer to them and smashing them into smithereens. I turned a corner and swallowed. The five baubles were all lined up, one behind another, in front of me. With what could only be called a roar of defiance, they began rolling, far quicker than before. I didn’t have time to move.
The red hit me first, knocking me back into the snow. Then, one by one, they all rolled over me, burying me deeper. The silver one not only rolled over me once but then rolled back and then forward, ensuring I was buried. I lay there in the snow, wondering what the fuck had just happened and cursing Christmas—and this town—with everything I had.
Chapter Six.
Janie
“He’s so miserable. This is Christmas; he should be happy,” I said to Tommy as I gazed at the man called Sunny.
