The boy clutched the edges of his blanket, huddling into the flannel, hiding against the cold and his sister’s condescending glare.
She tapped his shoulder. “Santa’s not coming. Not even a chance. Come to bed before…” she shuddered “…he sees and beats us again.”
The boy didn’t move. Finally, his sister shook her head and hid in the tiny room they shared.
The boy started awake at the hoofstep on the floor.
The demon, Santa’s prisoner and helper, punisher of the wicked, handed his chain to the boy.
“Merry Christmas,” it hissed. Boy and demon smiled the same smile.
Please note that the 100 Word Story Podcast is changing URLS to https://oneadayuntilthedayidie.com/!Based around Laurence Simon’s weekly challenge for the 100 word-stories podcast. The player above should have the audio for this week; if it doesn’t, you can find the audio here to download.
I am updating these in a podcast feed (dubbed “Radio Free Steven the Nuclear Man” by Laurence). You can subscribe with this link (https://feeds.feedburner.com/Ideatrash) in your podcatcher or phone. You can also read and hear the rest of the entries at the 100 Word Stories podcast site.