27-Nov-2020
Welcome to today’s entry of Holiday Flash Fiction Friday!
Once again, things have gone a little dark. Or maybe twisted is a better description.
Rudy the Glowing Red Human
Today’s Flash Fiction Friday is brought to you by:
Decorating Cookies
Reindeer
and
Wild Rice
“Mama, where did all the humans go?”
“We don’t know. They disappeared one Christmas night long ago.”
“The silent night.”
“That’s right.”
“Is this what they really looked like?”
“Well, all we have are a few old depictions, but we do know that this is their general shape. They had a head, a body, two forelegs and two back legs.”
“Did they walk like us?”
“We don’t think so. Our scientists believe they only walked on their back legs.”
“They must have been realllllly tall.”
“Perhaps.”
“Did they have fur?”
“Just on the top of their head.”
“Is that why you put brown frosting right there?”
“Yes.”
“Were they blue?”
“They wore coverings over their skin. Without fur they got very cold.”
“They should have had fur. They probably wouldn’t have died if they’d had fur.”
“I think the coverings are quite clever. Do you remember the story of the silent night?”
“A little. The humans felt sorry for our ancestors, so they said we didn’t have to pull the big red sleigh anymore. Instead, the humans wanted to do it to show how strong they were.”
“And?”
“Could humans fly?”
“No, they could not.”
“Then how did they pull the sleigh? I thought they had machines.”
“The machines had failed, and humans had instead turned to honing their bodies.”
“Honing?”
“Improving.”
“Why?”
“So they could do all the things they liked to do, like build buildings to live in, make coverings for their bodies, play games—”
“Did they play reindeer games?”
“I don’t know.”
“They did. They had to. Reindeer games are the best.”
“What if they had human games?”
“They might be okay. What happened with the sleigh?”
“You see this sleigh?”
“It’s a cookie.”
“So it is. Use your imagination.”
“Okay.”
“After the machines failed, many humans changed their bodies so they could fly. Most died quickly, but some survived.”
“Why are you putting eight humans in front of the sleigh?”
“They wanted to celebrate their winter festival, and for that, they needed the red sleigh to fly. Eight humans said they would change their bodies so they could fly. It was a great sacrifice. Even now we remember their names, Asher, Tegan, Brooklyn and Griffin. Bridget, David, Conner, and Tristan.”
“What about Rudy?”
“I’m getting to that. As the winter festival approached, a great darkness covered the land. So dark, that the eight humans couldn’t see enough to fly and not run into things, or go right out into space.”
“They could go into space?”
“Some did. They did not return.”
“Cool. Is that when the glowing one came?”
“Yes. One human, his skin glowing bright, volunteered to change so he could fly too. Then he could lead the others all around the world.”
“How bright was he?”
“Legend says that they could see him from the horizon.”
“Whoa. But then he exploded, right?”
“Correct. Sometime during that night, far away from here, the light got so bright and so hot that it burned all of the humans away. It raced around the earth, and when we awoke the next morning, all of the humans were gone.”
“Why didn’t it burn us?”
“We don’t know.”
“Were there ashes left? Like, piles of human ashes?”
“Not according to the legends.”
“They maybe they’re not dead.”
“It’s been hundreds of years, and we haven’t seen a real human since that night.”
“Maybe they’re, like, invisible.”
“Surely they would have communicated by now.”
“Maybe they can’t. Maybe they’re like ghosts.”
“If they were ghosts, they’ve all moved on now.”
“Do you believe they’re really gone?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Can I frost the glowing one?”
“Of course.”
“What color did he glow?”
“Bright red.”
“Cool. Can I eat one of the other humans?”
“Not until your siblings get home.”
“What about a wild rice biscuit?”
“You know those are for dinner.”
“Please?”
“You’ll have to wait.”
“But whyyyyyy?”
Holiday Flash Fiction Categories!
Tradition:
Decorating cookiesPicking out a Christmas Tree- Driving around looking at lights
- Staying up until midnight to hear the church bells ring
- Going into the woods to cut down your own tree
- Watching favorite holiday films
- Taking one of the men playing around with the deep fryer (while trying to cook an additional “better” turkey) to the ER for 2nd and 3rd degree burn
- PJ pictures on or near the stairs of all the kids Christmas morning
- The family sleeping around the Christmas tree the Friday before Christmas
Christmas stockings made by grandma
Object:
- A Rabid Snowman
ReindeerAn old nutcracker- Grandma’s crotched snowflakes
- Advent Calendar
Krampus’ switch- The heirloom tatted ornament that has been dunked in sugar water, starched, , and modge podged so many times it’s hard to tell what it originally was…(resembles an oblong Easter egg that’s been scrambled) but it’s been out for every Christmas since the oldest family member remembers, it’s tradition
- Wooden Christmas signs bought at Ensign
- Christmas village on the fireplace
- Death Star tree-topper
Food:
- Gluten Free Gingerbread
Fruitcake- Cranberry Jell-o Salad
- Homemade divinity
- Christmas crack chocolate
- Christmas Kibble (a cookie that looks like kibble)
Aspic SaladWild Rice- Raspberry cream cheese desert
- Christmas sugar cookies
