Chapter Five. #2
“Don’t even think of throwing shade at me,” I stated, and Sunny growled.
“No, son. You’re gonna listen. That girl loves you so much that she didn’t let the age gap bother her.
Callie stood by you when your MC turned against you and sprang you from the MC jail.
Callie helped you discover who was behind everything and stopped you from killing your brother.
And now you’re shitting on her dreams? Shame on you, son,” I said.
Sunny squirmed like he used to when he was a small child, but I knew he wouldn’t back down yet. Nope, he’d chew this over before deciding what to do.
“You made Liv’s childhood magical, and you’re going to deny this child the same? If you think you’re too old to celebrate like you did with Liv, why the fuck did you get Callie pregnant? You are going to make their life a misery!” I snapped.
Sunny flinched. He didn’t like what I’d just said. “I love her.”
“Not doubting that, but you’ve no right to deny Callie her dreams. Take a walk in her shoes; she didn’t have a parent who gave a fuck; she had herself.
All I can say is I’m ashamed of you, Sunny, because the son I raised would swallow his feelings and ensure his woman knows she comes first. You’re putting yourself before her! ”
“I can’t stand all this, and Christmas is so cliché, Mom. This is total bullshit.”
“Then lose Callie, because that’s what I see coming for you,” I retorted.
Sunny flinched, and the blood drained from his face. I hope that struck home because he was in danger of losing her.
Callie
Connor had given us the bottom floor, while he took the middle, and Jack took the top. My team would also cover the basement.
I smiled as we entered. Winding up through the three floors and down to here was a conveyor belt that held toys.
The toys then moved back upstairs to the workshops where they were ‘recycled’.
Although visitors wouldn’t see that as they disappeared behind a wall supposedly leading to Santa’s sleigh, but instead went back upstairs.
The workshop was in keeping with the rest of the village and its decoration. Absolutely the ideal Santa’s workshop.
As we called out, I heard a clanking noise and turned around to seek the source. I frowned as I tried to locate it when Liv jumped.
“Look!” she said, pointing to a toy train set. It also wound through the three stories. The carriage was rattling back and forth.
“Hello?” I called, holding out my voice recorder. I asked several other questions before hitting rewind. Pure silence met us.
“Could they be shy?” Liv asked, and I shrugged. Her guess was as good as mine. For the next hour, we tried to engage whoever was down here, but we got nothing. Finally, I decided to move to the first floor. Hopefully, something would happen here.
Connor
I watched bemused as Cherry held a full-on conversation with the Ovilus, which kept spitting out words at her. Whoever was replying to Cherry clearly liked her.
Around us, things moved even though Harry had assured us the electricity had been turned off. Simon had baulked at doing so at first, but we had pointed out that we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between what was real and what was spirit-driven.
Now, wooden cars drove on a racetrack, and a conveyor belt that ran around the room was moving.
A clock ticked back and forth while, around the ceiling, balloons moved, each carrying a wrapped gift in a basket.
The animatronic elves banged on toys as ghosts enjoyed the building and the surrounding items.
“There are a lot of children here,” Cherry stated.
“Yes,” I agreed.
“Some of this is them, some is the adults entertaining them,” Cherry continued.
“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 stars twinkled, 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 myself down, 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.