You Aren't Getting A F*cking Christmas Card - A Short, Short Story
Christmas in the city was hellish.
It was cramped, and the roads were thick with smoke from endlessly stuck cars. Twice Shephard had been barked at from strangers, which was something he was used to, but the insistent honking of horns and threats to break his windows in wasn't doing his flaring temper any good. Every fibre of his giant form wanted to smack his car door open and see if Jefferson from accounting was still as vocal in the shadow of the giant of a man, but Reika in all of her patience, reminded him it wasn't worth the attention. She sat tiredly with her elbow dug into the side of the door, using her palm as leverage to prop her chin against, fingers dancing along her lips while she blocked out the noise from the radio singing them a merry Christmas.
Evercreek was never this busy. The two friends hailed from a cabin community deep in the woodlands that offered miles of freedom to drive as fast as the cars would let them, sheer turns and does being your biggest concerns. The only reason they'd even agreed to drive so far out to the nearest city was because it was the last week that the weather was set to be cleared for driving.
"Doesn't look very clear to me" Shephard groans under his breath, eyes glowering at the snowflakes billowing into the cars window shield. It was going to be a long day.
God knows how long they had been stuck in traffic by the time they managed to park and stumble their ways into the Walmart. It looked like a zombie apocolypse had been announced. Shelves were cleared of toilet rolls and canned foods, trollys were abandoned in the swarms of people buzzing like flies muttering toys and essentials they had written on their shopping lists to find, an eery "Jelly, Jelly, Peanut Butter, Cereal" fluttering past like a cold wind.
"Go get your cards, Shep. I'll pick up the doll house for the girls"
"Sure thing boss. Phone if you need anything"
Like a horror film Shephard regretted losing the strong woman the moment he came face to face with Ruth. Picking his way to the cards isle, he mourned his luck seeing slim pickings scattered over the holders, all except one single glittery colour bomb in the dead center. He clocked onto the older woman from the corner of his eye, her stares hotter than coals looking like they could seer a man. They spent a long time looking at each other like that, and then the next thing Shephard knew he was heaving hard to try and breath with the old woman's elbow clocking him hard in the abdomen, his outstretched hand saving the card between his fingers "You - old fossil I got it first!" all his gentlemanly ways had been sucked out of him from the traffic and the black ice that had made his journey a living nightmare, trying to hop away from Ruths unholy walking stick, only to have it swiped around his ankles, sending all 6'4 of Shephard crashing to the floor. He ate tiles, but yelped in victory when the fall actually made Ruth back away in mocked innocence, looking 'concerned'. Only to jump on him when the security guard turned back to deal with the squabbles he was already dealing with. Trying to shake her off she was like a goblin swatting at the card, getting closer, reaching so her manicured nail just touched the card -
"Oh I've been looking for one of these!"
A child no older than a teen swiped before Shephard could retreat. Skipping away to the tills.
The car door slammed shut when Reika joined him again. Her hair was frazzled, the doll house forced hard into the back seat. She sported a pretty stretch in her shirt, and a scowl that reminded him to offer to make food for them when they got back .... If only it hadn't snowed the roads in worse than when they'd been getting into the city, maybe they'd have been able to make it home without Shephard holding Reika back from kicking the passenger door open to deal with one foul mouthed driver parked up with them in the paused car lanes. That was why nobody was getting a stupid fucking Christmas card that year, they'd have to make do with well wished texts - they didn't take 12 hours and half of their sanity to get their hands on.
Christmas in the city was hellish.
It was cramped, and the roads were thick with smoke from endlessly stuck cars. Twice Shephard had been barked at from strangers, which was something he was used to, but the insistent honking of horns and threats to break his windows in wasn't doing his flaring temper any good. Every fibre of his giant form wanted to smack his car door open and see if Jefferson from accounting was still as vocal in the shadow of the giant of a man, but Reika in all of her patience, reminded him it wasn't worth the attention. She sat tiredly with her elbow dug into the side of the door, using her palm as leverage to prop her chin against, fingers dancing along her lips while she blocked out the noise from the radio singing them a merry Christmas.
Evercreek was never this busy. The two friends hailed from a cabin community deep in the woodlands that offered miles of freedom to drive as fast as the cars would let them, sheer turns and does being your biggest concerns. The only reason they'd even agreed to drive so far out to the nearest city was because it was the last week that the weather was set to be cleared for driving.
"Doesn't look very clear to me" Shephard groans under his breath, eyes glowering at the snowflakes billowing into the cars window shield. It was going to be a long day.
God knows how long they had been stuck in traffic by the time they managed to park and stumble their ways into the Walmart. It looked like a zombie apocolypse had been announced. Shelves were cleared of toilet rolls and canned foods, trollys were abandoned in the swarms of people buzzing like flies muttering toys and essentials they had written on their shopping lists to find, an eery "Jelly, Jelly, Peanut Butter, Cereal" fluttering past like a cold wind.
"Go get your cards, Shep. I'll pick up the doll house for the girls"
"Sure thing boss. Phone if you need anything"
Like a horror film Shephard regretted losing the strong woman the moment he came face to face with Ruth. Picking his way to the cards isle, he mourned his luck seeing slim pickings scattered over the holders, all except one single glittery colour bomb in the dead center. He clocked onto the older woman from the corner of his eye, her stares hotter than coals looking like they could seer a man. They spent a long time looking at each other like that, and then the next thing Shephard knew he was heaving hard to try and breath with the old woman's elbow clocking him hard in the abdomen, his outstretched hand saving the card between his fingers "You - old fossil I got it first!" all his gentlemanly ways had been sucked out of him from the traffic and the black ice that had made his journey a living nightmare, trying to hop away from Ruths unholy walking stick, only to have it swiped around his ankles, sending all 6'4 of Shephard crashing to the floor. He ate tiles, but yelped in victory when the fall actually made Ruth back away in mocked innocence, looking 'concerned'. Only to jump on him when the security guard turned back to deal with the squabbles he was already dealing with. Trying to shake her off she was like a goblin swatting at the card, getting closer, reaching so her manicured nail just touched the card -
"Oh I've been looking for one of these!"
A child no older than a teen swiped before Shephard could retreat. Skipping away to the tills.
The car door slammed shut when Reika joined him again. Her hair was frazzled, the doll house forced hard into the back seat. She sported a pretty stretch in her shirt, and a scowl that reminded him to offer to make food for them when they got back .... If only it hadn't snowed the roads in worse than when they'd been getting into the city, maybe they'd have been able to make it home without Shephard holding Reika back from kicking the passenger door open to deal with one foul mouthed driver parked up with them in the paused car lanes. That was why nobody was getting a stupid fucking Christmas card that year, they'd have to make do with well wished texts - they didn't take 12 hours and half of their sanity to get their hands on.