Elves on Shelves SCC2016

Joey sat uncomfortably in the overstuffed chair. It wasn't that the chair was uncomfortable, he was. It was getting close to that time again. His parents had been watching more and more closely with each passing day, wondering if they would need to send him away again. He hated the place they sent him and he always missed Christmas. The Christmas he missed was no big loss, but the one everyone else got to enjoy was the one he really missed. More than anything, he wished people would just believe him. Just once. He knew, more than anyone, how important it was to be nice and tell the truth.

Joey, ten years old with a stately presence about him, sat eyeing his parents speculatively. What were they thinking? He knew he had done well keeping things calm until now. But it was also getting nearer to the time when all hell usually broke loose. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about it. He focused on being as stoic as possible, not showing any sign of fear or anxiety. If he parents so much as suspected he felt... odd... it would be off to the home again.

“Joey, you okay buddy?”

Joey grimaced when he heard his fathers voice.

“Yes Daddy. Just thinking about Christmas cookies.” Joey hoped his excuse had worked. It wasn't really a lie, he had thought about cookies at least part of the time. He hoped his little transgression didn't land him on the naughty list.

Joey's father looked at him closely, inspecting him. Joey maintained his smile and refused to waiver. After what seemed like an eternity his father turned to his mother and said, “We should get going, traffic is going to be a bear with all the weather.”

It was the same every year. Starting the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, his parents would start pushing him farther and farther under the microscope, looking for any sign of stress. It was a shame they never understood how much stress their scrutiny caused. If it was stress they were looking for they seemed oblivious to the mountains of it they piled on Joey. Three years of this was enough for anyone.

Joey remembered when it all started. Visiting his Grandparents for Christmas when he was seven years old. All the way there his parents, especially his dad, told him how great it was to have Christmas at his childhood home. His heart was filled with eager anticipation the whole way there. They turned onto the long drive up to the house and it seemed like they had driven into one of those fancy snow globes where everything seemed so perfect it couldn't be real. The house, illuminated with the twinkling of hundreds of lights, seemed almost alive. It breathed love and exhaled joy. It was better than he had ever imagined. Through the windows Joey could see the Christmas stockings hung by the chimney. He saw the colorful cards on the mantle. He saw the beautiful wreath on the bright red door. This house was Christmas come to life!

The car rolled to a stop near the garage and Joey's father turned off the engine. He turned round to look squarely at Joey, his mother biting her lip but saying nothing.

“Joey...” His father started, then stopped.

Joey gathered his strength and smiled proudly at his father. He tried his best to show him that everything was going to be just fine. It must have worked, his father opened the car door, then opened Joey's. Laiden with gifts the three went to the front door just as it opened revealing the broad smiling face of Joey's grandfather.

The family entered to discover they were the last to arrive. Gathered in the family room were all five of Joey's cousins, the little trolls. He didn't care for them much. Though they were not as smart or talented as Joey was they always managed to tease him as if he was somehow lacking. They had to gang up on him and cheat just to stand a chance of winning at whatever they were doing but it was always Joey who was picked on. And when the episodes started happening, well, it just got a thousand times worse. Especially Diane, the little snot. She was the meanest. She would swear, then run and tell her mom that it was Joey just so she could watch Joey get in trouble. If she only knew...

Joey promised himself he wouldn't falter. He would be strong and not let anything get to him. And on the shelf was the Little Elf. And on the mantle. And on the bookcase. Joey froze when he saw them. Joey's father saw the look in Joey's eyes and saw the reason why.

“Dad...” Joey's father began.

“Jeffrey, its tradition. You know that.” Grandpa Joe said in a firm tone.

Joey tried to act casual. How many would there be this year? Eleven last year seemed too much to bear. Eleven of the little red bastages, perched everywhere in the house, watching, waiting... All he had to do was make it through the night. They could open their presents in the morning and be on their way.

Most of the other children were shoving cookies in their mouths as Diane sat trying not to be seen tearing open gifts to get a peek inside the pretty wrapping. Of course she would eventually blame Joey for it, but there was no point in saying anything about it now. No one would believe him anyway. Joey noticed the elf above Diane was looking straight at her, and she was completely unaware.

Joey looked away from Diane for a moment to see the other children staring at him. His cousin Suzy said, “Don't say anything. He still believes in Santa Claus.” The children laughed at Joey, whom they believed was too old to believe in fairy tales. Joey looked back at the elf and noticed it was closer to the end of the mantle. The elf on the bookcase had fallen to the floor, right behind Suzy.

“It's true!” Joey shouted. “You can't be naughty! You can't! The elves!”The cousins all looked at each other, then at Joey and busted out laughing. Joey was screaming, “You have to believe me!” as his mother scooped him into her arms and carried him upstairs. Joey was just babbling now about elves and teeth and shadows. It was happening again. They had the emergency number of the home but it would be a long drive in bad weather if they tried to leave now. She laid Joey down and held him in her arms wishing she could help him.

Continued...

Joey's father came in the room and sat by his son's side. “Joey, listen to me. You have to listen to me. Joey!”

Joey froze and realized he was one word away from the home again. He looked into his fathers eyes but try as me might, he couldn't hold back the words.

“Dad, I know it sounds crazy but its true. Its all true. Why don't you believe me?” Joey pleaded. “The first time we came here I opened all my presents late at night when everyone else was sleeping. I knew I wasn't supposed to but I did it anyway. The elf saw me. And when I went back to bed I heard something moving in my room. It sounded like lots of little footsteps. When I turned my light on all the elves were in my room looking at me. They had fangs and long sharp fingernails and glowing eyes and they said I ws on the naughty list and I had to be punished. They were biting me and scratching me Daddy. Why won't you believe me? You said it yourself. How did I put all those scratches on my back? I can't even reach there.”

“Joey, the elf on the shelf is just a story people made up to help little boys and girls behave during Christmas. Thats all. Elves do not come alive at night. It was just a dream.”

Joey relived the night in his mind. It was no dream. Even though the elves had scratched and bit him on the inside rather than the outside, some of the bigger wounds like the ones on his back were still visible. He remembered the scratchy tinny voice of the elf as it shouted “Naughty Joey” and hacked at his legs. No matter how hard he kicked he couldn't dislodge his attacker. And he remembered as he lay there whimpering at the end of the assault how the elf stopped at the door, and laid his finger aside his nose just as Santa had done in the Night Before Christmas. Something about that simple gesture was bone chilling in its casual simplicity.

Joey knew this year he had been good. There were others in the house who would suffer the wrath of the elves before him. Even if his father refused to acknowledge his account of the events he knew he was safe this year. The thought calmed him.

Joey's parents, seeing him calm down, opted to wait for morning to make the trip back. They gave Joey some of the meds they carried with them for these occasions and told him to get some rest. As Joey drifted off to a sleep he could not wake from he saw his father lay his finger aside his nose as he exited the room and said, “It's tradition...”

a reply to: Vroomfondel

That was fabulous! Now I really want to write something too. A writers contest? This looks like fun!

a reply to: LadyButterfly

It is fun and the writers here are really great. Just check the Short Stories forum for the rules and have at it. Good luck! And thank you!

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Why Thankyou Sir I should fit right in with the Writing Asylum just fine.

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Star and Flag. Great writing

a reply to: Jdennis10

Thank you very much. It is appreciated. :-)

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Oh Those little Elven 'Bastages'!! Number 5 for Stars and Flags from Me!
Fantastic Tale Vroom! You never cease to amaze Me with Your Imagination!!
Those Elves on Shelves have creeped ME out since their inception!!LOL!!
(I still remember the Knight having His way with that Dragon a while back!! LMAO!!!)

a reply to: SyxPak

Thank you very much kind sir. I can say the same of your imagination. :-)

That Knight and dragon story was fun. I enjoyed that very much. Princess Ivana Ternerova will never be forgotten...

Awesome, Vroomfondel! You took something completely innocent and made it terrifying - that's good writing there.

a reply to: PrairieShepherd

Thank you very much!

Merry Christmas! (watch out for the elves...)