Odin’s Visit

Since Christmas is a time for traditions (and I’m on holidays), I’m republishing this story about Santa’s early origins first published the first Christmas here on Fictionspawn Monsters, and then republished every year since. Happy Yule, everyone!

The celebration of the turn of the darkness had already started. The children were waiting for Odin to come with gifts, as they all thought they had been nice this year. Freidis knew Solvar had not. She hadn’t told anyone.

Solvar looked at her with a nasty grin. He knew as well. He knew. And he would do it again, she was sure of it. She hated him, but most of all she was scared. He wouldn’t get any gifts this year, she thought. He wouldn’t get any gifts at all… (more)

Point of No Return

Meker walked out on the little islet, sat down and looked at the river flow by. It had been a hard day. Too hard. The sound of the stream took the problems a bit further away, made tomorrow less real.

Something moved under the water. It was too big to be a fish, too big even to be human. He took a step away from the river bank.

It came closer, moving into the shallow water in front of him. It had a purple glow and swam almost like a human, only better. A face came up, staring at him with big, sparkling eyes. She was beautiful. Soft, mild, looking at him with curiosity. Another one came swimming behind her. Yet another came up on the other side.

She made a purring sound, a sound of pleasure and joy. She looked happy, friendly. They were all around him, looking at him, studying him. He felt small, they were more than double his size.

-Hello, he tried. They looked intelligent enough to speak, but he doubted they would know his language, or any other human language.

Her mouth moved back towards something that resembled a smile. Her eyes deflected, just for a moment, then she stared at him again. She held her hand out, slim and gentle. He hesitated, felt like an intruder.

He took her hand. She pulled him out, into the water. He felt unsafe. Intrigued. The others came closer, smiling, laughing, playing. They took his clothes off. He didn’t object.

They played in the water, passing him around between them, kissing him, using him. It felt strangely good. Something inside him told him it was wrong, they weren’t human, but their touch felt divine, like they had come from a higher place, deeper than nature, above, beyond

They pulled him under water. He panicked, fought to break loose, to get up. He got his head above the surface, gasped for air. They laughed, touched him, kissed him all over.

He was under water again, once again he panicked. The stream was getting stronger, or they were swimming faster. He got weaker. He hardly breathed any more, even when he had the chance.

He was lying on sandy ground in darkness, not knowing where he was. He remembered pleasure and pain, lust and fear. It all felt like a dream, but there he was, wet and naked.

He sat up. Where was he?

-Hello? His voice echoed between walls he could not see, a roof high above… (more)

Game of Nature

-Good move, Push said thoughtfully. -A very good move, I hadn’t expected that. His voice was dark and low. Forest sensed worry and anger.

The birds were singing in the trees, two deer ran by in a distance. People walked by. Forest felt the fresh air in his lungs. His mind wandered through the surroundings for a moment, to get a well deserved pause from the intense game.

Push sat there, thinking, rubbing his little flute. There had to be a way out of this situation, some way to read his opponent’s plans. Then, there, just in front of him, it appeared. A solution. He lifted one of his pieces, moved it two steps forward.

Forest snapped out of it, stared at the table. It was turned. He was the one in trouble, the one behind, the one losing. Nature would go under by the power of the supernatural, the beyond, the way of the old gods. The definition of reality was in danger… (more)

Not the Devil at All

Father Miguel walked through the church. His church, it had been for years now.

He heard the rumbling again. From underneath somewhere, deep down. The first time he had thought it was an earthquake, but no one had noticed anything outside the church. It was under him, straight down. It worried him.

Another rumble. Stronger this time, the walls shook, a candle fell on the floor. Could it be… the Devil? Was he coming for him? God knew he had sinned, horrible sins hard to forgive. He had become a priest to control his urges, but it had only made it worse. Now he was surrounded by them every day, so cute and innocent.

The shaking increased. The walls shook, the floor, everything. He backed up towards the door. A crack opened in the floor.

A giant hand broke through… (more)

Exposed

-Got you!

He held the little gnome up in front of his face. Finally. after years of pranks and disasters, he had him.

-Let me go!

-Let you go? George laughed. -Never! You little bugger…

He put the little man in a jar, trying to find out what to do with him.

It had all started with a broken alarm clock.

He had bought a new one. It broke as well.

Soon he’d lost his job.

Then the panties in the bedroom. Girlfriend gone, and that was just the beginning.

Now the little bastard was caught… (more)

The One Who Laughs Last

“Welcome to hell!” The Devil had a big smile on his face. “We’re going to get to know each other very, very well.”

John wasn’t sure he wanted to. He’d heard about this guy, and he didn’t like what he’d heard.

“Could I please go to the bathroom?” he asked, looking for some kind of escape if even just for a moment.

“There is no bathroom!” He laughed and laughed, echoing through the halls.

It always… (more)