Short Story - Christmas Day Special!

I never usually eat before we set off, there is always food along the way. Also, as the others never cease to remind me, I do get slightly motion sick. Father always comforts me though, he says I came in very useful on that foggy night many years ago, he would never have been able to do it without me. It's our busiest time of year, you see, there are so many places to go all in one night, Father gets quite stressed with the pressure sometimes.

As we line up to get strapped in, the others jostle for front place, but Father comes straight to me and leads me to the most important position. Pride swells in my stomach ... or it could just be the beginnings of nausea. Once we are all ready to go, Father waves goodbye to his wife, and the jingling of bells signals the start of a very long night. I lean forward into my reins, trying to get a feel for the heavy load. Once I am steady, I switch on my bright red light and gallop as fast as I can along the ground, just making it to the end of the runway as we take off into the night sky.

It is not totally dark yet, but it soon will be, so Father flicks on the headlights to illuminate the way for the others. We are picking up speed and I can just make out the familiar sight of Europe's silhouette below. Father instructs us to stop and I turn my head to watch him open the trapdoor on his present carrier. Each gift is programmed to find its destination, and they all hover simultaneously in the air for a split second, before plummeting to the ground.

Father once explained to me that he used to deliver them all himself when he was a young man, but
now technology has grown far beyond my comprehension, as has his beard, and his wife always used to complain when he came home covered in soot. Anyway, it is far easier to let satellite navigation do the work, he said, so that is what we use now. When I asked how the presents entered all the houses, he said that was not for him to worry about, it was no longer in his contract, and did I see any other delivery men waiting for someone to pick up the parcel before driving away? I replied that I had never seen any delivery men in my life, as we lived in a rather sparsely populated area. In fact, I noted that I had never seen another family in all my years. Father did not respond, so I never asked again, as I think it is a touchy subject.

The morning is almost here and we have covered every continent apart from Asia. This is my favourite stretch of the journey, as I can feel the wind urging me on from behind; my hooves hardly need to touch the skyway. Although Father uses us for minor jobs throughout the year, it makes me feel like I am part of something big when we finish our largest, most important task.

Father prepares us for landing and we begin to slow down. All the gifts have been delivered now and
morning is finally here. My hooves touch the snowy runway and we engage the brakes so Father's wife does not get annoyed again. (Last year we didn't manage to slow down soon enough and her ice sculptures got destroyed). Once we have come to a halt, Father unharnesses us all, leaving me until last. "Thank you, Rudolph," he smiles. "You're welcome Father Christmas," I reply.

Short Story - Halloween Special!

"Bye Mum!" Olivia waves goodbye as the car disappears out of view. "Finally," she mutters, "I've got the house all to myself." Suzanne, Olivia's mum, is going out for the night to meet some friends and entrusting her daughter with looking after the house until she gets back. Normally, Olivia would go with her, but tonight is Halloween and Suzanne doesn't want the house to be ruined by the time she gets back.

"I think I'll make some ghost-shaped biscuits to give to the trick-or-treaters." Olivia muses; she's never been one for sweets and was always disappointed on Halloween when she returned home with a bucket full of sugar. Collecting her ingredients, she sets to work and produces some perfect dough in no time. "Good, but I can do better," Olivia has always been a perfectionist and begins to search the kitchen for something to make her biscuits outstanding, "I know! I'll use some of that glow in the dark gel we bought last Halloween for an added twist." Rushing outside into the garden, Olivia finds the gel hidden away in the shed, labelled, 'Use with caution'. "Oh well, what harm can it do?" she thinks to herself as she runs back into the house, away from the cold. Adding a little gel into the mixture, she cuts out the biscuits and puts them in the oven.

A while later, Olivia pops back into the kitchen to check on her biscuits. But they've vanished. The oven is off and the tray is completely empty. As Olivia turns around to start looking in the rest of the kitchen, she thinks she sees a flash of white disappearing into the living room. Curious, she follows it and finds more than she had bargained for. As twelve ghosts descend on her, she screams and desperately thinks of a place to hide, "The shed! The ghosts might not be able to leave the house," scrambling out of the door, she sprints to the shed and slams the door behind her. Peeking out of the window, her heart sinks as she sees the white shapes float through the back door and into the garden. However, almost as soon as they are outside, they go back indoors as if the cold is unbearable. "I don't believe it!" Olivia whispers with relief.

Half an hour later, Olivia checks her watch, "The trick-or-treaters will be coming round soon." Glancing out of the window, she expects to see the ghosts still inside the living room. But they're not anywhere to be seen. Cautiously, Olivia opens the shed door and creeps across the garden. After checking the coast is clear, she enters the living room to hear the door bell ring. "Oh no! I haven't got anything to give them." With all the biscuits gone, she doesn't know what to give the expectant children, until out of the corner of her eye she sees something quite unexpected. A plate of perfectly glowing ghost-shaped biscuits sitting on the table. The bell rings again. Knowing she doesn't have any other choice, Olivia picks up the plate, opens the front door and gives her first Halloween treat to a rather unrealistic witch. As the girl walks away holding the biscuit, Olivia thinks she sees the ghost wink at her.

Poem - Seasons

I never used to notice you,
Until one day I opened my eyes and saw,
That the world was starting anew.

So many lives just beginning,
It seems impossible that anything could end,
For the world will keep on spinning.

But people forget the new starts,
They want an end to work and school.

Much celebration for the joyous times ahead,
Planning, booking, travelling, relaxing.
No time at all to rest your sleepy head.

But play has to stop some day,
And work must continue.

A time for preparation,
Everyone must think ahead for what is inevitable,
Waiting with anticipation.

But time has run out,
Woe betide the unprepared.

Harsh times are to come,
Yet they are blinded by the light of festivities,
Deafened by merriment to which all will succumb.