The Magic of Christmas

Prompt: Write a story in which the dragons return to Earth on Christmas Day, ushering in a new age of magic. You can decide the implications that this will have for the modern technological age. Bonus points will be given for the inclusion of some sort of talisman in the story. The story must be 3000 words or shorter.



         Kai paused. He felt the familiar whisper of his conscience tugging at the back of his mind, but blocked it out; a manoeuvre he was so practised at performing, he barely realised he was doing it. He opened the door with a silent twist of the handle. The only sound from within was the faint, steady breathing that told him his sister slept soundly. He padded across the plush carpeted floor, once his own, stepping in a familiar pattern to avoid creaky floorboards. A cruel smirk lifted the corners of his mouth as he bent over her and, gently shaking her shoulder, whispered "wake up Liddy, it's almost time". Her steady breathing faltered, as her eyes opened blearily. Then, she smiled, sat up and threw her arms around him in an unexpected embrace he was unable to avoid. "I knew you wouldn't forget!" She whispered "Isn't this going to be exciting!". Disentangling himself, he grunted agreement. "Come on," he muttered, "follow me and tread only where I tread."

    He turned, pacing the zigzag path back across the bedroom floor and they proceeded downstairs, both holding their breath in silent anticipation. His parents would be mad, he knew, berating him loudly and ferociously at first, then silently with telling looks and stiff courtesy as they sat through Christmas dinner. “It's their fault”. They'd bought it on themselves, no punishment would be as cruel as the ridicule to be inflicted on him as a result of their misers' gift. He knew what they'd bought for him, although it currently sat, prettily wrapped, waiting to be placed under the tree. Every year, they hid their gifts in the dusty, old suitcase, seemingly abandoned at the back of the garden shed. Every year, Kai chose a moment of solitude to sneak out and reassure himself he'd receive exactly what he wanted.

         He could still feel the shock that washed over him when saw it. He'd made it abundantly clear that he was to receive the latest I-pad. Many of the richer kids at school already spent their break times in an empty classroom, fawning over the slim, stylish tablets. It was accepted that everyone else had to wait for Christmas. Sure as sure, he'd thought, he'd be in the elite ranks, spared the torment of kids from poor families, who stole longing glances through the window as they forced smiles and played with their new jump ropes and trump cards. Alas, his parents had condemned him to a crueller fate still; doomed not just to be excluded, but to be made a laughing stock of. They'd bought a cheap, imitation tablet. 

         Beholden of his fate, he'd launched a frenzied attack of dropped hints, but this had been forcibly shut down. “Be quiet” his parents told him, “you'll ruin the magic of Christmas for your little sister if she hears you asking for gifts – how could we know what Santa will bring?”. They threatened extra chores should another word about it pass his lips, forcing him to retreat in silent despair. “It's all their fault”.

He had to do it. There would still be time, when their anger had subsided, to convince them to return the imposter-pad and buy the genuine article in the January sales. Only if he could talk about it, though; only if his stupid little sister no longer held on to her dumb belief in Santa. Tonight, he'd force her out of her cocoon of childish fantasy and deposit her in the real, totally non-magical world, with a resounding thud. It was the only way. He knew she would think he was teasing if he just told her the truth. No young mind had ever been quite so full of dragons, unicorns, mermaids and fairies. She believed in magic without the slightest doubt. He needed to provide indisputable evidence.. even if it ruined Christmas.

         Liddy stifled a yawn, crouching quietly behind the sofa. Tired though she was, her eyes remained starry; filled with wonder at the prospect of seeing the fat, jolly, old man come down their chimney, any moment. A pang of guilt shot through Kai, but it was too late to go back now. What excuse could possibly convince her to return to bed? His eyes moved to the old grandfather clock in the corner and he counted the interminable minutes, watching the hands slowly close in towards midnight. The clock struck twelve. The world seemed to hold its breath as he waited for the night's events to commence. He turned to look at his sister's face. A shadow of doubt crept across her furrowed brow, as she strove to rationalise the non-appearance of their red suited benefactor at the allotted moment. “Perhaps our clock is running fast. We just have to wait a little longer, he can't visit every house at once, after all.” She knew he would be there. A muffled sound on the landing upstairs caught her attention and her breath caught in her throat. 'They've heard us!' she thought, turning panicked eyes on her brother. He was regarding her with a strange expression she couldn't place, but made no move to act.

         She must have, somehow, alerted her parents to her being out of bed. She knew it couldn't have been Kai, he'd been sneaking out on midnight missions forever. He sometimes told her of his adventures; sneaking past sandmen as they sprinkled dream dust through the skylights of unsuspecting sleepers, narrowly avoiding scavenging gremlins and riddling with pixies. She longed to accompany him and he promised that, one day, she could. 'Not yet, though', he said, 'I would never forgive myself if you were kidnapped by a Krankle'. She knew the footsteps coming downstairs were no Krankles. Tonight was Christmas Eve, a veil of good shrouded the world; an ancient and powerful magic that rendered all dark and dangerous creatures impotent. For one night each year all dreams were sweet; all sleep untroubled. The footsteps could only be her parents. The door began to open, Kai tensed.

At that moment, the sky tore. A blinding white light flooded through the window above them, making them cry out, all thoughts of hiding banished from their minds by the shock of what they saw as they gaped heavenwards. The inky black sky, dotted with pinpricks of starlight, had been rent in two. Where the moon had once hung was a huge purple gash in the fabric of space, the edges shifted and shimmered like air above a fire, whilst the centre was an unfathomably dark purple that seemed to draw the eye ever deeper, without hope of finding an end. A bottomless abyss turned on its head and hanging above them in the sky. “could it be..?”

“Is..is it Santa?” she squeaked. Kai rounded on her, “Santa isn't real, you fool! Nor tooth faries, nor Easter bunnies, nor krankles, nor pixies, nor anything! This is...this...it's..We're under attack, it's probably terrorists, that...that Al Qa’ida lot!”

         Liddy stared at her brother, wide eyed. He doesn't mean it, he's just scared. It must be something big, something awful, to have pierced the veil of good. Suddenly, an idea struck and she bolted from the room. Their parents seemed to gather themselves together then, rounding on Kai. “What are you two doing down here?” they snapped, eyes dark with hurt disapproval. Kai thought quickly, “Liddy - she told me she wanted to see Santa. When I heard her get up I followed her down here, to try to get her back to bed. I don't want her Christmas to be ruined!” The deceit flowed easily off his tongue and his parents visibly softened as they drank in every word. “You're a caring brother”, said his father, “I know this is scary” he gestured at the sky, “but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Let's see if there's anything on the News”. The TV burst into life as he clicked the power button on the remote, but the screen was a mess of interference, only the buzzing and squealing of white noise filled the room. His father bashed the TV set and tried other channels, to no avail. “Odd” he said, drawing out his ancient phone and tapping in some numbers. "I'll give Bill a call, down at the station, see if he can shed any light...” The words died in his mouth as he pulled the phone from his ear to stare at it's blank, unresponsive screen. Kai whipped his I-phone out of his pocket, surely the terrorists couldn't have hacked into that. His Dad's phone was laughably rubbish, but his was so sophisticated... It was  just as dead as everything else. He flicked the light switch, nothing. The room remained lit only by the strange purple glow from the rent in the sky.

         Liddy burst back into the room, clutching before her the strangest book Kai had ever seen; a huge old tome bound in thick red leather, embossed with fine gold-plated etchings. The title engraved in fine cursive was 'A Comprehensive Compendium of Magical Creatures and Occurrences'. In the centre of the front cover, the gold plating was raised to form a casing that held a huge black pearl, as big as Kai's clenched fist. Liddy banged the book down on the coffee table in the centre of the room. “This will tell us what it is, I know it!” Her parents knelt beside her, “Liddy dear, where on earth did you get this book?” Liddy looked up at them innocently, “Mrs. Wyvern from the old book shop on Dawson Street gave it to me, it was a gift.”

“None of you stories now, lass” boomed her father “it's not the time, there's no book shop on Dawson Street. Where did you get it?” Liddy was at a loss for words, of course there was a book shop. Kai was supposed to care for her after school, until their parents got home from work. Most days, though, he would go over to Gary's house on Dawson Street to play computer games, leaving her in the care of the book shop's elderly patron. Liddy didn't mind, she spent hours reading the fascinating old tomes that lined the shelves and Mrs. Wyvern always bought them each a raspberry puff from the bakery next door, which they ate while they drank sweet tea and talked about the wonders she'd learned that day.

         Her parents had more to say on the subject, but before they could utter a word their faces grew pale and stricken, their mouths hanging open, eyes glued to the scene unfolding outside. A magnificent creature was slowly emerging from the unfathomable depths of the sky-abyss. First came its massive scaled head, with a sharp curved beak and heavily lidded golden eye. It was pushed from the abyss by a  thick, spiked neck; in turn propelled forward by vast leathery wings, which thrummed as they beat the air in slow sweeping strokes. The gargantuan reptile let out a shriek as it entered the world and a jet of green flame bellowed from its maw. Its powerful, muscled haunch and long, thrashing tail glided from the abyss, accompanied by the fearsome jaws of two mighty companions, following close behind. “Dragons” whispered Liddy. A sudden impulse overtook her, she knew she had to reach Mrs. Wyvern and quickly. It was almost as though she could hear the old lady's voice urging her away. She grabbed the great book unthinkingly and dashed to the front door. She heard her mother's shouts as she fumbled with the lock, but then she was in the street, running as fast as her small legs would carry her.

         She saw people everywhere, emerging from their houses, rushing about in hopeless circles, seeking to confirm they weren't mad, that others could see the great beasts too. She swerved and dodged around them, willing herself on, never looking back to see if her parents were giving chase. She skidded round the corner into the narrow street that was her destination. Here, all was still, dark and quiet. Her footsteps rang on the cobbles as she raced to the front door, but as she reached it, she paused, stepping back into the road. In front of her stood the old book shop, clear as day, but if she turned to look at the bakery or old Rose's house that stood either side, and let the memory of the book shop slip from her mind, the old buildings seemed to close together and all she could see between them was a thin, stone alley. She thought of the book shop once more and it sprang up before her eyes, just as though it had never been gone. Mrs. Wyvern stood in the open doorway calling to her “Come in child, I've been waiting for you..ah, good, you bought the book”

         Once inside, Mrs. Wyvern took the book and placed it reverently upon the counter. “You've seen the dragons.” she said, a statement, not a question. “I have little time to explain a lot, so forgive my abruptness. You remember what we have discussed of the dragons' history, why they left?”

Liddy cast her mind back to their many discussions of dragon lore. “Yes, the dragons left the world, taking with them a great weapon of destruction.”

The old woman nodded, “Do you know what the weapon was?”

The girl shook her head, “You never told me.”

“Listen carefully then. In the old days, many magical creatures lived on Earth, chief amongst us, the dragons. Magic is, simply speaking, the manipulation of energy through the will. No beast has a stronger will than a dragon. Humans are just about the weakest willed creatures ever known, but what you lack in will, you make up for in greed, determination and resourcefulness. It was discovered that by acquiring a dragon stone, the will of the dragon can be moulded to man's, allowing you to wield great power. Thus, humans began to attack dragons, killing young hatchlings, stealing their stones.”

         Liddy thought hard, “The stones, they're in the dragons' bellies, the source of their fire?”

“Correct. When humans gained the power of the stones, they wrought disaster everywhere, raising great armies, floods, famines, storms and earthquakes, to crush and conquer their enemies. It was terrible. The dragons called a council of magical beings and a plan was formed to stop the wanton destruction. We worked tirelessly, suffering great losses, until every last stone had been recovered. The dragons used the vast store of will contained in the stones to open a portal, not unlike the one you see tonight. They flew from the Earth, taking with them the source of the humans' power, leaving them unable to wreak further havoc upon the world and each other and casting a spell of forgetfulness in hopes that peace may prevail. They left only one stone, so the magical community might contact them in a time of dire need”.

         “Why...why have they returned?” murmured Liddy.

“Why? Because humans are at it again! Without the simple means of manipulating energy provided by the dragon stones, it has taken a long time to reach a critical point, but you have found new forms of control. The biggest breakthrough was the harnessing of electricity. Humans can now bend energy to their will once more using computers and tools of the modern age. You do not seem to have learned, though. What you have created is dismaying to see; you destroy the world and ravage its resources, all so that you may satisfy your greed and gain power, be it political or economical. The dragons have returned, a new generation grown strong, to take control of the world's energy and stop it being used for dark purposes. They mean to bring a new age of magic, wonder and, above all, peace. They want to make it safe for magical beings to come out of hiding and restore Earth to its former magnificence.”

         “What will happen to people, though?”

“You will rise up and fight. But, the dragons will repel all attempts to destroy them. All your weapons require energy and the dragons control this now. When the violent and tyrannical amongst you have broken themselves against the dragons will and your race is ready to treat, they will hear you out. Those who prove good and kind at heart will survive and may be chosen as governors of your race, imbued with powers. Those found to be corrupted by greed beyond hope of redemption...well, they will not be permitted to wield any power, though their fate must ultimately be decided by their own race. That, my dear, is where you come in.”

         “M..me?”

“Yes dear, You are a believer, your will is naturally strong and good. Thus, you have been chosen as an ambassador for the dragons. They wish to meet with you this very night; to speak with your mind, share their memories and give you great gifts. You will be one who helps your race to heal and understand. All you need to do is place your hands on the dragon stone. It's set in the cover of your book. Your mind will touch theirs. You may welcome in a new age.”

         Liddy was stunned. She thought for a while, trying to take everything in. She thought of her family, Kai was going to be a challenge. She would have to find and cultivate the goodness she hoped was buried deep in his heart, if he were to face the dragons' judgement and prevail. And that may be the smallest challenge she faced. She could do it though, she was sure. What an honour it was to be chosen by these mighty leviathans. She smiled to herself, straightened her shoulders and walked towards the counter. Closing her eyes she reached out, touched the black stone and opened her mind to the Dragons. The first words that passed between them came from her, “Merry Christmas!” she thought in greeting. 



Word Count: 2999