A Star for Christmas Read online

Copyright

  A Star for Christmas

  S.E. Batt

  Copyright 2013 by S.E. Batt

  Table of Contents

  1. Copyright

  2. A Star for Christmas

  3. Thanks

  4. Other Works

  5. Excerpt from Friend Ship

  A Star for Christmas

  One December, Annabelle asked for a star for Christmas.

  Her parents weren't entirely sure what to do. First, they took her to a little convenience shop on the corner of their street, dug through the Christmas decorations they had packed into a corner, and brought out a star fit for the Christmas tree they had back home.

  Annabelle shook her head.

  Then, they went through all the star-shaped objects that Annabelle liked. The star stickers she received on a good piece of homework. The chocolates shaped like little stars that she sometimes ate by the bagful, representing a near-accurate model of a black hole in action. They even showed her a birthday card that she once received, which had a very pretty star on it wishing her a happy birthday.

  Annabelle shook her head.

  Finally, her parents resorted to actually writing to the movie actors, singers, band members and other celebrities they knew Annabelle liked. They took all the letters they got back that even remotely hinted at the possibility of a Christmas visit and spread them out for Annabelle to see. Surely this is what she meant. How could she turn down any of these opportunities?

  To all of them, Annabelle shook her head.

  There was a pattern emerging, however. Every time her parents made an error, Annabelle would either wait for night-time to come, or simply run out the front door if it already was. She'd stand in the snow, point directly upwards into the starry night sky, and say 'those'. Her parents had tried several times to tell her that she couldn't own an actual star. Someone already had those. Plus, they only looked small because they're extremely far away. You'd never get one under the Christmas tree. Annabelle's counter-argument was always the same, and always totally convincing -- a stomp of the foot, a defeated flop of the arms, and a face like a puppy dog who had an empty bowl when it was dinner time. At the end of their creativity and their list of ideas spent, the parents did what any parent in trouble would do.

  They called Santa.

  Santa had always received strange and unique present requests, but he never let one defeat him. Once he finished off his rounds on Christmas day, he made a very special visit to Annabelle's house, ready to deliver the gift that she always wanted. He led them to a field, the snow undisturbed and pure, growing every second by the light snowfall that was happening this Christmas day.

  "Now, Annabelle," Santa said. "Your mother and father told me you'd like a star for Christmas."

  Annabelle nodded, clutching her stuffed bear in her arms. Mr. Cuddles went wherever she went, and she wasn't about to forgo that anytime soon. Not even in the presence of Father Christmas himself.

  "You want an actual star, don't you?" Santa said. "Not a fake star, or a plastic star, or even a chocolate one. You want a real star."

  Annabelle nodded again.

  "But your parents say you can't have a star. They say it's impossible, that you simply can't have one. Who's to say they know everything, however? Even mummies and daddies are wrong sometimes, aren't they?"

  Annabelle nodded. "One time, daddy said that the Eiffel Tower was in Berlin."

  "The point is that--wait, seriously?" Santa turned his head to look at the parents standing behind him. They shrugged in unison. "Well, good thing I have a spare encyclopaedia in my sled. Anyway, the point is that, with a little bit of magic, creativity, and last-minute panic, we can get you what you've always wanted. Your very own star."

  Annabelle's eyes lit up. "Really?" she said. "You can do that?"

  "Unfortunately, getting you such a present is a little tricky. The wrapping paper can't get around it and it would be a hassle to fit one into my sled. However, we can still get you your star without the ceremony, if that's alright with you."

  Annabelle nodded. "That's fine."

  "Excellent." Santa pointed ahead of them, through the snow. "Can you see that hill in the distance, over there?"

  "Which one?" Annabelle said, squinting. "I see three."

  "The biggest one, in the middle."

  "Oh," Annabelle said. "You mean the one with the elephant at the top of it?"

  Santa frowned, then looked closer at the hill in question. "Uh, yes," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "The, uh, hill with an elephant on it. You see the elephant? Just watch around that spot. Your star will be arriving very soon."

  Annabelle stared at the hill, waiting for her present to come. Her mind had totally cleared itself of any questions as to why an elephant was standing on a hill on such a cold day; perhaps if she did, she would have discovered that the elephant was made entirely out of cardboard, with the distance between her and it being the only reason that she didn't notice the shoddy paintwork and the fact that it only had three legs. Of course, the elves that were currently hiding behind it were told to bring the 'biggest thing to hide behind that they could find'. Nobody knew why they had a spare elephant prop kicking around the North Pole. Given how small the rest of the props were, though, nobody was really complaining.

  They were arguing, however. The elf wearing red was currently the one holding the long pole with a light-bulb in the air, pushing it as high into the sky as possible. This was the job the elf in green wanted, mainly because he knew that the only other position in the two-man team was the one who had to give a boost to the other's height. Given that their job had to be kept secret, it wasn't so much an argument as it was a hissing match.

  The green elf, currently having the red elf stand on his shoulders, thought their positioning was off. He began to shuffle to the left, to which the red elf took great annoyance at, given that he almost fell off. He shot an angry glare at his living stepladder, nudging his head to indicate the other way.

  The green elf shook his head.

  "You stupid donkey," the red elf hissed under his breath. "Go back."

  "Shh," the green elf replied.

  The red elf decided to take matters into his own hands. He began to lean his body the way he wanted to go, deliberately throwing the operation off-balance. The other elf stumbled, trying to maintain the totem without sending the whole thing crashing down.

  "You stupid, cross-eyed donkey," the green elf whispered. "Don't mess this up."

  "Shh," the red elf replied.

  It was at this point that the green elf decided he had been through enough, reaching up past the red elf to press the button on the rod that activated the light bulb. Button pressing was a very important part of the culture of the elves, which is why the red one frantically began slapping the hand away. The history records hold no documentation or reliable eyewitness reports as to who finally won the battle; thankfully, the battle was so silent that all Annabelle saw from the field was a bright light suddenly appear over the elephant. The light bulb was strong enough to be convincing even to those in the know, the rod concealed in the night's darkness. Santa's job, despite the issues, had been a success.

  The 'star' had been born.

  "Wow," she breathed, staring at it with wide eyes. "It's beautiful."

  "I told you so," Santa said. "There is no present that Santa Claus cannot deliver."

  "Although," Annabelle continued, tilting her head. "I didn't know stars wobbled from side to side so much."

  "That's er, part of making a new star," Santa said. "Nobody's ever really done it before, so you're bound to see strange things happen."

  "In fact," Annabelle said, putting an ear towards the hill. "I think I can hear it talking to me."


  "Uhm," Santa said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Do-don't be silly. Everyone knows that stars can't talk, my dear, you're probably just ima--"

  "No, it's definitely talking," Annabelle said. "In fact, I think it just called me a 'stupid, cross-eyed, festering donkey'."

  "Perhaps we should get you home," Santa said, taking hold of Annabelle's wrist. It came as a surprise to her, causing her to startle, dropping Mr. Cuddles into the snow. Annabelle bent down to pick him up again, at which point the squabble going on behind the elephant had come to the point of critical mass. With a pair of muffled cries, the two elves slammed into the back of the elephant, sending it, the pair, and the star crashing to the ground. The snow had only just settled by the time Annabelle had dusted down her teddy bear and looked back up.

  "Oh," she said, looking around frantically. "I've lost my star. Where did my star go?"

  "It's, uh...out there," Santa said, waving his hand where the light bulb was. "The thing is with stars is that there's so many of them, and they all look the same. I'm sure your star is off having adventures with other stars, making new friends, that sort of thing."

  Annabelle stared off into the sky, as if not satisfied with the reply. Finally, she said, "I think next year, I'll just ask for a pony."

  "Yes," Santa said, taking a sigh. Two small bickering shadows can be seen scuttling down the hill, out of sight. "That'd be a lot easier on everyone."

  "But thank you for the star this year, Santa," Annabelle said, "even though it ran away." She gave a thumbs-up to Santa, and then one to her parents, who gave a worn-out and slightly terrified thumbs-up in return.

  Santa rubbed his forehead as Annabelle skipped back towards her home. At this rate, he might as well become an on-stage magician.

  Thanks

  Thanks to FM Writers for the support and help that has gotten me here as a writer now. If you'd like to join in the party, come visit us at https://fmwriters.com/zoomfm/index.php/home and say hello!

  Thanks to friends and family for understanding that, yes, I am a madman, and, no, I can't actually physically stop myself from writing. Your support has been the best.

  Thanks to Vectorportal for the elephant vector image on the cover! You can find vectors like it at https://www.vectorportal.com/stockvectors/

  And thanks to you for funding the most fun I've ever had in my life! If you liked it, say hello to me at @Simon_batt on Twitter, or visit my website at https://www.sebatt.com. I post a piece of original flash fiction every Friday for free, so come along and read some more stories!

  Other Works

  Baldwin's Bazaar of Curious Creatures

  The Rivetwerks is a dangerous place for the every-day man. With weird and wonderful creatures hiding within the darkest places of the Werks, the citizens needed someone they can trust. Someone brave, daring and incredibly intelligent.

  Unfortunately, they never got him. They got Baldwin instead.

  Join Baldwin and his demonic companion Zyrax as they locate their next fearsome fight -- a deadly werewolf. Will he come out alive? Will he save the Rivetwerks from another fearsome curiosity? Will the gadget-inventor Graxx actually smile for once? The answers lie within...

  A humorous fantasy short story totalling appox. 7400 words.

  Demonic Dilemma (a Baldwin Story)

  It's inadvisable to make pacts with demons; even worse to thoroughly anger them.

  Baldwin, the Rivetwerk's one (and only, for good reason) supernatural hunter, goes head-to-head with a succubus after making a grave misstep. With a furious demon on his tail in the gang-infested lands of the Oil Alleys, can Baldwin make it out with his life and dignity intact?

  A humorous fantasy novelette totalling 8000 words.

  Books and Stripes

  Reading is an engaging hobby, but it's not easy to pick up when you're a tiger.

  Escaping from his rich owner's mansion, Mr Stripes is on the prowl to enter the world of literature. Unfortunately, he first has to enter the world of humans with no knowledge of how it works. Using his wit, charm, and knowledge of the effectiveness of 'kitten eyes', he ventures forth into the unknown to fulfil his quest.

  Because everyone wants to get their paws on a good book.

  A 6,100 word short story, bundled with BONUS STORY 'Grounded to Earth' at 2,100 words.

  Gone Mything

  What if you discovered that nobody believes you exist?

  Barry the dragon thought he was going to have a standard Sunday afternoon, when he discovers that the human race think of him as a myth. Convinced that he is real (or so he hopes), he sets out into the world for the first time in centuries to declare himself as real. Will he claw his way back into the history books?

  Proving yourself is always hard, more-so when nobody knows you even existed in the first place.

  A humorous short story at 3,300 words, with BONUS short story 'Gifts Dragon' at 3,200 words.

  A Present for Cynthia

  Not every daughter acts the same. Most of them, however, would never ask for a water dragon for a birthday present.

  The Kingdom of Galha faces an unusual challenge, when its princess stands adamant that she receives an elder dragon as a gift for her birthday. Given her strong resolve alongside her fearsome reputation of throwing the biggest strops in the kingdom, King Graham sets out on his mission. Can he bring home a dragon for her birthday?

  A 3500 word humorous short story, bundled with a BONUS short story 'A Talk In The Forest', also at 3500 words.

  Missing Planet

  Items are lost all the time, but never something quite as big as an entire celestial body.

  The Planetary Monitoring Station finds a nasty surprise when one of the planets in their solar system vanishes without a trace. Mystified by its disappearance, Garren sets out to try to find it. Will the planet, and all of its populous, be found again?

  A humorous short story at 6,100 words, bundled with BONUS SHORT STORY ‘Act of God’ at 3,800 words.

  A Hero Unto Death

  Performing a quest to save the world is much more difficult when the hero dies before he even begins.

  On the day the epic journey is about to begin, the chosen hero, Harold, falls in an unfortunate accident. It's up to his two assistants Amy and Beatrice to carry him through the rest of the quest all while pretending he's still alive. Will they fool the citizens of the city of Queensguard? Will they still be able to defeat the Evil Wizard Galgathon awaiting in his tower? An epic quest lies ahead; even if it wasn't intended for the ones performing it!

  A humorous novella totalling approx. 22,000 words.

  Consult the Occult (with Curse of Impatience)

  Cultists are always burdened with a dark secret to hide; some of them, one more silly in nature.

  Andrew, the desire for revenge in his heart, approaches an occult to see if they can exact the punishment he wants. Except, despite his previous impression of what a cult consists of, it is discovered that these ones are less than adequate at the job given to them. Can Andrew make it out of the den of black magic with his honour and sanity intact?

  A humorous short story at 4,700 words.

  BONUS SHORT STORY!

  This story also comes with the short story 'Curse of Impatience', a tale about a witch who just can't wait for her own curse to take effect, and tries to speed up the process with her own two hands. A humorous short story at 4,000 words.

  The Invention of Crime

  Getting away with murder is easy when you're talented; even more so when nobody knows what murder is.

  Three thieves are in for the time of their lives when they discover a town where isn't invented yet. Between the town's populace, a rival from the distant past, and their own stupidity, however, their heists don't go as smoothly as they first hoped. Will their blunders cause them to be the first prisoners that Crystal Lake City has ever seen?

  A humorous Fantasy novel totalling 65,000 words.

  Moving House (with 'Child With No Name')

 
There's no place like home. For Jacob, however, his home can be at any place.

  Jacob experiences the strangest morning ever when he awakes to find his son, Terrence, has built legs on his house. He tries to make his point, but Terrence is adamant to prove his invention's worth. Will Jacob get his house back to normal, or will he embrace this addition to become the owner of the first ever walking home?

  A humorous short story at 3,500 words.

  BONUS SHORT STORY!

  This release comes with another short story, 'Child With No Name', a humorous story at 3,300 words.

  Friend Ship

  Intergalactic heroes suffer a lonely existence. Captain Kingsley should be so lucky.

  Captain Kingsley finds a great deal on a first-class solution. His new vessel comes equipped with hyperdrive, plenty of cup holders, and the latest in human-like AI. Maybe a bit too human, including a few annoying juvenile tendencies. ‘High maintenance’ takes on a whole new meaning aboard the universe’s first emotionally unstable spaceship!

  Even worse, the vessel’s advanced capabilities attract the attention of an alien race keen to demonstrate their prowess. When the danger is real but the intelligence is artificial, can Kingsley outwit both his enemies and his own ship?

  A humorous Science Fiction novelette at approximately 12,000 words.

  And now, an excerpt from ‘Friend Ship’.