Silent Night, Deadly Night
A Christmas Horror Microfiction
We have awakened. Cursed, grotesque, but awakened.
The full moon shone through the gaps in the clouds as snow fell heavy upon the suburban home.
The child knew not the strength of his elder magic, but how else would he have raised the creature so attached to his side? Us simple minions now must flock to him.
Not a living creature was stirring, for even the mice feared this night. Dark magic hung heavy on this Christmas night.
The wood of my arms is weak. I would have preferred an axe. Fangs must suffice.
Ahead, the door of the low brown suburban house lay ajar. It could hear voices from within.
I must find the child.
“Who left the door open, Cal–Oh God!” She shrieked.
A spare. Nothing more.
The man came from the kitchen, haughty, and glasses fogged from the dishes. He peered over them and found his wife dead on the entry carpet. It stood over its prey.
He screamed, and something stirred upstairs.
Guardians. Wardens of the Elder One’s prison.
It struck, and the haughty man screamed no longer.
These are the first two of many to fall in our great conquest.
The child appeared at the top of the stairs, his faithful familiar at his side. The great furred thing let out a hissing growl, revealing its curved fangs.
Master.
The minion bowed.
Lead us to victory, Elder One.
“Well, what do you know, Hobbes? It works on snowmen, too!”
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A/N:
All characters above were created by Bill Watterson, who is definitely shaking his head somewhere. Never fear, you're still a huge influence on my life.

Written in response to Stephanie Hoogstad's Winter Horror Story prompt:
If you've enjoyed this, please leave a like and an insight below. If you really enjoyed this, tips to fuel my coffee addiction are always appreciated. All formatting is designed for desktops. All my works can be found below:
About the Creator
Matthew J. Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.
Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).
I can be reached at [email protected]
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes



Comments (19)
Wow. This is powerful storytelling. I really enjoyed this!
Perfect 👍🏾
Haha I love Calvin and Hobbes! Great story, I was so not expecting that ending! 😂
Great job👍
I never did understand C and H. But now i get it. Child and monster.
Well that a little alarming!
Well done! Congrats on your TS!
This was a great micro!! Congrats on the TS! 😁👏
I like where this is going….a haunted Christmas Congratulations
Oooo! I Always love a good Christmas horror. Great job executing the creep factor! And congrats on Top Story!
Stopping back by to offer congratulations!
Hot diggidy, Congrats on Top Story!
Don't really know who C and H are but this was still as freaky as hell! Great entry!
Calvin and Hobbes, lol! I certainly would never have seen that coming! This was sooooo awesomeeee!
Great job Matthew!!! I love it...
All is bloody and bright for Calvin and Hobbes…I love this take on the classic characters (especially calling Hobbes Calvin’s familiar). Great job!
Too horrific but loved the title!!!❤️💕❤️
This is...brilliant. Even as not being a Calvin and Hobbes fan. But, well played, MAtthew and I think I shall check out Stephanie's challenge.
Oh, man, Matthew! I'm a HUGE C&H fan and this could easily have come from Calvin's pen in one of his flights of imagination. I doff my hat!