by Andy Morris
the physical world anymore and the presents did not move.
Meanwhile Sydney Glitter was almost upon Santa’s Head Elf. As Glitter advanced on the boy he glanced slyly to either side, reassuring himself that no one else was around. No prying eyes to witness what would happen next. Evangeline shouted at him, waving her hands at the pair and jumping up and down. Just for a moment Glitter paused and looked in her direction. His puzzled expression suggested he may have seen something from the corner of his eye. But the moment passed.
The colourful box that Santa’s Head Elf had been looking at slipped from his fingers as the black shadow of Sydney Glitter fell upon him.
“Get away from him!” Evangeline screamed frantically but her silent plea went unheard. She circled the two in desperation, chewing her non-existent finger nails as her chattering mind searched for a way to help. Santa’s Head Elf looked upwards, his blue watery eyes slowly taking in the grotesque form of the security guard. It was already too late and Evangeline was out of time. She hurried behind the safety of the Christmas tree and peered between the branches helplessly as the boy reached out a tiny hand, seeking reassurance from an apparently friendly adult who was supposed to help him.
“No” she whispered silently, shaking her head.
“Where are your parents?” Glitter enquired touching the boys shoulder almost tenderly with a large hairy hand. Santa’s Head Elf opened his mouth but, as if sensing something in the security guard’s expression, he stopped and backed away slightly.
“What’s your name, son?” Glitter asked gently, crouching down to show that he wasn’t really a threat. Evangeline wanted to look away but morbid curiosity held her firm. Santa’s Head Elf looked away for a moment but then he glanced up at the security guard again and that’s when Evangeline noticed the change. He was no longer a little boy. His once frightened little face had changed; lips twisted into a malicious grin.
Evangeline was the one that cried out as the creature swung the candy cane stick from behind his back. It swished with such speed, as it had done last year. The colourful Christmas treat slashed through Sydney Glitter’s neck, deftly separating his head from his shoulders. The heavy body crumpled to the floor with just the rustle of fabric as the head landed with a wet splat at his feet. Sydney Glitter’s dead startled eyes were staring towards Evangeline and like her; he never saw it coming either.
Evangeline shrank back instinctively in case the evil elf could see her decided to punish her a second time. Still unable to flee or even cover her eyes Evangeline watched the macabre performance as the creature bundled Sydney Glitter’s headless body effortlessly into the brown sack and placed the severed head in the colourful box he’d been holding earlier. Then With a joyful laugh he swung the sack over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all.
Evangeline remained perfectly still as the elf danced merrily down the shadowy corridor with his trophies, past Beales, towards the entrance to the car park. Evangeline stayed hidden behind the Christmas tree for some time afterwards as the sound his little jingling bell could still be heard long after Santa’s Head Elf had gone.
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Two - Where the Spiders Dwell
Last night Gabriella dreamt she heard the spiders talking. Their tiny silvery voices whispered back and forth from their dusty corners behind furniture and inside the walls. One of the spiders was now watching her from the dressing table as she hurriedly got ready for work. As she spied the small visitor, her half-remembered dream resurfaced causing her to reflect momentarily on its spellbinding details.
Her dream had revealed to her the secret nature of spiders. You don’t always see them but they are always there; silent and patient. Nothing is hidden from them for all is seen and heard and studied. The spiders know our secrets and our desires, our flaws and our fears. Occasionally they come to us as we sleep and breathe words of hope and comfort during times of distress. But they are mostly mischievous creatures, descending on their silky webs at night to whisper doubts into the ears of lovers or sow discord among friends, before once more returning to the dark places where they dwell.
Throughout the human world, always just out of sight, are the doorways to their dark places. These entrances are hidden to those whom the spiders do not welcome. For concealed in the labyrinth of their delicate ethereal tapestry, the spiders tirelessly practice their sacred arts of manipulation. They move unnoticed, drawing together the countless threads of humanity and weave a destiny for a billion people who have no idea they are ensnared in the spider’s cosmic web.
People say you are never more than ten feet from a spider at any one time. This truism tumbled through Gabriella’s mind as she regarded the nasty little bugger that had been hiding behind her make-up bag. At first she thought it may be dead but, recalling her dream, she knew of the devious nature of the spider. Gabriella had disturbed its ever-present surveillance and now it could not move lest it drew further unwanted attention to itself. She could almost hear its low controlled breathing, like a sprinter listening for the starting gun as it waited for her to turn her back. The master of deception, the moment her eyes left it, it would scuttle away unseen and resume its silent vigil of her.
Gabriella reached for a tissue to pick up the spider and kill it. As she did so she put her hand through a fusty leaf of warm cobwebs that she hadn’t noticed earlier. Snatching back her hand she wiped it vigorously on her leg. But it was already too late.
Gabriella felt the soft trace of hair-thin fibres settle over her forehead and instinctively rubbed her face in disgust. While just out of sight, on the periphery of her vision something darted over her feet. Sunlight briefly flashed on the delicate strand of silver that spiralled around her ankles. She tried to step back but it was difficult, as if she were standing on her shoelace. Another small shape flitted over her head. Another feathery caress touched the back of her hand. More cobwebs settled. Impelled by an electric revulsion Gabriella reached out and slapped the small spider on the dressing table with the palm of her hand, squashing it with a satisfying squelch as if he were the only one spinning these webs. Fortunately for Gabriella, she did not look upwards to see the bristling nest of black spiders now boiling over the ceiling towards her.
A soft grey haze had descended over her vision. Her arms felt so sticky she couldn’t lift them to wipe the scarf of gossamers now covering her eyes. The more she struggled the more immobile she became. Desperately helpless, Gabriella could barely move in the tense spidery lace.
More fast-moving shapes scuttled around her evoking the final thread of her strange dream: Deeply secretive and insular, spiders will go to extraordinary lengths to protect their secrets from accidental eavesdroppers. Gabriella considered this as she was helplessly dragged away, into the dark places where the spiders dwell.
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Three - The Body Shop
Some people are born lucky while others are not and Henry was most definitely part of the latter group. Being out of work and soon to be homeless, this wasn’t how Henry had envisioned the start of his adult life. His sister was moving to Spain to be with her boyfriend and was selling her flat which meant Henry had to find somewhere else to live. But first, he needed to find a job.
After realising academia was not for him Henry had left school at 16 armed with a very strong grade C in Art. He hadn’t yet decided what he wanted to do and had planned on seeing what kind of jobs he was offered before deciding upon the most lucrative and using his wages to buy his one place. Unfortunately the numerous offers of employment that Henry had envisioned were not very forthcoming and he had spent the last few months applying for any and all jobs that came along. Sadly he was either; too young, lacked experience or wasn’t what they were looking for. Things had been starting to get desperate when, on one of his daily trudges down to the job centre he spotted an advert for a clerk at The Body Shop.
Despite lacking any experience, being unab
le to type, and not having any real interest in cars Henry applied for the job anyway. So it came as a complete surprise when the manager of The Body Shop phoned up to offer him the job. Henry couldn’t believe his uncharacteristic good luck and he had accepted it there and then.
It might turn into something rewarding, he thought to himself as he sat alone behind the Reception desk. This could be a way into mechanics; he could learn the trade, work up to a place in the garage and one day run his own business. He just needed to get some enthusiasm about cars first but that shouldn’t be too difficult. He felt hopeful about his new career but as the first week and then the second week went by without seeing a single engine, his grand dreams started to look a little more distant.
So far he had spent his time just sat in Reception placing orders for customers, taking phone calls and filling in forms. Every time a new order came though, he would pass it to someone in the warehouse to be processed. He wasn’t permitted into the warehouse himself yet and he often wondered what lay behind that plain white door to the side of Reception with the stern sign that read “Authorised Personnel Only”. He could hear muffled voices talking from inside but they weren’t the usual coarse
