by liliancarmine

A short Christmas story for RomanceSparks

"Run, Holly, run!" I mumbled to myself as I ran past empty booths and closed gift shops, wheeling my suitcase with one hand and clutching at my purse with the other, while having a pile of bags and gift boxes under both arms. My golden bell earrings jingled merrily with each hurried step I took, along with the click-clack of my shoes echoing loudly throughout the empty station.

I was running late. Quite literally, since I was running and I was indeed very late.

Well, I was trying to run anyway, or at least as much as my ruby slippers allowed me to. I had gotten out of my part-time internship late in the evening and didn't have time to change clothes, so I just grabbed my bags at my dorm in Unter-Welt and left to the train station as fast as I could.

Now I was trying to run in these shoes which were most certainly not made for running, and my candy-cane adorned pencil skirt wasn't helping mobility matters much either. At least I had my favorite and most festive sweater on, the one I loved it to pieces. It was warm and comfortable, bright red with big golden cursive lettering written 'jingle all the way!' up front. I also had my new wreath bracelet on my wrist, with Christmas ornament pendants clinking against each other as I ran ahead. Some could say I was overdoing it with my Christmas attire, but I'd like to think it was the jolliest and most fabulous outfit you'll ever see, thank you very much.

I tightened my grip on my suitcase and bags and fastened my pace. I couldn't afford to lose this train. The ticket was given to me by my parents, since I couldn't afford anything with my lousy intern's salary which only covered mostly just food and rent (I shouldn't complain though, some internships didn't even get pay at all).

Money wasn't the only reason why I couldn't lose this train though. The main reason was because this was the last departure to Greenwood. If I wanted to make it in time for Christmas with my parents tomorrow, this was my last chance. There wasn't going to be any trains tomorrow, the station was going to be closed for the entire day. If I lost the train now, there was only the cab fare option and my parents weren't millionaires to afford that, so, I had to get on this train. It was now or never.

That was why I was running like a maniac through the station, the wheels on my suitcase screaming in protest and the bags under my arms threatening to slip and fall as I jogged ahead. I was about to reach a corner to get to the platform where I was supposed to board, when the strap of one of my bags snapped, making the dozens of small boxes tumble out and spread all over the floor. I cursed under my breath and decided that I had a train to get, there was really no time to gather anything now.

I left my ruined bag and its contents behind and sped ahead, almost knocking over a guy who was passing by me. A few more boxes fell off from under my arms with my abrupt stop, and the guy glanced curiously at the mess I had made on the floor. He was about to say something but I did not have time for this, so I just replied a 'sorry! There's no time!' with a crazed apologetic weak smile, before I ran away.

I turned the corner and skidded into a halt, right into an empty platform.

There was no one there. No people. No train. No nothing.

Damn it! The train had left.

I was too late and all that running had been for nothing.

I huffed and puffed, trying to catch my breath and think about what was I going to do now.

Well, I guess there was nothing I could do. No use to cry over it, the train had left the station, as the saying goes, and... hold on. What was that sign over there about? It read:

'Train Departure to Greenwood – 11:10 PM *delayed
– New Departure at 11:45 PM'

The train was delayed! I still had time!

My cheerful shout echoed over the empty platform and was quickly engulfed by a gust of wind. Shivering, I decided to head back inside where I could get some warmth back into my cold limbs. I had time to do anything I wanted now.

I was wheeling my suitcase back around the corner when I spotted the guy I had almost bumped into a second ago, knelt on the floor, gathering all my stuff.

"I tried to tell ya about the train delay, but you were already gone before I could open my mouth." He explained, slowly standing up with my boxes and my broken bag huddled in his arms. "I picked all your stuff, to save you some time... even though time is not a problem anymore, eh?" He teased, with a faint Irish accent.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You looked like you had something to say, but I thought you were just going to complain about the mess I made and I didn't have time to argue. Sorry for running away like that." I apologized, walking up to him.

He handed my things back, smiling politely. "That's alright. Here ya go."

I was never good at small talk or any type of chit-chatting, so I just said 'thank you' with an awkward smile, while I stared at the two most dazzling eyes I've ever seen. They sparkled with a glittering emerald green. It was eerie and mesmerizing at the same time.

The guy was a real cutie. Short, sturdy and seemed to be around my age, in his twenties. He had a light auburn neat beard and seemed fit under a heavy brown coat thrown over a dark green sweater, with a beanie hat on top of his head and ear flaps on the side. Only after a moment that I was able to notice he had a weird greenish light around him, like some sort of distinguishable magical aura that I wouldn't have been able to spot if I didn't happen to be a magical being myself.

"Yer welcome." He said and stood there, waiting for a response, but I just kept on blinking stupidly at him, unable to come up with anything intelligible to say.

I was never good at conversation with good looking guys, my go-to-reaction towards attractive men was either gawk like a stupid otter forever until they were all creeped out, or talk my ears off nonstop like a certified lunatic. There was no in between for me, unfortunately.

After a fair amount of me otter-gawing in awkward silence at him, he realized nothing was going to come up from this interaction, so he cleared his throat and said, "Well, have a nice evening then, lovely." Then he gave me a dazzling smile and a quick nod before he turned around and left.

I winced and mentally cursed my stupid-ass self as I watched him leave. I should have introduced myself, asked about something or said, I don't know, anything! Otter-gawking never failed to creep them out, it was still working splendorously, it seemed.

He headed towards a small coffee kiosk way at the back, the only business still open in the entire station. Suddenly coffee seemed like a good idea... a nice warm cup to sip on while I waited for my delayed train was a good way to pass the time, I reckoned. So I headed to the back of the station with my squeaking suitcase in hand and my pile of bags in my arms.

Cute boy was looking over the drink options from the board on top of the kiosk when I arrived. I put all my bags and boxes over a nearby table and went to wait in line behind him.

There was only one lady working at the small kiosk. I peeked over at the showcase glass where the food was stored while he ordered his drink. There weren't any snacks on sight, just one sad looking bagel on display in there. I hadn't eat since forever and my stomach made a point to remind me of that fact with a low quiet rumble.

Cute boy was about to pay for his order but then he glanced at the food showcase on his right and decided to ask. For. My. Bagel.

I can't really explain to you what happened next.

Maybe it was because of the adrenaline still rushing through my body from all the running I did to get to my train, or maybe it was because I was so hungry and frustrated about losing my bagel. Or maybe it was still my inner otter making a fool out of me yet again... Whatever it was, it caused a sound of protest to escape my mouth before I could stop myself.

"NooOooooOOoooo..."

He turned around and watched me with a curious quirked eyebrow and an amused twinkle in his eerie green eyes, while I coughed embarrassed and pretended that this just hadn't happened.

The attendant called him to hand his coffee and bagel, and he diverted his attention to her, instead of focusing on me and my 'utter-otter' embarrassment at his back.

I sighed in relief, but then he turned back to me and asked, "And what are ya having?"

"H-huh?" I replied confused.

"What are you having? What's your order?"

"Oh, I- I'm just going to have a coffee, you know, just plain coffee." I told him.

He turned back to the kiosk attendant. "And a large coffee too, please." He asked politely, handing her his card.

It took me a second to understand that he was actually paying for me, he wasn't just a nosy guy asking about my drink preferences.

"Oh, no, no, please, you don't have to-" I tried to protest but he grabbed the wrapped bagel over the counter and the large coffee that the lady had just handed to him, and then he presented both to me with the most heart-warming smile. "Here ya go. You seem like you're having a rough day. Maybe this will help make things a little bit better."

I'm quite positive there was some level of magic involved in that smile, it was even more enchanting than the twinkle in his emerald green eyes.

"O-oh, I can't... You don't need to do this, it's your bagel. I didn't mean to make you feel guilty for taking it. I was just joking, I'm not hungry..." I told him in a fluster, but my stomach decided to intrude at the worst possible time with a loud aggravated grumble that even the attendant at the other side of the counter could hear it. Which she most certainly did because her shoulders were shaking from suppressed laughter.

"It's okay." He said, trying to keep a straight face. "It sounds like you need it more than I do. Plus, it's Christmas Eve, I still have time to do some good deed to get my name off the naughty list. You can put on a good word for me with The Big Guy in exchange for these." He offered me the coffee and the bagel again with a playful wiggle of eyebrows that indicated he had my occupation figured out.

I sighed. "What gave me away?"

"Well, the whole extreme seasonal outfit was a very good hint," he said, chuckling. "And when you move your head, I can hear jingling bells."

"That's my earrings." I giggled, moving my curls of hair away to show him the two gold bells dangling from my earlobes. "And the seasonal outfit is perfectly normal. Some people wear clothes like this during Christmas, okay?"

He smiled. "Alright. I think the joyful glee emanating from you was what gave the most away. Also, your kind have a halo during this time of the year, yours are glowing particularly bright, more than usual even. That's how I knew for sure."

"Oh. Okay." I nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed for glowing like that in public.

He noticed my discomfort and changed topic. "So... do we have a deal? A coffee and bagel in exchange for taking me off the naughty list?"

"Well, this 'naughty list' you speak of is just a story that parents tell their children so they'll behave. But even it is real, this is precisely what would get your name on the list. Bribery is a big no-no, or so I hear."

"Darn it." He pretended to be disappointed. "Well, I've already bought this, you might as well eat it. I hear wasting food is even worse than bribery, so..." He extended the coffee and bagel again, and this time I took them off his hands.

"Thank you. Honestly, you didn't have to, but I appreciate it." I said.

"Yer welcome." He then turned to pick his own coffee that had been left on the counter.

We walked together to the tables close to the kiosk and I thought he was going to sit on the table I had my bags on, but instead he went to sit on another one, a little further away to the right.

He noticed my confusion and explained himself. "It's alright. You don't owe me your time and company just because I gave you a bagel. You can chill in peace, don't worry about me." He got comfortable on his chair and sipped on his coffee in a casual and relaxed manner.

I shrugged and sat on my table by myself.

It was nice of him to be so considerate. He was right about not imposing himself on me just because he gave me food. I really didn't owe him anything and it was nice to have the option to be left alone. Option was surely given, but I didn't exactly need to take it, though. Right?

So I turned to him and asked. "Are you headed to Greenwood too?"

"Sorry, what?" He asked, turning to face me.

"I said, are you headed to Greenwood too?" I asked again, a bit louder.

"Yeah." He replied before taking another sip at his coffee. "Visiting my folks. You?"

"Me too."

"Free to?" He asked, frowning.

"No, I said, me too."

He mumbled something that I couldn't quite discern.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked and then he mumbled something else that I couldn't quite hear it and I huffed in frustration. "This is silly. May I come over and sit with you while we wait for our train?" I asked.

"Sure." He replied, motioning for me to have a seat. There was a hint of mischievousness in his smile sneaking right at the corner of his lips, that made me suspect all that mumbling might not have been the way he normally talked. I might have been seeing things that weren't there though.

I picked my coffee and bagel, and walked up to his table. "Thanks. That's better." I said and extended a hand to him. "Hi, I'm Holly, by the way. Nice to meet you."

He shook my hand and smiled. "I'm Seamus. Nice meeting you too."

I slumped on the chair, grabbed my bagel and was about to give my first bite when I glanced up and saw him watching me with that curious twinkle in his green eyes. "You're sure you don't want a piece? We can share, if you want." I offered, still feeling guilty for having the food all for myself.

"It's okay, you can have it. I'm not even hungry. I was going to eat just to pass the time." he confessed. "So... you're visiting your folks too, huh?"

"Yep. I'm on my holiday break." I said, taking a big bite from the bagel. Hunger was surpassing any urges my body might have to be awkward around cute boys, and my brain seemed to be mainly focused on eating rather than flirting, which turned out to be great for me, since it left weird gawking Otter-me temporarily out of the equation.

"I thought your people were supposed to be super busy, working nonstop at this time of the year." He mused.

"Usually, yeah." I said between chewing. "But my parents are retired now and I'm just an intern trainee at the moment. I'm not allowed to do proper work until I'm officially hired." I swallowed my bagel and gave him a good look over.

There was a lively, cheerful sort of magical mischievous quality about him, but I couldn't quite pinpoint what he was. He had that greenish aura around himself, the eerie sparkling green in his eyes and the faint Irish accent... The four-leafed clover design in his beanie hat was the final clue I needed for everything to click in my head and I finally solved the mystery.

"I thought your people were supposed to be lucky. How come you've got a train delayed? Weren't you supposed to get your trains always right on time?" I asked.

He smiled cryptically. "That's not how luck works."

"It's not?"

"People always think being lucky is about getting everything you want, whenever you want it. But it's not. Luck has its own ways, it works in sidetracks and detours instead of straight lines and main roads, you know? And it's definitely not a scheduled thing. It hits almost when you're not expecting." He explained and then he noticed the confusion on my face and added. "Like, for instance, you might consider lack of luck to get your train delayed, but maybe, the lucky part is exactly that delay."

"Ha! Lucky? Are you kidding?" I said with a derisive scoff. "You have to wait in this cold, boring, deserted station for half an hour. Everything is closed, there's nothing to do, nothing to see. And you just gave away the only food available in this place. How is this 'lucky' for you?"

"Well, you have to see this as an opportunity. Maybe a new adventure can present itself, a new path that might lead to a hidden treasure, perhaps? The most precious things sometimes are found in the most unexpected places, at the most unexpected times." He said, giving me a strange look.

"Welp, you ain't finding anything precious in this dump station, that's for damn sure." I muttered distractedly, taking another big bite off my bagel.

There was a moment of quiet silence as he continued to give me that weird look with those startling emerald eyes, and then he cleared his throat before he asked me. "Were you seriously going to leave all your stuff behind just to catch that train?"

I glanced up to him, still munching on my bagel. "What? Oh, the gifts and boxes that fell from my bag? Yeah, I was. They were just cheap plastic toys that I bought, it was not worth to waste my time picking them up and miss the train because of that. I volunteer to serve meals in a shelter on Christmas and I like to give presents to the kids there. Christmas is always tougher on the children, you know?"

"You spend your Christmas in shelters?" He asked, seeming slightly surprised.

"Yeah. Me and my parents. It's sort of a family tradition. Well, we're trying to make it a tradition. Ever since my parents retired, they can't stand doing nothing during the holidays. You know how it is with workaholics, they never really stop with the work. So we go there, help with the food and I give out some toys for the little ones at the end of the meal. I bought them at the last minute today."

"But weren't you supposed to make the toys instead of buying them?"

"Why would I make toys?" I asked, confused.

"Well, because of your line of work? You work for The Guy, right? It's your job to make the toys, innit? Or, I dunno, magic them into existence?"

"No, this isn't the work at all!" I replied with a laugh. "And in theory, I don't work for Him. Not yet. I'm still a trainee, remember? You think that's what we do back there? Make toys?"

He gave an embarrassed shrug. "That's the story I've heard. You made them. The Big Guy delivers them."

I laughed again. "Oh, if this was true, no poor kid would go by Christmas without a gift, and we know that's not what happens out there, don't we? Big companies are the ones mass producing toys, we have nothing to do with it. And it's the parent's job to get the toys for their kids, we have no part on that either. Overall, this whole 'toy situation' is all on capitalism, we are not to blame for that messy tradition."

"Okay. So... no toys." He concluded. "What do you do, then?"

"Oh, I can't disclose that information. That's top secret." I said and then I leaned closer and whispered in an ominous tone. "I'll have to kill you if I tell you."

"R-really?" he asked with both eyebrows raised.

He seemed extra cute with that naive adorable startled face.

I chuckled. "No! I'm just kidding, you goof."

He relaxed on his chair, visibly less scared now.

"We help spread the Christmas spirit into the world, is all." I explained.

"Christmas spirit? For real?" He said in disbelief.

"Yes. We help people see that magic still exists in the world and we try to inspire people to be better. We plant the seeds of kindness, empathy and love into their hearts and hope it'll take root, and that maybe some good can flourish from it." I recited back to him what I had heard a thousand times at work from my supervisor. "Sometimes we try to find the people who need it the most, and give them a bit of joy. It might seem a small thing to give, but it could be just what they need to get by on that day. Every pinch of joy, no matter how small, matters, you know?"

"How do you know which ones really need it?" he asked, curious.

"You just have to pay attention and keep a sharp eye on people. It stands out on a person, if you know how and where to look. I'm still getting the hang of it, though."

"It sounds like tough work." he mused.

"It is. And the end of the year is our busiest time, a lot of delivery quotas to fill, readings on the quality of impact of our influence on a person, evaluation on levels of effort, target efficiency, etc. There's so much I still need to learn, so much that needs to be done, it's crazy."

"And you'll be working in a shelter tomorrow, with your folks." He said.

"Officially, no, because I'm still a trainee. We don't have enough magic to give away in mass demand like that yet. I can only influence one or two, a whole shelter is a lot. My parents aren't supposed to do it either, since they are retired and don't have their refills available anymore, but, you know, they always find a way to get their hands on some extra supply. Don't ask me how they do it. It's better if we don't know." I said, tapping the side of my nose. "But, unofficially, yeah, that's what I do for Christmas with my family. Spread some joy in shelters."

"Huh." He muttered and I could see by the look on his face that he was finding it hard to see the appeal on my Christmas plans.

"You think it's stupid." I stated plainly.

I knew this was something hard to understand, I wasn't offended by his reasoning or anything like that. He was expecting something exciting, like magical-toy-hand-outs, and I was giving him joy in shelters. It was two very different perspectives on doing Christmas.

"No, I don't think it's stupid." He corrected me. "I'm not here to judge you, okay? I just don't get why you sound so excited about this. Don't get me wrong, it's a very noble cause, very charitable and all, but... I wouldn't be in all that hurry to catch the train if I were in your place. It sounds like a lot of work and not much joy for you in the end." He tried to explain. "What about some joy for Holly, huh?"

"Well... There's a lot of joy to be had when you can give someone a sliver of hope and happiness." I said, quietly fumbling with the hem of my sweater.

There was a beat of silence as he processed what I said.

"And that is why you are a thousand times a better person than I am." He said in a kinder, gentler tone. "Listen, Holly, sorry if I'm acting as if shelters are the worst place in the world. It actually is a great place to share and to be kind to each other. Like you said, that's what Christmas is all about. You should be proud for doing this with your folks. My Christmas is just about excessive consumption of food and too much drinking and trading useless gifts. It's a huge waste of time and money, I'm kind of ashamed now for thinking yours was lame. Mine is. Sorry."

I glanced up and saw him scratching at the back of his head, looking all awkward as he gave me an apologetic smile.

"It's not a waste, you're allowed to have a good time and have some joy with your family, Seamus. I didn't mean to make you feel bad for having your Christmas." I told him and then I added with a laugh. "You wanna hear something funny? It was a dream of mine to have a Christmas like yours, the good ole traditional kind. It was all I wanted growing up."

"What? You never had one? Like, ever? How can this be?" He asked in utter confusion. "Your people are the embodiment of this holiday, how could you not have a traditional Christmas?"

"My parents retired recently, remember? They were always at work on Christmas. It's the busiest night for us. I hardly ever saw them during the entire month of December, since they were always working." I explained.

"Oh." he said in realization. "That sucks."

"Yeah. I've spent most of my Christmas with my Jewish babysitter. When I got old enough to be on my own, they let me stay at the house by myself, watching TV. You don't need to look at me like that, I was allowed to eat all the junk food and ice cream I wanted, so... it was cool." I added when I saw the look of pity in his eyes.

"Then my parents retired a couple years ago, around the time I went to college," I continued babbling on about my life story. "That's when our 'shelter tradition' began. My parents can get a small taste again of what they used to do at work and it's something we can do as a family, you know? We're together and it's nice to have them with me on Christmas... Soon I'll be finishing my internship and hopefully I'll be accepted to work, and then I'm the one who will be busy all the time. I won't be able to do this anymore with them. That's why I was in such a hurry to catch that train." I told him, answering his question about the reason behind all my hurry. "I have a short supply of Christmas to spend with my parents. This might be the last one I have, so it's important that I make it."

He nodded, understanding. "I totally get it now. You're right, it doesn't matter where or how you spend Christmas, as long as it's with the people you love."

I stared at my lap, to avoid looking him in the eyes. I had a feeling that if I stared into those green eyes much longer I was going to tell him everything, all my secrets, hopes and dreams. I didn't know why I had told him all those things about me already... There was something about him that made me feel at ease, as if I'd been chatting up with a long lost old friend this whole time. But I needed to remember he was a complete stranger and here I was, pouring my guts out without any restrain.

"Speaking of parents, I should probably text them and let them know about the train delay." I said, trying to break the gut confession stream mood I seemed to be on. "How about you? Won't your folks worry if you arrive late?"

"Nah." He waved a dismissive hand."They are used to people not showing up to stuff. It's kind of a family tradition of our own. No one is ever on time to any event in my family."

"A sidetrack and detour tradition." I said.

He smiled. "Exactly."

Then we heard a low rumble announcing the train arriving at the platform. "Look at that, I haven't even noticed the time passing. Our train is already here." I said, standing up.

He wolfed down one last gulp of his coffee, placed the cup on the table and stood up as well. "Can I help ya carry some of your things? You have quite a lot of boxes here to take." He offered, polite as always.

"Yeah, Sure. Thanks, Seamus!" I agreed, giving him a genuine thankful smile.

"No problem." He beamed back at me, and went to gather a few of boxes and bags from my table. "Our chariot awaits, milady. Let's get a move on so you won't miss Christmas with your family."

Seamus seemed deep in thought while we headed to our platform and didn't utter a word all the way there, but right before we reached our train, he turned to me.

"Listen, Holly, I was wondering about something, and feel free to say no if you don't like the idea, but I was thinking about joining you and your folks tomorrow, and give a hand in that shelter. If you don't mind having me there, I'd like to hang out with you guys, see what's the fun all about. Is that okay?" He proposed tentatively.

"You want to spend your Christmas giving out meals in a shelter?" I asked in surprise.

He shrugged awkwardly. "Yeah. You were really good at selling the idea, you know? I guess some of that Christmas spirit of yours ended up rubbing off on me. I really want to be there and help."

"Are you serious? I've really convinced you?" I asked, stupefied. "I'm the worst at convincing people to do these sort of things."

"Don't say that, you're really good. You totally had me on board and it seemed like you weren't even trying. You will kick ass at this Christmas spirit thing if this is just a taste of what you can do."

"Really?! You think so?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear like a kid who had just won the best gift of all time.

"Are you kidding me? You got me in the mood to help out and I'm the laziest self-centered bastard you'll ever meet. Your supervisor would be very impressed if he saw what you did here."

I laughed. "He actually says I'm too skeptical and skepticism is the killer of hope and joy."

"Pft, so what if you're skeptical? Maybe that's your style. You're doing your own thing. Plus, I think you have the perfect balance between logic and feeling. You use both head and heart, that's how you got me." He countered.

I was grinning so wide that is was beginning to hurt my cheeks.

"What about your Christmas? Won't your family mind if you're not there with them?" I asked.

"Well, not really. We actually celebrate Christmas late in the day, because of, you know, family sidetracks and detours. It's more a supper thing we do, you know?" He said but then it seemed like he realized something and his face lit up in excitement.

"Hey, I know this might sound weird, but... what if we do a Christmas exchange?" He proposed with an eager glint in his eyes and a mischievous smile on his gorgeous lips. "I go to your shelter at lunch, and see what's it like having Christmas your way, and then you come check out mine! I can give you a full traditional Christmas experience, just like you've always wanted growing up."

He noticed my reluctance and gave a boost at trying to convince me. "We have tree decoration activities at the beginning, and since you're a guest, you have priority at picking the color scheme for the tree. Then we have Christmas carols by the piano with my mom. It doesn't matter if you know how to sing, there's even a cheat sheet too, if you don't know the lyrics. You will also have a lot of eggnog tasting, it's pretty much all everyone drinks. Alcohol's optional but overuse of nutmeg is mandatory. Let me see what else... Oh, yeah! There's gift exchange for the kiddies while some jokes routine is done at the background by grandpa. Granny will have the family photo album out after everyone is hammered, that always gets a good laugh out of everyone because my family does have its fair share of embarrassing moments immortalized in hilarious pictures... Then there's the feast of course, with all the customary menu, the turkey, the gravy and all the rest, and there will be one racist uncle saying non-tolerable things at the table. You can scold at him and even scream or toss a turkey leg on his head if you want, it's allowed. Family reunions without a proper fight isn't a proper reunion, am I right? So, you know, overall, it's the whole Christmas shebang. What do you say? Interested?"

I eyed him for a moment as I considered his tempting offer. It really was kind of weird to spend Christmas with a strange family that I'd never seen before in my life. But he was very cute and very adorable, it wouldn't be so hard to spend more time with him tomorrow.

"Is there really Christmas carols by the piano?" I asked, biting my lips.

He grinned and his green eyes twinkled with joy. "All the classics. You can throw in some new suggestions too, if you want. Mom usually has to drag a poor soul to do this with her, you're already her favorite person in the world if you're willing to sing carols with her tomorrow."

"Okay. I'm in." I agreed. "Let's do this Christmas exchange experience. It will be fun."

I was a sucker for Christmas carols and cute magical boys, what can I say?

"All right! Let's do this!" He whooped excitedly as we boarded the train. "This is going to be The Best Christmas Ever!"

I turned to him and smiled.

"That's the spirit."

The End.

...

A/N 1: Apologies for the long 'short' story. My characters doesn't seem to ever stop talking, so... yeah.

A/N 2: Seamus and Holly are two new enchanted beings of my 'Magical Creatures' project, a book of short stories that I'm posting here on Wattpad. The stories will present characters that will be returning in my new Supernatural Novel 'The Haunted Building'.

A/N 3: From time to time, a short story featuring a new building tenant will be posted in my Wattpad profile page @liliancarmine , and the game I'm proposing for readers in here is that you have to guess what magical creature you think it is for each story. 

Now, can you guess what magical creatures Holly and Seamus are?

Tell me in the comments what do you think they could be!

Happy reading and happy guessing! X

....

Lilian Carmine is the author of the popular series 'The Lost Boys' which had over 35 million reads on Wattpad and later were published by Random House. She is also the author of 'Bad Luck', with over 1 million reads. You can find her books available for purchase on Amazon and many other online bookstores.

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