DESEMBER_UNIKUM_WEB

SHORT-STORY
Twisted Glow
Photo: Freepik // rawpixel.com
Aurora Trondsen Flatvoll
Writer
A big bang and an earth-shaking crash came from the
kitchen. Nick, clinging to a half-unraveled string of twinkling
lights, raised an eyebrow, “Guess we have a poltergeist who
doesn´t like our taste in ornaments, huh?” April laughed as
she approached the kitchen, convinced that the sound was
the cat from next door sneaking in again.
The night had begun innocently enough, surrounded by old
decorations and tangled in tinsel; four friends could be found
laughing. The air was thick with the scent of gingerbread and
hot chocolate. In the middle of the hanging of ornaments,
April took up the role of the unofficial leader, directing
the hanging of mistletoe and the strategic placements of
stockings. Elsa, the resident‘s jokester, couldn´t resist the
opportunity to turn every decoration into a punchline. While
Nick and Caiti, ever the sensible duo, diligently wrapped
garlands and kept the holiday chaos in check.
In the kitchen, however, there was no cat to be seen. Only
shards of broken plates and overturned chairs scattered
around the floor. “Guys, you need to see this,” The others
joined April by the kitchen entrance, and the four girls
looked confused at the mess in front of them. The silence
hung in the air, except for the distant ticking of the old clock
over the fireplace. The girls looked at each other, wondering
if it was the neighbor‘s cat or something else. “I think the cat
is having a bad day,” Elsa muttered as they ventured into the
corridor. The sound of glass breaking and hitting the floor,
lured them in the direction of Elsa and April‘s bedroom.
The room was crimson red. Bloodstains painted the walls,
forming patterns of a macabre dance. Without a word, the
girls slowly backed out of the room. Fear clung to them, and
their laughter, now just a distant memory, could be heard
echoing through the desolated halls. Caiti rushed to the front
door, only to find it locked. Despite her repeated attempts to
unlock it, the door remained sealed, like every window and
back entrance in the house.
Their safe home had turned into a prison, where the walls
conspired against their escape. The friends huddled together,
convinced that an intruder had broken into their home. Nick
clutched a makeshift weapon, a sparkly nutcracker. She gave
it some practice swings “This may be handy,” she said while
they steeled themselves to confront the banging noises that
echoed through the corridor.
They approached Nick and Caiti´s bedroom. The once
familiar room was also like the other one, drenched in blood.
Their adrenaline pumped, and anger and panic flushed over
them. They decided to split into pairs to cover more of the
house faster. Elsa and Caiti investigated the bathroom and
washroom, only to find more broken glass and furniture
scattered around. Searching through the basement didn´t
solve anything either.
Elsa and Caiti started to believe that someone was pranking
them. “There´s no one here,” Nick said. She and April came
around the corner from the basement. The lights started
flickering. Paralyzed, they watched the darkness swallow the
house, leaving only the colored lights from the living room.
The Christmas decorations looked uncanny in the dark,
Casting long shadows in the faded light. Nick, holding on to
the Nutcracker, led the other girls as they began navigating
their way toward the light. The corridor was suddenly longer,
and the floor felt like a treadmill. After what felt like hours,
they reached the living room door. The air had gone cold,
and the house was quiet. The only sound was the continued
ticking of the old clock. The colorful Christmas lights made
every piece of furniture distorted and faded. The lights were
twisted and tangled around something big in the middle of
the room. As they approached, the vivid lights revealed four
lifeless bodies. The old clock started to ring, and a collective
panic struck the girls as they looked closer at the bodies,
realizing the truth. The dead bodies, tangled in the colorful
lights, were their own.
A big bang and an earth-shaking crash came from the
kitchen. Nick, clinging to a half-unraveled string of twinkling
lights, raised an eyebrow, “Guess we have a poltergeist who
doesn´t like our taste in ornaments, huh?” April laughed as
she approached the kitchen, convinced that the sound was
the cat from next door sneaking in again.
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