Sunday Snippet: An Eternal Yule (a Holiday Spirit short)

Another crazy week.This time on more of a personal front, which isn't all that unusual. I don'tnormally get slowed down though and I did this week. We got to see almosttotality for the eclipse and that was actually a lot of fun. Our streetlightscame on at three in the afternoon on an otherwise sunny day. Seriously. Lots offun.

Had a fairly decentweek of viewing and caught up on most of my regular schedule. I've pared itdown a little and kind of hope to get back into a full rotation sometime soon.If I'm paying for streaming services, I should be using them, right?

Ended up catchingtwo episodes of The Batman. I'd completely forgotten the originalsidekick storyline with Prank for the Joker. Ended up enjoying that one. Alsokind of loved the "Thunder" episode. That one I did remember.

Watched two episodesof Classic Rugrats. I must have missed a big portion of the seventhseason because I don't remember any of the vignettes. Kind of nice to have new-to-mematerial to watch.

Enjoyed an episodeof My Life Is Murder. I think I have one more left before bonusmaterial. Going to miss this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the series.

Caught the holidayepisode of Madame Blanc Mysteries. Enjoyed it. Looking forward to divinginto the new season.

Started a newtwo-part Silent Witness. Loved seeing Jack's niece again. Lookingforward to finishing this episode.

Said good-bye toHumphrey on Death in Paradise. Really liked the way his run ended. I'mexcited to start Beyond Paradise in the near future.

Watched another episodeof Elementary. I'm almost through the first season and I'm very muchenjoying this show.

That's pretty muchit for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from An Eternal Yule,a holiday spirit short featuring a vampire and a psychic.

Here's theminiblurb:

Tortured vampire Haddon Hobbs can't seem to fight hisbloodlust anymore and it's going to be the end of him if he can't. PsychicTabitha Tarheel is tired of seeing the worst the world has to offer in hervisions. Holiday spirit Joy Garland brings the two together over the Yuleseason to help them find renewed hope for the future.

And a preview snippet…

Haddon's fangs sank deep into thethroat of the would-be rapist. The red haze of bloodlust clouded Haddon's mind.The vile human gurgled and choked, his heartbeat slowing almost to a halt.

Haddon finally got a grip onreality and thrust the nearly dead man into the tattered boxes beside thedumpster. "You're not worth it. Killing you would be too merciful."And this guy deserved none.

The man sneered—drained of severalpints of blood and barely breathing—he actually sneered. The time it would takefor cretin to recover from his injuries might not be long enough. And it gotmore difficult to resist removing the shit stains on humanity. Haddon almostcaved to the burning need to end the despicable wretch's life, but the airshifted around him and the persistent buzz of the supernatural pinged along hisawareness. The stinging sensation would get worse if Haddon delayed answeringthe call.

With a low growl, he stumbled outof the alley and ran directly into a hovering envelope. He snatched it from theair and clasped it between his fingers. Fighting against the strong pull of therage to go back and finish off the terrible, sexual predator once and for all, Haddonquickly sped to his home with preternatural speed. Once inside his brownstone,he tore the envelope open, fully expecting a summons from the council toaddress his bloodlust.

Instead, he'd received a parchmentinvitation. "Huh, didn't think anything could surprise me anymore."The brief missive got directly to the point.

 

The winter solstice is a specialtime of year.

Not the time to lose all you holddear.

Some time away would do you good.

A solitary stay in a protectedwood.

Travel the mist later tonight…

And make an effort to set thingsright.

 

The name of the location stood outin bold capital letters with coordinates not far from his residence to enterthe nether realm.

Haddon tucked the invitation insidehis coat pocket. "The Goodacre Bed and Breakfast." Sounded preciouslyquaint but he'd live with overblown chintz if it meant a possible solution tohis dilemma. He didn't have a death wish. But he also grew weary of fightingthe pull of bloodlust. After centuries of living through the terrible thingshumanity did to itself, disgust and disdain bubbled and boiled under thesurface with constant pressure.

Grabbing a large duffel bag, hepacked light. "Some casual stuff and a pair of boots for walking in thewoods." Maybe he'd find a way to beat the short fuse he'd been living withfor months. "Six centuries of harmony and balance shouldn't end without atleast trying." Exiting the building, Haddon darted down the access streetthat led to the storage area behind the four-unit brownstone.

A few moments before the stroke ofmidnight, the mist rolled in, and Haddon walked forward waiting for the fog tosurround him.

Another moment later, he found theveil and started to cross through it. "Here goes nothing…"

Or maybe everything…

I have so much funwriting the holiday spirit shorts. This one is on track to become a favorite!

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye