Flash Fiction: Christmas Carol

Here's my piece for tomorrow's Seoul Writers Workshop Holiday Brunch. Like last year, the thema is simply Holiday. This story is not very original either, but that's what knocked first on my attic's door today. As usual it ended up at least twice shorter than the 600 word limit. SM

Christmas Carol

The kids are back. Again, the same tuneless, inarticulate song.
They started on Christmas eve, last week. They've come back every night. He wouldn't open the door then, he won't now.
Granted, he's never been much of a good neighbor - but stalking certainly won't change that fact of life.

Robert simply uncovers the peephole. Lights are off outside, but thanks to the fat moon and omnipresent snow he can clearly make out each face.
Like on every night before, there's one more kid in the crew.
And tonight, guess who ? The Gonzales girl.
Robert wants to think about last summer, her contagious laughter when she played with Tommy Evans and his dog… But he only can hear the sick dry sound as the stake pierced through her ribs, two weeks ago.

What's her name by the way ? Not a Maria but something close… Marila maybe ? Whatever. The name can be close, this thing is not close to the Marila he knew…

Not even two weeks, come to think of it. And here she is, standing and singing, this big dark shape on her white dress.

Something tells him he'll see more of those big dark shapes around. Particularly when the adults are back from wherever they went to lately. Some maul frenzy, probably.
Robert manages a chuckle. He who always found Christmas Carols depressing…

Oh. It's over now. At last, a truly silent night.
But they'll come back.
Looks like they always do.

Stephane MOT
Seoul 20101211
Copyright

PS: I'll probably switch back to the initial ending, which echoes the title: sounds like they always do