Death Makes a Holiday

“‘I need a favor’ my boney ass,” the hooded figure muttered to himself. He took a few small boxes from his black bag, his skeleton hand careful to set them down gently so as to not wake anyone in the house. When Claus had called him, asking to honor a favor, Death desperately wanted to deny him his request. “That fruit loop knows better than to make me do this ‘holly jolly’ crap.”

A small creak of the floorboards above made him freeze in his tracks, mentally cursing himself out for talking too loud, thinking a whisper was still enough to rouse anyone in a five mile radius. When the sound of little footsteps coming down the stairs reached him, he started frantically placing the presents around the small white tree.

“Santa?”

The small, innocent voice came from behind him, sending Death’s anxiety through the roof. The only time he ever had to speak to a human was when they’d already passed on. Not once in all his years had he needed to say a word to anyone still living.

He took a deep breath and waved a hand in front of his face, donning his human disguise so he wouldn’t scare the young one. Then, he turned around, suddenly face to face with a little girl, with bright blue eyes and long brown hair, the excitement beginning to fade from her face.

“You don’t look like Santa,” she said.

“Th-that’s because I-I’m not,” Death stuttered, trying to calm his now racing heart. “Santa’s a very good friend of mine, actually, and he, um, he asked me to make sure to get these presents to a little girl named Ellie Lamb.” He gestured towards the tree, and a part of him inside felt a twinge of joy when he watched the little girl’s eyes light up with amazement. “I don’t suppose that would be you?”

She nodded, her sweet smile spreading across her face. “I’m Ellie, sir. Are all those for me?”

He crouched down so he could be on her level, wanting to see the world through her eyes, but he simply smiled, deciding that seeing her happy was more than enough for him. “Yes, miss, they are. Although, I do have a couple here for your mom and dad. Do you think you could help me put them with the rest?”

Ellie nodded once again, giggling and jumping in place, but her noises quieted down slightly when the man in the black hood held a finger to his lips.

“We don’t want to wake Mom and Dad up, now do we?” Death asked, an amused grin on his pale face.

This time she shook her head, wanting to help with the surprise. He took two boxes from his bag, and she carefully placed them with the others, happy to know that her Mommy and Daddy will be able to open amazing presents with her on Christmas morning.

“Are there any more, mister?” Little Ellie asked.

“Unfortunately, no. That’s all Santa sent for them. I’m sure if he has any more, he’ll make sure to bring them himself.” He chuckled softly as the little girl yawned, rubbing her eyes. “Why don’t you head back to bed, Ellie? Tomorrow morning will be here before you know it, and you’ll see what all Santa gave you.”

“And Mommy and Daddy will open their presents with me?” she asked, her eyes struggling to stay open.

“I promise they will. Now, go to bed. Santa will know if you’re up any longer.”

She shuffled back upstairs, and Death let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding. Another wave of his hand and his disguise faded away, revealing the haunting look he’d had for as long as he could remember. He grabbed his bag and was ready to leave.

“Mister?”

He spun around and saw Ellie had come back downstairs. He was frozen in place, his shock preventing him from putting back on his skin suit. “E-Ellie, what are you doing down here? You’re supposed to be in bed.”

She smiled as she ran to him, hugging his legs tight. “Merry Christmas, Mister. Thank you for everything.”

He so desperately wanted to hug the little girl back, but he knew that if he did, she’d fall asleep in an instant, never making it to another Christmas morning. No matter if he was in his disguise or not, his touch would stop her heart in a matter of seconds.

When she realized her hug wasn’t being returned, she backed up slowly. “I-I’m sorry, mister. Did I make you sad?”

Death searched frantically for a way to compromise, and he found the solution resting on the back of the nearby couch. He grabbed a blanket and draped it over his front, then opened his arms wide. “You didn’t make me sad at all, Ellie. If you’d like, I’ll take that hug now.”

Her eyes became brighter than the lights on the tree and she rushed back into his arms, hugging him tight. As he returned the sweet embrace, he heard her whisper something in his ear that he’d never thought he’d hear.

“I think you look better like this, Mister.”

“You really think so, Ellie?” Death asked, knowing that the word “surprised” couldn’t accurately describe the feeling inside. “You’d be the first, you know.”

“I don’t care. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Ellie.”

He sent the little girl off to bed once again, waiting until he heard her door close before he let his guard down. Someone actually liked how he looked without the disguise. He shook his head and smirked as he returned the blanket to its resting place. He then took his bag and slung it over his shoulder, making a mental note to send a gift Santa’s way, as a thank you for this wonderful night.

He stepped into the chimney, humming a soft tune to himself, before singing the song to himself.

“It’s a holly jolly Christmas…”