Little Tales

Chapter 10
Little Tales: Merry Down

Chapter Description: Don't be a glinch

Be mindful of the things you say
For they are always listening
You may just get the present best suited to you

Mortals have the most fascinating traditions and beliefs, wouldn't you say? But not always, some beliefs and traditions are truly cruel and hateful designed around keeping those they regard as inferior under a grip of fear and misery.
While it is hard for those who need humbling to all be dealt with there is the chance to deal with some at just the right time.

There is always someone listening after all to the hatred that is said.

~~

Tis the season to be jolly as is believed, the season of supposed goodwill and charity. A time when children are looking forward to Father Christmas giving them a gift for their good behaviour all year, a time for those who have been naughty to be rewarded with their just desserts with a lump of coal or some other 'gift' that is intended as a message that they must do better next year.
A time where the warmth of human compassion is supposedly able to hold against the chill of winter. Well if you believe that humans are capable of such compassion as a whole anyway, many would say that they have a lot of learn in that area.

It is a nice thought but not exactly realistic.

But that is a debate for another time, for at this time there is someone who is determined to make this time of year an unhappy one for many children, someone bitter and cruel who holds to the belief that being cruel and unkind is the only way to ensure their place by the side of some 'all loving' deity.

For many years they have lived by this twisted notion that being cruel is a kindness, it was drummed into them by long dead relatives in their childhood and is a major part of their personality as an adult. Cruelty is kindness in their world, anything else is weakness.

Two days before Christmas and parents have taken their children to see Father Christmas, or Santa if you prefer that term, at a Christmas Grotto in a local community centre. It has been well funded and the person dressed up as Old Saint Nick, another term given through the centuries, looks as authentic to the premise of the character as possible.
The suit is well made, the beard is real if a little yellow in places that no amount of washing can remove due to the person having a smoking habit that they struggle to break from but they do try. They are portly and have a jolly demeanour with a red nose and red cheeks although that is more make up than anything else but still it manages the look.

The Grotto itself has been well made with some care to detail to provide an almost, but not quite, magical look to it with pretty of glitter, tinsel, a snow like appearance around a large chair made of assorted coloured fabrics and boxes to support the fabrics. It looks nice if a little gaudy.

It might not be fancy but as far as the children are concerned it is magical and that is all that matters, let the children indulge their imagination and dreams of magic in a harsh world before the hardships of life rob them of the wonders that only a fertile and youthful imagination can provide.

It has been a busy day for the Grotto with many children passing through to see Santa, all of them with their gift requests which may or may not be met. Some of the more realistic ones might, others may be too unrealistic. Some of the younger children cry as expected as Santa is a strange man in their eyes so they react to a stranger in the way young children are known to do, they cry.

Other children are braver and more at ease, they sit on his lap and say what they would like to receive for Christmas then they say thank you and leave after receiving a cheap gift from a sack next to the chair. Usually a pencil case or some cheap crayons much to their parents dismay as they picture the impending mess to follow with those crayons if the child is too young to be responsible with them or a younger sibling gets their hands on them.

Every hour or so there is a short break for the person playing Santa to have a breather before getting back to work and there are many children. And there is one person who is set on ruining this for children as much as possible which she begins to do during the mid afternoon.

Her name is Merri Olsen, although she is anything but. Her rather hateful parents thought it would be a fitting name when she was born while they planned to drum hate into her to suit their delusions of superiority over others, a family tradition that has gone on for generations over the centuries, they are one of the town's original founding families. They are a deeply hated family who have always been cruel, abusive and vile.

Merri is in her late 40s, she has never married for her attitude has scared off many once they find out just how bitter and cruel she is. Her cruelty is all too well known for she is even worse than her parents, their parents and their parent before them and all of the ancestors in the family line. Pre-Christmas Ghosts Scrooge would probably regard her as a true friend and mentor.
One thing she likes to do in particular is to try and ruin children's events as seeing them cry makes her feel alive, parents have complained about her but as she is wealthy then the local council refuses to do anything about her. Money before lives after all.

Were cruelty and bigotry a psychical form then Merri would be one such example in flesh.

“Aww no, not her, I thought they were going to keep this event safe” One of the parents remarks as they see Merri barging her way into the line of people waiting to see Santa.
“Let's try to block her so that the wee ones can have their enjoyment” Some quick whispering is done and many of the parents try to form a thick enough barrier without going out of line but to no avail as Merri pushes her through.

“Such a waste of money that would be better spent on throwing out illegals!” Her voice is not a kind one, she hates anyone different from herself which is basically everyone. She has been known to harass people in the street for not being as 'perfect' as her, she purposely yells through people's letterboxes to tell them exactly what she thinks to them. One year she set fire to a children's play event while children were playing, her intentions had been to cause actual injury and she didn't get charged as she flashed large amounts of money in front of the eyes of councillors who happily took the money and dismissed all charges.
Thankfully no one was hurt which she was angry about. To say she is hated would be an understatement of many millenniums.

“Miss, people are here to have a good time, please leave” One of the members of staff for the community hall remarks. Merri glares at them, her eyes cold and uncaring.

“A good time? I say what is a good time and what isn't, this is a waste of money and time!”

“SHUT UP!” One of the parent's yells.

“I OWN THIS TOWN! YOU WILL DO AS I SAY! THE CHILDREN DESERVE NOTHING!” Merri roars as she tries to see who said that, every parent is scowling at her with some looking eager to hit her. She has no friends in the town, only people who would love to be rid of her and her vile family line.

Merri continues to push her way through while ranting, parents try to block her progress with no luck.

“SANTA DOESN'T EXIST!” Merri roars at in the face of every child she comes across, some of them start crying in fear while some try to be defiant in the face of her rant. “THAT'S JUST SOME FOOL IN A RED SUIT!”

“Miss, leave now, these children are here to have a fun time and it is-”

“Don't give me that whole 'It's Christmas' nonsense, it's time they learned the fact that there is no magic in the real world, they exist only to work and die for people like me who are superior to them by birth right. They don't have rights, all they have is death to look forward to. And the sooner they die the better” This gets even more angry glares her way.

“GET OUT OF HERE!” Someone yells and people start pushing her out of the hall by force.

“LEAVE US ALONE!” She is finally forced out of the hall and several staff members take up guard at the doors, which of course only feeds Merri's anger.

“I own this town and I'll make sure you all pay for this” She growls before turning and stalking off for home.

A small face watches her leave, it saw everything and heard everything. This is not the face of a child though, it looks childlike but it's no child. Without being seen it goes to where the Grotto is, keeping to the shadows, and slips into an empty room.

“It's me, I have something to report”

~~

On the way home Merri kicks several cats, a few dogs, a few children, keys a few cars, rages at several parents with young children while threatening to have their children taken away from them for the crime of being born. No one says any seasons greetings to her as they're busy trying to avoid her, were there any snow she would be facing a barrage of snowballs from every angle, some would likely have rocks.
She doesn't care though, she revels in her hatred of everyone and everything. In her eyes she is the only person of any worth in the world and everyone else is supposed to be bowing before her on demand. Such is the mindset that was taught to her.

Once home she finds that she has a letter, not very often she receives anything as any post is usually managed by her lawyers. Opening it she reads the contents:

'Merri Olsen, you are invited to the Christmas Grotto to receive a special present from the towns people. Please be sure to arrive by ten tonight'

From the townspeople? The best gift they could give her is to all die off so that she never has to live around such inferiors again. She has tried to pass laws that would allow her to kill people on sight whenever she wanted to but she is always denied, not even money will give her such permission as those she tried to bribe would make it clear that this is the one thing they will not allow her to do, her grandparents may have gotten to but times change and people aren't willing to let the wealthy kill at their own leisure any longer.

She hopes this gift will finally be someone willing to listen to reason and let her have her way for a change.

~~

That night close to ten she arrives back at the community hall where the doors open at her approach, there's no one at the doors though. The lights are on though and she takes this as an invitation, the doors closing after her. Lights guide her to the room where the grotto is being held and she enters to see that silly man in the red suit sitting in the chair, at least she thinks it's him.

“Come in, Merri, your gift awaits” The voice isn't quite the same, it makes her feel tingly deep down inside which she ignores. “Come sit on my lap, tell me what you most desire” She wonders again why she's been invited here on her own, surely there must be others here.
Against her better judgement though she approaches the chair and sits down on the man's lap and goes into a full hateful tirade, she finds herself unable to stop talking as she does this while the man just looks at her, his eyes twinkling.

As she talks something begins to happen, her clothes begin to change appearance first as they shift and morph around her body into rather infantile garb with a thick nappy appearing before a baby dress appears. She doesn't notice this though as she's deep into her tirade of bigotry and demands.

Once her clothes finish changing the next change begins to kick in as the indications of age begin to melt away, the years going in reverse. Within seconds she is a young woman then a teenager, shrinking bit by bit as she talks.

She doesn't notice this though, not at first. Not until she realises that her voice sounds different and she stops talking.

“I don't think I can give you any of that, little one, but I can give the people of this town something that they have longed for” Merri looks down at her still shrinking body as she slips into her toddler years.

“What are you doing to me!” She cries before she forgets how to talk.

“Karma pushed you forward in the list and asked me to deliver your just desserts, a reprieve for the people of this town from your life of cruelty and to reset you while making sure to have you locked away deep within the recesses of your mind which you will only escape from when your new life reaches it's end.
I had suggested something else but Karma felt that this was the best solution, soon your mind will become a blank slate while you'll be locked away. You won't be able to do anything but observe as a new person grows and matures, you will be unable to have any impact on them, you won't even be heard. New parents who will hopefully teach the new life to be a compassionate, caring person will be here to pick you up shortly.

You no longer own anything, your wealth has been taken away from you and reallocated to your new parents and to those in need. Had you been kinder than this would not have happened but you went to far according to my scout who has been observing you for many years. Every ounce of hate has earned you this joint punishment and reset, you will be nothing more than a silent shadow to never be heard from again.

Happy Christmas, enjoy your gift”

~~

True to their word Merri was never heard from again and no one questioned her disappearance, no one cared. In her place grew a compassionate, kind hearted woman who did her best to treat others as kindly as they treated her while those who did not were ignored as much as possible.

While deep within that woman's mind Merri observed everything, unheard and unseen.

Eventually she just disappeared completely. Unmourned, unwanted. Exactly what she deserved.

Merri down and out.

Be mindful of your hatred,

As Karma will get around to you eventually.