21It was as if she had not even lain down before Mary Lou felt herself being shaken awake.
"Krampus...Krampus…it's late. Time to get up."
Mary Lou opened her eyes to see the delicate face of Kevin, his brow slightly furrowed.
"'Morning Kevin. What time is it?"
"Any time you want as long as its thirty-six minutes past the hour. But you've been asleep for eleven hours. Are you feeling all right?"
Mary Lou shrugged, "I suppose so. Why?"
"It…it looks like some of the changes from last night stuck. It's not that bad," he said hurriedly. But Mary Lou was already out of bed and checking her mirror. She moaned slightly. The extra horns had vanished, but her original horns were longer and thicker, starting to curl back towards the front. Her fur had lengthened and curled wildly all over and her fangs had gotten larger.
"I guess that's supposed to make it easier to frighten our guests now, and keep them in line," said Abby as she served Mary Lou a large slab of nearly-raw reindeer meat. Mary Lou tore into it, her fangs slicing effortlessly through the warm bloody flesh.
"I guess so," Mary Lou agreed, washing it down with creamy hot cocoa. "How are our guests doing, guys?"
Kevin let out a sigh and Abby squeezed her eyes shut and said: "Most of them are crying; some are just in shock. They're all terrified."
"Good," replied Mary Lou gruffly, her tail swishing. "I want them to be. And don't look so shocked, a bit of fear is what's needed to set them right!"
"Oh no," said Kevin. "We agree with you! It's just that…well, seeing you talk like that and thinking how you were when you first came up here. It's kind of awesome." Mary Lou chuckled and grunted. "No matter, let the prisoners stew in their cells for the rest of the day. I'll start talking to them tomorrow."
This decision was not borne out of laziness, but of what Mary Lou thought would be most effective. For the first half of the day, the Krampus and three scheduled interviews between child and Krampus. They needed to get them all finished before Christmas since they didn't want to leave any of those who were only there for the month uninformed about what was going on, and they did want the longer-term inmates wondering if they might be going home sooner, nothing wrong with offering some false hope in this case. In any case, they would be averaging about twelve interviews a day.
"Is there a place to hold these conversations?" Mary Lou asked.
"Ernst didn't tell you?" asked Kevin. "You actually have a sizable antechamber just inside the dungeon, with a throne of sorts for you and a place for the child to stand or sit. It's rather intimidating."
The antechamber, upon viewing it, was just what Mary Lou had in mind. It would be hard for anyone not to be intimidated by anyone sitting in the massive black iron chair. Rings for chains adorned the wall, and chains ran up along oaken rafters to an unlighted iron chandelier.
"Go ahead and get some candles, Kevin," she ordered. "I want the chandelier lighted up for tomorrow until December 20th."
"Yes, Krampus."
It was decided that they would wait until the first Monday after January first to begin actually teaching the remaining prisoners. December would mainly be about intimidation and breaking down resistance. Whether it was due to her own intelligence or the office working it's magic on her even further, Mary Lou didn't know, but by the time the trio broke for their evening meal, they had developed what appeared to be a well-rounded educational program based on a classical education…scaled, of course, for someone between eight and eleven years old.
"So we're not going right into the Aeneid, I take it?"
"DEFINITELY NOT!" declared the Krampus. "That's in February."
But it was time to discover who they would be teaching.
She was British, from just up the road of Southampton. Sophia Miller was nine years old and was selected for her tendency to be a spoiled brat as well as for cruelly bullying younger children at school. She had first been beaten by the black creature on her bottom and then seized and cast into that horrid dark bag, and then thrown out hours later onto the dark grey flagstones of what turned out to be a prison of some kind. Sophia had fought the urge to cry, but terror overwhelmed her and she broke down shortly after the creature, Krampus it called itself, grabbed her and one of the boys and frogmarched them into separate cells.
Sophia was sitting on the cot provided, having no concept of time, confused and frightened as she was, but after a while, another boy…and she was surprised to see that he had pointed ears…looked in on her.
"You're to come with me. The Krampus wants to talk to you."
"A-all right, b-but who are you."
"Be silent," he said quietly as he put shackles around her wrists and ankles. He then escorted her firmly down the hall and up a flight of stairs to a lone iron-bound oak door. He knocked thrice.
"Enter," answered a coarse voice. They did as instructed. The same creature that abducted her was sitting on what she could only think of as a throne of wrought iron. Beside it sat a girl, also with pointed ears. A somber expression was on her face. The boy brought Sophia to a stubby bench in front of the Krampus.
"Sophia Miller, is it?" the monster asked.
Sophia nodded wordlessly.
"You will address her as 'Krampus,'" said the boy.
"Yes, Krampus."
"Very good. Thank you, Kevin, you are dismissed." The boy bowed and departed. The Krampus regarded her for a full minute, gazing at her with eyes of flaming red and yellow. It was as if the beast was staring into her soul, unraveling layer by layer her innermost thoughts and feelings, merciless and penetrating.
Mary Lou was wondering what the hell she should say.
"Sophia…do you know why you have been brought here?"
"No Krampus," she answered, shaking her head.
The Krampus nodded. "Krampus is a servant of Father Christmas. As you know, he gives gifts on Christmas and Christmas Eve. Those who are naughty receive a lump of coal. Those who are naughty in the extreme are referred to Krampus. Most of them are simply scourged. However, some I deem to be deserving of additional correction. Sophia Miller, you are in the latter group. You have been excessively cruel to younger children…while at the same time intolerably demanding of your mother and father. Do you agree with or do you deny these accusations?
Sophia swallowed hard. She knew the accusations were true, if anything they were understated. But she didn't know if admitting them was the right thing to do or not, did Krampus actually know or was she just going by what she had heard? The last thought only remained with her for a second or two before she realized that she wasn't dealing with a mere police officer or any mortal for that matter.
"I agree with them, Krampus."
"Good," answered the beast quietly. "I would not wish to cause you unnecessary suffering. However you are to be punished for your misdeeds: you will remain in my cells until you are deemed to be fit to return home, perhaps a little wiser." Krampus turned to the girl. "Shave her head, return her to her cell." Her hair would be fully restored regardless of how long or how short they kept Sophia, thought Mary Lou, but she thought it wise to let her wear her shame outwardly.
A few days passed, more prisoners were brought before her, more punishments assigned. The power wielded in the birch branches was restricted beyond the bounds of her keep, but within her demesne, Mary Lou found herself to be extremely powerful.
"Return me to my original human form!" she commanded before the mirror in her bedchamber after a particularly heartbreaking interview in which she declared the guilty party must remain incarcerated for no less than seven years.
She was not that powerful. "Figures," she growled. But she did have cause for celebration. After an exchange of emails, she and her brother decided that he could come up after the term was over, a full ten days before Christmas. She would have most of her work done before then and with that in mind, she accelerated the interview schedule.
December wore on and they weren't going in any particular order, hoping that it would keep her mind fresh.
"You just keep your chin up, Alejandro. Based on what I have seen, heard, and read, I deem your sin worthy of punishment and further time in confinement – but you will be going home soon. You are dismissed. Abby, see that Alejandro makes it to his cell." Abby bowed and did as she was asked.
"Next prisoner, enter!" Mary Lou ordered.
Kevin entered, gripping Greg Warner by the upper arm. Mary Lou breathed deep, and then caught herself. Must show impartiality, she remembered. Check the facts; don't let your personal feelings interfere with justice.
"You are Gregory Warner, correct?" she asked, her voice even and gruff.
"Yes Krampus."
"We have 'discussed' your misbehavior to a certain extent when I took you into custody. But let's discuss them further, so that I may better determine the penalty you shall pay. Is it true that you have deliberately injured small animals over the past year?"
Greg hung his head and nodded.
"And that you have bullied Peter Cohen a number of times?"
"Yes Krampus."
"You have also lit small fires in your yard and lied to your parents about it, haven't you?"
"That's also true."
"Have you set them anywhere else, boy?"
"No Krampus, I haven't?"
"You're sure about that?"
"Well, other than when I went camping with Dad on the Susquehanna, no."
Mary Lou chuckled. This, she thought, is why I have to do these interviews. Sometimes these inaccuracies in the reports did occur.
"Just you and your father, huh? Why not your brother, Matthew?"
Gregory shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face. "He had to go to summer school. Er, Krampus." So that explains that, she thought.
"All right, Gregory. The accusation of arson was without merit – but you must still be punished for animal cruelty, bullying, and lying to your parents. You shall remain here until I deem that you have learned your lesson." Which would not be too long, Mary Lou thought, just a few more days. Kevin removed the prisoner. He was doing double duty that day, as his girlfriend was away on other business…business that Mary Lou couldn't wait for her to finish.
There weren't a whole lot of places in Pittsburgh where someone can be discreetly picked up in a flying sleigh, and for this reason, Todd Dobbins took a taxi from the University of Pittsburgh across the river to Toms Run Nature preserve. He had no idea what to expect or who to expect, he just hoped it would be within an hour of the arranged time. Come to think of it, he would be happy if the sleigh arrived before the local police did.
He had been waiting about half an hour when he heard a female voice.
"Todd?" He turned toward the voice to see a small figure tentatively approaching him from the shadows.
"Mary Lou?" He received a gentle laugh in return.
"No, I'm not Mary Lou," she said as her face appeared in the light. "But since you are asking for her, I'll assume that you're her brother. I'm Abby," she said, extending her hand. He reciprocated, shaking hers.
"She's been pretty busy, I guess?"
Abby nodded, removing the touque that she used to hide the tips of her ears and massaging her head. "Very busy lately, but we're winding things down. You should have plenty of time together, and there is so much to do. With Christmas coming ever closer, our workload is going to drop off. Santa's workshop on the other hand…"
"Busy as one-handed paperhangers?"
"Yep!" she agreed with a giggle. Todd grabbed his bag and followed the elf through the woods to where she had landed the iron sleigh.
"Is this yours?" Todd asked as they leveled off and headed north.
"It's your sister's. She asked me to pick you up."
Todd nodded; a question on his tongue that he was hesitant to ask. Abby did say that Mary Lou had been busy after all. But Abby caught a glimpse of him and tied off the reins, then took his hands in her.
"You know," she asked quietly, "your sister doesn't look like your sister anymore, right?"
"I know. She had sent us an email shortly after her big shift. I don't know exactly what she looks like; just that she is completely unrecognizable as Mary Lou Dobbins."
Abby nodded. "I think she's still a bit shy about her appearance. She's good at her job; she puts up a brave front more and more often, but…"
Todd shuddered for his little sibling. "Hurting," he said quietly.
They flew north, and it wasn't long before saw the aquamarine hues of the Northern Lights. A couple short hours later and they were landing to the side of the black keep.
"Welcome to Eisenhochburg, Todd. Let's go see your sister." He took his bag and followed Abby to the front door.
Abby lifted the heavy knocker and let it fall. A solid clang echoed both in Todd's ears and for miles around. They waited.
"This might take a while," said Abby. And she was completely wrong; it was only moments before they heard a loud thud, then a shuffle, then another thud echoing on metal."
Then the most guttural voice Todd had ever heard spoke: "Wer klopft!? Wer wagt sich diesem Ort zu nähern?"
"Oh get off it, Kevin! C'mon and let us in! Cold out here!" Abby snorted. "My boyfriend, playing around."
Kevin opened the door and Todd saw another elf, this one was male, and beside him was the Krampus.
His little sister?
"Hi Todd, welcome to my home." Her brother stood staring at her, eyes wide at the sight and sound of the beast who spoke to him. God no, she thought.
"Mary Lou?" he asked. Abby squeezed his shoulder.
"Yeah, it's me," she answered, soft and gentle as she could manage.
"Mary Lou…Mary Lou!" Todd took a deep breath and spread his arms wide. Mary Lou sobbed with relief as her brother hugged her as tightly as he could. She reciprocated, but not nearly as hard, knowing that she could break him in half with her powerful muscles, her tail wrapped around Todd's backside. She gently licked her brother's forehead, and then she led them to the parlor and the four of them sat down. She took her brothers hand's into her paws
"I was so worried that I'd frighten you off," she said softly.
Todd hesitated. "You did…shock me. I still can't believe it," he said, looking at what used to be small pale hands, now bigger than his by half. Mary Lou shook her head.
"Neither can I. If it wasn't for Abby and Kevin…and really, everyone else…I think I would have gone insane."
Todd gingerly stroked the fur on her sister's shoulder. She sighed with pleasure. "Yeah, I learned really quickly why animals enjoy being petted so much. Just not my horns – or things will get a little weird!" At that, Todd burst out laughing, breaking the tension. "TMI! TMI!" said Todd and Abby together.
They were nearly done with the interviews, a day or two should finish them out. Mary Lou was undecided whether or not she should allow her brother to see her in action. On one hand, she liked the open court system, on the other; it was almost like a breach of patient-doctor confidentiality. Except for one case, had it been discovered back in the world, it would surely have resulted in the accused being tried as an adult. Even so, Mary Lou had been weighing the facts and the potential penalties carefully. She had a sentence in mind. It horrified her.
So it had come at last to this. Her last case for this year. Kevin brought in a wild-eyed and haggard Danik Marchenko before the Krampus. Danik wore chained manacles around his ankles, wrists, and neck. Todd sat in the corner, observing.
"What is your name, young man?"
"My name is Danik Marchenko, Krampus."
"You know why you are here, don't you?"
The boy shrugged. "I threw rocks at animals…and hurt a girl who would have reported it."
"Oh? Is that it?" Mary Lou struggled to remain calm. She had given Todd a copy of Marchenko's file just before the session started, and he was now looking up and down, back and forth between the file and the boy himself. "What have you done, Danik?" she asked.
Danik stared down at his bare feet.
"Krampus asked you a question!" shouted Abby, furious.
At this, Danik leaned forward, wrapping his arms around him as if to shut out the world. To Todd's horror, his sister growled low, so low that he felt the chair he was in shudder.
"Boy…" she said warningly. "I shall ask you one last time. You are perilously close to the point of no return." She sighed, exasperated. "Danik, please turn around and look behind you." At this he looked up, turned and saw a young man behind him wearing a puzzled expression. Danik turned back around to face the Krampus, now himself puzzled.
"Danik…that's my brother. I would rather not be forced to impose the penalty you are very close to receiving with him watching. So, as I said, I shall ask you one more time: What have you done?!"
The boy just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around himself once again. Dammit, she thought. Okay…okay, she could order Todd out…but she knew that it would be better to see justice applied. Alright, she thought, let's get on with it in ten…nine…eight...one and one quarter…(sigh)…zero.
"SO BE IT!" She swished around the branches and thunder and lighting shook the anteroom. "SO BE IT! BRING FORTH THE SPIRIT OF JULIJA SADOUSKIJA!" The room shuddered, but that was nothing compared to the shuddering felt by Todd and Danik. A small shining orb came out of the upper corner of the room. It soon lengthened and widened into a small figure, that of a young girl. Her beauty was otherworldly.
"I was told my presence might be needed," she said brightly. "Hi!"
"We wish it wasn't," replied the Krampus. "But the last person with whom you had contact on earth has been…difficult."
"Oh no. Danik, is she right?" Thoroughly stunned, Danik now could only nod. Julija shook her head sadly. "What if he had cooperated?"
"My intention in that case would have been to keep him here for five years, then allow him to return…having notified the police, of course, and providing them with all the necessary physical evidence. That mercy, Danik has forfeited," she said with a growl. Julija gently squeezed the beast's forearm.
"So you must do what you must do…Mary Lou," a grim smile on her face. "And so will I." She spread her arms and projected on the wall exactly what happened on the day her life was taken.
"Would you like to see it again from your perspective, Danik?" asked Mary Lou coldly. Danik shook his head. His face was white with fear.
"Do you dispute what Miss Sadouskija has revealed to us in plain sight? You must answer."
"No Krampus, I do not."
"In that case, I find you guilty of murder. Do you have anything to say before I impose punishment?"
"No," he said quietly. He just wanted to get it over with now.
"Julija, did you wish to add anything?"
"I do," answered the shimmering girl. She glided over to Danik, cupping his face in her warm glowing hands. "You needn't worry about me, Danik. I am secure and my eternity shall be one of ever-growing joy. And I offer you full forgiveness for what you did to me." Her face now grew stormy. "But now you will pay." She stood and faced the Krampus. "Impose judgment."
Krampus pointed the birch bundle at the boy. "Danik Marchenko, having been found guilty of murder, you are to remain here in Eisenhochburg for the next ten years – after which you will turn yourself into your local authorities. Failure to do so will bring about another visit by me and we shall repeat this process for however long it takes. During the time you are here however, you will no longer have the means to raise your hand against anyone."
At this, Danik screamed as sharp pain passed through his arms into his hands. They throbbed furiously, turning bright red, as if they would explode. The red darkened into purple and continued to darken. The boy's screams intensified as the skin split in places, and a pale green, foul-smelling fluid burst out of the cracks. His hands darkened to black and to the horror of everyone – they withered away, bones falling and crumbling to dust on the stone floor. He howled in terror.
But that was only the beginning. "As Julija's body goes, so too will your own." Here, Danik gagged, feeling his stomach filling with river water. He opened his mouth, perhaps to beg for mercy, perhaps to curse his tormentor, but muddy river water poured out onto the floor. Danik's skin turned pale, then grey, his flesh bloating. Small U- and V-shaped marks began to appear, and the flesh within the marks began rotting…and soon aquatic plant life began emerging.
"Judgment is set," declared the Krampus. "Take the prisoner to his cell." Kevin did as he was ordered. As the door closed, Mary Lou buried her head in her paws.
"He'll…he'll be restored, won't he?" Mary Lou looked up as she heard Todd's quavering voice.
"After…ten years…yes," she answered. He'll be released on what will then be the day after Christmas 2017 and be permitted to confess his crime and the civil authorities will deal with him. Or...I will deal with him. But until Boxing Day 2027, whatever would have happened to her body over the course of ten years will happen to his."
"Isn't that awfully harsh?"
"Very awfully harsh. But justice often is. It's in fact a mercy, Todd. Better that he learns his lesson and takes his punishment in this life than in the next one. Do not forget also what Danik did to Julija, or what he did to the cats and other small animals.
Todd chuckled, shaking his head. "Now I wonder if my little sister is now my older one." She scoffed at this as she stood and walked to the back of the room. "I've always been smarter than you, my lovely Todd. Now I just get the added bonus of several thousand years of ancient wisdom. You got the looks in this family."
Christmas drew closer and Mary Lou and her brother explored the Eisenhochburg. Now that the prisoners knew their fates, the tension eased somewhat and they spent more time just talking with the boys and girls. Christmas, after all, was still Christmas, and though Santa didn't give them any gifts, he did deliver packages of fruit and cookies to enjoy.
"Remember, this will be my second Boxing Day," she told Todd as they were setting up the sleigh. Mary Lou was sad, despite this being the pleasant part of her job; she didn't want Todd to go. At least they would fly around the world together and be reunited – for a little while – with her parents.
The wind was picking up as they departed and Todd and Mary Lou snuggled together closely. The route was the same as before and they flew across the oceans and continents returning the reformed souls and reuniting them with their families. Todd sat in the sleigh while the actual transfer took place, but as it only took a few seconds as far as he could tell, he didn't mind at all.
"I'm going to skip over us and take care of the west first, she informed Todd. We'll finish up at home. I just have one to drop off in Eastern PA." She did as she said, then headed back to Pennsylvania. "Last one," she said as she brought the sleigh to a halt in front of the Warner house. "I'll be just a minute," she said as she took the sack and used the branches locket to slip into the house. It was already automatic for her, being able to gauge the precise amount of pressure to open and close the door with minimal noise. She slipped on up to Greg's bedroom, opened and shut the door, and removed Greg from the sack.
"Greg, you're home," she said gently, stroking his hair. "It's been so nice to meet you." He said nothing, but hugged her tightly. She chuckled, and placed her hand on the sleeping figure and the soul hugging her. Within an instant, the transfer was made.
"What are you doing with my brother!?"
Her blood ran cold. This wasn't supposed to happen. She rose to her feet, struggling to remain calm. She turned to face the voice.
"Hello, Matthew." Matt was holding a 12-gauge shotgun from six feet away. Firearms would do nothing to her, but with Todd in the sleigh and the noise it would make, it would likely get ugly in a hurry.
"Holy shit!" breathed Matt. "What are you? And how do you know my name."
"Well that's three questions you asked so far, Matt. Give me a moment to catch up. First, I am returning your brother. He has spent the last three weeks with me in my realm making amends for his misdeeds. Greg is a lovely child. Second, I am the Krampus, also known as the Christmas Demon, since though my motives are wholly pure – my methods can seem extraordinarily cruel to this disgustingly soft generation. Mind you, I was called that long long before this generation. Thirdly, as I was required to take Greg with me for punishment on December 5th, I needed to also learn about his family. Did you manage to pass that summer school class that Greg told me about?"
He lowered the gun. "Aced it. I managed to get a good tutor." Mary Lou's heart did the Snoopy dance.
"Oh, congratulations. This tutor must have been good. What was she like, er…him like… It like?" Matt raised an eyebrow.
"She. The tutor was a girl named Mary Lou. I thought we might have had something, but she was so frightened about her condition that she pushed me away. I don't know where she is now; somewhere in Canada is what I heard." He sat on the foot of Greg's bed. Mary Lou joined him
"I know of Mary Lou, Matt," she whispered. "She loves you and misses you." She put an arm around his shoulder. "But I'm afraid her condition has worsened. You wouldn't even recognize her now."
Todd nodded, squeezing the creature's forearm.
"Listen, I had better go," she said. "It was nice meeting you." They stood up together.
"It was good to see you again, Mary Lou." He winked at the beast's shocked expression. "I'm lazy, not stupid."
Todd checked his watch. What was taking his sister so long? Just as he thought that, she came rushing out of the Warner house.
"Kinda got hung up on something back there but it's okay, let's go home," she said hurriedly and with a quick snap of the reins they were off and up and landing at the Dobbins' household within the span of a minute or less.
The two exchanged glances.
"How d'you wanna do this, squirt?"
"You go first, Todd, but I'll be right behind, and since I'm seven feet tall now, it won't matter."
They got to the door, and Todd knocked on it.
Daniel opened the door. His face whitened when he saw his daughter, but smiled just the same as he embraced his children.
"Come in! Come in! Catherine, the kids are here!"
"Oh!" Catherine came running downstairs with a smile on her face – and gasped, her hand going to her mouth as she saw Mary Lou's new form. She slowed to a hesitant walk. She hugged Todd tightly, her eyes filling with tears, and then turned to her daughter.
"Oh…Mary Lou…" She very gingerly wrapped her arms around the Krampus, deep sobs wracked her body. "My poor little girl."
"Wellll," said Daniel, a wry expression on his face. "This family has a lot to talk about…and a lot of adjusting to do."
"Oh, she is a master at administering justice, Dad. Nothing gets by her – and boy, when she lays that hammer down, you don't want to be on the receiving end!"
"Now Todd, you know full well that my justice is tempered by mercy, the quality of which is not strained, it droppeth like the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath and is twice blessed, benefiting the giver and the receiver."
"And she can drive a Portia." This elicited a moan from Father, Mother, and Sister. Her parents sat on either side of Mary Lou on the living room sofa, examining their daughter as Matt looked on from an easy chair. It was weird, but not unpleasant, anything to satisfy their curiosity and make it easier for them to accept her.
"How does it feel to be like this, sweetheart?"
"Physically…it feels really good. I like having powerful muscles. I love the sensation of having a tail, even without the practical applications. I'm never overly hot or cold because of my fur, and unlike human hair, I feel it every waking moment. It's a wonderful feeling. Psychologically, it's hard – realizing that you are more of a beast than a human, and that's something you also know and are reminded of every waking moment. I hate having a muzzle and fangs and this ridiculous red tongue and I have mixed feelings about the sound of my voice and unconsciously growling every few minutes. But Daddy, I do love my job and the good that I can do as a result."
They all begged her to stay, but she knew she could not linger any longer. With hugs given and tears flowing, she stepped alone into her iron sleigh, and flew off into the night. But she had one last stop to make. She had no reason that night to use the time shift circuit, but she plugged in December 26th, 2015. She did a quick U-turn and landed.
She snuck into the home, and up the stairs, into a room that was very familiar to her. There was one person in the room, a small blonde girl of sixteen. Mary Lou reached down to stroke the girl's hair, fighting back tears as she did so. She wondered what would happen if the girl woke up. She didn't think she would scream, she wasn't given to screaming, but she might. There would definitely be questions asked. No, better not risk it. She knelt down and kissed her on the forehead. "I miss you, Mary Lou," she whispered, then slipped away into the night.
Back to the north. Back to the Iron Keep.
"By the way, Krampus, there is a letter for you from the Council." Abby pointed at the corner table upon which sat a large brown envelope.
"A bit early for mail, isn't it?" she asked, but picked up the envelope, easily slicing it open with the claw of her index finger."
FROM: The Council of Legendary Figures
TO: Dobbins, Mary Lou – Acting Krampus and Council Member
RE: NOTICE OF VIOLATION
You are hereby informed that your activities of December 26th 2017 and 2015 may constitute a violation of the Code of Secrecy for Legendary Figures. As such, you will present yourself before the Council no later than December 31st to give an account of your actions in order to determine what corrective action may be necessary.
Sincerely,
Mother Nature
Author's Note: Thanks for your patience again. We are nearly finished. I haven't yet decided if the final chapter and epilogue will be combined or not