Holiday Deal

Elaine sipped her cup of cocoa at the coffee shop that was just down the street from her home. It didn’t matter what she ordered at the Magic Mug, it was always the perfect temperature. The whole cafe was perfect. It was small, but never too crowded. The music was cheerful and never too loud. If it was cold outside a fire roared in the hearth and left the patrons with a rosy hue on their cheeks, and if it was hot outside the air conditioner blew a cool breeze on customers’ faces the moment they walked in. The place always smelled of freshly ground coffee beans and wood. As a matter of fact the entire village where Elaine lived was idyllic, and that was because Elaine had made a deal with the devil.

Several years ago Elaine had bought a book on witchcraft from a small crystal shop on the main street of some beach town while the rest of her family enjoyed the sun and the sand. Elaine had never liked the beach. Something about the texture gave her the heebie-jeebies, and her parents were sick and tired of her always complaining about being too hot. She was 24 and still living at home. She had given college a try, but flunked out after one semester. In all honesty, Elaine was autistic. Not so much that it was obvious right away, and not so obvious that her parents had ever admitted it. They had quickly shut down any teacher who had mentioned the possibility, which in turn left Elaine to struggle throughout school instead of receiving any support. 

She had friends, but no one she was particularly close with. And no one had ever accused her of being their best friend. Instead of people and experiences, Elaine preferred to fill her time with her woodworking hobby in her parents’ garage. The grain of wood was the one texture that she loved. The smell of wood shavings left her elated, and if someone made the mistake of inquiring about the carvings she would talk their ear off about the tools, wood types, and finishes.

Elaine knew she was autistic to a degree. She’d heard enough teachers whisper about it when looking over her shoulder, and she’d had to look up the word ‘retarded’ at too young of an age. After a few years of self reflection she understood she might have Asperger’s Syndrome, or ADHD, or some combination of things. She’d come to terms with it. It was everyone else in her life who hadn’t, and she was quite sick of it. With thoughts of a perfect life filled with true love, happiness, and routine, Elaine slid the book of witchcraft into her satchel one night after dinner and went for a walk down a few blocks from her parent’s house to a not very often used crossroad. 

She pulled out candles, chalk, coins, and the book from her bag. She took her time making sure everything was just right. So many people have tried these rituals before and 99 out of a 100 times they fail, but that is because they don’t actually believe anything will come of it. You have to give yourself over to the ritual and not just believe there's a possibility, but know for a fact that it will work. Elaine had that sort of conviction. She still believed in Santa Clause, but of course she knew better than to share that with anyone else.

With one finger on the words, Elaine read the incantation. A gust of wind blew out the candles and left a chill running down her spine. The street lamp overhead fizzled out. She blinked and there he was. The devil was handsome, no horns to be found peeking out of his jet black hair. The only giveaway was the fire in his eyes that shone even though it was a new moon. The flames scared Elaine more than she wanted to admit, but she stood her ground and stared the devil down to demand her perfect life.

She had set the snowglobe the devil had given her on the mantle in the living room and went to bed that night. And it had been perfect ever since. She’d awoken the next morning next to her husband, who didn’t seem to notice that he was a 10 to Elaine’s 6. Perfect, fat snowflake’s fell onto a lawn with the stereotypical snowman standing guard. There was a room in the back of the house with all the woodworking tools she could dream of, and a village full of people who wanted to buy them. She was living in her own Hallmark movie, a year in and her and Josh delivered their first child, Jake, on Christmas day. 

Jake was three now and the perfect age to enjoy the Christmas season. The whole town was coming out in just a few weeks for his fourth birthday and Christmas party. Elaine chased a gingerbread cookie with the last of her cocoa and wrote a shopping list of ingredients for Santa’s (who existed and made good on the gifts in Elaine’s world) cookies. She carefully folded the list into a perfect square and tucked it away in her wallet. The jingle bells rang cheerily into the frosty air as she headed out to pick Jake up from daycare.

She wondered what cute holiday craft they had made that day as she opened the door. The sounds of children playing filled the air. Over the gate, Elaine could see paper reindeer antlers on top of all of the kids' heads. She scanned the room for Jake and found him sitting alone in the corner, the only kid without antlers.

“Mrs. Carter!” The youngest daycare worker called out and practically ran over to her. “We tried calling you. Jake hasn’t been feeling well since after lunch.” She offered a half smile of condolence. “Jake, your mom is here.”

Elaine watched her son as he pushed himself off of the ABC carpet with a thousand yard stare. His cheeks were pink and his lips were pale. For the first time since she entered the snowglobe a wave of anxiety washed over her. Bending down, she wrapped Jake in a hug. From where her head rested on her chin, she could feel the heat emanating from him. It wasn’t far to their house, so Elaine scooped him up and carried him home.

It’s probably just the flu, she told herself over and over again. But she just couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. 

That was the longest night of her life. She held her baby in her arms until the morning. Hugging him close and brushing his blond hair with her fingertips over and over again. Josh kept telling her to go to bed. His fever wasn’t that high, and they could take him to the doctor’s tomorrow. But she wouldn’t leave his side. This was supposed to be her paradise.

The next morning Jake’s fever worsened. Elaine stood outside of the glass door as the receptionist unlocked it. She ushered her little boy inside and demanded to be seen right away. It was a small town, and everyone knew everyone’s business. Of course the staff already knew Jake had been picked up sick from daycare yesterday, so it didn’t take long for a nurse to call them back. As the nurse told Jake to stand on the scale, Elaine had a feeling of being watched. She whipped her head around just in time to see a dark head of hair go around the corner.

The nurse took them to a small patient room and told them that the doctor would be in shortly. Elaine looked at the clock and noted it was 8:06 a.m. with the second hand on 37. She alternated between looking at the clock and looking at her child over and over again.

“Mommy,” Jake said in a voice too quiet for her liking. Elaine broke her gaze with the clock and smiled at him. He had turned off his tablet, which was very unusual for him. “I want to go home.”

“I know, baby. Soon, we just need to talk to the doctor to help you feel better. Come sit on mommy’s lap while we wait.” She took the tablet and slid it in her purse before picking Jake up under the arms and transferring him to her lap. She looked at the clock.

When the door finally opened, and Dr. Green walked in, Elaine quipped, “My son is the first patient of the day. We waited 12 minutes and 44 seconds for you.”

The doctor apologized and meant it. No one in this town found Elaine’s bluntness to be rude in the slightest. Then there was a knock on the door. Dr. Green turned to open it and with a smile said to Elaine, “This is our newest nurse, Lucien. He recently moved to town, so you might not have met him yet.”

Elaine was too stunned to speak, and the doctor took her stare as just normal Elaine since she often forgot to greet people. He began his exam of Jake while Elaine sat frozen still. The black hair, the piercing eyes, and handsome face. Elaine knew the devil when she saw him. He smiled at Elaine with a hunger in his eyes as he took a throat swab from Dr. Green. He bagged it up for the lab without breaking eye contact once.

“Elaine. Elaine. Elaine!” Dr. Green practically shouted.

She broke her gaze from the devil and looked at the doctor. “I said we should have the lab results back in a few days. Until then I can prescribe something to help with the fever.”

The door slammed shut, the devil had gone.

Josh knocked on the doorframe of Jake’s room. Elaine spent every moment next to her child. Her husband carried in a tray with a sandwich for Elaine and a bowl of broth for Jake. He wasn’t able to keep anything solid down anymore. 

Josh cleared his throat, “Hun, I finished sending out the cancellation notices, but the whole village already knows we aren’t having the party anymore.” He moved to the edge of the bed and took the spoon from her hand. “I’ll feed him, please, go get some sleep.” Elaine wanted to refuse, wanted to look at her baby and burn his image into her mind. He was dying. She knew it. The lab results came back negative on all fronts. None of the tests at the hospital could pinpoint what was wrong either, but everyday he became sicker and sicker. He slept most of the day, only waking to eat.

“Okay,” She said. She got up and left without another word. She threw on a coat and boots, not bothering to button or lace either. Down the roads she walked and walked as the darkness grew until she reached the crossroads in the middle of the village. None of the Christmas lights were on tonight and it was quiet, as if every villager knew to tiptoe around the sick child. Leaning against the lamppost was Lucien, the devil. He greeted Elaine with a nod as if he had been expecting her. He walked toward her and the lamppost flickered out.

“This wasn’t part of the deal!” Elaine snipped.

The smile faded from his lips, replaced by a mock concern, “It was always part of the deal. Remember? You wanted your perfect life, and I granted it. You never said for how long, nor did you question the cost.”

“The cost?” Elaine was stumped. She knew the cost. She had read about the cost in the book, and it was always supposed to be her soul. What did she care about her soul when she was dead and gone?

As if he read her thoughts, the devil continued, “I never said your soul.”

“Please,” Elaine fell to her knees. She knew contracts with the devil were solid. She would have to offer something more. “Take mine instead.”

He merely laughed. Elaine knew her soul was worthless compared to her son’s. A child conceived out of perfection. “What if…what about a contest? Double or nothing? You take both our souls if you win and neither if you lose?”

The laughter stopped abruptly. The devil had always liked good competition. “What did you have in mind?”

“Woodcarving.” 

The devil seemed to consider this, turning his head ever so slightly. “I accept, with your mother as the judge.” And with those words the snow swirled around them blinding Elaine. When she could see again they were in her parents garage. Her old carvings still sat on the shelves, although years of dust had settled on them. Elaine was surprised her parents never threw them out. “Four hours,” the devil said. Elaine looked at the clock on the wall and noted the exact time before she got to work.

Elaine finished her piece with 4 minutes and 23 seconds to spare. The devil had been done for an hour and had sat watching her finish while picking at his nails. He picked up his carving, a tree about a foot tall with delicate and detailed animals carved into the leaves and branches. Each one with a unique expression on its face. Elaine took hers in her hands and she pushed open the garage door into the cold. The lights were on in the kitchen, so Elaine knew her mother was up as she knocked on the door. The light in the living room clicked on and the door swung open.

The scream her mother let out made Elaine want to curl up into a ball, but she gritted her teeth instead. “Mom, please. I need you to tell me what you think of our carvings.”

“Carvings? Good Lord, Elaine, we thought you were dead! Gone almost five years and leaving nothing but a damn snowglobe behind!” She made to hug Elaine, but Elaine took a step back on the porch, lifting up her carving instead. “Mine or his, Mom.”

Her mom took notice of the man beside her prodigal daughter. She beheld the intricate carving in his hands. The detail and tiny notches that should have taken weeks to complete. “Who is he? Did he take you away? I swear, I’ll…”

“Mom!” Elaine shoved her carving toward her mom. Her eyes took in every little detail in that moment. She recognized it instantly. Each small building, lamppost, and tree. It was an exact replica of the scene inside the snowglobe. Her mom’s eyes darkened before she grabbed the fragile wood piece from her daughter’s hands and threw it to the ground. The shards of wood exploded and left little dents in the freshly fallen snow.

“All these years, Elaine. All these years and you come back and play some sort of game?” She turned around and walked over to the fireplace. She grabbed the snowglobe and raised it over her head. 

“No!” Elaine let out a scream so loud the neighbor’s lights clicked on. She made to run at her mom, to save the snowglobe, but it was too late. The glass, water, and figurines inside exploded in all directions. Elaine fell to her knees, cutting them on the glass that was now everywhere. She began scooping them up, knowing her home, her family were gone. She stared at the small pieces in her bleeding hands, waiting to hear that devilish laugh as he claimed his victory. But it never came. Footsteps sounded up the driveway instead.

A hand rested on Elaine’s shoulder pulling her out of her trance. “Miss, what’s wrong? We heard screaming.”

She looked up to tell the neighbor that everything was wrong, but the words caught in her throat. 

“Josh?” 

“Have we met?” Josh stared down at her. A little hand wrapped around his, “Jake go wait in the yard. There are broken pieces everywhere.”