Storyline start: 12 Days of Christmas (12DoC)
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 56481
|
It was the 25th of December. A couple of months had passed since Jim's
last wild addventure, and he had just celebrated a peaceful Christmas
Eve with family and friends - including his girlfriend Sharon, who had
been delighted to receive an ordinary gift for a change. (Author's
Remark: We assume that our protagonists live in a culture where gifts
are exchanged on Christmas Eve. Either that, or they did their
exchange very early that morning.)
Now it was Christmas Day, and they were window shopping down at the mall. Window shopping was all they could do, as most the shops were closed, except for parts of the food court, a couple of newsstands - and one shop Jim would have expected to be closed on a holiday. He must have lost track of where they were going, or he would never have set foot in that part of the mall. But he had been too preoccupied with talking to Sharon, and suddenly the familiar storefront was right in front of them as they rounded the corner - Spells R Us. It was not only open, but the proprietor stood in the doorway as if he was waiting for someone, and by the way his face lit up it seemed to be them. "Good Morning, Mr. Russell, and a Merry Christmas to you and your lady." Jim stopped. Sharon looked curiously at him. "You know each other?" "I should think so," Jim muttered through clenched teeth. "That pantyhose I got for your birthday? The crystal doves on Valentine Day? The fruitcake last Christmas? In short, all the crazy gifts I got you over the years? This is where I got them from!" "A real magic store?" Sharon asked and stepped closer. "Yeah, real freaky magic that messed up our lives!" Jim snapped as he reached out trying to hold her back. "Trust me, Sharon, you don't want to go in there! Sorry, Mister R Us or whatever your name is (all these years he never told me!), but I already got my girlfriend a plain unmagical gift. I'm not buying, and certainly not trying on anything!" Sharon frowned. "Sheesh, what's the matter with you? As far as I remember, about half the things that went wrong with you and magic were because someone didn't bother reading the instructions or did something else stupid!" The proprietor nodded. "I wasn't going to say anything, but you have a point. I brought you here to make amends for the mess "I" have made of your life. That's right, the Granter of Wishes has a wish of his own. Will you grant me it before I retire?" Sharon turned and looked at Jim, as if daring him. He shrugged. "Whatever. I suppose there's magic involved?" The old man nodded. "Why, of course. But I assure you it is beneficial magic of a temporary nature only, and so easy to work that not even you can screw it up." He pulled a folded card out of his pocket and handed it to Jim. It looked simple - and harmless - enough. On the front were two boxes marked TO and FROM, and inside was a pretty picture of a bird in a tree, and three lines in golden script:
On the first day of Christmas He turned it over but there was nothing on the back except for an illegible signature. Presumably the artist, or whoever had worked the alleged magic. "It's the first of twelve cards," the proprietor explained. "One for each of twelve days. All you have to do is fill in each card and deliver it to the recipient at her (or his) home. The magic does the rest." "I see. And what is "the rest"?" "Well, that's where the surprise comes in..."
|
Won-Tolla
1/31/2006 2:53:52 AM
21486187 episodes viewed since 9/30/2002 1:22:06 PM.