A Cristmas In October – Nikkita Bell

So depressed that she stops her twirls and stands in the middle of the festive ice rink and stares at the gargantuan Christmas tree that towers above the sea of skaters. And in seconds, she disappears. A wave of relief washes over me as I’m finally left alone with a moment of silence.

I was in no mood to console a bratty little rich kid, no matter how sad her story might be. I take the opportunity to sneak off the rink and get the Hell out before she resurfaces. A twinkling light captures my attention from high above the Rockefeller Christmas tree. The star topper begins to shake, sending a cascading shiver down the tree with every passing moment.

A sudden crack rends the air as the vibrating lights and trembling branches capture the attention of the skaters. Within seconds, the giant tree groans as it succumbs to gravity. It’s almost like a movie in slow-motion, chaos captured before my very eyes: Humans scramble to safety as their shrieks of terror replace their ardent cheer. Even the Christmas music dwindles amidst the mayhem. Now this is something I can get behind. The ice rink shudders beneath the impact of the fallen tree. Thousands of shards of broken tree lights shatter among the humans, eliciting more of their delightful screams.

I’m far too entertained by the entire clusterfuck to retreat to safety and begin searching the premises for any…unfortunate casualties. To my disappointment, it appears that no one got caught underneath the tree. A damn shame: I could have used an extra soul or two for my holiday collection. Delilah’s spectral figure pops out of the fallen tree, eyes darting from one corner of the rink to the other. She cringes when she finally catches sight of me. I beckon her forward with an exasperated wave of my hand to which she quickly obliges.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. A Christmas in October was originally printed and included in Winter’s Enchantment, a Winter Fantasy Anthology by Azala Press in 2023.

Layout, formatting, and cover art by Nicole Hayley Art. ISBN: 9798873385270 First Edition, January 2024 Published by Nikkita Bell and Scorpion Script Press. www.nikkitabell.com 1kitap1.com/en Contents Trigger Warnings 1. A Hazy Shade of Winter 2. You’re a Mean One 3. My Only Wish 4. Christmas in New York 5. Dancing Dead 6. My December 7. The Call 8. Kickstart My Heart 9. Happy Together 10.

Hey There, Delilah Author’s Note Author Biography Also by Nikkita Bell 1kitap1.com/en Trigger Warnings This short story contains content that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to, references of death (specifically a child), religion, tobacco usage, adult language, dark humor, and light sexual themes. Please be mindful of these and other possible triggers. 1kitap1.com/en Chapter 1 A Hazy Shade of Winter All I want for Christmas is silence. Pure, unadulterated silence. There aren’t enough headphones or earplugs in the world to drown out Christmas music in New York City—believe me, I’ve tried.

Every corner turned, every building passed blares an irritable jingle that leaves me wondering: why did I come to this city to begin with? The answer is simple: I’m a glutton for punishment. The only thing louder than the constant reminder of this ungodly holiday is the city itself. Admittedly, it’s better than the hell-hole Hollywood has turned into over the past twenty years.

The City of Angels was anything but, and I’d certainly had my fill. A change of scenery is just what I need. What better place than the loudest city in the world? The irony is exquisite. My masochism is even more so. I have to admit, I missed it here. There’s something about the hustle and bustle of Times Square, the talent on Broadway, and the delicious scent of trash that makes it feel like home.

Oh, and the rats. Got to love the rats. Perfect for simple blood magic rituals. It isn’t a bad place for business, either. The wolves of Wall Street make for excellent commodities in my line of work.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 3a11528fe63bb34d
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 3,221,491 bytes (3.072 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9798873385270
• Pages: 56
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 76.5 minutes
• Total Words: 15,299
• Total Characters: 84,636
• Average Words per Page: 273.2
• Average Characters per Page: 1511.36

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