Sincerely, Jennifer x

Lisa trudged to the station the next day, with weary eyes and a mind full of worry. 

The day before had been on her mind, and as she approached the station and stepped gingerly onto the platform, her heart pounded. 

Luckily for Lisa, her wait for the train was uneventful. She was also blessed with a boring commute where nothing happened. 

She spent the entire train journey scrolling through page after page of search engine results as she tried to find some clarity about the day before, but every click left her without the answers she desperately needed. 

There had never been a phenomenon like that before. Not one that had been chronicled on the internet, anyway. 

What Lisa didn’t know, is that her experience was not unique. She hadn’t found any details, but around the world, as December drew to a close and Christmas crept closer, bells were beginning to ring. 

Why did they ring? Well, the bells would ring to lull the good little lambs to sleep, and awaken the wolves that lived within them. Each and every one of you has a little something wicked swimming in your depths. 

As long as you live a good life, it will almost never be seen. It will bubble beneath you, bound never to break free, unless I ring my bells and force it out. 

Most will never meet their darkness, but there are some of you who simply cannot behave, and that’s how you end up on the list. 

The man was on the list. He had been given many chances to change his ways, but the last straw was insisting that his staff work during Christmas. Santa Claus saw red, and on the list he went, so I set off, with my silver bells in hand to give him his Christmas present. 

Lisa was unaware of my purpose, and as the day unfolded, she managed to shake off most of the strange things that she had seen. 

Her day seemed to go quickly, and soon, she was home, and settled in for the night. She had queued up the latest episode of her favourite show on the television, and as the doorbell went, she rushed to collect her dinner from the delivery driver. 

Her stomach rumbled as she snatched the bag away from him, without a word and slammed the door shut. 

“Tut tut, greedy grinch.” I whispered, watching her food clatter to the floor as she spotted me at last. 

Again, the sound of bells. The jingle jangle from my wrist, coursing through my fingertips and all of my bones. 

Lisa looked up at me, her eyes as wide as the night was long. Her tears trickled down her rosy cheeks as she shook her head, knowing what was to come. 

It had to come. There was no other way. The bells had been rung. The list had been checked, not just once, but twice, and she had found herself on the wrong list as the snow fell, and the magic of Christmas filled the air. 

Lisa thought of herself as a nice woman, but she was on my list, all the same. 

Casting her mind back, several moments from the day flashed before her eyes. She got a coffee, tutting as the barista motioned at the tip jar. She got an Uber, rolling her eyes as her phone prompted her to tip. She ordered dinner, huffing loudly and slamming the door before the driver could even ask.  

Prison takes care of the bigger problems in society, and for everything else, there is me. 

I cannot abide rudeness. I cannot abide greed. I cannot abide naughty behaviour, especially so close to this special season. 

She begged, and she pleaded, but all I could do was carry out her sentence, and ring my silver bells as she fell silent and still. 

Bewitched by the bells, the driver found himself in the holiday spirit, and the door found itself off its hinges and on the floor as he lunged at Lisa and took his tip, in flesh. 

All that she heard was the sound of silver bells.

All that she saw was my servant, bewitched by my bells and ready to help her meet her end. 

All that must be done was done, and then, it was over. 

I wish you the merriest of Yuletide seasons, my friend. May all of your wishes come true, and may you be kind to all those that you meet, so that you never hear the jingle jangle of my silver bells.