Mary Impmas by Kris P. Kreme
Seymour and Clyde were once temp imps, magical beings hired to fill in for Santa’s elves. Ever since they were fired for particularly potent and misunderstood magic, they’ve wanted to get back in good with Santa.
This year though they have an unplanned spark of inspiration when a generous woman leaving after serving at a homeless shelter makes a claim of wishing she could serve the needy even more. According to Santa code, the greatest gift is a random act of kindness and charity.
Granting this Mary’s wish should impress Santa enough so they get rehired, but imp magic is tricky, the wish granted as Mary suddenly knows and must serve the quite specific needs of every man around her.
Mary Keller has always been the most dedicated volunteer each year at the homeless shelter downtown, and it’s on a night like any other having finished up an extra long shift serving meals and being there for the less fortunate that she might just get her most selfless wish granted.
Escorted out to her car in the darkness of the downtown alley behind the shelter, the guard for the shelter, Seth is always a good friend, respecting what a woman like Mary does, her selfless spirit and giving nature. She’s been volunteering since Seth was in high school, and at thirty years old she’s certainly someone anyone would notice, especially dressed in her Santa robe and short Santa style skirt.
However as they are walking along, little do they know the eyes watching them don’t belong to rats trying to keep warm among the trash cans in the alley. When Mary says how she wishes she could do more for the needy, could give until it hurt, and overflow with that giving spirit… her words garner the attention of two quirky little characters who have been trying to get back into Santa’s good graces.
As Mary and Seth head on towards her car, Seymour and Clyde step out of the shadows. They are imps and it wasn’t all that many years ago they got hired as temp imps, to step in when Santa’s elves were under the weather. But every time Santa gave them a shot, their naturally potent imp magic proved too unpredictable, their tendency for misunderstanding the extremity required and the rather decadent depraved twists their wish granting could take on unsuspecting mortals.
Since they screwed up last year by granting wishes for random mall goers with a man they thought was Santa, these temp imps have been hunted down, Santa’s agents on the lookout for the two troublemakers. So while they might have been simply hiding in the alley, Seymour and Clyde believe they may have just gotten a rare opportunity to prove to Santa how special they can be.
As Seymour puts it, by granting Mary’s wish they could prove to Santa they have the true spirit of Christmas, since Santa code proclaims a random act of kindness as the greatest gift one can give.
Possessing only a little pouch of magic left after Santa struck down their resources last year, Seymour and Clyde agree that it should be enough to grant Mary’s wish to do more. They are feeling better and better about reclaiming their jobs for Santa, impressing him by how giving to the needy Mary will be once her wish is granted.
Of course imp magic has always been and always will be most unpredictable, only predictable in how unpredictably twisted it can be once used.
Granting Mary’s wish while she unfortunately faces the need for a tow, her car refusing to start, Seth arranging for it and waiting with her, the magic truly does open her eyes to the needs around her. Sitting there next to Seth in her car, the two of them staying warm while the tow truck is on the way, Mary realizes Seth has a need, that need quite visible in a glow only she can see, a glow that slowly settles quite specifically in his lap.
Mary is helpless against her actions, the need to give so strong, the need to give until it hurts, and for some reason she knows exactly the needs Seth has… or at least part of him. Yes Mary’s wish has been granted, to help serve the needy, but unfortunately for Mary and unknown to Seymour and Clyde, the wish was granted in a naturally twisted impish way.
She now has a rather remarkable talent for knowing and seeing, led to a man in need, specifically to his desires. And Mary truly does give until it hurts, much to the confused enjoyment of Seth.
But just what happens when the tow driver also has such needs, or when she gets home and the teenage boys next door have needs? Will Mary be giving and giving forever and ever thanks to a wish she never knew was granted, a random act of kindness? One thing is certain, she’ll be overflowing with more than the Christmas spirit and Santa might have a different reaction than Seymour and Clyde are expecting, the clueless imps simply trying to impress their one time boss.
Coming next… It’s Krazy at Krismas…
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