Tevun-Krus #96 - A Very Merry CyberPunk Christmas

Attack of the Electric Reindeer - A Short Story by @elveloy

Attack of the Electric Reindeer

By elveloy

It was the night before Christmas and all was quiet, except for the log fire giving an occasional spit from the grate. The cabin was small and cosy, lit by candlelight and warmed by the fire.

The occupant dozed, his feet resting on a stool and his hands folded loosely across his wide belly. A faint snore began to compete with the fire. Suddenly, there was an almighty whoosh of air, a clatter of hooves and the door was flung open wide.

"Wha-?" The man startled awake, blinking owlishly as the newcomer came inside with a rush of cold air, and shut the door quickly behind her. She went over to the fire, pulling off her mittens and warmed her hands for a minute.

"Brrr! Ah, that's better! I swear it gets colder every year!" Small clumps of snow melted and dripped from her red coat onto the floor.

"Sorry, dear, I think this will have to be my last time I take your place. I'm not getting any younger, either, you know." Mrs Claus unhitched the snowy white beard, which had actually turned a pale shade of grey to be honest, and scratched her chin. "Damn thing, itches like crazy!"

"The last-?" Santa's face crinkled in dismay. He reached for his walking stick and struggled to stand.

"Stay where you are, Olaf. No need to get up on my account." Mrs Claus' voice softened. "We've done our best. No-one can say different. But we're both too old for this. It's time to call it a day."

She unbuttoned the jacket and draped it carefully over the back of a chair to dry.

"So how did it go tonight?" asked Santa, changing the subject slightly. "Everyone sorted?"

"Well, we got all the presents delivered, if that's what you mean. I was hoping it would be easier, considering the drop in numbers, but the reindeers were pretty tired by the end. Those cybertoys aren't the lightest things you know, and they're all the children want these days. Plus, a lot of them had forgotten to put out an apple, or even a carrot for the reindeer, and my cookies and milk were a bit sparse, too. It's as if they don't believe we're real anymore." Mrs Claus sighed heavily.

"I'm afraid we have to face facts. This will be Santa's last Christmas." Her face drooped and she wiped away a tear.

"Let's not give up, yet," murmured Santa, hopefully. "I'm sure something will turn up soon."

The next morning, he sat up in bed with a start.
"I've had an idea! It came to me in the middle of the night." Santa reached for his laptop, resting on the table beside him.

"Talking of cybertoys, this might be the solution. I found this site last night... Let me see... where was it again?" He flicked rapidly through the screens.

"Ah here we are, 'Your Ultimate Xmas Bling!' Here, see these cyber deer? They are only basic models, meant to prance up and down on people's roofs for decoration, but with a bit of tweaking... What do you think?"

Mrs Claus reached across for the screen and squinted. Her eyes weren't what they used to be, either.

"Hmm," she said, doubtfully. "They look a bit scary in my opinion, though the kids these days seem to like that kind of thing. But we could order one and give it to the elves, just to see what they can do with it. They've got pretty tech-savvy lately, with all this electronic stuff in such high demand."

"And we could order a CyberSanta too," enthused Santa. "One of those life-size models they use in shopping centres. A proper red suit instead of that enamel paint and we could be onto a winner!"