The Winter Freak Show (Book One of The Twisted Christmas Trilogy)

10

The old man sighed heavily and shadowy images lit up around him. Toby realised that they were no longer alone in the room. There was a presence – maybe even more than one – but it didn't feel supernatural. It wasn't a ghost. Toby felt like he was a ghost. In a spectral form, he hovered, gazing around him as the illusion of a hazy dream-world opened up in all directions.

'Before I was a ringmaster, I was a bishop in the Scandinavian wilderness,' Nicko began. 'That was more than sixteen hundred years ago. Back then, I was just called Nicholas. I lived a quiet, religious life. I enjoyed the solitude and made toys for the local children as a hobby. That was when my journey began.'

He flicked his wrists and the images around them shifted. Toby wasn't sure what he was seeing, but he could feel that they were looking into the past.

'Over time, my creations became popular, and I was approached by some strangers. This was something that simply did not happen in the small village of Skara I had chosen as my home. They came from the forest, looking like teenage children, but I knew there was something different about them right away. They called themselves "elves", and told me that they drew their magical powers from the happiness and hope of children.

'In those dark times, they were the only benign magical creatures you could find in the forest. The rest were creatures of nightmare, too horrible to describe. Luckily, most did not survive past The Dark Ages. When people learned the ways of the world, they stopped fearing the creatures of the wilderness. And without fear, it is thought the remaining monsters starved to death in the darkness.

'Now, you have to understand that back then magic was commonplace. And I was a lowly bishop, tending to my church and entertaining the local children. I never expected that I would attract forces beyond the world of men. But apparently I had impressed them with my generosity, and they thought I might want to join them in spreading happiness to more children.

'They told me they could help me to spread the word of peace and goodwill to all men. And in return for my services, the beings promised to make me immortal.

'Knowing what good I could do, I decided to take them up on their offer. The very next day, I closed my humble parish and moved into the woods with the elves. No amount of foresight could have predicted the change I would later make on the world.'

Toby felt like questioning everything he was being told. It didn't make sense. There was no such thing as real magic or mythical creatures that lived in the woods. Men couldn't live for over a thousand years, and bishops didn't make deals with elves. It was all nonsense.

As quickly as these thoughts sprang into his mind, they faded just as fast. It was as if the shadows were explaining the truth of everything that Nicko told him. The instant a thought popped into his head, it was appeased. Despite his immobility, he felt no fear. The whispering shadows were gentle and distant. Nothing about their presence was threatening.

'The elves assured me that their way of life was one I could use to my advantage. The power they extracted from children sustained their race, keeping them youthful and happy, even in the darkest of times. After some time, they granted me the use of their magic. This meant that I could make more toys.

'That was when Christmas Day first came into being. We followed the calendars of people across the world, coming up with a date when we could excite the most joy in children. We began to deliver presents under the cover of night, and it became a ritual for thousands of people every year. Back then, they had no idea where the mysterious gifts came from, but it didn't matter. They accepted them as a miracle rewarding their good behaviour, and we became a part of the existing spiritual holiday. Christmas as you know it was born.