The Little Asshole

By the time Karl came in from the garden, stamping mud off his boots, Sandy was a gibbering mess. She'd imagined him strangled with tinsel, or stabbed with a kitchen knife. "Hey..." He pulled her close and mumbled reassurances against her hair. She pointed. His gaze fell on Jingles, and his face creased in mild confusion. "Why didn't you leave it in the attic?" he said. "Are you trying to recreate the scene? There's no n-" Sandy interrupted him with a wail. "No!" she sobbed. "I didn't!" I thought you did, and then I thought... I thought..." He waited for her to say the crazy thing, holding her like china. Watching her like a pony that might bolt, or haul off and thump him with a nutcracker. Between hiccoughs, Sandy dabbed her eyes and in a shaky voice, asked him to swear he hadn't brought the creepy elf back downstairs. "We have to get rid of it," she said, as firmly as she was able. "Not just stick it upstairs. Take it far away and burn it." "Okay," he said, rubbing her back and patting as if she really were a tightly wound horse. "Okay. I'll take it tonight. "No!" she shrieked, beginning to unravel. "It has to be now! I can't be in the house with it anymore, I just can't!" "But..."Karl frowned. "I have that interview. It's really important." Sandy tried desperately to remember which job he was going for. Guilt pricked at her, and she didn't want to ask. "Oh," she said, "Of course." Sandy sat on the sofa facing Jingles, her mouth set in a grim line. "Babe...?" Karl sounded worried now. "I'm not moving. I'm keeping the little asshole where I can see him until you get back. Hurry, okay?" She didn't see Karl leave. Jingles stared back at her. The minutes crawled by. Sandy watched the elf all day, and it didn't move even once. Not even a twitch. Not even a wink.

When it was almost time to collect the children, she called Karl, still without taking her eyes off Jingles. Karl's phone was off. Can he still be in that interview?

She called several people to ask if they'd collect the kids, but no joy.

What am I going to do?

+

Thank you for reading!