The Red Man

Nowhere… Nowhere to run.

It’s over…

He’s here.

In the end, The Red Man comes for us all. No one can escape his chase, none are able to outrun his timeless wrath. My time has come, he found me, this is the end for me…

There comes a time in everyone’s life where the belief in The Red Man fades. At that time we think we’re free of it all.

But no...

That moment is the beginning of the end, The Red Man is real indeed. He indeed has a list. When we challenge his reign our name goes on the list and from there… it’s simply a matter of time until he comes for us.

No one knows how to stop him.

The names have been checked, his system is beyond question. None may challenge him without paying that terrible price. I recall the time my father’s name moved to the top of the list. Father told us his time was near, but for us not to fear, there was nothing to be done.

The Red Man was coming, father understood there was no point running - that day I learned a valuable lesson. That when we are faced with the reality of The Red Man, inbound on your location and life. One should face and welcome him like an old friend, for there is no point in running. So waiting with open arms is the best we can do ...

This is a lesson I failed to appreciate and use when my time came.

RUN!

All I wanted, all I could do... was run.

I knew it wouldn’t work, I knew it would fail… but I still ran.

Run I did when The Red Man came. But where to run? Nowhere... Nowhere was safe or out of his reach. It was simply a matter of time, a matter of steps… before he found me.

All my past wrongs and ill deeds were flooding my mind as I ran wildly into the night covered streets of my small hometown. Trying to discover the turning point, the moment I went from one side of his list to the other.

The moment my name appeared on ‘the naughty list’... When the clock began to count down for me, until the day The Red Man would appear before me and cross my name off his list… forever.

Just. Keep. Running.

Hiding in the local mall, I found myself passing his grotto. Well not his, but one of his runners. People that were at one stage, on the naughty list but bought themselves more time by working for The Red Man. Looking and listening, providing information with which he could update his list.

Luckily the grotto was empty at this time. No line of innocents waiting to meet ‘The Red Man’ under his… other name, to beg him for gifts and would obey his every whim. They were gone for the day. The mall slowly emptied over the next few hours, the relative safety of crowds and shoppers slipped away... as did my time.

Something's not right... something's wrong.

I tried to find somewhere to hide for the night. I walked past the grotto again, there was something different about it. Looking closer I could see a small envelope resting on the cushioned throne.

Carefully I walked over and picked up the small sealed pouch. Opening the flap, I pulled out a single card of dense paper, brown with age. It contained a hand written note of two simple words, the first was my name.

The second…

... 'Naughty'

I flipped the card over, a cold shiver ran down my spine as I read the three syllables written on the other side of the old card. A large mass emerged, rising as if from beneath the earth. Unveiling itself from under the piled up fake snow in the grotto.

The faux snow fell off the bright red suit. The cheeks were bright red surrounded by thick white hair, but the eyes… The eyes were dark and empty. I couldn’t help but stare into them. Declaring out loud the lines written on the card in his big holly, jolly booming laughing voice...

Shaking his big belly with sickening joy as he did.

Before all went dark, and I felt nothing anymore, just that voice echoing through whatever part of my subconscious that had not yet ceased operation. He repeated those three words again... and again... now I know they would be the last thing I hear on this earth... That big, jolly voice, those words... again and again, until there was nothing else...

‘Ho, Ho, Ho.’