KYRIE DUNPHY - ELF IM REGAL

Kyrie Dunphy is an up and coming storyteller, writer, and experience designer.  She particularly enjoys screenwriting for science fiction, fantasy, and horror for television, web series, and film.
 
She has been published in Disney Elite, CinemaCatharsis, Scarlet Leaf Review, and published her first e-book anthology, Fear the Lightning, in October 2018.
 
She lives in Orlando, and is a graduate of Full Sail University’s Creative Writing BFA program. Kyrie hopes to create new worlds and entertain people with her storytelling.
 
 
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Elf im Regal
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​Johnathan pulled into the small neighborhood and took a deep breath. He was visiting his sister's family for the holidays after he got back from his recent business trip in Germany.
            Once he got to the house, Johnathan got out of his car and knocked on the door while gripping onto his briefcase and the present he had bought for his niece. It had been almost forever since he had last seen his sister and her family, so he planned to make this Christmas count to make up for other Christmases when he was away on business trips.
            His sister, Minnie, answered the door and immediately hugged him.
            "Johnathan, it's so great that you can make it!" she said.
            "I missed you so much, Minnie," he said as they let go. "Is Gabby here? I've got a present for her."
            Minnie nodded and gestured for her daughter to come say hello. A girl around ten years old walked over to her mother and looked up at her uncle.
            "Uncle John?" she asked before running up to hug him.
            "Gabby, it's great to see you. I got you a present." Johnathan said, handing her a small box.
            Gabby opened it and grinned while pulling out a toy elf.
            "I got it from my trip to Germany," he said. "What do you think?"
            "I love it! Thanks, Uncle John!" Gabby said before running upstairs to put her new toy in her room.
            "Why don't you make yourself at home? I'll let Duncan know that you're here." Minnie asked, letting her brother in.
            Later, at dinner, Johnathan sat with his sister's family as Duncan, his brother in law, asked him, "So, how was your trip to Germany?"
            "It was fun, I guess. I was only there for business mainly, but I took some time to go to the Christmas market to get Gabby's present." Johnathan said with a shrug.
            "And that was awfully kind of you." Minnie said to him.
            "The lady who sold it to me was really creepy and weird though. She said that I had to put a salt circle around it when the moon is full or something crazy like that." he said.
            "That IS weird." Gabby said with a nod.
            "I just thought she was crazy or putting on a show being mysterious.  I just bought the elf. You know that I'm not superstitious, Minnie." Johnathan said.
            Suddenly, he heard some sounds coming from upstairs and asked, "Are you not allergic anymore?"
            "What are you talking about?" Minnie asked.
            "I heard something upstairs. Did you guys get a pet and I wasn't aware of?" Johnathan said, gesturing to where the sounds were coming from.
            "There might be something in the attic. You know, the little critters want to stay inside for the winter. We'll take care of it." Duncan said while shrugging.
            Johnathan nodded and looked back to where the sounds were coming from as he tried to finish his dinner. Maybe it was just critters, or his imagination, but something upstairs bothered him...  
 
            The next day, Johnathan was immediately greeted with Gabby talking to Minnie and stepping out of her room.
            "Mom, I have no idea what happened, but when I woke up, my dolls' clothes were missing!" she said. "They were on last night, but now, they're gone."
            "We'll find them, sweetie. I promise." Minnie said.
            Johnathan went downstairs to the kitchen where Duncan was looking at a mess on the kitchen counter: the hot chocolate mix was spilled all over and in different small lines with a straw next to them.
            "What?" he asked his brother in law.
            "Looks like someone thought it would be a good idea to use the hot chocolate as cocaine..." Duncan said. "I'll admit, it's pretty funny."
            "Yeah, sure is." Johnathan said before hearing Minnie call his name.
            He ran over to his sister where she didn't look happy at all. What was bothering her?
            "Could you explain this, John?" she asked as she showed him Gabby's elf holding onto a hair dryer and pointing it directly at one of the snowman decorations with the air turned up too hot.
            "I swear, I didn't move it!" Johnathan said.
            "We used to prank each other when we were kids. Are you sure that you're not trying to get back at me from the times I pranked you?" Minnie said.
            "Minnie, I touched nothing, I swear." he said.
            She gave him a suspicious look and groaned, shaking her head as she left.
            Later that day, Johnathan was fixing some of the decorations to make up for what had happened earlier, even if he didn't do anything wrong.
            "Uncle John?" Gabby asked him.
            "Yeah, what is it, sweetie?" he asked with a smile.
            "I can't find my elf anywhere. Have you seen it?" she said.
            He shook his head. Did Minnie decide to move it for revenge on the whole hair dryer mess? Before he could say anything, Duncan pulled him aside.
            "John, could you PLEASE explain this?" he asked.
            Johnathan looked and gasped when he saw the elf on his computer, which was opened to a porn site.
            "Really, John? You have that up when we have a ten year old in this house?" Minnie asked.
            "I didn't do it! My computer was shut off after I finished my work last night." Johnathan said as he cleared his browser history and got out of the site.
            Minnie scoffed and said, "Don't make excuses. You're trying to get back at me for accusing you of moving my hair dryer, are you?"
            Before Johnathan could respond, Gabby walked in and grabbed the elf.
            "You found it! Thanks." she said before going back upstairs with it.
            Johnathan looked at Minnie and Duncan who glared at him. This was going to be a long Christmas visit for him...
 
            The following day, he was fixing his hair when he saw something written in red on the mirror: REDRUM.
            "Murder?  Real funny, Minnie..." he said to himself while taking a photo of it. "I'm guessing you want to get back at me for the porn fiasco."
            He shook his head, thinking that she was being ridiculous and went on with his day.
            However, at the very moment Johnathan got out of the bathroom, he felt someone was watching him. He looked around and didn't see any of his family members. Then, he saw the elf staring at him from Gabby's room before quickly disappearing. Johnathan gasped and ran downstairs to try to warn his sister and brother in law.
            "The elf is alive, guys!" he said as he ran up to them.
            Minnie and Duncan stared at each other and laughed at his claims. Johnathan frowned at this. Why wasn't anyone believing him? Was that lady he bought the elf from right all along?
            "I'm serious, guys! I would NEVER lie about this." Johnathan said. 
            "Is it a full moon?" Minnie asked him.
            "I believe it is," Duncan said.
            Then, they just shook their heads at him and left.
 
            Later in the day, Gabby had called them over the backyard where the elf was next to a hole where one of her dolls was broken inside. The dismembered body parts were scattered all over the inside and dirt covered some pieces as if it were a macabre gravesite. The scene made Johnathan want to gag.
            Duncan glared at Johnathan and asked him, "Really, John? You HAD to break one of my daughter's toys just to get back at your sister?"
            "I didn't even touch the doll!" Johnathan said. "Why is everyone blaming me?"
            Gabby took the doll's remains out of the hole and picked up the elf, going up to her mother as she wiped the dirt off.
            "Mom, do you think you can fix her?" she asked as she gave Minnie the doll pieces.
            "I'll see what I can do, sweetie." Minnie said before going back inside with her daughter.
            Johnathan groaned as he followed them inside with Duncan behind him. His own sister wouldn't believe him and his brother in law brushed him off while his niece had no idea what was happening. What was he supposed to do now?
 
            That night, after dinner, Johnathan clutched onto his champagne glass as he talked to Minnie and Duncan. He had been quiet for most of the day after the doll got fixed and the elf was placed back in Gabby's room, but he had the feeling that he was being watched.
            Before Duncan could finish his story, they heard Gabby scream. Johnathan immediately assumed the worse as he dashed to the kitchen with Duncan and Minnie. They saw her looking at the elf, who was crouched over one of the cookies she and Minnie baked earlier and over a Hershey Kiss.
            "Why is it pooping on the cookies?" she asked. "Mom and I worked so hard on them and now, they're ruined!"
            "It's only chocolate, sweetheart. The chocolate makes the cookies taste better." Duncan said to her.
            "When I was your age, your uncle John and I used to do pranks like that all the time to each other. Go get some sleep, alright?" Minnie said.
            "I didn't even do it, mom..." Gabby said while grabbing the elf and placing it in the living room on the couch.
            "I'll talk to her." Johnathan said as he placed his glass down and walked up to her.
            "Mom and dad said that you're convinced that my elf is alive and causing all this." she said to him. "Oddly enough, I believe you because I know you wouldn't break my dolls."
            "Glad to know that we're on the same page, sweetie." Johnathan said, ruffling her hair.
            "I'm going to go to bed. Good night, Uncle John." she said.
            "Sweet dreams, Gabby." he said with a smile.
            She hugged him and went upstairs to her room. Johnathan watched Minnie and Duncan follow her and walked behind them, hoping that nothing crazy would happen tonight after all the insanity these past days had brought.
            When he got to the guest room, he immediately fell asleep, unaware of what was to happen to him next...
 
            In the middle of the night, the sounds of footsteps woke Johnathan up from his sleep. He thought he was dreaming, but once he sat up, he heard them again. Immediately, he got up and went downstairs. Had someone broken in?  Was it one of the critters Duncan was talking about?
            Johnathan looked around and asked, "Is anyone there?"
            He turned on the flashlight on his phone and walked through the darkened kitchen and living room in hopes of finding who or what could be moving around.
            Johnathan had that feeling that he was being watched again when he thought he saw the elf on top of the fridge, but it moved out of sight when he looked back at it again.
            The footsteps were quick and it just made him shiver when he heard them again. This wasn't normal at all! Why did this have to happen to him of all people? All he wanted was a nice Christmas with his sister's family without getting blamed for stupid things that he didn't even do.
            I should've just listened to that lady and did the salt circle around it...Johnathan thought.
            He went into the living room and looked around, his phone illuminating through the darkness. He felt a chill up his spine and kept looking until he turned and jumped once he saw YOU'RE ON THE NAUGHTY LIST written on the wall in red just like the backwards murder threat in the bathroom.
            "Minnie, this isn't funny anymore! Now would be a great time to stop the pranks." he said as he heard the footsteps coming from the kitchen.
            Johnathan looked around and saw shadows on the wall.  Everything looked distorted due to the angle of the light.  The smell of gingerbread got stronger as he approached the kitchen. As he went inside, he found the elf sitting near the cutting board with a knife in hand. On the cutting board, the words WANT TO PLAY were carved on it, much to Johnathan's horror. He glared at the elf and grabbed him.
            "You little shit! You've been trying to ruin our Christmas!" he said.
            Suddenly, the elf began slashing the knife at him. Johnathan dropped him in surprise as the elf began running around, knife in hand.
            "GET BACK HERE!" Johnathan said as he chased after the demonic toy.
            The elf was surprisingly quick, but Johnathan was able to follow it by listening to his footsteps and keeping his phone's light on it, even though it made grotesque shadows of his silhouette on the walls.
            Because of the noise, Gabby woke up and went downstairs. She had no idea what was happening until she saw her uncle chasing her elf around. 
            "Uncle John, what's going on?" she asked.
            "I was right! It IS alive!" he said while running around.
            Johnathan continued chasing the elf until it noticed Gabby and walked towards her with the knife.
            "Why is it coming towards me?" Gabby asked in fear. "I'm scared, Uncle John!"
            Th elf then walked faster and faster approaching Gabby. She screamed. Johnathan gasped upon seeing this and hurried after it.   He wasn't going to let his niece die to some stupid elf toy he bought in Germany!
            "No, don't hurt her!" Johnathan said, grabbing the elf again.
            The knife fell to the floor as Gabby picked up and said, "I'm going to put this away. Mom and dad will kill us if they see the knife out here."
            Johnathan nodded and squeezed onto the elf hard to prevent it from escaping. The elf squirmed in his grasp. Johnathan grabbed the salt and poured it on the elf, which made him stop moving.
            "Meet me in the living room, alright?" he asked her. 
            She nodded and put the knife away in the holder before meeting up with her uncle near the fireplace. Johnathan stared at the elf and at the flames while thinking about what he should do about it.
            "I wanted to say thank you for saving me, Uncle John." Gabby said. "I can't believe that I was almost a goner there until you grabbed my elf."
            Johnathan said to her, "You're welcome, Gabby. I think the best thing we should do for the elf is burn it. I'm sorry, sweetie, but it HAS to be done."
            "I'm not mad about it. You can get me another present." she said with a shrug.
            "Oh my god, you're so sweet and understanding...I bet you made the nice list this year." he said while smiling at her.
            Gabby said to him, "I try my best. Should we get rid of it now?"
            "Why not?" Johnathan asked. "On the count of three, we'll get rid of this together. One..."
            "Two..." Gabby said.
            "Three!" they said in unison as Johnathan threw the elf into the fireplace.
            The two watched it slowly get consumed by the flames while Johnathan felt a huge weight get lifted off of his chest with that elf toy officially gone and not plunging his Christmas into complete and utter chaos. Maybe he should've listened to that lady...
            "How are we going to tell mom and dad about this?" she asked him.
            "Well, they listen to you more than they've been listening to me, so you can tell the story and I'll help you explain it." he said while holding out his hand. "Deal?"
            "Deal." Gabby said as she shook her uncle's hand.
            With that, they went back upstairs to finally get some sleep and not worry about the elf terrorizing them anymore...