Three Twisted Knots

Short Stories: Tales from The Christmas Event and Beyond

Well. I transformed my little house into a little treehouse, and I was loving it! I had a nice living space, a little study, a modest kitchen, and a bedroom loft. What more could a slightly gothy Christmas elf need?

I’ll tell you what I didn’t need.

I had been out all night carolling in graveyards with a bunch of very waffled dinkies. The last thing I needed was a visit from Pixie Tinselplum, my official Christmas Elf Supervisor. By all that sleighs, was she ever out of uniform? Great. Just great.

’Good morning, Nocturna’! she said, in a perfectly modulated, cheerful tone. ‘I’ve been looking at your exterior decorations’. Her smile never wavered. It was creepy.

‘Please explain your doormat’.

What? I was caught off guard by that one. ‘I wasn’t aware my doormat required an explanation, Pixie’, I replied.

‘Is it meant to be a joke’? She seemed genuinely curious. She read the text aloud: ‘There’s some Ho-Ho-Hos In This House’. Primly: ‘I don’t think Santa would ever pose for a picture like that’, she said. ‘It’s in poor taste’.

Draum muttered something very rude in my ear. ‘I don’t know— my next door neighbour thinks it’s hilarious’, I said.

Pixie sniffed. You could oxygenate all eight tiny reindeer with one of Pixie’s sniffs. ‘Perhaps’, she suggested, ‘it’s that your next door neighbour is also in poor taste’. She sighed. ‘I’m going to have to inspect you’. She gestured for me to open the door.

She came in and had a brief look around. ‘Well, I’m disappointed’, she said. ‘There is a distinct lack of Christmas Spirit in this house’.

OK, I admit I have an infantile response to authority at the best of times. I could feel myself shrinking.

Draum stared at her and hissed. Wow, he hisses dramatically!

‘And another thing: why are you suddenly in cahoots with a talking bird’?

Cahoots? Who says that? ‘OK, I’ll address the second thing first’. I was mumbling; it wasn’t pretty. ‘This is Draum. He just showed up a couple of weeks ago, and he keeps me company, and I like him’. And he’s in a Christmas hat, Pixie. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes and saying that out loud. ‘And there’s plenty of Christmas spirit here! My Santa Baby sweater has lights! And there are red wellies! I even painted the inside of my house red’. Wasn’t that enough? ‘I can explain everything’, I said. Oh, great, Nocturna. You’re acting all subservient; she’ll love that.

‘Look, my furniture is green, and there’s a jar of wishes on the coffee table. And there are adorable snow globes and music boxes on the shelf there’, I said. And then, ‘Draum! Stop that! No diving in the house; we’ve talked about this’. Good thing, too: he was aiming straight for Pixie’s adorable elf hat.

Pixie was unimpressed. ‘There’s no greenery, no garlands, no jingle bells, not a single picture of an old American truck with a Christmas tree in the back’, she said. She ignored my yelling at Draum; I don’t think she had any idea how close she came to getting a beak in her head.

I turned around and gestured at the long wall.

‘Look’, I said. ‘I have pictures of all my friends to signify the importance of friends and family. ‘I even had my picture taken with Santa Patch, and Kara took a picture of us eating cookies, underneath a Christmas tree, with a train‘. I gestured to the sideboard. ‘I have a beautiful green candle in the shape of a star, and a miniature town hall’!

Pixie sniffed. Again. ‘I’m not convinced’, she said. I even showed her my study. ‘Look’, I said. ‘My study has art with a Christmas door’!

‘There are even sparkly lights’! I said. I could hear my voice rising.

Pixie said, ‘Hmpf’. Like, she actually said that. I thought it was just a noise, hmpf; but no; apparently, some elves can make it into a complete word. ‘Could you not just put a little garland above the door’? she asked. ‘Around the table, maybe’? She shook her head. ‘I honestly don’t know sometimes’, she said. And Pixie, like all the Tinselplums, has this way of putting the right emotion into her voice. It sounded as if she were really having a Moment with herself there.

Of course, it was a brief moment, because then she turned around and finally took note of my tree. Oh, boy: this was going to be great. In the sense where great actually means awful, I mean.

She veritably stomped over to my tree. I followed behind her and leaned against the kitchen wall, because she couldn’t reach me there; plus, it would stop me from falling over.

I entered stage two of my infantile response to authority, which is what I like to call “forced nonchalance”.

Pixie balled one of her tiny, adorable elf hands into a fist. ‘What’, she said, ‘in the name of all that jingles, sings, and follows Old Kris Kringle, is that‘?

Wow. I hadn’t expected her to curse. ‘That’s my Christmas Tentacle Tree, Pixie’, I said. ‘It even has a star at the top. And it’s from Cerridwen’s Cauldron, so of course it will last forever’!

‘It has a creepy eye! And, and claws, and — OK, the teddy bear is cute, so you get maybe half a point for that, but these other plushies are all very disturbing. And why is that present growing‘? She shook her head. ‘I feel somewhat faint. Could you put the kettle on, please’? She crossed to the kitchen window, and I put the kettle on, then retreated so she couldn’t reach me if she suddenly turned feral.

There followed a few minutes of blessed quiet, while Pixie helped herself to tea and biscuits and stared out the window as if lost in thought.

‘I just don’t know any more’, she said finally.

I leaned against the bookshelf for support. Draum dug a claw into my shoulder.

‘I’ve tried so hard, Nocturna’, she said as she wiped at her face with her fist. Her voice broke. ‘I have tried everything with you. I’ve asked for guidance. I’ve consulted the Elder Elves. I’ve tried understanding and celebrating your … special … point of view around our holiday. And’, she sniffled. ‘And I just can’t seem to get through to you. Our work is so important! We bring cheer and goodness to the world! Cheer and goodness has to be, well, cheerful! And good‘!

I was dumbstruck. I didn’t realise Pixie had actual feelings. Or maybe she didn’t and it was all some act to try and force me to comply with her deranged idea of Christmas cheer or something.

Uh, oh.

Stage three of my infantile response to authority was fast approaching— I couldn’t stop it.

I couldn’t help it. I laughed. I laughed so hard I scared the bird, who startled off my shoulder and barely regained his footing for the re-perch manoeuvre.

‘Oh, Pixie, sweetie’, I said, in between cackles. ‘Did I make you cry? Am I that bad an elf’? I couldn’t stop laughing. Wow. I guess I am kind of a mean elf, in my own way. ‘Honey, do you need a tissue’?

Pixie grabbed a dish towel from the side of my sink and dabbed at her face. ‘You are incorrigible‘! she wailed. ‘I cannot even with you, Nocturna Hollygloom! Oh’! And she stomped to the door. She stomps pretty well for someone in stiletto platform heels.

When she reached the door, she turned around, her perfect face now completely tearless and looking as if she just stepped out of a makeup session. And, ooh. She was angry.

‘That is it, Nocturna! I have had it with you! I am filing a report’! She opened the door, then turned around for one final shot. ‘And get some decorations down on the ground, or I’ll make sure you never decorate another holiday house again’!

She teen-slammed the door (I don’t care if that wasn’t a word before; it is now) and I could hear her stomping all the way to the rope. And she cursed more! Like, really loud. I was glad I lived in the treehouse, because the neighbours would surely have heard that if it had occurred on the ground.

Well. ‘She does have a point about the garden you know, Draum’, I said.

‘I’ll put the point of my beak through her neck’, he replied.

I sighed and got to work on the garden. It was almost midnight by the time I was finished.

I love my little peppermint stepping stones! The lady from Lore made them, and they are fun in a bucket. Let’s see. I have singing rats (Pixie will just love them!), a snowman (just an ordinary snow man!), little plushie animals waiting to open their presents, a winter gazebo with one of The Dark Fae’s beautiful wreaths, and, another, larger, tentacle tree. Because it just looks nice there.

I mean, how much more wholesome and Christmas-y could I possibly get?

Once again, the amazing Lore lady came through with these gorgeous big baubles. I’m pretty sure she meant them to be lawn ornaments, but they’re just the right size for my tree, so that’s where I put them. And of course Mighty Cthulhu guards my home.

Also, I am not removing that doormat. If Santa has a problem with it, he can bring it straight to me.

Now, I guess I just wait to see what happens when Pixie files a report on me. Surely not all the Elder Elves are as rigid as she is when it comes to what constitutes “cheer”. Well, I hope they aren’t anyway.

So for now, I’ll try to get some rest: it was a long night of hauling, planting, and general deco-ing, and I’m so tired I think I could sleep for the rest of Winter. Of course, the busiest times are just around the corner, so I won’t get to do that. No rest for the wicked, as they say. 😉

Notes & Credits:

Avatars (sponsored items noted with a *)

Nocturna Hollygloom:

• *Draum is beautifully portrayed by CKit Falconry‘s animesh White Necked Raven, in the XS size. He has his own set of gear, including this fun Santa hat. (Available at Christmas Expo)
• *Skin: Moth & Moon, Lorelai in Vintage (Vintage tone is a group gift at the Moth & Moon Main Store, and there’s no group join fee!)
• *Makeup: Hexumbra, Demetria Eye Makeup (at Frost-e Fest) and Ruthann Lipstick (at the Hexumbra main store)
• Hair: Doe, Peppermint Sticks
• Hairbase: Velour, Kara Hairbase
• Earrings: Earthstones, Christmas Kitty Earrings
• Clothes: All by COCO: Cozy Leggings, Holiday Sweater, and Warm Socks
• Eyes: Celesticat, Snow Globe Eyes
• Nocturna Hollygloom is styled on a Maitreya Lara body and a Lelutka EvoX Prim mesh head.

Pixie Tinselplum:

• Clothes: Kaithleen’s, Christmas Elf Dress, Hat, & Heels (This outfit is at the current round of Collabor88)
• Head: Lelutka, EvoX Noel (currently FREE)
• Eyes: Cazimi, Crystalline Eyes (Part of Lelutka’s 12 Days of Christmas, free with group join)
• Skin: DeeTaleZ, Aurelia (Part of Lelutka’s 12 Days of Christmas, free with group join)
• Hair: Rama Salon, Adora Hair (Part of Lelutka’s 12 Days of Christmas, free with group join)
• Makeup: all from Fontaine, Last Of Us Eyeshadow and SnowDoll cheek, eye, and nose snowflakes
• Lipstick: Velour, Eris Lipstick
• Earrings: Andore, Hey, Xmas is here! (Part of Lelutka’s 12 Days of Christmas, free with group join)
• Pixie Tinselplum is styled on a Maitreya PetiteX body.
• Every single thing except the Kaithleen’s clothing, the DeeTaleZ body skin, and the Maitreya body was either free or purchased at a pre-Christmas sale, proving that this time of year it is absolutely possible to put together a great looking avatar on almost no money. Pixie was portrayed by Avalon Aurelia, my long suffering Alt, who has also been Cherish Gelato and various other nemeses over the years. She already owned the Maitreya body, so this entire ensemble cost under $L500.

Home & Garden (sponsored items denoted with a “*”; items are in photo order)

Inside:

• The House: Linden Home, Fantasy, Treehouse 2, Fairyspell (If you are a Premium or Premium Plus user, take advantage of your Linden Home! Nocturna Needs More Neighbours!)
• That Pesky Doormat: BH9, Ho Rug (Santa, Inc. gift)

Entry:

• Coat Rack with Sign & Candles: Oubliette, Oracle Exclusive Shelf
• Wellies: Apple Fall, West Village Red Wellingtons
• Lit Sweater: Dahlia, Being Home, Lit Sweater
• Tote Bag: Almita, Hanging Tote Bag (Kitty)

Living Area:

• Green sofa and chairs, Purple Rug: Dreadfully Dark, Jewel Chesterfield Sofa and Chair, The Jewel Persian Rug (At The Christmas Event)
• Lamp: Oubliette, Agatha Victorian Lamp
• *Chessboard: Zadig, Chess Board Decor(At The Christmas Event)
• Jar of Wishes: Octubre, Jar of Wishes
• Coffee and Side Tables: Oubliette, Agatha Coffee & Side Table
• Knick Knack Shelf: Kraftwork, Niche Bookshelf
• Snow Globes: Nylon Outfitters, Holiday Cat Snowglobes
• Music Boxes: D-Lab, Holiday Music Boxes
• Penguins: Chronos Mole, Boopies #11, Chilly (with and without hat) (At SL Christmas Expo)
• All other knick knacks are from D-Lab, part of either Alice in Wonderland or Pinocchio

Picture Wall:

• Multi-Photo Hangers: Celeste, Best Of Your Year
• Large Photo of Nocturna and Kara: Kara Nightsong-Ergenthol, Cookie Time!
• Large Photo of Nocturna and (Santa) Patch Linden: Gwen Enchanted. Frame: Oaklynn, Cracked Frame
• *Sideboard: Park Place, Bristol Holiday Cabinet (At The Christmas Event)
• *Candle: Lantian/Flox, Snowflake Candle, Green (At The Christmas Event)
• Tray with Crystal: Foxlore, Celestial Entryway Tray (B&W Photo is of Clara Bow)
• *Town Hall: Little, Big Designs, Town Hall Clock Winter (At The Christmas Event)

Study Area:

• Bookshelves, Rug, Table, & Chairs: Kraftwork+Pitaya, Reading Nook
• Books: Some from Kraftwork set credited above; others from Stormwood, Literati Book Set
• Hanging lights: Vespertine, Twinkle fairylight branch
• Bookshelf Cap Graphic: Gwen Enchanted, Be Sure (Holiday Edition)

The Tree Pixie Hates!

• *Tree: Cerridwen’s Cauldron, Tentacle Holiday Tree, Medium Scale, Black (At Gothmas Market)
• Cthulhu Plushies: Cerridwen’s Cauldron, Shantak & Cthulhu
• Bear Pixie Doesn’t Hate: Patch Linden, Patch Winter Bear 2023
• Growing Present: Wednesday, Haunted December, Haunted Presents
• Adorable Plushie Atop Growing Present: Ancient Mole, Ancient Mole Bear

Kitchen:

• All kitchen fixtures and rugs are from Nutmeg, Countryside Kitchen
• *Wall Hanging (though you can’t really see it) Dreamscapes, Joy frame

Outside:

• *Mouse Carollers: Happy Day! parties, Carole’s Mice Singers and Post Lamp (At The Christmas Event)
• Stepping Stones: Lore, Peppermint Path
• *Snowman: Shutter Field, build a snowman (At The Christmas Event)
• *Plushies With Presents: Cosmos, We can’t wait to open our presents (At The Christmas Event)
• *Tree: Cerridwen’s Cauldron, Tentacle Holiday Tree, Epic Scale, Red (At Gothmas Market)
• *Snowman Wreath: The Dark Fae, Snowman Wreath Red (At The Christmas Event)
• Gazebo: Happy Mood, Gazebo (Winter)
• Giant Baubles: Lore, Giant Lawn Ornaments
• *Cthulhu Wreath: Cerridwen’s Cauldron, HPL Critters, Cthulhu Holiday Wreath (At Santa Inc)