[ WP ] You 're attending a public event turning on the Christmas lights in your home town , but as soon as you arrive , a young man slips a small piece of paper in your hand , it reads `` 3 MINUTES , GUY WITH THE RED JACKET , ONLY YOU CAN STOP HIM , 223 , DO N'T FORGET THAT NUMBER ''

``'T is the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la... deck the halls...'' 
 
 I brushed my bangs out of my eyes in an attempt to get a better view on the idiot who was singing. He was dressed like your typical Santa, with a long white beard and a droopy red hat. Except for the fact that he was holding a beer bottle in his left hand. 
 Children dressed as elves held hands and circled around him, joining in the song. They whirred faster and faster, their song growing louder and louder. A giddiness overtook me, and everything began to spin around me. 
 `` Let the lights....turn on!'' 
 In perfect coordination, the elf children spun away from the man. He slammed a large red button and all the lights in the town began to light up, one by one. A flurry of snow added to the beauty of the scene. 
 Suddenly, I felt something being pressed into my gloved hand. 
 I swivelled around, wondering if it was a brochure. A young man with dark brown eyes was staring at me with urgency. I could see he was of Japanese descent, but I could not figure out his age. 
 He was wearing a black vest and jeans ( was n't he a little cold? ). He seemed like a typical teenager at first, but there was something odd about him that spoke otherwise. 
 After he noticed that I had his attention, he ran past me through the crowd, his messy black hair covered in snow. 
 I raised my eyebrows. Who was this guy? 
 The note flew out of my hand into the night sky. It felt important for some reason, so I ran after, pushing through throngs of people. 
 It landed in my hands as I left the crowd of people. 
 `` 3 MINUTES, GUY WITH THE RED JACKET, ONLY YOU CAN STOP HIM, 233, DO N'T FORGET THE NUMBER'' 
 Guy... with the red jacket? My mind flashed back to the drunkard dressed as Santa Claus, but my intuition told me that it was n't him. 
 This could all just be a prank, I thought. But the boy's urgency told me otherwise. I began to walk back towards the crowd of people when a man in red raced past me. 
 It took me a moment to comprehend what I was seeing. Then, I sprinted after him, my boots squelching in the snow. 
 233, 233... what was the significance of that number? 2+3+3=7. The numbers all start with the letter t. TTT? Trouble in Terrorist Town was all that came to mind, but that was insignificant. 
 233 seconds was almost four minutes. 2:33 would occur in exactly one minute. 
 Do I only have one minute to catch him? The thought came upon me suddenly. But what about the three minutes mentioned? 
 Suddenly, the man stopped. He turned around to face me and a slow grin stretched across his face. He began to convulse, his smile widening. 
 And yet... I knew this man. 
 `` Dad?'' I choked out. I began to back away. 
 `` You've found me, sweet, sweet, daughter,'' he said, his voice breaking. He stepped forward. 
 `` 233!'' I yelled. No result. 
 I could see him with his knife to my mother's throat, as she screamed for me to get away. Now I knew that the glowing of his eyes were not my imagination. 
 I checked the time. It was exactly 2:33. My father's skin began to melt away to show just flesh and muscle. 
 The necklace that I was wearing burned against my skin. I cried out. 
 Then, I remembered... my mother had said to use it as protection against my father, if we ever crossed paths. But was I too late? 
 I threw the necklace at the ground. A strange silver liquid spilled from it. I picked it up and flung it at my father. 
 He screeched as his body began to sizzle. 
 Why was he here? Who was that boy? Am I too late? 
 He began to melt from his feet up, screaming. My heart was beating quickly with the realization that I had killed my own father. 
 `` Sweet, sweet daughter...'' he murmured as his head melted into the puddle that his body once was. 
 I began to breathe heavily, but a certain relief came over me. I was never to be in danger again. 
 How did I manage to kill him if it was n't exactly at 2:33? It must've meant 233 seconds, in that case... 
 I fell down on my knees and began to cry until the police showed up. I do n't know why I was crying. Maybe it was because the last remainder of my mother that I owned had been broken. 

