[ WP ] Write a story that starts like a Christmas tale but slowly becomes a Cosmic Horror story .

Jimmy was still awake, and sat upright when he heard a knocking at his door. 
 
 *Could it be Father Christmas? * he thought. *Maybe he wants to thank me for the cookies and milk Mum left for him? * 
 
 “ It ’ s Julie, ” came his sister ’ s voice, and he fell back to bed with a sigh. 
 
 “ What do you want? ” he said, returning to his thoughts of tomorrow ’ s presents. 
 
 “ Are you awake? ” 
 
 He didn ’ t answer. It was late, and he didn ’ t want to be too tired for opening his gifts. 
 
 “ Jimmy, ” she said, louder now. 
 
 “ What?! ” 
 
 “ There ’ s a reindeer outside. ” 
 
 “ What? ” 
 
 “ In the woods, I saw it. It was big. Really big. ” 
 
 “ Shut up. Go to bed. ” 
 
 “ Look out the window. It ’ s there. ” 
 
 Jimmy threw back his covers with a huff and walked to the window. He wanted to prove her wrong quickly so he could go to sleep, but a part of him was a little excited by what he might see. Thick snow covered everything outside. There were no lights on anywhere, but the sky was clear and the moon was bright, so Jimmy could easily see the trees at the border of the woods, across the main road. Sure enough, something was standing there, something on four legs, even bigger than a horse, with a great crown of fuzzy antlers. 
 
 “ See, look there it is, ” said Julie, who ’ d entered silently and now stood with her nose pressed against the glass. 
 
 Jimmy ’ s mouth hung open. He didn ’ t know what to say. *Maybe it ’ s one of Father Christmas ’ that got lost. * 
 
 “ We could give him a carrot, ” his sister said. 
 
 Jimmy made for the door and Julie followed. He found himself grinning at the thought of how grateful the reindeer would be. They tiptoed down the hall, so as not to wake their mum, and then down the stairs to the kitchen. They rummaged in the fridge until they found the biggest, tastiest-looking carrot, and then they were at the front door. Jimmy helped Julie with her coat, her boots, her hat, her scarf, and then her gloves, then hurried into his own. 
 
 The air was crisp and cold, and the only sound was the soft crunch of the hard packed snow under their wellies. They didn ’ t bother looking both ways as they crossed the main road. 
 
 “ Can you see it? ” Julie said, her voice muffled by her green scarf. 
 
 “ Let ’ s just get to the woods. ” 
 
 A lump of snow fell from the branch of a nearby tree with a gentle *thwump* when the two of them approached. 
 
 “ Look, over there. ” 
 
 Jimmy spied it, trotting deeper into the woods. He brandished the carrot like a knife and followed. A faint jingle of bells came from the reindeer with every step it took, drifting through the trees, fuelling Jimmy ’ s excitement, and his theory that this was indeed one of Santa ’ s. 
 
 “ Do you think it ’ s Rudolph? ” 
 
 Jimmy hadn ’ t seen it ’ s face yet, so he couldn ’ t tell. He guessed it was Dasher. Maybe it ’ d be able to tell them when they caught up to it. Absently, Jimmy noticed something scrawled on the trunk of a tree as he passed it. Y ’ JJOTH. It was nonsense, so he ignored it. 
 
 Finally, they came to a open glade, where the trees had parted, and the reindeer had stopped. It had looked big from the window, but now it looked truly massive. It stood motionless before a tall black stone, with its back to them. Something whispered in Jimmy ’ s ear. 
 
 “ Huh? ” 
 
 “ Hmm? ” 
 
 “ Did you say something? ” 
 
 Julie shook her head, she was transfixed. Jimmy took a deep breath and paced towards the giant creature, holding the carrot in front of him. He wanted to see its face, at least, but as he got closer he found himself looking only at the odd, black stone. It seemed very out of place, and had no snow on, or even near it. The grass showed in a wide circle around it, but it was all dead and twisted. The surface of it shimmered and Jimmy heard another whisper in his head, louder this time. *y ’ jjoth* it seemed to say *y ’ jjoth. * All of a sudden, Jimmy felt a nauseating urge to run. To turn away and never look back. He almost didn ’ t realise that the reindeer was now looking at him. 
 
 Somewhere, far away, Julie was screaming. Jimmy wanted to scream too but no sound would come out. The reindeer had no face. There was only an eye. A terrible, unblinking, three-irised eye. He noticed that its antlers were arms. Human arms with reaching, clawing hands. The world seemed to thrum and pulse, and the whispers in his head were now a lunatic choir, wailing with inhuman adulation *Y ’ JJOTH Y ’ JJOTH Y ’ JJOTH Y ’ JJOTH! * The trees swayed and the ground heaved. Jimmy fell to his knees and looked up at an alien sky, where insane constellations of stars shone with sickening light. The reindeer approached, its great eye peering hungrily into his soul. Invisible bells chimed merrily with each step, and Jimmy found, now, that he could scream.
