No Such Thing as Dasher by Juli D. Revezzo

Author:Juli D. Revezzo
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: pagan gods, forest guard, pagan fantasy, christmas kiss, fantasy ebooks, tales folk, fairy court, xmas romance, fantasy gods

Christmas lights drenched the two-story house. Yes, indeed, dad set the obnoxious Santa up. But Avery was happy to see the lights on. After her odd night, home was welcome.

With the death investigation in motion, and her own accident and disciplinary troubles logged into the department files, she needed a semblance of normalcy.

A wicker Easter basket, decorated with red and green plaid bows, waited at the bottom of the steps, on its side. One lone dog biscuit sat at the bottom.

Dad answered the doorbell’s chime. His dark red and green-striped sweater stood out against the white of the staircase and carpet. He welcomed her with a hug. “Head into the kitchen, sweetie. Mom’s heating up dinner for you. What happened to your head?”

Welcome central heating hummed from vents in their popcorn ceiling. A tall white, plastic Christmas tree stood before the window, lit up with blue and white twinkling lights. A red and green knitted blanket draped across the navy blue upholstered couch. Greeting cards stood on the top of the stereo, the television, and tucked into the frame of the family pictures. Carols played from the stereo. Dad whistled along to one, a hand on her back. The protective touch soothed her.

“I see the neighborhood dogs got here earlier,” Avery said. Sliding out of a coat sleeve, she jerked a thumb toward the door. She frowned when she saw the small tear in the collar of her turtleneck shirt. From the glass when she went through? No, more likely, like the cut on her cheek, this happened when it shattered.

She silently thanked her furry savior. Her night would be much different if her head bashed through the glass.

Still, Dasher, did you have to dart in front of me? Why didn’t you wait six seconds to cross the street?

The more Avery thought about the reindeer, the angrier she grew with herself. Who else to blame? The reindeer’s forefathers hadn’t decided to bring civilization right up into her front yard.

Dad took her coat and gloves and set them on the edge of the couch. “As usual.” His soft fingers brushed over the bandage taped on her forehead. Concern lit his eyes. “What kind of night have you been having?”

“A pretty mild one, all told.” She exaggerated, but then, she’d seen worse than the wreck she had.

“Anything I should worry about?”

“No, Dad. I’m fine.” He fussed over her for a moment, the Santa hat slipping to reveal a hint of his balding head. She smiled as she settled it back into place. “I’ve had a strange night, but I’ll be all right.”

She would say no more. How could she explain the death she’d investigated, or her own accident and its weird aftermath?

The scents of bread stuffing, of savory turkey and gravy, of sweet pies filled the air. They found her mother pulling a plate of cut turkey, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole from the microwave. Plump at fifty-one and fighting every pound, she still cooked too much for her family. A Santa Claus in his sleigh decorated the plate.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.