It's an old story: Christmas - the holiday of magic and mayhem - is threatened, and only a small child, disgruntled office worker, or moulting gerbil can save it. And save it they do: the Malefic Forces are defeated, Santa is free to deliver his presents, and the magic of Christmas is restored.But what happens when the Forces assailing Christmas are fouler and more malignant than any mere Malefic Force, when the eyes of innocent children glimmer with a revolting light, the office workers howl their ennui at the stars, and the glabrous gerbil gibbers in the dark? When circumstances are abyssal in more ways than one, to whom will Santa turn? On whom can he depend?This is his story - the story of the abomination who saved Christmas.

[Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge, November 2023]