It was an ornament.
A sphere made out of clear glass.
A hand painted picture of a mouse in a Santa hat curved around the front.
Andrew Neel
But I’d never ordered something like this.
Im usually done shopping long before Halloween, but I havent really been in the holiday spirit lately.
I kept putting off shopping and putting off shopping until a few days ago.
Bought my presents online.
I ordered from the usual places.
I didnt bother opening them when they arrived.
I just left them in a pile of cardboard on my floor.
I sliced pop launch the boxes and felt like a little kid again.
I bought a new set of plush mice for my two cats.
An eye shadow palette for my mother.
An engraved necklace for my sister.
The last package was a strange shape.
More of a lump than a square or rectangle.
When I opened it, steam came out.
I waited for the smoke to fade away and plunged my hand into the package.
There was a thick layer of bubble wrap on top.
The bottom was filled with foam peanuts.
It was an ornament.
A sphere made out of clear glass.
A hand painted picture of a mouse in a Santa hat curved around the front.
But Id never ordered something like this.
I couldnt find anything, so I checked the address label on the box.
It said North Pole.
It stayed there for a day.
Then, this morning, I was in the bathroom when I heard atinkand acrunch.
I thought the cats must have knocked over the ornament.
They must have shattered it.
I stormed into my living room and saw a single piece of glass on the ground.
The ornament was still hanging on the tree by its string, but it was broken in the center.
It looked like a cracked egg.
The other one wasnt anywhere in sight, so I checked the usual hiding spots.
On top of the kitchen cabinets.
Inside their cat tree.
When I checked under my bed, I saw movement.
I figured it was the cat, so I reached my hand underneath.
My hand latched onto something furry, and a second later, I felt teeth.
I wrenched my hand back and saw blood.
Thick, flowing blood.
The top chunk of my finger had come off with the bite.
The flesh from my nail to my knuckle was gone.
It wasnt my cat.
It was some sort of rodent.
I booked it back into the bathroom and locked the door.
Ive been writing all of this from inside the bathroom.
I can hear that… thing… banging up against the door, splintering the wood.
Im hoping the animal control gets here before it breaks through.
Im hoping this will all be a bad memory by Christmas
