An ornately written card. The words, “You’re Invited,” scrawled across it in a script both elegant and yet somehow almost illegible. The only way to tell exactly who sent this was the purple drool that was stained on the edges. This drool was the reason it stuck so perfectly to the mail slot and why it took more than just a simple tug to get it free. The back of the card held only a minimal amount more information. “December 25. My house, bring a side dish. Love, Red.” There wasn’t any other information. A typical Blood Stone Holiday invitation. As the day rolled around the town was abuzz with the typical holiday errands. Purchasing the items for the feast, acquiring the traditional headwear, and even purchasing gifts for friends and family. Oh what a joyous time of year.
Carlyle made his way to Red’s house, on the morning of December 25. He hoped he wasn’t too early, but as he came up on her small dwelling he realized she had already been up for a while. Twinkling lights in the shape of blood stones adorned her home, the inside brightly lit and through the window you could see Speck and Red rushing about finishing last minute things. At least this seemed like a pretty normal holiday so far. Red threw open the door as Carlyle got near, “Happy Blood Stone Holiday!” She said in a sing song-ish tone. Today was a more feminine day for her, her long hair and makeup screamed that. She grabbed his arm pulling him inside. “Since this year is your first Blood Stone Holiday I wanted to make it special!” She said taking his Tupperware of a side dish and putting it in the kitchen. The inside of the house was covered in those same lights, as well as an abundance of small blood stones scattered about in almost random places. Other than that it looked like the house of any other person.
“We’ll start with listening to Cecil’s Blood Stone Carol, OH! You’ll love it, such a great story! Then we’ll do the sacrificial dancing around my outdoor blood stone, and then we can do gifts and dinner!” She says happily. It was strange, Red wasn’t normally quite this excited about things, but the holidays do that to some people. A radio in the corner suddenly grumbled to life. It didn’t look like it had any power, or that it should in any way work – however, the sweet sound of the voice of Night Vale began to fill the room. “OH! He’s starting, come on lets sit,” she says pulling him closer to the radio. “Do you want anything to drink? Milk, water, Blood….Stone punch?” She asks. As Cecil began the story Speck wandered into the room and whimpered. Red looked over to see him covered in blood. “AH! Speck you’re right the hats! Carlyle you’ll love this I had Speck get us new hats!” Speck dropped two bloody, fresh, and slightly sticky animal skulls with some fur still attached into Red’s hands. She put one on and handed the other to Carlyle. “This pleases the Blood Stone, so make sure to wear it proudly!”
Once the carol was done Red gathered some lights and led Carlyle out to the backyard. An extremely large Blood Stone was towering there. “This is my holiday Blood Stone, I think it got bigger this year, last year I could get it through the door……” She explains as she covers it in more lights. With that she began to dance and chant around the object, and as she danced it began to glow – not from the twinkling lights on it but from within. As if her chanting and worship was giving it some sort of ancient power. It was. This went on for some time, and finally exhausted and smiling Red walked over to Carlyle.
“Okay, the Blood Stone is pleased, we can go back inside now.” She leads him back inside, a bit more calm now after all the exercise. “Did you know I invited Old Woman Josie,” she says as she begins to dig out a present from a stack in the corner. “But her angels,” a siren in the distance, a sign from Red, “Her definitely not angels, said they were doing some made up holiday called Crisis, or Crystler….something like that. I was afraid that was going to anger the blood stone, but it doesn’t seem to care….Ah, here it is!” She pulled out a flat package. On top in the same elegant, but not very legible writing was the name Carlyle. “I hope you like it.” Inside was a sweater, with a large spider on the front is such hyper realism that you had to touch it to make sure it wasn’t going to move. “I know you stayed at the Tarantula Motel when you first moved here! So I thought you would like this, it’s made from all natural stuff. I don’t know what, the spiders made it, but they said it’s all natural.”
Finally, the feast. Red’s kitchen was full of food. Strange things, some that appeared to be dripping with blood, others dripping with things that seemed more alarming. Some stuff that seemed almost too mundane like a plate of toast – even though wheat and wheat by products were banned. A box of Big Rico’s Pizza, because no one does a slice like Big Rico…No one, sat on the table. The main dish appeared to be something akin to a ham, but it wasn’t something Carlyle had seen before. All of the food here was enough to make a strong stomached man queasy, and yet Carlyle was not that. The thought of all this food wasn’t sitting well with him. One look at him and Red knew this, she remembered he had said he had a weak stomach. She moved through the trays and containers and pulled out a plate that appeared to be empty. “Or we can just eat this? My mom’s recipe, my favorite holiday food – invisible pie!”
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