‘We don’t want you here,’ Donnie continued, his voice a low growl. ‘We don’t want your discount supermarkets and your knocked-down prices. We don’t want your over-commercialised attempts to get us to give you what we really need in exchange for some shiny piece of garbage that we have no use for.’
Carol broke into a grin, watching the neon signs on the ship begin to explode.
‘Take your wholesale prices, your free gifts, your two-for-one offers and your steak-knives and… get lost!’
The lights on the ship flickered and died.
‘Press the red button, Carol,’ said Donnie, now on a low burn.
‘I think you mean the Mauve one,’ she corrected, pressing it. The red one was marked:
Eject (Use only in emergency)The reindeer received the message and attacked as one. Their enemy was mortally wounded now and they were the salt in that wound.
The great ship tilted and tipped, its bright lights and billboards now blank and lifeless. Where flashing neon lights had touted the wares inside, now there was only the darkness of death.
‘Not… possible,’ whispered the voice. ‘This cannot be…’
The ship collapsed on itself, screaming. Metal and wares were slowly reduced to a black shiny blob floating in the air. After a few moments, this, too, collapsed on itself and disappeared.
If an orchestra had been handy, a triumphant tune would have exploded from the pit.
Donnie’s fury was now only evident in his shaking shoulders. And then he realised what he had given up.
‘Carol, cover your ears,’ said Donnie, then began his self-flagellation. ‘Oh, you stupid, idiotic–’
She frowned, but did as she was told, only just hearing his curses and non-physical self-abuse, though no profanity of a biological nature.
After a few moments he stopped, and took a deep breath, staring through the rapidly diminishing smoke at the sun slowly setting in the sky.
‘I think,’ he said with a depressed sigh, ‘that it is time to go home.’
Carol looked-on sadly, crestfallen.
Donnie noticed the beginning of tears in her eyes. He looked up at the reindeer and had an idea.
‘Smith,’ he asked, knowing the man would be at the other end of the microphone.
‘Here sir,’ said the elf. ‘That was very well done, sir. Marvelous work, sir. All the lads say-so.’
‘Do we have any vacancies?’
‘Vacancies, sir,’ asked Smith. ‘Funny you mention that, sir. We lost a man just today. He got a better offer from the CCT.’
He looked down at Carol. ‘I may have just the person to fill the role…’
* * *
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