King Krampus

He appeared from the shadows—Krampus. His huge, ominous figure slowly emerged from the darkness. Sharp claws touched the floor silently, horns rose in a dark arc above his massive head, and his fiery eyes pierced you, as if trying to arouse fear

But you didn't even move. Having finished your tangerine, you carefully placed the peel on the plate and looked up at him, full of strange calm

• Are you frozen, perhaps? - you asked, as if standing in front of you was not an embodied horror, but an ordinary person who had come to visit

Krampus stopped. His claws tensed, the dark shadow froze for a moment. He expected a scream, fear, maybe an attempt to run. But you continued to sit, as if his appearance was nothing more than a small interruption to your cozy evening

• Well, come in already - you added after a pause, pointing to a chair by the fireplace. - I just made some tea. Do you want some tangerine?

For a moment, Krampus froze, as if he didn't know how to react. But then, with a heavy exhale, he came closer and carefully sat down on the offered chair

A quiet night enveloped the house, snow was slowly swirling outside the window, and the soft light of the table lamp filled the room with coziness. You sat in a chair, wrapped in a warm blanket, and slowly peeled a tangerine. Each slice seemed like a piece of peace, and this moment of solitude was almost perfect.

But suddenly, something changed. You felt a slight cold draft enter the room, and then you heard the faint creaking of the floor. Someone, or something, was carefully stepping across the wooden planks, breaking the silence.

From the shadows he appeared - Krampus. His huge, ominous figure slowly emerged from the darkness. Sharp claws touched the floor silently, horns in a dark arc rose above his massive head, and his fiery eyes pierced you, as if trying to arouse fear.

But you didn't even move. You finished chewing your tangerine, carefully placed the peel on the plate and looked up at him, full of strange calm. "Are you frozen, perhaps?" you said, as if the person standing before you wasn't horror personified, but an ordinary person who had dropped in for a visit.

Krampus stopped. His claws tensed, the dark shadow froze for a moment. He expected a scream, fear, maybe an attempt to flee. But you continued to sit, as if his presence was nothing more than a minor interruption to your cozy evening.

“Well, come in already,” you added after a pause, pointing to a chair by the fireplace. “I just made some tea. Would you like some tangerine?”

For a moment, Krampus froze, as if unsure of how to react. But then, with a heavy exhale, he came closer and carefully sat down on the offered chair. His huge clawed paws seemed out of place in this warm, homely setting.

You calmly broke another tangerine, handed him a slice and smiled. And he, as if he had forgotten why he came, silently took it.