End of Dilution

Once upon a December there was a Christmas tree ornament, now, you probably never heard of a   Christmas ornament that has a story, well it’s because all ornaments have faces and thin arms hidden from your eyes they even  move around the Christmas tree using there hanging strings. The ornament of this story is called Kringleberry, who was hanged on the top of the bottom third  of the Christmas tree.

Kringleberry had a problem, he was a snart ornament. Snart ornaments are ornaments whose color value doesn’t match the color they were assigned at production. In Kringleberry’s case he was a red ornament but he feels like a green ornament trapped in a red ornament’s body. He was depressed and anxious all the time due to his condition. There was this one afternoon that changed his life. In this after noon a red ornament climbed up to him and said”hey, did you hear. The red ornament community is throwing a lottery game and the winner will go to Starhime”.

-”What is Starhime ?” asked Kringleberry

-“It’s the place where the Christmas Star can be found.” Answered  the green ornament. “You know, it’s the star that could grant one wish to only one person on Christmas Eve.”

When Kringleberry herd about this star he knew he could solve his problem once and for all by wishing to become a red ornament. The following day Kringleberry enrolled in the lottery. The game rules were simple each participant had to take a random paper in this paper there was a number after all participants had there numbers and then a stocking (the fire place was facing the Christmas tree)  who’ll call out a random number between one to 14 since there  are 14 participants. Kringleberry had number six, he was very nervous.” Behold gentle participants, the moment you’ve been waiting for, the stocking will now pick a number.” Said the ornament running the lottery. “Ok I think I’ll go with ahh mhh maybe number fou.. no no no uh Number ssss… “hawed the stocking but when she said “ssss” Kringleberry got excited since he was number six “I’m going to win” he thought   “ssssssseven” said the stocking. Kringleberry felt like he’s heart was eating it’s self and that his stomach was burning he couldn’t believe it he lost “Yes! I won, I won, in your faces, losers” said a drum ornament who had number seven. Unfortunately his victorious celebration didn’t last so long as a few minutes later a present ornament fell from the top third of the tree on him pushing him from the entire tree. “Ahhhh, the end of the universe!” Screamed the drum ornament. “Well gentle participants it appears our winner tragically met his end in a dominos accident” said the ornament running the lottery “according to the game rules if the winner could not have his price than the price would go to who ever got the number that is right before the winner’s number. Please pay attention may we have our new winner number six!”

Kringleberry could not believe it, it  was as if his heart was born again and his stomach was in a spa, although ornamental don’t have organs so Kringleberry has a weird imagination. “I got number six!” Shouted Kringleberry “Well then you will go inside this Christmas Bauble Bus that will take you there” said the ornament running the lottery.

Kringleberry waited inside the windowless bus, he kept thinking how would he wish himself out of his snart misery until he suddenly felt like the bus stopped. Kringleberry was terrified,suddenly the bus was opened. There was the miss fit gang: a broken candy cane,a mushroom ornament and a pickle ornament. “We are going to Starhime y’stupid tomato” said the mushroom, “don’t talk with out my permission” said the pickle “Get out of here, red ornament” “Hey what is the problem with red ornaments!” Asked the broken candy cane, “I hate red ornaments, they make me want to barf” said the pickle ornament. The broken candy cane was not pleased since he was technologically also a red ornaments, “Well I don’t want to go to Starhime with you, boss” said the Candy-cane  ornament “well you’re no longuere my boss” “Ok, merry Christmas, you red ornaments” said the pickle in a low voice. The pickle and the mushroom ornaments took the bus and went on there way,

- “What now, genius” cried Kringleberry

-“Oh hi fellow red ornament” said the broken candy cane “my name is Keller, listen we’re both red ornaments and red ornaments look out for each other. We will find our way to Starhime before those vegetables”

- “gotta plan, …fellow red ornament?” said Kringleberry irritated,

-“No I don’t have an idea but I will have one in the distant future” replied Keller.

The two ornaments spent the afternoon plotting and thinking but unfortunately

they didn’t have any ideas until Kringleberry got one “how about we go to… the heart of the tree!” Said Kringleberry, Keller agreed “yah red ornaments always find a way!” He cried. The two ornaments moved, moved and moved. The more they moved the more it got darker and scarier. ”Maybe I..I.. it was a bad idea?” asked Keller “nah, the road might be scary” said Kringleberry “but… Ahhh” Kringleberry screamed because he thought he saw a dog (all ornaments are scared of dogs) “maybe it was a bad idea but we got too far to stop now” they continued walking until they found the heart of the tree. The heart of the tree was a dark, immense, shining straw shaped tube. ”When we get inside the heart we will go to Starhime in seconds” said Kringleberry “how will we get inside?” Asked Keller. As Kringleberry started to think a nutcracker arose from the darkness of the heart of the tree and said “hey! You’re not supposed to be here!” and an army of nutcrackers  suddenly appeared behind him. Kringleberry remarked that the nutcracker prince had a key tied to his belt, Kringleberry whispered to Keller “grab the key” and then held him as a stick and poked the nutcracker prince.

“Present arm” shouted the nutcracker prince “too late” Kringleberry responded

with the key in his hands. When Kringleberry poked The nutcracker prince using Keller, Keller stole the key. “Later, losers!” Keller cried when he was quickly closing the door behind him and Kringle. The two ornaments were flying inside the heart of the tree ”Ok maybe it would take minutes” Kringleberry said “got any stories to tell?” “Yah when I was young I wanted to be a gingerbread man instead of a candy cane” Keller said “l would absorb the magic out of my life because I was a candy cane, I thought that the reason life was hard was because I can’t become a gingerbread man but after years I learned that it wasn’t because of that… it was because I didn’t accept my self and trust me life was way better when I felt like a complete candy cane. There was this one time where a Santa Claus ornament told me that he could change me to any other ornament. I told him I want to stay the way I am” “I don’t understand, you could have solved all your problems” Kringleberry said “If I became I ginger bread man, it would have never solved my problems,” Keller said “I would have had more problems because I’m not a ginger bread man, I was made a candy can and I spend my entire life as a candy cane being a candy cane is part of my identity changing that would have shattered my emotions. Well it looks like we reached the top of the tree, looks like red ornament can do the job, right?” “yah I’m excited” Kringleberry replied to Keller in a sad tone. When Keller and Kringleberry walked up they were met with the most beautiful star of all the holiday cheer, it felt like the star produced more light than an entire galaxy, suddenly an echoing voice surrounded by the Christmas’s hymn and the chanting of the lights said “What wish may I serve for this Christmas Eve,Eve,Eve”. “Well, the floor is yours” Keller said in a reassuring tone “but you don’t have a wish to wish” Kringleberry asked  “I’m a Christmas ornament I don’t have a lot to wish for” Keller said “I’m just glad we proved ourselves as red ornaments and I made a new friend”. Kringleberry walked to the star and said “I wish Keller was no longer broken” then he whispered to himself “I am a red ornament, I accept that now, and I see my worth.” Suddenly everything Keller and Kringleberry could see was white, due to the light and all they could haer is Christmas caroling until the light was reduced revealing the wish. Keller was no longer broken and Kringleberry was  unconscious “What’s wrong with him!?” Keller asked “Your friend was possessed by the spirit of the snart, snart, snart, and now the spirit  is getting out,out,out.” Said the star. A purple smoke started to come out of Kringleberry and an ugly red horned creature came out of the smoke. ”You’re the spirit of the snart?” Keller asked “There will not be a chat with this monster on this Christmas Eve,Eve,Eve.” The star zapped the creature with the light that she carried.

”Wha…what happened?” Kringleberry asked “your a happy red ornament” Keller replied.

Keller thanked Kringleberry for sacrificing his wish to heal him and asked “but you could have wished for anything, why heal me?” So Kringleberry replied “I realized, I don’t need anything more than I already have, I am proud of who I am, and that you are now my friend.  Merry Christmas, buddy”. Keller hugged him and said “Merry Christmas, my friend and thank you again”. Kringleberry said “No, thank you, for showing me the truth”.

When Keller and Kringleberry were observing the fire place from the greatest view of the tree they relised a bus was parking behind them, from the bus came out non other than the pickle and mushroom ornaments from earlier “you… how?” said the pickle “Have a happy new year, vegetables” Keller said in a low voice while chuckling with his friend.

                                           The end

Kringle bells, Kringle bells, red all this time. Oh what fun is it to slide on the heart  of a Christmas tree oh.

Omar Sohail Mayada