The Gift of Mayhem

Gift 16

The door swooshed behind me. I was drenched. I panted heavily before I slapped away the alligator who was still chewing on my purple cape.

I shook my fur to dry off. Why does he have alligators underneath his lab? I thought.

I sat the gift on the table. I slowly pulled at the red ribbon. The ribbon unfurled with a ruffle. The four sides of the box fell over as if the ribbon was the only thing holding it all together. A small hologram disc sat at what would have been the bottom of the box. It beep-bop-blooped at me before a small image of Brain appeared. He was dressed in white makeup and wearing tattered clothes. Long chains and locks trailed behind him.

"Joel Rover," he said in a spooky voice. I rolled my eyes with a heavy sigh. "You have been sneaking early peeks at your Christmas gifts. For that, over the next three days--"

"Over the next three days? That seems like lazy writing and a cop-out."

"Well, it's not! It's very dramatic and well thought out!"

"Uh-huh."

"Can I continue?"

"Why not."

"You will be visited by three ghosts."

"Three ghosts? Wow, you sure are sparing no expense on these traps! Ghosts don't come cheap."

"I got them on sale. Buy one, get two free. It's sort of a Ghosts of Christmas Package." I nodded in approval. Brain cleared his throat and returned to his ghost voice. "If you don't change your ways, you will be doomed to the same fate as I."

"Rich beyond my wildest dreams for being the inventor behind our modern state of technology?"

Brain stomped his foot. "NO! Now, cut it out!"

"Sorry." I laid my hand over my forehead and pretended to swoon. "Oh please, Brain, do not torture me so. There must be some way to avoid this awful fate."

"Heed the lessons of the ghosts. And don't forget to leave a review for them on YIP." The hologram then shut down.