Under The Mistletoe

A Christmas Package

I take a risk when I buy the ticket and a greater one when I get on the plane. It's been years, ten precisely since I last saw my parents and I feel terrible about it. Each year, I promise to visit, and each year, I fail. But this time, I decide to surprise them and present myself and my luggage at their doorstep like a Christmas package.

With a smile slapped on my face, I knock. My heart thunders in my chest in anticipation. I hear footsteps before the door swings open and I see my parents. My smile turns to tears when I realise how much I've missed them.

My greeting gets an uncertain 'Hi' from my mother, who then asks who I am. I acknowledge how long I've been away and apologise, but she rattles me when she asks who I want to see. I look to my father; he awaits an answer.

I laugh, as I believe it's a joke, but they don't laugh. I ask why the odd treatment towards their daughter, and my mother appears confused. She claims she doesn't know who I am, then apologises and informs me that they're in the middle of dinner with their only child and other family members before she shuts the door in my face.

For a second, I believe that maybe I'm in the wrong house, but I'm sure I'm not. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial both my parents. It goes straight to voicemail. I replace the phone and consider that they might have sold their house to another couple who I confuse as them, but there's no mistaking who those two are.

I avoid all the cameras and go behind the house, then enter through a window leading to the basement. I scoff at the fact that the window is never locked. I remove my shoes and tiptoe upstairs to see this child who has replaced me.

Inside the house hasn't changed a bit, and it's awfully quiet for an ongoing dinner with family. I suddenly feel something is wrong. I get to the dining room and meet no one; not a single casserole is on the table. I duck behind a chair when I hear footsteps approach. Three voices discuss. One affirms that the couple has gotten rid of the visitor at the door, another says that he has secured all the valuables, and the last says he wants no witnesses. I understand what that means and gasp.

When the footsteps fade, I make for my father's study, which is the safest place in the house. I hit a flower vase by accident and watch in horror as it crashes down. As expected, the footsteps rush towards me. I ditch the study and go for the stairs, taking them in twos. The only other way to the study is through my parents' room. It's to the left, at the tail end of the floor, but I don't take it. The bandits might get to me before I get there if I'm not fast enough.

I head in the opposite direction to my room, which connects to my parents' room through a secret passage, but I can't make it there in time either. I divert into another room and barely have the time to completely shut the door. I hide under a couch right before the door creaks open. I hear only one set of footsteps, so I assume the bandits have split up.

Just then, my phone rings in my pocket, and I almost collapse. Firm hands immediately grab my legs and pull me out. I scream my lungs out and claw at the ground. I manage to free one leg once I'm fully out and hit the bandit in the groin. He lets go and bends over while I get up and run. I bump into another bandit by the door, but before he realises what has happened, I push past him and flee.

I enter my room and lock the door, then take a moment to breathe before attending to my phone. Surprisingly, it's my father calling. I end the call, turn off the ringer, and shove the phone back into my pocket. I go through the passage, and from a distance, I hear the bandits trying to tear down my door.

I get to my parents' room, then connect to the study. The main door is wide open, and the security system is deactivated. And there, I thought I had skillfully evaded all the cameras outside. I hurriedly lock the door, then reboot the system. Once it's up, I turn on the cameras and see my parents seated in the library with their mouths taped and hands tied. A bandit holds a phone to his ear and a gun to my father's head. Instinctively, I check my phone, and my father is calling. I answer, and the bandit gives me thirty seconds to surrender, or he kills my father.

I tell him I'm trapped in a passage in my room. Without thinking about it, he leaves the library. When he shuts the door, I lock it remotely. He hears the click and tries the handle. It doesn't open. He says he's coming for me, then hangs up. I call the police at that point.

The bandit runs up the stairs and easily locates my room. He's undoubtedly known to the family. He meets his team and tells them to forget about me, then leads them to the safe room to carry their loot. Once they enter, I lock them in and sigh in relief. I watch them futilely try to break out until the police arrive and arrest them.

Their masks are removed, and my parents identify the leader as an ex-staff. A perfectly planned heist worth billions, foiled by my unplanned visit. My parents are glad. They give me a proper greeting and a deserving hug, then we go in for a special Christmas dinner.