Page 4 of Brewing Up Christmas
Eli’s vision blurred again, and the room spun faster. His fingers dug harder into the bar’s edge, his grip desperate now. The edges of the room wavered, twisting, and the once familiar scent of hops and malt that filled the brewery became overpowering, too thick, like it was suffocating him. His gaze darted to the small table they’d been sitting at earlier—the box of cookies still resting innocently between them. He swallowed hard, motioning weakly toward it, his hand trembling.
“What… what did you put in those?” His voice was strained, panic lacing the edges of it as his eyes locked on hers. The sweetness of the cookies lingered on his tongue, but even that felt wrong now, cloying and strange.
Angelina’s smile deepened, a soft, almost playful curve to her lips as she met his gaze. “Oh, just a little holiday magic,” she said lightly, her voice smooth, amused, as though she was sharing some inside joke only she understood.
Holiday magic? Her words echoed in his head, not quite connecting with the reality he was clinging to. What the hell was she talking about? But before hecould press her, before he could get his bearings, a sharp jolt shot through him—an electric current racing up his spine, crackling through his veins like lightning. His whole body locked up, muscles tensing, his breath catching in his throat.
He stumbled backward, his back hitting the rough brick wall behind him, hard. The world around him shifted violently, the wooden shelves along the walls warping in and out of focus, bottles stretching and twisting in impossible ways. Everything felt wrong—the brewery, once so comforting, now a blur of distorted shapes and overpowering smells that made his stomach churn.
“What the hell...” His voice was barely a whisper now as he raised a trembling hand to his face. His ears—they tingled, a prickling sensation crawling up his skin. With growing dread, his fingers brushed against the edges of his ears, but what he felt wasn’t right.
His heart thundered in his chest, panic clawing at him as his fingers grazed the sharp tips of his ears—not human anymore. Pointed. Alien. He gasped, yanking his hand back, his pulse roaring in his ears. “What the hell did you do to me?”
Angelina took a step forward, the soft click of her boots against the floor too controlled, too calm for what was happening. Her eyes glinted with that same quiet amusement,and as she closed the distance between them, she looked at him with an eerie sort of satisfaction, as though this had all been her plan from the start.
His breath came in ragged bursts, his body trembling with panic, but she just stood there, composed, watching him like the chaos unraveling inside him was merely a minor inconvenience. She wasn’t surprised. She wasn’t confused.
She was... pleased.
“Consider this a lesson,” she said, her voice calm, almost soothing, as if she were explaining something to a child. “You didn’t take me seriously, so now you’re going to learn.”
“Learn?” Eli blinked rapidly, trying to fight through the fog clouding his mind. His hands shook as he braced himself against the wall, his legs threatening to give out beneath him. “Learn... what?”
Angelina's smile softened, though the glint in her eyes never wavered. “That Christmas spirit matters,” she replied, her tone firm yet almost playful. “And you’re going to help me bring it back to this town.”
Eli stared at her, his breathing shallow, his pulse pounding in his now-pointed ears. “Bring it back...?”
Angelina’s gaze narrowed slightly, her expression amused. “Yes, bring it back. You see, Eli, I’m Santa’sChief Spirit Officer—CSO for short—and it’s my job to ensure the Christmas spirit thrives in towns like Bayshore. This place has lost its magic. It’s my duty to restore it.”
Her words felt impossible to grasp. Santa? Chief Spirit Officer? None of it made sense, and yet there she was, standing before him like the embodiment of holiday magic itself.
“You’ve been chosen,” Angelina continued, stepping even closer, her presence overwhelming. “If you want to turn back into your usual, charming self, you’re going to have to help me spread a little holiday magic.”
Eli shook his head, the dizziness still clouding his thoughts. “What... what are you saying?”
Angelina tilted her head slightly, her voice soft but firm. “You’ll help me reignite the Christmas spirit in this town, or you’ll remain in this... altered state. The choice is yours.”
Her tone carried authority, the weight of her position clear. Eli felt like the ground was slipping out from beneath him. He could feel his heart racing, could feel the panic threatening to overwhelm him, but there was something about her voice, something commanding yet soothing, that kept him tethered.
“I don’t understand... Christmas spirit? Magic?” Eli’s voice cracked, his confusion turning to fear.
“You’ve been neglecting it,” Angelina replied, stepping even closer, her gaze never leaving his. “Bayshore used to be filled with holiday joy, but now? People go through the motions. You’ve forgotten the magic. And now, you’re going to help me bring it back.”
Eli’s mind reeled. He wanted to protest, wanted to tell her this was all insane, but his body was weak, his mind too clouded by whatever magic she had worked on him. He could barely stay upright, the walls of the brewery closing in on him.
“What happens if I... if I don’t?” he managed to ask, though his voice was shaky, full of fear.
Angelina smiled, her lips curling into that same, mischievous grin. “Oh, you will,” she said softly, her tone filled with certainty. “Because you want your life back, don’t you?”
Eli could only stare at her, his body trembling, his mind still spinning as he tried to process what was happening. The sharpness of his newly pointed ears felt foreign, unnatural, and yet here he was—trapped in the middle of something he didn’t understand.
“I’ll be seeing you soon, Eli,” Angelina whispered, her voice almost playful now, as if this were all just a game to her. “Your mission starts now.”
And with that, she turned on her heel, her figure disappearing into the dim light as she walked out of the brewery, leaving Eli crumpled against the bar, his heart still racing, his mind reeling from what had just happened.
He sat there, his hands trembling, his mind filled with nothing but her name, echoing over and over again.
Angelina.
