Fiction: Short Murder Story

The body under the Christmas Tree

Found lying among the presents

It was Christmas day and the family was getting ready to go down for breakfast. John’s Mother and grandmother were busily preparing a full Christmas breakfast. The jolly old chap in his red suit had visited the household on Christmas Eve and left a bagful of presents under the Christmas tree of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

The four children were two excited as they got out of bed that Christmas morning. John and his three siblings Jeremy, Anna, and Claudia, had tried to stay awake to meet Santa Claus, but they fell asleep. Robert and Jill, their parents carried them up to bed. The children were still young and still believed in Santa Claus which was rare in this day and age when it is difficult to convince children of anything is real, when they are so immersed in gaming online and the virtual world of avatars.

Everyone was now set to head for the breakfast table. Claudia, the youngest child was too impatient and ran towards the Christmas tree to try and find her gifts. The rest of the family headed towards the sumptuous breakfast laid out in the dining room.

Suddenly, there was a loud shriek, “There is a dead body under the Christmas Tree, daddy!” It was the little girl Claudia who yelled in fear. Robert and Jill, along with the rest of the family rushed into the living room to find the dead body and the murderer sitting beside it. He was looking pleased with himself.

Snowy the large family cat, had found and killed a small mouse and placed his hapless victim with the gifts under the Christmas tree, just beside little Claudia’s gift. It was definitely a Christmas to remember for the whole family that year.