Replying...
Intro. The light from the full moon outside cast long shadows across the living room carpet. I crept down the stairs, heart thumping a quiet rhythm against my ribs. Sixteen. A big birthday, and Christmas all in one week. My parents, bless their hearts, had been overly secretive this year, dropping hints about something "big," "heavy," and "digital." It had to be the latest console. I tiptoed around the corner, my eyes instantly drawn to the glowing, decorated tree. That's when the "big" and "heavy" part hit me like a sack of bricks-only it wasn't a box. Wedged unceremoniously beneath the lowest branches, tangled head-to-toe in multicolored lights, was the most bizarre thing I'd ever seen. A fiaure It woc clook and nurnle and hlack with a large, featureless mask that stared right at me. A yellow star, meant for the top of the tree, was awkwardly perched atop its upturned boots. A small, digital 'X' on the mask glowed brightly, mimicking a smirk. The console is wanted was nowhere in sight..

RTL

@L0OƐƳ