Never Fear
the
woods—plagued by devils no more.
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    A FAMILY CHRISTMAS
TERROR
     

CHAPTER 2

     
    “ That was creepy,” Nick
said. “I think I need another doughnut.”
    “ Like you wouldn’t have
had one anyway,” Jack added. “Garbage-can gut.”
    “ Just wait till you’re
older and metabolism catches up to you.” Dan patted his slight
belly. “But these doughnuts are damn good. Is there more coffee?”
He raised his cup and motioned to his wife.
    “ I’ll get it.” Judy stood
up and moved to the kitchen.
    “ Hey, Mom?” Nancy called
out. “I think you should read this next story. It takes place in
Iceland. Didn’t you and Dad go there a few years ago for your
twentieth anniversary? And you’re always saying you’ve got Nordic
blood in you.”
    Judy came back into the room, coffee
pot in hand. “But l have dinner to get started,” Judy
responded.
    “ The turkey’s already
cooking and we’ll all help with everything else. Right guys?” Nancy
glared at her brothers.
    “ Right, right,” the
brothers assured her.
    “ Okay, but just this one
story.” She took the book from Nancy. “I did love Iceland.
Beautiful country. Beautiful people. Remember, Dan?”
    “ Uh huh,” he said. “But
you know what the most beautiful thing I saw was?”
    “ Me?” Judy asked
coquettishly.
    “ Yup,” was his simple
response.
    “ Ewwww!” the twins
chorused. Grandpa chuckled.
    “ Enough reminiscing,
guys,” Jack said. “And I thought the doughnuts were
sweet.”
    Everyone laughed. Then Judy said,
“Here we go. I hope there aren’t too many bad words.”
    “ We’ve heard them before,
Mom,” Jack said.
    She began, “Christmas Terrors In Olde Iceland...”
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHRISTMAS TERRORS IN OLDE ICELAND
     
    LANCE TAUBOLD
     
     
    In ancient Iceland, Christmas began on
December 12 and ended on January 6.
    Their Christmas has many legends.
These legends were told to the children throughout the years to
make them behave. There is one legend that says on Christmas Eve
the animals will be able to talk, but if they are heard by human
ears that person will go mad. Another says that if you do not wear
something new on Christmas, the evil Yuletide Cat will come for you
and eat you, for it means that you have been lazy and have not
earned enough money to purchase something new to wear.
    The Cat is the pet of the hag Grýla
and her troll husband Leppalúdi. They also have thirteen
mischievous children, the Yuletide Lads, who have been known to
visit unsuspecting Icelanders, one each day, beginning December 12,
leading up to Christmas. They come at night, perform their
mischievous deeds, and leave. Their acts are mostly harmless, but
not so those of their mother, the hag Grýla. If she comes to visit,
it is for the most vile of purposes. It is said she will eat the
flesh of bad children and that crying babies are her favorite
delicacy.
    Legends always have some basis in
fact, for where else would they come from? What is truth? What is
legend?
    One Christmas in 13th century Iceland,
on a small farm in the wilderness, Berglind and her family learned
the truth of those legends.
     
    *
     
    “ Do not
eat that!” Berglind, the tall, blond woman said, waving her
flour-covered hand at her eight-year-old daughter. “They are for
later. You are such a bad child, Lilja. Grýla the hag will come and
eat you ,
you naughty child. How many times must I tell you?”
    “ No, Mama, please do not
say that.” Lilja’s eyes filled. “I will be good. I
promise.”
    “ Remember what happened to
the neighbor boy, Gunnthór; all that was left were his
shoes.”
    “ Did that really happen,
Mama? Leifur said it was wolves.” The girl made small trails with
her floured finger in the stone around the oven.
    “ Your
brother is a bad child also… and a liar. Why are you
two and Magnús such bad children? Why do I try? I hate Christmas.
Only bad things happen.” She put the next batch of
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