“So do you like Home alone one or two better?”
“Hmmm?” I swallowed my sip of beer before setting it down.
“You know, that movie. Kid gets left home alone and booby traps his home to take down the wet bandits.”
It was an odd question but not the worst I’ve ever heard on a first date. We recently met on a dating website.
“Umm. I like the first one best probably.”
Noel smiled at me and had eyes full of eagerness.
“Well, both movies are iconic, don’t get me wrong. I also think John Williams is the greatest when it comes to making soundtracks. I just love the first one more for the story itself. Both also have very quotable lines.”
“Get out of here you noisy little pervert, before I slap you silly.” She let out such a joyful chuckle. She asked again.
“So what is your favorite Christmas movie? Mine is probably Jingle all the way or Miracle.”
“A Christmas story is mine.” She nodded and seemed so happy after that answer
“Most people say Elf or National Lampoons.”
“I just have fond memories of watching Ralphie shooting those burglars in that ridiculously shiny cowboy outfit.”
Noelle was a pretty girl with brown eyes and dark hair. We met recently on a dating website and decided to have dinner. We spent the next hour talking about our careers, hobbies, and other things. She smiled at me after finishing her cocktail.
“So would you like to ride back to my home and we watch a movie?”
The ride back to her home was fairly quiet. She kissed me a couple of times in the car while the uber driver was getting us to our destination.
We walked into her tiny brick home and she flickered on the lights and I was surprised. The house was filled with Christmas decorations. She had three different Christmas trees. She had garlands and mistletoe. It just felt so weird to see this stuff on the middle of June.
“Go ahead and pick a movie. I’m gonna put some cookies in the oven and make some of my famous, homemade hot chocolate.”
I felt really weird out. It wasn’t the worst date I’ve been on but it’s been really strange.
She had a pile of dvds under her tv. All of the movies were Christmas movies and tv shows of all genres. I grabbed the copy of Die Hard.
‘Just get yourself through this date and you’ll be alright.’
I heard a tiny pinging sound. The faintest sound of someone tapping on glass. I noticed a snow globe next to the dvd stack.
‘Surely that wasn’t the noise.’
Ping. Ping….ping.
I picked up the globe and my I felt a cold shiver creep up my back. There was a little man moving inside the globe. He was trying to talk to me but I couldn’t understand what he was saying.
I thought about making a run after setting the globe down. I walked back towards the couch and Noelle creeped back into the living room with two whimsical mugs with whipped cream stacked at the top.
“The cookies should be done in about ten minutes.” She was changed out of her green dress into Christmas plaid pajamas.
“You weren’t leaving, were you?”
“No, no. I was trying to find the bathroom.”
“Oh silly boy, it’s the first door to the left down the hall. Try this coco first.”
I took a gulp of it and it was heavenly. It was so warm and frothy. It put a weird feeling in my stomach like when you would wake your parents up on Christmas as a child to see what Santa brought.
“Noelle, that’s amazing.” She crept up and kissed me.
I walked to the bathroom and tried to figure out if I was going to escape or just make it through the night.
There was another globe in the bathroom. It had a tiny train in the middle on tracks but there again was a tiny man standing on it and waving his hands at me. I couldn’t hear him if he was talking.
I had to get out of there. There wasn’t any windows in the bathroom. I then noticed I must have left my phone on the couch stand. I started to feel drowsy.
I walked out and she motioned for me to sit on the couch as I staggered to her. She sat down a wrapped box on my lap.
“I’ve had a great date with you so far. I got this present for you just in case it went so well.”
“I don’t feel so good.”
“Silly boy, I’ll make you feel much better soon. The movie is about to start.”
I opened up the box and froze. It was an empty snow globe.
“It’s your new home.” Everything went blank.
I woke up with lights strung around my body, I couldn’t move. I tried to take in my surroundings. I was in a bedroom, Noelles bedroom. My vision was still somewhat blurry.
She closed the bedroom door and walked up to me.
“I see you’re up.”
All I could slur out of me was “why?”
She was naked and had body paint over her body with strange symbols.
“We really had a great date and I really think you’re a great guy. I figured nothing would be better than to see you every morning when I wake up. Your home will be on my nightstand.”
“This….isn’t right”
“Why not? You’ll get to enjoy Christmas daily and I’ll be here with you all the time.”
“How many of these globes are there?”
“More than you think.”
“But…we could have been together as a legit couple.”
“That’s what the last few said too!”
She began chanting in a language I’ve never heard of and she stopped.
Meow.
“Get out of here, snowball!” I looked as a white cat shuffled out of the room. She continued.
I don’t remember much besides being sleepy. But I remember waking up and trying to make a run…tap. I ran the opposite way and it happened again. I realized I was a prisoner.
I watched her as she slept and when she was in her room. She kissed the globe every night and tried talking, though I couldn’t hear her.
Days go by and I began to lose hope. Suddenly there was a crash.
I was on the ground with shattered glass and liquid all around me. I became full sized and began looked up at the night stand.
Meow.
“Thank you so much, snowball. How about you come home with me? she might go crazy if she seen this.”
I scooped up the cat and asked her Alexa to tell me the time. She was still going to be at work another hour.
I knocked down every other snow globe I seen on my way out, which was fifteen. Those men did the same thing I did, run away without looking back.
I knew I couldn’t tell the cops, they wouldn’t believe me. I don’t think anyone would but maybe some of you.
What’s bad is I received a message from her a few minutes ago that sent shivers up my back, and I need help.
“Hey you, I noticed you aren’t In your new home anymore. You’re not the only one, but there’s still a couple more here at least. I’m asking nicely that you come back. Also, if you are the one that took my cat, please return him as well.”
I didn’t respond and she sent one more message seven minutes later.
“Okay, okay. I get why this feels weird. But if you don’t come to me, I’ll come to you. Love, your whimsical wifey.”