The 12 Insane Days of Christmas

I was too on edge to do much of anything. I sat in the living room, just staring at the TV for a while. A bit later, I felt I needed to take a shower and relax under the hot water. It felt good and helped a little, but there was still some tension. I went back downstairs, intending to finish cleaning up the kitchen, but I stopped as I got to the table. Sitting there was the box I had just thrown in the garbage earlier.

I ran to check the door, and it was locked. I went back and looked at the box. It was the same box I had tossed away. I opened it carefully, not knowing what to expect. Inside were 10 cupcakes. They were frosted with red and green swirls to look like candy canes. The note said 10 Delicious cakes just as delicious as you. I baked them just for you.

I dropped to my knees and backed against the wall. I was scared and alone. Somehow, John or someone, whoever it was had gotten that box from the garbage and put it on that table. I was still huddled against that wall, cradling my knees, when my daughter came home an hour later.

She must have been calling my name and shaking me for at least 5 minutes before I noticed her. "Mom...Mom...."

I finally looked up at her. I think she saw the fear in my eyes. "Mom, what happened to you?" I just pointed to the box on the table. The note was still sitting next to it.

I tried to talk, but my mouth felt like the Sahara Desert. "I...I never even opened the box. Just... in...garbage outside. Now it's just there..."

Amy sat next to me on the floor and put her arms around me. She just sat there holding me. We sat together for another 45 minutes until Jim came home.

"I'm home!" Jim yelled out.

"Dad, in here," said Amy.

Jim came around the corner and saw us huddled on the floor and looked worried.

"What happened?" He asked.

"The box Dad. On the table," said Amy.

"Not another one," he said. "This is getting ridiculous."

"From what I could get out of Mom, she said she threw the box in the garbage by the garage, and never even looked at it. Later she came back to the kitchen, and it was just sitting on the table."

Jim knelt beside me. "Darling, did you talk to the police today?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, they took the other boxes and said they would check them for prints and things in the lab. This one arrived after they had left. It was just sitting on the front steps." I also told him everything about John and how I thought it could be him. I told him the Detective said he would be looked into. Jim was looking very angry like he wanted to go on a killing spree.

"Amy, help your mother upstairs. Sweetheart, why don't you lie down for a while? I'll get a hold of the police about this."

I just nodded my head and Amy helped me stand up. My legs and knees were stiff from sitting in that position for so long. When I got to my room, I hugged my daughter and just clung to her. "Thank you, baby."

"You're welcome, Mom. I love you. Try to get some rest."

"I love you too, baby," I told her.

I lay in bed, and before I realized it, I was fast asleep. Amy woke me up telling me she had made supper for us. I smiled up at her. "Thank you, baby. I'm so proud of you, ya know that, right?"

She smiled at me. "You're welcome, Mom. I'd do anything for you, ya know that."

We went downstairs to eat. She had made spaghetti and meatballs. It was quite good. During supper, Jim told me he had called the police and talked to the detective who was here earlier. They came by and talked to him and got the box. They were going to test it and see if they could find anything and to make sure there was no poison or anything mixed in. He also said he checked out the camera system and it seemed to be working fine now, so hopefully if this happened again they could catch whoever is doing this.

I let out a sigh. "I just want this nightmare to stop."

"I know Darling. I wish there was something more that we could do," he said.

"Don't worry Mom. I know Dad would never let anyone hurt you, and I'm here for you too," said Amy.

I smiled at her, taking her hand and squeezing it. "Thank you, baby."

We had finished eating, and I got up and started cleaning up when Amy said, "Mom, you go rest. I'll take care of this."

"Are you sure? Baby? I don't mind."

"Yea Mom, you need the rest. It'll be fine."

I gave her a hug and a kiss and went upstairs to draw myself a bath. I let myself slide down into the hot water and try to soak away the stress from the last couple of days. It was relaxing, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not stop thinking about the events that had happened to me so far. I soaked in the tub for about half an hour before I decided it was not helping me any, so I got out and got ready for bed.

Jim was not in bed yet as I came out. I dressed in my long T-shirt and climbed into bed. I had intended to wait for Jim to come to bed, but I had been more exhausted than I had realized and was soon fast asleep.

I opened my eyes, and the room was dark. Jim was sound asleep next to me. I got out of bed and went to the door, heading down the stairs towards the kitchen. When I went through the door, I was suddenly standing in my office at work. The hallway outside was dark, illuminated at the end by a small red light coming from the exit sign.

As I looked down the hall, I could see what appeared to be a silhouette. Or something of that form lingering at the end of the hall. It was almost like it was coming closer to me. I don't know why I did it, but I was walking toward the end of the hall. I could hear a voice from somewhere. It was saying, "I need you," "I long for you," and "Come with me." I grew closer and closer to the end of the hall. As I approached the shadowy form, it suddenly lunged forward at me.

I sat up like a bolt of lightning in bed, screaming, sweat pouring from my body. Jim woke up, panic on his face, and he wrapped his arms around me. "It's OK Darling. everything's OK, you're safe. It was just a nightmare."

I was crying at this point. Amy had heard my scream and came running into the room also crying, asking, "What happened? Mom, are you ok?"

She came to me and hugged me tightly. "I'm okay baby. I just had a nightmare. All this stuff happening has gotten to me a bit."

"Can I stay here with you tonight, Mom?" Amy asked.

I smiled, "Come here, baby."

I cuddled up with my daughter and Jim cuddled up behind me and we all fell asleep. It was nice being with my family like that. I felt safe. Having my baby girl in my arms with my husband at my back.

The 9th Day of Christmas

I awoke the next morning with Amy still huddled up in my arms. Jim was already up and gone to work. I looked at my daughter, still fast asleep, and smiled. I couldn't believe she was 18 and getting ready to leave home to go off to college. I kissed her on the head and she started to stir. She opened her eyes and looked up at me, smiling.

"Good morning Mom. Did you sleep OK?"

"How could I not sleep well? I had my beautiful daughter in my arms all night," I told her.

She giggled, "I love you, Mom. I'm glad you're doing better."

"I love you too, baby. Come on, let's get some breakfast before you head off to school."

As soon as we got downstairs, I grabbed my morning cup of coffee to wake me up. I started making breakfast. A simple breakfast of bacon, fried eggs, and toast. I was washing up the dishes when Amy came up behind me and hugged me. "Bye Mom, I'm off to school."

"Bye, sweetheart. See you tonight," I told her.

I didn't feel like dressing up too fancy for work today. Wearing a simple pair of dress pants and a white blouse, I was ready to go. I went out to my car, and as I opened my door; sitting there on the seat was a box. "Fuck!" This just doesn't seem to end.

I decided to just get it over with. I was tired of being scared. I couldn't let it control my life or I would end up a whimpering mess in a nut house somewhere. Opening the box, I saw 9 candles. A variety of colors. Many scents are coming from them. I knew already without looking that there was a note attached. 9 candles that will smell as sweet as the scent of your body.

I tossed the box into the passenger seat and drove to the police station. I figured I might as well take this to the detective to add to the collection. When I entered the station, Detective Johnson saw me walking in with the package. "Let me guess, another one?" He asked.

I just nodded my head. "This one was on the seat of my car as I was getting ready to head to work this morning," I told him as I handed him the box.

"Well, so far, nothing has come up. The only prints that have come up have been yours. We have hit a dead end at this point. I will have a patrol car swing around by your place at different times throughout the day and night to monitor things and see what happens. Just let me know if anything else shows up."

"OK, thank you, Detective."

The rest of my day was fairly mundane. I did my work at the office without interruption. Went home and waited for Amy to get home from school and we prepared supper together. We were just finishing when Jim got home. He sat at the table with us.

"How was it today, darling? Any fresh surprises waiting for you?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. A box of 9 scented candles. I took them straight to the Detective. He says they could not find any prints other than mine on the boxes. He will have a patrol in the area to watch over the house just in case," I told him.

"Well, that's good. At least we know there is some sort of protection out there if it is needed."

Jim checked the cameras, and once again they seemed to stop working. We couldn't understand what was happening with the camera system. Perhaps they were just malfunctioning. We decided to give up on the cameras and just hope the police presence in the neighborhood would help.

After we had cleaned up the dishes from supper, we all went into the living room and sat down to watch a movie before we went to bed. After the movie had finished, we went upstairs to get ready for bed. It did not take me long to fall asleep, as I was exhausted from the stress of the last few days.

I woke up in the middle of the night. My throat was dry, and I needed to get a drink. I went downstairs to get a drink of water. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, there were packages of different shapes and sizes everywhere I looked. They were scattered all over the living room. Each one had a different obscene note attached to it. I started to panic and tried to run up the stairs. When I got to the top of the stairs, I was back in the living room once again. I was scared and confused. I couldn't understand what was going on. I tried to run, but every time no matter where I went, I always ended up back in the same room with all the packages, but each time there seemed to be more and more packages.

I sat up in bed breathing heavily with sweat pouring over me. I managed to stifle a scream. The nightmares seemed to be getting worse. I don't know what I was going to do if this didn't end soon. I thought I might just go crazy. Laying back down, I was finally able to drift back to sleep without any more nightmares and slept peacefully.

The 8th Day of Christmas

I woke up the next morning and finally had a night of sleep without a nightmare. I dreaded even going downstairs, as I knew another package was just waiting for me. I gathered what courage I had gotten ready for the day, and made my way downstairs. Amy was already down, having breakfast. She had poured me a cup of coffee and had it waiting for me.

I was just sitting down to drink it when the doorbell rang. I was nervous and jumpy when I heard it; fearing what it would be. "I'll get it, Mom," said Amy.

She came back a moment later, and Maddy was with her. I was able to relax once I saw her. That is until I saw Amy's face. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Umm Mrs. B. This package was left at my house. It has your name on it. I found it on my front step when I was leaving this morning," said Maddy.

"God damnit," I swore as I took the box from her.

I put it on the table and opened it up. In it were 8 small sample boxes of the finest chocolates available. The note read, "Your body is as delectable as these chocolates."

"Why can't whoever the hell this is just leave me alone?" I let out a sigh. I looked at the girls. "You two better get going or you'll be late for school."

"I'm sorry this is happening to you, Mom," said Amy as she hugged me.

"Me too Mrs. B," said Maddy.

"Thank you, girls. I'll see you tonight."

I gave up trying to take these boxes to the police. What was the point? They had no prints or anything else to trace with them. Whoever was doing this was finding new ways to get them to me without being seen. I just had to hope that it would all stop soon.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. Nothing noteworthy happened. I made it back home and could relax for a while. I was glad it was finally Friday and could just try to enjoy the weekend. It wasn't long before Amy and Maddy walked in the door from school. The girls helped me get supper ready, and we almost had it ready as Jim walked in the door.

While we were eating, Jim informed me that he would have to take a trip for work and would be gone for 4 days. He would have to leave on Sunday, but he would be home in time for Christmas Eve. I didn't like the thought of him not being here with everything going on, but it was his job and we could not afford for him to not go. The girls both promised me that they would be here with me. That made me feel a little better, but they were only 18. There wasn't much they could do if something bad happened. We finished eating and cleaning up. An hour or so later, everyone headed off to bed.

The 7th Day of Christmas

It was finally the weekend. I would like to get a reprieve from my gift-stalking admirer. Somehow I doubted it but one could always have hope. I went downstairs, wary that anything could be waiting for me down there.

I made my way into the kitchen to make some coffee, but so far there was nothing. I went into the den while the coffee was brewing. I wanted to check my email. There it was, a bag from Victoria's Secret. Inside were 7 pairs of lingerie. The note said 7 pieces of sexiness, One for every day of the week. I can't wait to see you in them. I just threw the bag in the corner and sat down at the desk, putting my head in my hands, I let out a sob of frustration. I felt like I was coming unglued at the seams. I got up and got my coffee and said "Fuck it," I made my coffee Irish.

I lounged around the house the rest of the day. The girls tried to cheer me up, but nothing helped. I just couldn't gather the energy or the motivation to do anything but sit in the chair and look out the window. We ordered takeout for supper that night, and I went to bed early not feeling in the mood for anything else. I lie in bed wondering what the 6th day had in store for me. I didn't know how much more of this I could take.

The 6th Day of Christmas

It was later than normal when I woke up. Jim was sitting beside me nudging me. "Darling, I have to be going. I will be back in a few days. I love you." He bent down to kiss me.

"I love you too," I told him. "Be safe."

I didn't want to get out of bed. I just couldn't find a reason to move. All I could think of were those damn packages and the notes. I lay there for another 20 minutes before I gathered the courage to get out of bed and make my way downstairs.

I looked around the living room, but nothing. I went to the kitchen to make coffee. "Of course, it's fucking there! OK, you fucking asshole. What is it this time?" I yelled at no one.

In the box were 6 heart-shaped ornaments. The note inside, 6 ornaments to stand for the love I hold in my heart for you.I shoved them aside and made my coffee. I was just so tired of these mystery gifts. I was muttering to myself the entire time.

The girls came down a little later. They saw the ornaments, but did not say anything; they saw how upset I was about all of this. I let both the girls decorate the Christmas tree together as I sat and watched. I just was not in the mood for being festive.

We mostly sat around watching Christmas movies all day until it was time to go to bed. I just couldn't find it in me to care about anything at the moment. I didn't even go to my room, I reclined in my chair and fell asleep right there. I tossed and turned a lot. At one point I had another nightmare although I couldn't remember what it was about. I just remember sitting up with a jolt and sweating an insane amount. I decided it was best if I went to my room and crawled into my bed.

The 5th Day of Christmas

I opened my eyes staring up at the ceiling. I let out a sigh and sat up. "Well, here we go again."

I looked out the window and saw that we had finally had our first snowfall of the year. Looked like we would have a white Christmas after all. "Whoopty doo!" I said to no one in particular.

I started down the stairs when the doorbell rang. Great another delivery just what I needed. Sure enough, a package just sitting in my doorway with no one on site. "Just leave me alone already!" I yelled. I grabbed the damned package and looked inside to see 5 golden bracelets. Well at least it's not gold rings I chuckled to myself. I felt almost like I was going mad.

I threw the box out into the snow and went back inside. Turning on the TV I plopped down into my chair and figured I would have a repeat of yesterday and do nothing all day. The girls came down and sat with me. Amy looked over and asked, "Mom are you ok?"

I gave her a pained smile. "Oh yeah, I'm super de duper fine and dandy honey!" I went back to staring at the TV. Amy gave Maddy a worried look, and they both sat and watched TV with me for a while before going off to do their own thing.

I couldn't remember if I had even eaten anything in the last couple of days. I could feel the rumbling in my stomach. It was telling me I was hungry, but I just couldn't be bothered to get up and find something. When I looked outside I realized that it had been getting dark so I figured it must be bedtime. I shambled like a zombie up the stairs to my room and lay on the bed. Maddy and Amy came in to check on me. Maddy brought me something to drink while Amy helped me clean up a bit and crawl into bed.

"Thank you, girls. You're such good girls."

Amy gave me a kiss and a hug. I barely felt it as my eyes were getting heavy and I fell asleep. I was so exhausted.

The 4th Day of Christmas

I don't know if I was dreaming or if I was awake. Everything was so hazy. I felt immense pleasure like someone was licking and sucking on my pussy. I tried to reach my hand down to rub myself but I couldn't move my hands. They felt as if they were tied. I started to panic, my eyes flew open and the realization hit me. I was awake, and I was tied to the bed. 4 pieces of rope, one on each arm and one on each leg had me spread on the bed naked.

I looked down and saw a head of brown hair between my thighs. "W...what's happening?"

She looked up and that's when it dawned on me. "Ma...Mad...Maddy? Maddy, what are you doing to me? Let me go."

"Oh, Mrs B. I can't do that just yet. Didn't you like all the presents I got for you? I spent so much time picking them out for you."

"Th..that was you? Why Maddy? Why would you do that to me?"

"Isn't it obvious? Because I love you Mrs. B. I need you. If I can't be with you, then no one should be able to have you. You are too good for anyone else."

Maddy had pulled a knife out from underneath where she was lying. I screamed, "Maddy, please. You don't have to do this. This isn't like you." I started crying trying to reason with her.