down and knocked them away, throwing them into the crowd with industrial strength and power. I heard more screaming and, out of the corner of my eye, could see people falling and tumbling.
“
Nooo!”
My voice was thin and shrill. I was starting to feel lightheaded.
More people approached the tree, trying to help me. Through the blur of my misting vision, as I fought my terrifying captor and gasped for air, I could see elf outfits, reindeer antlers, the bright red of a Santa suit . . . two Santa suits . . .
“Esther!”
Jeff shouted, bounding toward me.
Pow!
A long tree branch whipped through the air like a catapult, knocking Jeff off his feet. He flew backward into Satsy, and the two of them tumbled out of my fading vision.
“Cut the power!” a man shouted.
I heard the ear-piercing squeal of children screaming and the heavy thunder of feet stampeding.
“Cut the power!”
the same voice repeated.
A huge man in a parka hurled himself at the tree, screaming,
“Yaaaagggh!”
Two snakishly animated branches scooped him up, working in unison, and tossed him aside like a rag doll.
The tree’s menacing mouth started drooling, and I recoiled from the foul odor that started to pour out that orifice.
“Help!” I croaked, dizzy and weak by now. My bells jangled as I kicked ineffectually at the trunk with my dainty boots.
“Dreidel! I’ll save you!” Twinkle cried.
I kept kicking weakly as the encircling branch that was squeezing the life out of me forced me closer to that foul-smelling, drooling, snarling mouth.
“What are you
doing?”
a man shouted. It was the man who wanted the power cut—as if
electricity
were the problem here.
“I’m saving her!” Twinkle cried.
Through my swimming vision, I saw the elf wave an ax near my head, and I found the breath to shriek, “No!”
“Give me that!” the same man shouted, his voice starting to sound familiar through the haze of my suffocation and terror . . .
The tree’s animated eyes glowed red while it growled softly to me, “Kill . . .
kill . . .
I want flesh! And
blood.”
I hoped I would faint before this thing took a bite out of me. I didn’t want to be conscious for that.
There was a sudden, powerful reek of sulfur. Black smoke clouded the glowing red eyes; one of the orbs cracked, and pieces of plastic fell to the floor. The drool pouring from the fangs seemed to freeze in mid-motion. The whole tree went rigidly still. Sensing my opportunity, I tried again to free myself. But I was weak, and the python-like branch, though motionless now, wouldn’t release me. It was frozen in position, as if it had mechanically seized-up.
Then I heard a loud
whack!
nearby, like an ax hitting wood—and the oppressive branch dropped me like a hot rock. Startled, I staggered away dizzily, tripped over the synthetic tree roots, and hit the floor with a thud.
As I lay there on my back, panting and staring up at the star-studded solstice sky, I heard footsteps. Then that familiar voice said:
“Esther?”
I didn’t answer. Just lay there. Breathing hard and savoring the feel of air in my lungs.
“Esther.” Holding a big wood-handled ax, Detective Connor Lopez of the New York Police Department stood looking down at me. He was breathing fast. “Of course. I should have guessed. I mean, who else
could
it be?”
“Lopez?” I croaked, looking up at him in bewildered surprise.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “Do you need a medic?”
“Why are you holding an ax over my head?”
He looked at the ax as if surprised to see it in his hands. “Oh. I used it to sever the power cable to that . . . that
thing.
What
is
that thing?”
Still, breathing hard, I gaped at him in amazement. “Wow. The slogan is true. At Christmas,
everyone
comes to Fenster’s.”
“Actually—”
“Dreidel!” Twinkle was at my side, his accordion still strapped to his torso. It groaned noisily as he sank to his knees. “Are you all right?”
“I thought
“
Nooo!”
My voice was thin and shrill. I was starting to feel lightheaded.
More people approached the tree, trying to help me. Through the blur of my misting vision, as I fought my terrifying captor and gasped for air, I could see elf outfits, reindeer antlers, the bright red of a Santa suit . . . two Santa suits . . .
“Esther!”
Jeff shouted, bounding toward me.
Pow!
A long tree branch whipped through the air like a catapult, knocking Jeff off his feet. He flew backward into Satsy, and the two of them tumbled out of my fading vision.
“Cut the power!” a man shouted.
I heard the ear-piercing squeal of children screaming and the heavy thunder of feet stampeding.
“Cut the power!”
the same voice repeated.
A huge man in a parka hurled himself at the tree, screaming,
“Yaaaagggh!”
Two snakishly animated branches scooped him up, working in unison, and tossed him aside like a rag doll.
The tree’s menacing mouth started drooling, and I recoiled from the foul odor that started to pour out that orifice.
“Help!” I croaked, dizzy and weak by now. My bells jangled as I kicked ineffectually at the trunk with my dainty boots.
“Dreidel! I’ll save you!” Twinkle cried.
I kept kicking weakly as the encircling branch that was squeezing the life out of me forced me closer to that foul-smelling, drooling, snarling mouth.
“What are you
doing?”
a man shouted. It was the man who wanted the power cut—as if
electricity
were the problem here.
“I’m saving her!” Twinkle cried.
Through my swimming vision, I saw the elf wave an ax near my head, and I found the breath to shriek, “No!”
“Give me that!” the same man shouted, his voice starting to sound familiar through the haze of my suffocation and terror . . .
The tree’s animated eyes glowed red while it growled softly to me, “Kill . . .
kill . . .
I want flesh! And
blood.”
I hoped I would faint before this thing took a bite out of me. I didn’t want to be conscious for that.
There was a sudden, powerful reek of sulfur. Black smoke clouded the glowing red eyes; one of the orbs cracked, and pieces of plastic fell to the floor. The drool pouring from the fangs seemed to freeze in mid-motion. The whole tree went rigidly still. Sensing my opportunity, I tried again to free myself. But I was weak, and the python-like branch, though motionless now, wouldn’t release me. It was frozen in position, as if it had mechanically seized-up.
Then I heard a loud
whack!
nearby, like an ax hitting wood—and the oppressive branch dropped me like a hot rock. Startled, I staggered away dizzily, tripped over the synthetic tree roots, and hit the floor with a thud.
As I lay there on my back, panting and staring up at the star-studded solstice sky, I heard footsteps. Then that familiar voice said:
“Esther?”
I didn’t answer. Just lay there. Breathing hard and savoring the feel of air in my lungs.
“Esther.” Holding a big wood-handled ax, Detective Connor Lopez of the New York Police Department stood looking down at me. He was breathing fast. “Of course. I should have guessed. I mean, who else
could
it be?”
“Lopez?” I croaked, looking up at him in bewildered surprise.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “Do you need a medic?”
“Why are you holding an ax over my head?”
He looked at the ax as if surprised to see it in his hands. “Oh. I used it to sever the power cable to that . . . that
thing.
What
is
that thing?”
Still, breathing hard, I gaped at him in amazement. “Wow. The slogan is true. At Christmas,
everyone
comes to Fenster’s.”
“Actually—”
“Dreidel!” Twinkle was at my side, his accordion still strapped to his torso. It groaned noisily as he sank to his knees. “Are you all right?”
“I thought
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