The flame lit the weary face of a man, copper eyes full of sorrowful love. 20 years separated the lies, theft, heartache her twin had inflicted. Darkness. Ella woke up and ran downstairs. “Mum, let’s go.” Her mum looked up, stunned. “For one day, this Christmas, let’s be together.” #5ActFestiveStory

Ella’s mum reached out to the tin. She fell. Slowly, feet, ankles, calves turned to ice. Ella broke out of her white shroud, leaned across the sofa, grazed the tin with iced fingers. Silvery powder fell like snowflakes. Orange flames erupted. A rasp behind the door, “You fools!” #5ActFestiveStory

An hour later, the car screeches into the secluded driveway of a ramshackle grey house. “Mum, stop,” cried Ella, “Where are we? Who are you so scared of?”
“It’s your …,” Ella’s mum screams. A figure hooded in black shoots out of the wall of snowy trees, crashing on the bonnet. #5ActFestiveStory

“We have to stop him,” wept Ella’s mother, “Geoff promised he wouldn’t rile the group to vandalise the trucks of the winter hunt, but he lied …” Ella hadn’t spoken to her stepfather for years. As The Twelve Days of Christmas came to an end, she took a deep breath, “Where is he?” #5ActFestiveStory

There was no stamp. Hand delivered, during the night. Cursing, Elliot ran up the stairs, packed his bag and ran back down. He grabbed the keys and waded through the snow to the car. Would he make it to her in time? He turned cold at the thought of arriving too late. #5ActFestiveStory