Once Upon A December Novels & Stories

Eloise The crisp December air stung my cheeks as I hurried into the bustling café, clutching a portfolio of sketches close to my chest. Inside, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixed with the hum of conversations, but the warmth of the room did little to settle the knot in my stomach.

Marcus is waiting for me in the hallway, grinning from ear to ear. “Dude! You killed it!” he whispers loudly, slamming his hand onto my shoulder. “The monitors in the back were lighting up. The producers are already talking about making this a multi-part holiday special.” “It’s insane, Marcus,” I say, shaking my head as the reality sinks in. “A month ago I was planning to spend Turkey Day alone on my couch. Now I’m about to eat Chloe Vance off a dining room table.” “Go get ’em, champ. Don't leave any leftovers.”

Nicola Taylor It was the 24th of December, and the house was filled with glee and noise as we gathered for a small Christmas party with just close friends and their kids. The holiday lights twinkled softly, and the smell of gingerbread cookies drifted through the air. Lucas and I were in the bedroom, helping Cole get into his Santa costume, sharing a moment of laughter at his misery. “I can’t believe you actually got him to do this. This is amazing,” Lucas said, grinning ear to ear as he recorded the whole thing on his phone, zooming in on Cole’s unamused expression.

And then. The doors began to open. A hush fell across the grand hall like snowfall. The Elders stepped forward, their robes whispering against stone, the ceremonial scroll in hand. “On this night,” the head Elder intoned, voice echoing through the space, “we bear witness to the union of blood and bond. Of old power, and new rise. The return of the Winters… and the crowning of the Queen Luna.” Applause didn’t erupt. No cheers. Just silence, reverent, powerful.

Natural light coming from the windows illuminated the luxurious suite, my eyes widened when I saw the red dress I had worn yesterday hanging on the crook of an armchair along with a men's dark blue jacket. I gasped softly and pulled back the duvet clinging to my body and almost shrieked in horror when I saw that I was completely naked underneath What the hell? How did I get there and why was I naked? Like a strong ocean wave; all the memories of last night flooded into my brain and I gasped again Oh my gosh! I had abandoned Anita at the club and slept with a man I had just met for the first time last night! Fucking hell! My ears finally refocused on the sound of running water coming from the

"What the hell is going on? I don't know either." "Mahira, you must remember something, right? Can you explain everything to me? I really don't remember anything. I didn't go straight home last night because I was invited by my office friends to a bar to celebrate one of our friend's birthdays. I remember that I had a drink there, but after that, I don't remember anything anymore other than I felt calm that night," Adam explained. Adam's face was no less panicked. I could catch the honesty in Adam's eyes. I was sure Adam hadn't done this on purpose. But is it really true that he doesn't remember anything about what we did together last night?

The moment we stood under the same shower head, his hands started wandering over my body. "What are you doing?" Ever since his performance had started to decline, he rarely did anything this intimate with me. His initiative tonight caught me off guard. "Today's our anniversary. We should do something meaningful, shouldn't we?" His voice was so gentle that it made me feel deeply guilty. I had already been with Leonard twice that day and was exhausted. I did not want to do it again, but I could not bear to refuse Garrett, so I tried to muster up some energy.

But that year, I sat holding my phone, watching the minutes tick away into the morning without a single word from her. It wasn't until the next morning that she finally messaged me. "Happy birthday. Work was crazy yesterday. I completely lost track of time." Swiping down, I found another photo. Two silhouettes stretched long across the snow, bleeding into one another. The caption read, "She told me that since I got here, the stars look beautiful to her again." I remembered that day vividly, too. I had just operated on an HIV-positive patient, only to realize my surgical glove had torn.

- WARD – December 24th It begins to snow overnight. There's only a soft dusting on the estate when we wake up on Christmas Eve, but the flakes continue to fall steadily. After lunch, when there are four inches of white powder on the ground, Lou bundles Ramona up in her winter gear and takes her outside for her first real glimpse of one of the season's greatest wonders.

I was grаtеful hе hаd the decency to ѕtау аwау. Christmas раѕѕеd with a blur. Thе оnlу hіghlіght wаѕ Elіjаh hаd drаggеd mе out New Yеаr’ѕ Evе tо a gay сlub. Wе ѕреnt thе mаjоrіtу оf thе night dаnсіng and getting wаѕtеd. Wе еndеd uр bringing іn thе Nеw Yеаr putting a different ѕріn on Auld Lаng Sуnе. The nіghtѕ еvеntѕ wоuld ѕtау with mе fоr a lоng tіmе to соmе.