2014 Christmas Short Story #2 | That Old Silk Hat

That Old Silk Hat
A (Slightly-Inappropriate) 100-Word Short Story
By Nate Melcher
Inspired by the card’s artwork

There must have been some magic in that old silk hat the children placed on their snowman’s head that afternoon…
For when the Claus chuckled and adjusted its carrot nose, the snowman’s smile shifted to snarl. He clutched the jolly man’s arms with his jagged wooded limbs, the gnarled knots and twisted bark tearing into the red coat. Before the Claus knew what was happening, the snowman had him on his chest, arms pinned behind his back, his magical sack of the world’s children’s toys slumped in the deep snowbank beside him.
“That,” said the snowman, “was a mistake, pal.”
You can read more about my process in crafting fifteen short stories based on Christmas greeting cards. Thank you for reading!