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He walked me into what I assumed was the kitchen and sat me down at a table. I heard him move around the space, grabbing pots and pans, plates, and whatever else he needed. Soon enough, it started to smell like wine, apple, and cinnamon. He was making mulled wine.
I heard Frost walk into the kitchen. He barked twice, and Krampus said, “You’ll have dinner when Aurelia and I have dinner, so be patient.”
Aurelia. My parents used to call me that. It sounded strange coming from Krampus, so I had to correct him.
“Please call me Aura,” I said.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
I smiled. “It’s no big deal. It’s just that everyone calls me Aura, and I got used to it.”
“Of course.”
A cup of mulled wine materialized in front of me, and Krampus went as far as to gently take my hands and place them around it. It burned a little, but I didn’t complain. I enjoyed my beverage as he started cooking, adding the smell of roasted potatoes and roast meat to the mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and all the Christmas spices I could imagine. I had to admit he knew how to make his home smell amazing. And no one had cooked for me in a year! My mother used to cook before she got sick, and I missed her cooking. Mina had cooked while I’d stayed with her and Joseph, but I’d always made sure to help. When I said that no one had cooked for me, what I meant was... from scratch. As in, they did everything, and I just sat there, waiting for my delicious meal. It was nice.
I felt Frost nudge my leg, and I tentatively reached out my hand to touch him. My fingers came in contact with his wet nose way sooner than I’d expected, and when I patted his head, I realized Frost was... big. A big dog for a big man. He let out a sigh of satisfaction and proceeded to lie at my feet, his paws right over my toes. I didn’t mind it, since he was keeping me warm.
“Dinner is ready,” Krampus said at some point. All this time, he’d hummed to himself, and I didn’t want to interrupt him. “I hope you like it.”
I was kind of starving, and it smelled amazing.
“How will I eat?” I asked as he set the table. I could hear plates and cutlery clinking, but being in complete darkness, all I could do was move my hands uselessly, patting the table here and there, ending up with my fingers coated in a sauce that proved to be exquisite.
He laughed and wiped my hands with a napkin after I’d licked them.
“I will help you,” he said, sitting down next to me. That was when Frost whined and Krampus shot back to his feet. “I almost forgot about you,” he said to the dog. “Where’s my head at? Okay, here is your dinner.” He sat back down again. “Where were we?”
“You said that you would help me...”
“Ah, yes.”
And the next thing I knew, there was a morsel of food poking at my lips, and Krampus saying, “Open up.”
I blushed to the tips of my ears. I opened my mouth, and he pushed the food onto my tongue. It was a piece of potato with a piece of meat, and they literally melted before I could even chew them properly. I wanted more, even if that meant I had to... open up.
“What about you?” I said through bites.
“I can eat after.”
“Oh, no. That’s not right. You should eat now. We should be eating together.”
“All right. One bite for you, one for me.”
We did this for a while, and I almost forgot the situation I was in. I almost forgot that I was having dinner with Krampus, the Krampus from my mother’s tales, and that the reason he was feeding me wasn’t because it was a sweet and silly thing to do, but because my eyes were covered by a leather mask and I was forbidden from seeing his face.
“Is there any water?” I asked.
He took my right hand and placed it on a glass that had been on the table all along.
“There’s wine too. Not mulled,” he offered.
“I think I’ve had enough alcohol for one day,” I said.
“A few more bites left,” he said.
“I’m full, thank you.”
He hesitated. Then, “Can I have them?”
