Under the New York City sky, and nestled amidst the tall skyscrapers, in a voice that seemed to be echoing the Christmas Spirit, the soft snow flurries started swirling around, and they warmed my heart. Flooding it with memories of Christmas’ past. Margaret was about to get her coloring book and finish coloring the different flowers in the book - and recolor the flowers that Billy messed up - when a bright radiant light zigzagged in front of the Christmas Tree.

The Christmas Tree blushed. It was dressed in lights and decorations, but it felt naked without any tinsel. The grasshopper-man was no longer a man or even a grasshopper. He still looked like a man, but he was extremely small and had curly hair and pointed ears. And his feet were very hairy. He had a pipe in his hand and tossed it to the ground.

I hate this time of the year, thought Elf Bumble Brisbee. It’s always so busy. Between going to school, and afterward, working at the toy factory, there’s no time to relax and enjoy life. Him and his girlfriend were so busy that they couldn’t even see each other. He wanted to go to a place where a teenager - he was only eighteen - could chill out.

Manhattan’s dating scene is terrible, thought Elizabeth. And now I’ve hit rock bottom. This blind date is the worst. I’ll never go on another one again He’s rude and annoying. And she told him that. She would have added that he was also obnoxious, but she didn’t think he knew what the word meant. He was a real neanderthal, and she couldn’t believe that one of her best friends set her up with this brute.

New York’s shop windows are twinkling with lights and decorated inside with unwrapped presents. It was a bad storm, and the howling gales were pushing and bullying the timid boat further from the land, and out to sea. The men were frightened. Margaret tried to hold onto the side of the boat, but her hand went right through the wood.

New York’s Christmas is decorated with the Holiday Spirit. In full bloom… it is quite a sight to behold. A bouquet of excitement that dazzles the mind and uplifts the Soul. Margaret was teleported to a place where there was a huge crowd. All the men had beards and were wearing sandals. It was a very humid and sunny day, and Margaret felt like she was frying.

What would the world do without Christmas? Vernon was in the forest, perched on top of a tree. He wasn’t alone. He was holding hands with his girlfriend Bettice, and they were reminiscing about the school dance and what a wonderful time they had. All of a sudden, a projectile flew past Vernon’s head. “What was that?” asked Bettice. “I don’t know,” said Vernon, looking around.

Christmas is the time for magical adventures and awesome gifts. Margaret knew she wasn’t lying, but how could she prove it to Billy. She did go on great adventures all the time. Maybe the Angel would allow her to take him along? “If I take you with me, you have to promise not to tell anyone. Do you promise?” “What?”

Isn’t it strange how life’s good fortunes can change in an instant and our lives be shattered in that moment. Life! That’s what they gave me. That sentence was five years ago. And every day since I’ve been in prison I come up with a different scenario. A different story. It helps to ease my mind. Sometimes I ride off into the sunset, a happy man.

How did I come to this point in time in my life? Was it fate? Was it unseen forces that I couldn’t control? I was wrestling with a demon that I couldn’t silence. Dark horrific thoughts were flashing through my mind. I was about to descend a stairwell into a dark cellar. And there would be no way to return. 

New York, New York. A helluva town. Cynthia and I were very nervous. We were walking past the vampires. We were terrified but we pretended to be joking and fooling around with each other. I tried to whistle. I tried to pretend that I wasn’t afraid. But I wasn’t making any sound. My mouth felt very dry. We passed by the vampires.

New York City is a city that never sleeps. That’s not necessarily a good thing. We finally found a board that we could dislodge and we entered. A few feet away was a doorway. We walked through the doorway and started walking down a long hallway. It was dark at first but we kept walking. We started seeing ghoulish lanterns hung on the wall… lighting up the way.

It wasn’t the best of times or the worst of times, it was Halloween. And when I woke up in the afternoon, I nearly had a heart attack. I went into the kitchen and there was this monster standing there. It had three eyes, all on the left side of its face, and its skull had a gaping wound, and its brains were falling out.

New York City has the greatest movie theatres in the world. And it was a great movie. A romantic comedy with a heartbeat and a funny bone. And the screen was at least 15 feet wide. And it had great audio and the theatre had motion seats. These are interactive seats that move and vibrate in sync with the on-screen action.

At this time of the year, I usually have a great time checking out stores that sell costumes and other Halloween items. But this year is going to be different. It started out really strange. The last thing I want to see is someone dressed as a vampire. The Count asked, “Do you know if she has the same type of blood as you?”

New York’s Greenwich Village Halloween Parade shouts with excitement. Creativity; style; imagination; no other parade comes close. A youthful exuberance for life fuels it. It’s a powder keg of anticipation and excitement, and the parade ignites the fuse. And afterward the bars and clubs are lit up with the intoxicated masses. It's ready to explode. And when you’re partying on the highway of life, eventually you come to the realization that some people will lose their life, some their Soul.

Halloween in New York starts with the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. That’s when the real partying begins. The parade starts around 7pm and stretches from Canal Street to 15th Street in Manhattan. I love it. It’s my favorite parade. Last year I went as a skeleton and my sister as a clown. It was fantastic. It’s in a few days and I still haven’t decided what costume to wear.

Not every door is meant to be opened. Nor should you peek behind every curtain. During dinner I asked Jeffrey if I could borrow his new tennis racket. I wanted to try it out. Maybe I would play better. He told me that he lent it to Leon, and he has yet to return it. I don't why… but I didn't believe him.

In life I have suffered the slings and arrows of a thousand misfortunes… but combined, they paled, compared to this. I have been lied to; deceived; conned; betrayed. And no one that really lives life to the fullest and inhales it deeply will tell you otherwise.It comes with the territory. But even a battle-hardened warrior of life like me… was left gasping for air.

Anyone can do well in a sprint, but you have to remember that life is a marathon. The doctor told me that for the first two days that I was in the hospital I was in a coma. I've now been here for three weeks. I've lost two fingers on my right hand and three on my left. I have severe facial lacerations and part on my scalp was ripped off.

Fiction