HO HO HO! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Todayâs the day when 24 deliciously delightful and devilishly good gifts drop into your laps! Iâm talking about our very first (and hopefully our annual?) Top in Fiction Secret Santa Plot â â Swap! Say that 10xâs fast!
The premise was clear: Each participant was tasked with devising a plot behind âWhat is Inside the Box?â Cryptic, isnât it? Well, that was the point. But, to add a bit of holiday magic and mischief in the mix, I decided to UP the ante by the swapping the plots amongst the daring souls who decided to take up this challenge.
The swapping was done with the best of care and now itâs time to reveal all to you! Below youâll discover 24 such stories. But remember, each story is a gift to the person who came up with the plot. To try and keep things less confusing, here is what Iâve done:
[Writer Name] wrote [Story Title] for [Writer Name]
Original Plot [Genre / Word Count]
I will only âatâ mention the first writer name and not the second so that each person is only pinged ONCE.
THE PRESENTS
Rebecca Watson (ReBe) wrote The Midwinter Box for Katharine Kapodistria
Albert deals with a lot of boxes in his line of work. He places the ashes in the urn, and the urn in the box, and the deceasedâs family collect it. Until this Midwinter night, heâd never had a box returned, and certainly not one so heavyâand vocal. [Fantasy / 1,973 words]
Katharine Kapodistria wrote Daughter of Dirt for Annieguile Bentulan
On an island where dragons are thought extinct, a curious girl discovers her familyâs most guarded secret, one still breathing beneath their castle. On solstice night, foreign hunters return seeking forgotten power, and a gift box is placed in her hands. What lies within may burn the world anew. [Fantasy / 2,633 words]
Annieguile Bentulan wrote The Decirber for CB Mason
At the White Elephant Gift Exchange, you spin the wine bottle, and it stops, pointing at the largest box. You unwrap the outer layer to find progressively smaller boxes. The smallest of the Nesting-Russian-Doll-like present ends with a surprise, something you never expected would be returned. [Psychological Horror / 2,881 words]
CB Mason | YA Dystopian+Sci-Fi wrote The Mirror for Nick Buchheit
The box contains all human history, knowledge, and cultureâcopied, pasted, stolen. When it opens, no one knows how it works; it just does. A cold, haunted mirror looking back, it imitates us so perfectly you start to believe itâs realer than reality. [YA Sci-Fi / 1,508 words]
Nick Buchheit wrote Bad Gazelle for Evelyn K. Brunswick
Itâs not a head in the box, itâs a tail. This can be revealed anytime during the narrative (doesnât have to be the twist at the end), and it doesnât have to be horror or a real tail - could be part of a costume - you decide! [Comedy / 1,818 words]
Evelyn K. Brunswick wrote The Wolves of Time for Anne McClard
Maria finds a silver box on her doorstep on Christmas Morning, and inside: a jewel encrusted snowflake pin sparkles against black velvet. When she touches it, her world freezesâbreath mid-breath, bells mid-ring, candles mid-flicker. To restart time, Mara must find the person who gave this gift and understand why. [Fantasy / 3,000 words]
Anne McClard wrote Winterâs Bloom for Rosie B
Inside the box is a handheld garden trowel, a small packet of unlabeled seeds and a handwritten note stating, âUse by December.â [Magical Realism / 2,990 words]
Rosie B wrote Glitch for Hylia
Twelve Days of Oops! An anonymous admirer leaves a small package or letter each day leading up to the winter holiday. Each is a hint or details a secret, leading up to the final giftâ a large box containing either an object or representation of your narrators greatest failure. [Fantasy / 5,500 words]
Hylia Corvidae wrote Timeless for DJ Stapleton
A museum archivist finds a box containing a vinyl record, a cassette, and a cd. None have a label. [Horror / 1,510 words]
DJ Stapleton wrote Healerâs Gift for Erica Drayton
When a snow storm traps Kat in her newly purchased house, she decides to organize the attic, only to discover a wrapped present with her name on it, dated 1900! 100 years before she was born! Inside, is a photo album of a family, a life, she doesnât remember. [Supernatural Horror / 2,948 words]
Erica Drayton wrote Thumpety, Thump, Thump for Garen Marie
Lloyd lives alone so the present at the foot of his bed Christmas morning is startling. Inside thereâs a corncob pipe, a few rocks, and a carrot. Inspired, Lloyd builds a snowman, but the end result is nothing special until Frosty gets a gleam in his eye. [Horror / 1,436 words]
Garen Marie wrote Opening for Keith Long
Inside the box: a door knob with a note claiming that when placed, it can open any surface and lead to anywhere and anytime. [Strange Romance / 2,725 words]
Keith Long wrote Scooter Finds a Kid for Judith Ashcraft
You open the box, and inside is a child. The child desperately needs someone to do something for them, and youâre the only one who can. Who is this child, and what do you have to do for them? [Literary Fiction / 1,079 words]
Judith Ashcraft wrote If Wishes Were Horses for Natalie Phillips
The grandmother of a large and fractious family arranges for the delivery of her final Christmas gifts beyond the grave. They are not all welcome or pleasant to receive. [Horror / 3,000 words]
Natalie Phillips wrote Whatâs Inside the Box? for Brooke Solomon
The previous owners of your new house have removed everything by the time you move in, except for a bankerâs box in the center of the living room. It is not addressed to you, but to âthe true owner.â [Horror / 2,147 words]
Brooke Solomon wrote Cashmere for Leeron Heywood
You thrift a charming antique ornament as a gift for someone in your house, but on the night of Christmas Eve it escapes its package and brings all your decorations to life! Are they friendly, mischievous, malicious� [Magical Realism / 1,770 words]
Leeron Heywood wrote A Foxy Christmas for Julie Gabrielli
Amanda and Loris have been drifting apart. When their doorbell camera records a scruffy man leaving a box on their doorstep, Amanda panics. She must destroy the box, but sheâs delayed at work. When Loris returns home first, Amandaâs past catches up to herâand itâs the best thing ever. [Romance / 2,957 words]
Julie Gabrielli wrote What Water Wants for Asteria Geisterblum
The box contains a weathered ship. Touching it transports you aboard. A maze of stairs and rooms stretches inside the ship, containing books dropped into bodies of water or lost to floods. To escape, rediscover a beloved childhood book you forgot and currently do not remember at all. [Cli-Fi / 2,380 words]
Asteria Geisterblum wrote Tinboy for Jeannine Lawall
Your mother has left you a music box in her will, with a warning to not open it to play the Christmas carol until youâre ready. You know others have opened the music box in the past, and the music has driven them mad. Do you think you are ready? [Fantasy / 5,254 words]
Jeannine Lawall wrote A Tale of Two Spirits for Clarissa
Coming of age ceremony where you bond with a spirit, but rich people can pay to choose a matching spirit while the poor generally end up with one that works against them. [Fantasy / 1,105 words]
Clarissa wrote Your Heart Matters More Than Your Ears for A.M. Bowman
Itâs the week before Christmas break. Your crush gives you a small origami box. Youâve been friends since childhood. Last week you told them you love them. You open the box to find that the paper of the box is a letter; it holds an origami heart. The letter says⌠[Fantasy / 3,353 words]
A.M. Bowman wrote Morning Routine for S.L. Stallings
A plain black drone drops a festive box outside Haroldâs front door, addressed to him, but thereâs no return address. He can hear a faint static when he picks it up, and when he brings the box inside, every device in the room powers on. All screens display: Open It. [Literary Fiction / 1,304 words]
S.L. Stallings wrote Tinsel for Emily S. Hurricane
Beneath the sparkling lid lies a living, breathing creature with more eyes than a human, more legs than a spider, and though no tongue it can speak a single word: âTinsel.â [Fantasy / 963 words]
Emily S Hurricane wrote Ghost of a Feather for Rebecca Watson (ReBe)
Every year, the townâs oldest resident hides a box under the giant pine in the square. Whoever finds it keeps whatâs inside. No one ever says what they found â but they always smile different afterward. [Fiction / 980 words]
Enjoy reading these stories? Why not share it everywhere. And donât forget to let the writers know how much you enjoyed their story by leaving them a comment on their story too!
So exciting!! Christmas came early! Thanks for hosting this, Erica, and hope you feel much better soon!
Thank you for organising this festive fun, Erica, and hope you feel better soon!