Randy, the newest stockboy at Thrift City,was hungover. In a daze he shuffled along the aisles in the stockroom pushing the bargain bin cart. A shrieking squawk painfully pierced his daze. Randy cringed, clamping his hands over his ears and slammed his eyes closed as the loudspeaker screamed. ?Randy! Get a move on!?

The cart didn?t stop when Randy did. It continued a slow roll down the aisle until it bumped a set of shelves and came to a stop. It wasn?t a hard hit. Just hard enough to set a box on the top shelf teetering then taking a plunge into the cart below.

Randy?s head was still pounding fiercely as he let his hands fall and his eyes opened to shoot the loudspeaker a dirty look. He walked over to the cart and turned it towards the door. He glanced in the cart at the blue and green box on top. Had he pulled the singing fish? He looked over his shoulder at the shelves then back to the cart. His shoulders shrugged. Who cares. Hungover Randy sure didn?t as he pushed the cart away from the DO NOT SELL EVER shelves.

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?Hello Mr Mason.?

The greeting came as soon as Mason stepped through the Thrift City doors. He was a regular.

?Hey, Harry.? Mason waved to Harry, the store owner.

?You?re looking good in this new year. All the Christmas stuff is 75% off!? Harry pointed out the Christmas clearance display.

?Yes I do, Harry.? Mason smiled. He knew the compliment was mostly salesman talk but Mason did think he looked dashing in his new black sweater and jeans Eva had given him for Christmas. In fact it was the reason he didn?t put on a coat before he left the house even though Eva had told him he needed a coat.

He was at the store to find a gift for the White Elephant game at the party he and Eva were throwing that night. But 75% off had him heading that way. It had been picked over pretty well but Mason managed to find a couple packs of white light strings. You could always find a use for those. Mason wandered around the store once to see if anything caught his eye for a gift. He was pawing through the bargain bin when he finally found it.

A Big Mouth Billy Bass! The exposed red button with TRY ME in bright print on the box around it just begged to be pushed. Mason did. Music poured from the plastic speakers and the tail of the bass mounted on a plaque started to wag. ?Here?s a little song I wrote, you might want to sing it note for note? The bass head lifted to stare out of the box. ?Don?t worry, be happy?

Billy sang in the box all the way to the checkout. The cashier looked at Billy a bit strangely as she slid it and the lights into a bag but her smile returned as she took the coins from Mason. ?Have a nice day, Sir!?

Mason was absently whistling the Don?t worry be happy song to himself as he headed to the door. He pushed through the door and was about to let it swing shut when he saw a woman approaching. Mason snagged the door and held it open.

The woman smiled slowly, letting her eyes linger on Mason. ?I look dashing, right?? Mason asked as he held the door. The woman issued a sultry laugh with her nod. But dashing took a holiday as Mason shifted his weight. Going for a dashing pirate stance was a tragic mistake as one foot started to slide on a patch of ice.

Mason let go of the door as he tried to catch his balance. But his feet couldn?t find purchase on the ice. His flailing arms sent the shopping bag spilling across the sidewalk as he fell on his rear and slid a couple of feet on the ice covered pavement.

When he finally came to a stop Mason tried to get up as fast as he could. He brushed off his sweater in an attempt to look like he meant to do that somehow. He failed. It wasn?t until he bent over to pick up the boxes of lights and Billy the bass that he heard laughter behind him.

He saw that there was a small crowd of people that had stopped near the door to Thrift City when he had fallen and now they were all laughing at him. The pretty woman he had held the door open for winked at him and said ?Ho Ho Ho.?

Huh? Mason was bewildered for a moment but then slowly reached back to the seat of his jeans. He felt cold wet denim...fray...flannel...denim. ?Shit? The jeans and sweater weren?t the only new things Mason had put on that morning. Beneath the jeans he was sporting a bright red pair of flannel boxers with the words ho ho ho all over them.

?Yeah yeah.? He slung a wave at the laughing crowd, trying to play it off despite the blush on his cheeks. He tried tugging down his sweater as he carefully crouched to pick up the shopping bag and shove his purchases back in. It was no use. He straightened up, head held high as he turned to walk off down the street. The shopping bag swung a sashay as he held it at his back to cover the rip.

He mumbled to himself, ?Should have worn the coat.?

?So apparently chickens don?t come when you call them.? Mason told Wendy who was walking an infinity path around and between his legs as Mason was washing his hands. Wendy and Eva got to watch the spectacle of Mason chasing the chicken around the yard until he finally caught it and put it in a cage in the garage.

Wendy meowed at Mason then padded off to the safety of the balcony as guests started to arrive. Mason greeted and pointed the guests to food and drink while collecting the gifts from those who were playing tonight?s game.The gifts were whisked away to Eva?s office where each, except the chicken, were put into identical brown paper bags.

It was a simple game. People bring funny gifts they got for Christmas or bought, everyone takes a turn picking one. They can decide to keep the gift they pick or trade with someone else that had already picked. Once everyone had picked a number from a bowl they were ready to begin.

Mason smiled as he picked his number. Number one. He wasn?t getting stuck with the chicken since he had last choice of trading.

Mason eyed the bags. His hand hovering over the collection until it dropped to claim one. He reached inside and pulled out the gift. A purse! He chuckled as he looked it over. It was cute. A dragon?s head made from green felt. He thanked Lirssa, who had brought that gift, but he was secretly thankful he could trade it off.

Mason held onto the purse for a few rounds until it got taken away. The gift he was given for that trade was a pendant. A big gaudy dog pendant. Sparkly stones and all. Mason bided his time. He knew there was one gift in there he didn?t mind having.

It wasn?t until the last person that Mason saw his prize when Bailey pulled it out. Big Mouth Billy Bass. Everyone started to laugh at the sight of it. Bailey actually looked amused.

?You know what? There is only one person here who could wear this thing with any style.? Mason dangled the dog pendant and stared at Bailey. Mason snagged Billy from Bailey?s clutches and gave him the pendant.

Mason pressed the red button on Billy. Billy sang.

?Take me to the river, drop me in the water???

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Lirssa had to giggle when Mason picked her gift. Mainly because her imagination took flight picturing the mountain of a man strutting down the street with a dragon purse dangling from his arm.

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Lirssa had never experienced a White Elephant gift exchange party. She found herself to be rather nervous about the experience. And yet, in the end, she realized it wasn't much different from her day to day -- something for something else; an even trade, and sometimes trade again.

Still, there was never a gift she had ever given away before. Not even the coffin, moss, dance pole, wedding dress, or dollies her Aunt Tara gave her, which -- on hindsight -- were likely not the most appropriate gifts for a fourteen year old. That part was new, and so she had found the dragon purse.

When she picked Thorn's gift, which was a very interesting stuffed animal in the shape of a horse with a few other creatures added, she kept it. Of course she kept it! In fact, she knew just who would appreciate a unique stuffie.

The arrival of the last gift, Billy Bass, Lirssa joined in the delighted laughter. It was hilarious. She was already moving to the music, but each time someone pushed that button, she would break out in the sing-a-long. Except when she was eating. Manners and all that.

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Bailey was his usual reserved self at first, at least when he first arrived at the White Elephant party that Eva and Mason were hosting. After about a half hour or so, though, he managed to get acclimated to the gathering. The two stiff drinks Mason had made for him definitely played a role in loosening him up.

He brought along a gift he had purchased from the Japanese restaurant beside the L.D. 50 store in West Marketplace. In addition to its tables, sushi counter, and bar, Akachōchin also boasted a small gift shop with various trinkets and knick-knacks, like enamel chopsticks, stationary covered in pictures of cartoon characters, and hard candies in neon-colored paper. On one of the store shelves sat a small collection of maneki neko statues in several sizes. Most of them were purely for decoration, but Bailey spotted one that also doubled as a piggy bank (or was the right term ?kitty bank??) for keeping spare change. He bought it, and offered it up to the White Elephant gods. Part of him seemed disappointed to give it up, but he was more than happy to actually have given a gift to someone this (sort-of) holiday season, even if it was in a roundabout way.

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He seemed untroubled about being stuck with the strange dog-shaped pendant at the end of the night. Perhaps he had been a little too lubricated with bourbon, but he swore he had a wardrobe idea for the necklace that would work with one of his outfits...

Things had improved for Eden since she stopped wearing shoes with shoelaces. Tripping was down a solid 60% by Eden?s calculations, which was good, but not good enough for Frank to take her off suspension at the diner.

Thankfully, Andrea had stepped in, offering her a job at Triple A Gym. Nothing fancy, but it was a steady income, and enough to keep Eden?s roommates from kicking her out. She never thought she?d be so desperate to hang onto that living situation!

But still, money was tight. Which is why she couldn?t afford the 50 silver consultation fee clearly posted in the window of the Witch Doctor?s Old Temple storefront. But she needed a Witch Doctor. That?s what everyone said. Sure, tripping was less frequent. But she was still a mishap magnet. Like the night Andrea took her out to pizza, and the lid came off the red pepper flakes while she was shaking it onto her slice. Or the time she got tangled up in a dog-walker?s leashes for twenty minutes while surrounded by barking and nipping pups. Or the time she accidentally swept a customer?s house keys into the trash and had to spend an hour in the dumpster searching for them.

Yeah, she was still cursed. No doubt about that.

Which is why she?d taken to hanging outside, watching people come and go, hoping to get a glimpse of the infamous Witch Doctor. She always seemed to have to leave before she spotted the Witch Doctor, but tonight, she wasn?t leaving.

The door opened with the now-familiar tinkle of chimes and Eden looked up from her hiding spot to finally catch sight of the Witch Doctor. She hurried forward, pouncing on the opportunity.

?Excuse me, Sir! Ma?am! Sir!? Eden flipped back and forth between the honorifics, uncertain of which one was appropriate while thinking for the hundredth time that it was just plain dumb for Common to be such a binary gendered language. ?I?m sorry to bother you but I was hoping you could help me!?

The Witch Doctor didn?t stop walking, glancing aside at Eden. ?You may make an appointment, child.?

?Oh, I know, but see, I?m in a bit of trouble and it?s sort of urgent and I?ve been saving up---? Eden rattled off anxiously, her dark eyes wide as she hopped along beside the tall Doctor, ?---but that will take a while, and I?m kind of a mess, cause bad things keep happening---? She watched to see how her explanation was being received, then offered hopefully, ?---I might be able to get you a chicken---if that would help??

The Witch Doctor stopped, turning to look down a long nose at Eden, lips twitching in mild amusement. The Doctor looked and looked and looked, then finally spoke. ?You are most certainly cursed, my child, but it is not your curse alone.?

?...it?s not?? Eden stared up at the Doctor, equal parts hope and equal parts fear.

?There were others cursed with you.? The Witch Doctor opened a hand wide, fingers spread in front of Eden?s face. Then closed it suddenly. ?Bring them together, and return to me. And I will see to your curse, Eden Parker.?

?Everyone?? Eden tipped her head.

?And their gifts. They all must bring their gifts.? The Witch Doctor nodded and began striding away again. ?Including the chicken!?

An air of resignation clung to the knight as he stood in the street, staring at the cute little house that Eva and Mason had purchased sometime in the last year. Before starting up the walkway, he checked the address on the paper pinned to the top of the wooden crate he was carrying in both arms.

Inside the crate was Marta the chicken.

The chicken?s ?home? was a pretty blue color. Her name was printed on the side in silver. Sapphire and Jewell had spent the morning grooming the future sacrifice before her upcoming ordeal. The teen had gone as far as to paint her nails blue. Then his lady had retreated to her room, shutting the door and refusing to come out again.

?Leave her to me,? Sapphire had reassured him, nudging him out the door. He was positive that he was going to return home to both women more drunk than Jewell had been last night when she had returned home from the Annex in tears.

And it was all because of this stupid chicken.

Ishmerai was extremely displeased with the entire situation. He marched up the walkway and set Marta down carefully on the step before knocking on the door.