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    Death By Christmas: Be Kind Or It May Kill You
    Death By Christmas: Be Kind Or It May Kill You
    Death By Christmas: Be Kind Or It May Kill You
    Ebook112 pages1 hour

    Death By Christmas: Be Kind Or It May Kill You

    By Dorian Scott Cole

    ()

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    About this ebook

    An unscrupulous, greedy lawyer, blunders into Christmas with the wrong attitude, in this lighthearted romp. A nitwit lawyer, and maybe the Grim Reaper, usher Fenrick through a series of humorous, life threatening events. If they can spare the time, they might save someone from suicide. They make him confront his "heart condition," leading to a change of heart, and they all save each other. .
    Genre: Comedy, Christmas Story
    Length: Novella
    This story contains some language and themes that some would find objectionable for themselves or for children under 13.

    If you liked Scrooged, A Christmas Carol, The Nightmare Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Family Man, and Mr. Destiny - people needing a change in their life - you might like this story.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDorian Scott Cole
    Release dateDec 1, 2015
    ISBN9781310689499
    Death By Christmas: Be Kind Or It May Kill You
    Author

    Dorian Scott Cole

    Dorian Scott Cole is a professional communicator, with education and experience in writing, engineering technology, psychology, religion, radio announcing, acting, and movie and TV production, having had full careers in several fields. He worked as a senior development analyst for Writers Workshop, L.A. He teaches writing and acting in independent settings, and has written VisualWriter.com since 1996.He is the author of several Web sites, and produces entertainment videos through his company, Movie Stream Productions. His production series, STL Comedy, included 22 professional actors, and 10 writers.Dorian lives near St. Louis.

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      Book preview

      Death By Christmas - Dorian Scott Cole

      Death By Christmas

      Be Kind Or It May Kill You

      Copyright 2015 Dorian Scott Cole

      Published by Dorian Scott Cole

      ISBN: 9781310689499

      License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to your point of purchase or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank-you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgements

      Disclaimer

      Images

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      About Dorian

      Other books by Dorian

      Connect with Dorian

      Acknowledgements

      Grateful appreciation to my wife, Sheila, who sacrifices so that I can write, and who is my beta reader and strictest critic. And to the writers groups who critique some things for me.

      Disclaimer

      This is an original work of fiction. Any similarities to any person, living or dead, or any organization, or any other literary work, are strictly coincidental.

      Images

      Images licensed from Pond5.com

      Cover: Original design with Pond 5 images included, by Dorian Scott Cole

      Chapter 1

      Fenrick let out a whoop. There it is, he yelled, just like magic. Calamity in our stock! He turned away from his computer monitor and opened the credenza behind his desk. He took out a statue of the Grim Reaper, then he danced around merrily with the statue.

      Jessica, the office secretary was drawn by the noise and momentarily looked in the door at Fenrick. The short, thin man moved with grace.

      Merry Christmas to me, papa's gonna' have a brand new car, happy days are here again, he sang. He kissed the Grim Reaper. Every time you strike, I make money.

      QQQQQ

      Jessica paused at the door of one of the attorneys, Sledge, who was always very approachable and she thought of him as a friend. Sledge, tall and built like a refrigerator, had the physique of a line backer with prison muscles. Of course, he had been in prison up until a year ago.

      I just saw Fenrick celebrating that his stock was going down, and he was dancing with a Grim Reaper doll. Is something seriously wrong with him?

      Sledge laughed and slapped his desk. Yes, definitely something wrong with him. But he probably bet against his stock on the stock market, and now he will make a lot of money, but his clients will lose theirs.

      Jessica grimaced and shook her head.

      Have you ever seen him in court? Sledge laughed at the picture of it.

      I'm not allowed.

      He struts around like a peacock with feathers fanned in full regalia - thinks he's some kind of king. Sneak in sometime.

      What's with the Grim Reaper doll?

      He says it reminds him that we're mortal, and to get all you can while you can.

      Jessica shook her head. Does your name, Sledge, remind you that you're mortal?

      Sledge had a ready answer. It reminds other people they're mortal.

      Did your Mama give you that name?

      Nah, my real name is Sylvester. But can you imagine a big guy like me being called Sylvester. So people just started calling me Sledge, especially when I landed on them.

      Jessica laughed. You're too nice to land on anyone.

      QQQQQ

      Fenrick put The Grim Reaper, that collector of dead souls who carted away those whose time had ended, back in his credenza. It wouldn't do for his clients to see it. Fenrick had seen a lot of endings lately. But thanks to his excellent management, his legal business had succeeded.

      Finally the magic moment arrived for which Fenrick had impatiently waited. The stock ticker was going down for Megalithic Software, his major investment. This would seal the calamity of his stock fund and give him a big payoff. In a few days the stock would rise and he would be a saint again.

      Fenrick called Jessica into his office. A 10% drop in a stock price was plenty of justification to prune the herd. This was just the reason he needed to get rid of some people around the office.

      He rose from behind his large desk, closed the law book that was holding everything in disarray, and straightened his desk name plate displaying his title, Fenrick Appolon, J.D., below which read Appolon and Associates, Criminal Law. He strutted to the mirror and straightened his tie.

      He won. Sometimes. Often enough. When it suited him. He made more money if he didn't win. Winning was winning. Losing was winning. This was the wonder of both the stock market and criminal law.

      Jessica scurried into his office carrying an armload of paperwork and looking frazzled. Her appearance was very plain, and she did nothing to enhance her looks. He frowned at her. She did great work as secretary, receptionist and paralegal wannabe. But her looks!

      Jessica, we're a law firm. Appearance is half the law. Clothes and makeup. Need I say more?

      Jessica slumped. Yes, sir, Mr. Fenrick. I'm sorry, but my husband is out of work. I hope to get some new clothes for Christmas.

      And makeup! Go to a salon!

      Sorry, sir. The baby threw up this morning and I had to redo everything. I just ran out of time.

      Oh, that's a good one. Sorry, your honor, can we postpone? My baby threw up and I ran out of time. He held her gaze for a moment to make sure she was sufficiently cowed. Hire a babysitter.

      Fenrick let the air calm for a moment, then continued. I'm going to have to let a couple of people go. Get the paperwork ready and on my desk before you leave today.

      But it's Christmas!

      Oh.... Well, I suppose that would look bad. I'll hold onto them until the day after Christmas.

      Intimidated she might be, but right and wrong were still right and wrong. Exasperated, she began, It's not how it looks-

      It's business and the stock market doesn't care what day it is. Fenrick was unwavering, his stare solid ice. Nothing she said would make a difference, except to get her name on a dismissal form.

      Dismissal names, Mr. Fenrick?

      I'll fill those in before I leave for Cancun after the party. I have several low performers. I haven't made my final decision yet, he lied. Did you get my Cancun tickets?

      She pulled tickets out of her armload of papers and handed them to him.

      "No bonuses this year. Stock is going down, and I've lost

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