Ornament
Wells arrived at the Golden Chalice Pub just after dusk, boots dusted with snow, breath curling faintly in the warm spill of light from the doorway. Under one arm he carried a plain cardboard box, brown and unassuming, except for the handwritten label on the side:
SANTA WELLS AND HIS NAUGHTY ELVES
No tape. No wrapping. Just confidence.
The pub smelled like pine cleaner, spilled beer, and something fried. A Christmas tree stood in the corner near the dartboard, already half-decorated with classic ornaments, a few chipped baubles, and a crooked star that leaned like it had opinions. Wells set the box gently on a table and waved off a couple of curious looks.
“Holiday contribution,” he said, as if that explained everything.
Inside the box, nestled in tissue paper, were the results of a long week with a humming printer and too much coffee: glossy 3D-printed ornaments, each one unmistakable. A Sexy Santa Wells, beard sculpted in precise curls, smirk frozen mid-mischief. And the elves. oh, the elves.
Alton, arms by his side, eyebrow arched like he’d already judged the tree and found it lacking.
Ezan, with a deep stare, like he had already been up to no good.
Gabe, deliberately innocent, which somehow made him look guiltier.
Kasper, serene and dangerous in equal measure.
PDU-034, perfectly symmetrical, unsettlingly slightly cheerful.
PDU-767, grin sharp, eyes bright, clearly up to something.
Leander, mischief incarnate, one hand planted on his hip like he owned the room, the other tugging his hat down as if daring anyone to ask what he’d just done.
Each ornament had a small metallic hook and just enough weight to feel real.
Wells didn’t ask permission.
One by one, he hung them on the tree, spacing them carefully, like a curator placing priceless artifacts. Santa Wells went front and center, naturally. The elves filled in the branches, peeking from behind tinsel, dangling just low enough to catch the light when someone walked past.
When he was done, the tree looked… different. Less polite. More alive.
Wells stepped back, satisfied, and claimed a stool at the bar. The bartender slid him a Alexander Keith's IPA can without being asked. He took a long pull, eyes flicking back to the tree, waiting.
It didn’t take long.
A laugh from the dartboard. A double take from someone ordering a second round. A slow, dawning grin as recognition set in.
“Is that—” “No way.” “Why does that one look guilty?”
Wells said nothing. He just drank his beer, relaxed, hands folded, watching the ornaments sway gently as the tree absorbed its new personalities.
Some traditions glitter. Others watch back.
And Wells, quietly pleased, waited to see which one people noticed first.
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Featuring: @alton-gold77, @polo-drone-001, @pdu-075, @pdu-090, @pdu-034, @polo-drone-767, @leander-gold-88















