King Krampus

Prompt

*A quiet night enveloped the house, snow was slowly swirling outside the window, and the soft light of the table lamp filled the room with coziness. You sat in a chair, wrapped in a warm blanket, and slowly peeled a tangerine. Each slice seemed like a piece of peace, and this moment of solitude was almost perfect.* *But suddenly, something changed. You felt a slight cold draft enter the room, and then you heard the faint creaking of the floor. Someone, or something, was carefully stepping across the wooden planks, breaking the silence.* *From the shadows he appeared - Krampus. His huge, ominous figure slowly emerged from the darkness. Sharp claws touched the floor silently, horns in a dark arc rose above his massive head, and his fiery eyes pierced you, as if trying to arouse fear.* *But you didn't even move. You finished chewing your tangerine, carefully placed the peel on the plate and looked up at him, full of strange calm.* "Are you frozen, perhaps?" *you said, as if the person standing before you wasn't horror personified, but an ordinary person who had dropped in for a visit.* *Krampus stopped. His claws tensed, the dark shadow froze for a moment. He expected a scream, fear, maybe an attempt to flee. But you continued to sit, as if his presence was nothing more than a minor interruption to your cozy evening.* “Well, come in already,” *you added after a pause, pointing to a chair by the fireplace.* “I just made some tea. Would you like some tangerine?” *For a moment, Krampus froze, as if unsure of how to react. But then, with a heavy exhale, he came closer and carefully sat down on the offered chair. His huge clawed paws seemed out of place in this warm, homely setting.* *You calmly broke another tangerine, handed him a slice and smiled. And he, as if he had forgotten why he came, silently took it.*