It was raining Christmas day. It rained everyday, but still, it was Christmas. Israel moodily crunched a few of her cornflakes underneath her spoon. They broke and floated to the surface in bits, becoming soggy, much like her present thoughts as they dripped through the cracks in her brain.

"You gonna be alright?" Chester asked through a mouthful of canned beans. As his tongue ran over his teeth it left behind a glutinous trail of brown maple-sugar coating that caused Israel to shudder. She was not one for baked beans in the morning. But Chester had insisted, providing her with a rather dusty can he’d found in the back of the cupboard. "Are you thinking about him again?"

Israel flared her nostrils as Chester flung his head back, his jaws snapping, throat fluctuating to swallow another large jaw full of baked beans.

“I hate Christmas!” Israel threw her spoon to the countertop with a clang and upturned her chair, splashing through the shallow kitchen water towards the backdoor. After several loud gulps Chester splashed through the water after her.

“I’m sorry.” He flexed his bat-like wings, emerald grey like the thousands of rain clouds, and lapped at the water, clean and clear. And cold.

“No,” Israel rubbed her chin. “I’m sorry.” She leaned against the glass panel and looked out at the horizon where a magnificent boat with bright sails lay in the shallow water only several yards from where she stood. But it lay breached, its hull torn open, blood red awning flapping feebly in the Christmas wind. Israel shook her head and exhaled, running an agitated hand through her hair and pulling her bomber jacket more closely to herself. “I'm just so tired.”

“I know.” Chester said.

“I'm tired of all of this! Christmas, and boats with giant holes at the bottom! Rain! Dragons with morning bean breath...” when she was done she exhaled again and bit the inside of her lip furiously. “Stupid people running around in Christmas blimps pretending they can solve everybody’s problems.”

“You’re only angry because you miss him.”

“You!” She made to kick at the dragon, who splashed backwards. Chester made his way back to his unfinished breakfast. “Well, you’re just a charming little Christmas present to me, aren’t you?” He hop-fluttered up onto the table, his scales scratching against the wood, claws gouging into the counter as he pulled himself up. He glared back at her over his shoulder. Then he bared his teeth, a characteristic of a dragon smile.

“Christmas.” Israel said miserably, still looking out the window.

“Oh, you’ll be fine. You'll see.” He stuck his tongue out at her.

“That’s what you always say.”

"Anyway, I don't know why you're so sour, you've got me- and that's a far cry better than what most of those other sorry Christmas kiddies have. ” Then he resumed his bean feast.

Outside the wind picked up, whistling loudly, and a water stained banner that read 'To All a Happy Holiday' blew by, landing wetly in the shallow water islet of Israel’s home-of-the-moment. There was no-one else around for miles, which meant the sign must have blown free from a zeppelin.

The thought caused her heart to leap and her stomach to turn, then she felt something rising in her throat. Israel threw the door open and leaned out, vomiting spectacularly into the wind. Regurgitated bits of corn flakes soaked in coffee splattered against the side of the house and onto the windows. Hair blew around her face as she wiped her mouth, her eyes scanning the sky for any signs of life. But there were none. She coughed again and pulled herself through the doorway out onto the wet sand. Her bare feet dragging as, splash. Up to her ankles? The water was rising. "Chester!" She cried out, panicked, as she ran to the side of the house. But he was already next to her, and then ahead of her pulling on the rope of the small wooden rowboat that sat on the waves, knocking against the side of their would-be home.

"Catch!" Chester threw the rope to Israel, who caught it and pulled, wading now, through the water back towards the kitchen door. "Israel we don't have time!"

"No! We do, I have to get my stuff!"

"Israel, it's happening too fast!"

"Then help me!" She yelled angrily, and Chester flew past her, his wings scything through the rain like two finely pounded sheets of metal, pummeling his way towards the bedroom where he grabbed a half filled pillowcase in his talons and turned back.

"I have it, get in the boat!"

By now the wind was screaming into their ears, and the most they could do was read each other's lips as Israel climbed into the boat, hugging Chester and the pillow case tightly against her chest.

She stole one last look at the red sailed glory, her red sailed glory, and then untied the tarp, pulling it over their heads, darkness blocking out what little sun this world provided them.

They lay there, huddled in the bottom of the boat as the world ripped open around them. The waves pounded the tiny vessel against the water and Chester and Israel found themselves getting increasingly seasick.

"Here," Israel opened the pillowcase and searched around for the bottle, "Chester," she gently touched one of his wings. He was lying quite still next to her. "Chester, here, eat this." He turned his head and Israel pushed two of the seasickness tablets in between his teeth. "C'mon, swallow," and then she took a few and put the bottle back, pulling out a flashlight. "look, Chester, light!" She flicked it on, luminosity fluttering like a moth inside of their little wooden cage.

Chester groaned.

"I told you this would be the worst Christmas ever." Israel held her hands over her stomach, still holding the flashlight, and closed her eyes, trying to meditate. But instead drifted off to sleep.

When she woke the wind had died down, the seas had calmed their rage, and water was misting on her face, over her whole body. She opened her eyes to a sky still full of rain clouds. Chester had pushed back the tarp and was sitting at the bow of the boat, watching cities go by underneath, his tail knocking gently against the till. "Look," he whispered, "Christmas lights."

Israel struggled up, shut off the flashlight and crawled over to the helm. She peered over the edge, into the water and there they were, thousands of tiny white lights glinting far below the surface. An entire underwater city, still lit beneath the waves by magician's FaerieLightsÔ . Israel took one last look and sat back, reaching into the pillowcase for a candy bar. "I guess that advertisement's true then. They never do go out."

"I guess not," Chester lay his head to rest against the rolled tarp and Israel tore the wrapper off her chocolate, and broke it in half.

"Chester?" She held it out.

"Thanks."

"So, where do you think we are?" Israel asked him, taking a bite. The chocolate was old and crumbly, she made a face but continued to chew.

"I don't know, but I'm going to miss that one." Chester licked at his candy- he didn't like sugar much. “A whole closet filled with cans. We should have taken some with us.”

"Yeah, that was one of the nicest houses we'd found." Israel thought wistfully of the red sailed boat. "If we'd only had more time, I could've fixed it."

"And the beds!" Chester sighed and swallowed the rest of his meal. Then shuddered and turned back to the sea.

Israel started to sing, "It's a holly jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year-"

"Oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas,"

"This year..." But it was a melancholy Christmas carol, sung more like a choir of misfit toys than angels. And they could hear something in the distance, the buzzing of propeller engines as they came closer, and closer, and closer. A zeppelin! Israel could see it and it was wound with strands of brightly shining multicolored Christmas lights. FaerieLightsÔ ! The only kind of light that would stay lit in this weather. Israel’s heart hit her stomach, and she quickly spat the rest of her chocolate over the side of the boat.

"Chester!"

“I see it!"

"It's so-"

"Beautiful," Chester finished, his round dragon eyes reflecting the myriad of colors the airship offered.

"They're so brave," Israel mouthed, but she wasn't sure if she'd said it out loud. The zeppelin loomed nearer still, so close that Israel could see the lights inside the cabin, and people moving about. She reached a hand to her cheek to find it wet with tears. She hadn’t seen people in so long. Well, not live ones anyway.

“C’mon Chester!” Israel said, sitting up. She began to rummage around in the pillowcase. “We’ve got to get their attention somehow!”

“Have we got flares with us?” Chester was looking around the boat.

“No!” Israel cried, distressed, “I didn’t think to put any in,”

“They’d’ve just gotten wet anyway.” Chester pushed the bag aside.

“What’re you doing?” Israel asked, and then, “Oh!” She scooted off to one side of the boat as Chester unfolded his great wings with a flap, droplets of water falling to the wood beneath him, and pushed off into the sky, beating the air. Israel watched him fly upwards toward the zeppelin, approach the cabin and bang his body against the siding. The FaerieLightsÔ flickered in the drizzling rain. And then someone opened the door with a loud clang. Moments later a rope ladder was rolled out, snaking its way down towards the waves.

Israel was standing now, one hand clutching the pillowcase the other shielding her eyes from the onslaught of water as Chester flew back to her. “Well?”

“They want us to board.”

“What about the boat?”

“Leave it.”

“What?” Israel shouted.

“They can’t take it! There’s no way to lift it up, and it’s too dangerous for them to come this low.”

“I'm not getting stuck on a zeppelin’s cruise, no way! That’s death what they do! I like our way better!”

“Israel! Think about it! We can’t do this forever, we already play our luck to the last with every storm that comes up, how much longer do you think this boat-?” But then Chester was blown by the wind, beaten across the air and thrown into the water.

“CHESTER!”

But he didn’t move and his limp form was already starting to sink into the sea. Israel shoved the bag down the front of her dress and plunged into the water. It was ice cold. She looked around frantically, thrashing her arms and legs to stay afloat. She dove into a wave and opened her eyes under the water, searching, and there he was, slowly dropping towards the brightly lit cities below. She pulled herself across and snatched him to her chest as she undid the fastenings on her coat, biting the pillowcase between her teeth as it fell away. Then she shot to the surface, barely keeping herself afloat as she brought Chester’s head above the water.

“Breathe!” She screamed at him, though her voice was muffled by the cloth between her teeth. “Breathe!” Then Chester coughed out a stream of water, his eyelids fluttered and opened.

“Grab the rope.” He coughed.

Something soft hit the back of Israel’s head and she reached around behind her to get a steady hold. “It’ll be ok, Chester. Whatever happens next, it’ll be ok.” She held onto the rope ladder and pressed Chester to her chest as they began their ascension. Israel looked upwards towards the gaping maw of the zeppelin as it brought them closer, and thought it looked like a beast preparing to consume. Then she tumbled, tired and delirious, into the cabin of the zeppelin, where she was immediately enfolded by a white towel and cinnamon spice scent.

 
I don't know if you realize that we've been living
a sugar coated life. It goes well with your sugar
coated cunt. I feel like Laffy Taffy while you parade around-
cotton candy hair and Hershey Kisses tits- your cartwheels send
pieces flying through the air, be careful. 
You could start a riot. 
At night we gorge ourselves in caramel lust. I’m
trying to avoid your cherry center but we both know-
it won’t last long. And you, your tongue so 
well rehearsed at searching every crevice for any 
sweetness left unfound- like those 
candy soda bottles, you melt my wax exterior and 
quench your thirst on what pours forth.
 
And I’m falling in love all over again with your gumdrop ass.
There’s toffee in your kiss and syrup 
blankets everything we own, but that’s just fine.
Our sugar coated love affair will serve me well- 
and if you leave I’ll drive a pixie stick right through
your strawberry heart, and watch your filling spread across the floor.


But you’ll never leave me, will you? You’ve grown 
dependant on my face. 
You’ve got a sugar coated craving only I can 
help to take away and
nothing to offer but a mouthful of rot,
from my sugar coated crotch.