“So…she was a…tree vampire?” Sandy asked.

“Seems so.”

The burnt orange HQ was parked near the footy ground. It was already dark. The sound of a distant marching band filtered through the open windows.  “What about Darryl and the leshen?” She adjusted a small red and green hat perched on her head. “They’ve moved on?”

“Soon enough,” I replied, grabbing a sack of presents from the back seat. The red and white suit was uncomfortably snug. The car gave a throaty roar when Sandy started the engine. “I just had one little request before they left.”

Overhead, clouds massed in the dark sky.

As Sandy tapped the brakes and turned into the main street, the red tail lights briefly illuminated the tiny, white flecks that rippled and whirled as they descended from the summer sky.