antediluvianechoes: A PLEISTOCENE CHRISTMAS (My entry for the @weirdchristmas flash fiction contest)
A PLEISTOCENE CHRISTMAS (My entry for the @weirdchristmas flash fiction contest)
“What ho, Megatherium,” the wooly rhino cried. “Allow me the pleasure of being the first to offer the compliments of the season!”
“And to you, shaggy gentle,” replied the sloth, lifting its short trunk to toot a carol.
And so, the party began. Mammoth danced with Irish elk; elasmotheres locked arms with mylodons. The glacial ice was slick and thick—it never gave way, even under the skating megafauna’s weight. Their songs were jaunty and sugary, trumpeted and roared, with manger-baby verses and ho-ho-ho refrains. Yet, the Pleistocene beasts knew not the yuletide firsthand, only that it awaited future generations.
“How curiously merry it is,” the mastodon grinned, “to celebrate a holiday yet to come!”
“Would that I could see it,” the Megatherium moaned. “But alas, each of our species will be extinct when Christmas finally arrives.”
“A monstrous pity,” chimed the mammoth. “Makes one wistful, eh, hippopotamus?”
The hippo continued to dance and sing, pretending not to hear the question.
Fri, 25 Dec 2020 21:56:51
