Once Upon a Wintry Krampusnacht Eve

Krampusnacht was not sweet, and it was not tame.

It was terror. And pain. It was whips, and monsters, and horses’ hooves sparking on the cobblestones next to your head.

It was parents pushing crying children into reach of the Krampus’s whips and cheering them on.

And all the coins and candy you dared to grab.

It’s a night that’s indelibly imprinted on my soul. I hope, after you’ve read this, a little bit is imprinted on yours, too.