A Very Truck-Kun Christmas: Holiday Special Part 1

  “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

  The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

  In hopes that Truck-Kun soon would be there.”

  “Wait”, Wheeler interrupted, “Isn’t it meant to be Saint Nicholas?”

  Abeona's charm tapped its foot, “Well he works so hard, doesn’t he deserve a vacation?” the goddess argued.

  “I guess...” Wheeler mumbled hesitantly.

  “Exactly” Abeona chirped, her figure clapping, “So what I’m proposing is we send him on a permanent vacation... to another world.”

  “Hang on” Wheeler’s wipers twitched in confusion. “First thing’s first... Santa is real?”

  Abeona’s response was nonchalant “Yep”.

  Wheeler's mind was spinning. “Really? Santa?”

  Abeona’s figure raised an eyebrow. “The living truck is doubting the fact Santa exists? Well it’s kind of similar to how gods like myself came into being.”

  “How?” questioned Wheeler.

  “You humans really don’t understand the power of your collective belief. If enough people believe in an entity, like a god or Santa for example...” Abeona began to explain.

  The light in Wheeler’s cabin flicked on “Then they becomes real?”

  “Bingo, that’s how the gods exist, including yours truly.” Abeona’s charm gave a elaborate bow. “Anyway back to mission, codenamed ‘Santa Claus is getting run down’”.

  “Hold up, not just are we going to run over Santa, but YOU GAVE THIS MISSION A *HONK*ing CODENAME?” Wheeler’s horn unleashed a loud honk.

  “Yes I did... anyway...” Abeona segued immediately into outlining her plan, “First we need to get onto a roof. Preferably one of a very festively decorated house.”

  “I’m not jumping off another roof.” Wheeler protested. His suspension shuddered as he recalled the damage he had taken the first time he’d leapt of a rooftop.

  “You won’t have to, don’t worry, I’ve got everything planned out.” The goddess reassured him.”

  “You have no idea how terrifying that is.” Wheeler shot back in earnest. He had almost given up on questioning Abeona at this point. It seemed calling her out on her nonsense, always led to somehow even more ridiculous explanations. He’d learnt it was far easier just to go along with whatever insane scheme floated through the goddess’s head.

  So he dutifully trundled around the streets until he located a house whose halls appeared appropriately decked out for Christmas.

  As he did, he was forced to listen to Abeona singing some slightly twisted versions of Christmas carols. “Run over in the snow, Santa dies today, but don’t worry kids, he’ll reincarnate right away. Into another world, where adventure awaits, oh what fun it’ll be when Santa meets his fate.”

  “There is something deeply wrong with you” remarked Wheeler.

  “Oh hush I’m just trying to spread a little festive cheer” giggled Abeona. “Oh look, that house is positively plastered in lights.” Her charm was waving its arms frantically towards one of Wheeler’s windows.

  The house she was pointing at had an extremely elaborate display. Christmas lights that had been placed on the roof cycled through a cavalcade of festive colours. There was even a sign out front that read “Santa stop here.”

  “It’s perfect” squealed Abeona, “There’s no way jolly old Saint Nick could resist stopping at this house.”

  “So am I going to crawl up the inside of the drainpipe like last time?” Wheeler asked.

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  “Of course. How else were you planning to get up there? Fly?” Abeona then giggled at her own rhetorical question.

  Wheeler thought about how much easier it would be if he could fly. He then began fantasising about soaring through the sky. He’d never have to worry about traffic again. “That would be pretty cool.” He admitted

  “Yes it would, but it’s also pretty impossible.” Abeona told him. “Even a goddess like me can’t make a truck fly.”

  Wheeler now knowing what he had to do. After pulling up outside the house, he shrunk into miniature mode and carefully drove onto the lawn and towards the house’s drainpipe. He could feel the cold, freshly fallen snow crunching under his tyres.

  Wheeler then ascended the drainpipe, with his special gecko grip tyres enabling him to easily latch on to the inside, despite the slippery ice coating the pipe’s surface. After a few short minutes, he had reached the roof.

  “Fantastic!” Abeona praised, “Now all we have to do is play the waiting game until Santa shows up.” After a few fleeting moments of silence, she began to sing, “Ninety-nine reindeer in front of a truck, ninety-nine reindeer in front, run one down...”

  “Not again.” Wheeler sighed to himself. “Looks like it’s gonna be another long night.”

  Luckily for Wheeler, moments later, Abeona’s singing was drowned out by the sound of jingling bells filling the frosty night air. As he sat in his shrunken form on the snow covered rooftop, he was greeted by an unbelievable sight.

  It was Santa’s Sleigh. It looked as majestic as Wheeler had imagined it would be. The lacquered wood making up it’s panelling had a cherry red finish with golden trim. The rails and runners shone, constructed from polished brass. The interior was a plush, dark leather. Out the front, attached to the sleigh by reins, were the reindeer.

  Most importantly of all, sat in the sleigh, was the man himself. Santa. Wheeler was immediately awestruck.

  It wasn’t just that he looked like the collective sum of every image of Santa to ever exist. It was Santa’s aura. Being within the presence of the real Santa was almost indescribable, as he radiated a presence of both calmness and authority. Wheeler felt a contradiction of both reassurance and intimidation simultaneously as he quietly observed this mythical figure, seemingly unnoticed.

  Wheeler watched as Santa collected his sack of presents and in the blink of an eye, vanished down the chimney.

  “Ok, now’s our chance.” Abeona instructed. “Quick get in the sleigh, before he gets back.”

  “I’m still getting used to the fact he’s real. Are you sure we have to kill him?” Wheeler whispered.

  “Don’t think of it as killing Santa, think of it as spreading a little Christmas cheer.” Abeona explained. “After all, we will be bringing the gift of Santa, and Christmas to another world.” She rationalised. “Besides, ‘Even if I’m in Another world, I’m still Santa’ would be an amazing concept Isekai series.

  Unconvinced but still obeying her instructions, a still miniaturised Wheeler carefully, once more using his Gecko tyres, drove up the back of Santa’s Sleigh and stowed himself away silently in the back.

  “I can’t believe I’m actually in Santa’s Sleigh!” Wheeler giggled internally. He had to curb his enthusiasm, lest his engine from rev in excitement and give him away. “What if he spots me?” he asked Abeona.

  “Even if he does, since your in mini mode, he’ll probably assume your a toy.” The goddess responded nonchalantly. “Besides, now we are in the perfect position for an ambush.”

  “Am... bush...” That is when the realisation struck Wheeler like a thunderbolt. That was right, he was up here on a mission to Isekai Santa. Wheeler had been so caught up in the magical moment of seeing Santa, he’d forgotten the whole reason he was here.

  The ground shook under Wheeler’s tyres as Santa returned and sat himself in the sleigh, the plump Father Christmas‘s weight caused the sleigh to jostle.

  Wheeler’s previous awe turned to panic as Santa started to load the giant sack full of present into the back compartment where Wheeler was hidden. As Santa’s oversized sack descended, Wheeler could feel the sheer weight of all the gifts it contained beginning to crush him. The sensation felt like how Wheeler imagined being buried alive must be like.

  In that moment, as he was overtaken by panic, Wheeler let loose a loud...

  *HONK*

  Within moments of him making that noise, the mass of presents was being lifted back off him.

  “What the hell did you do that for?” Abeona chided.

  “I...I...” Wheeler stammered, his exhaust puffing smoke as he tried to breathe. “I felt like I was be... being crushed.”

  “You would have been fine. It would take much more weight than that to actually damage you, even in mini mode. You should of just stayed calm and dealt with it” Abeona sighed.

  “Easy for you to say, you couldn’t feel it! Your safe up there in your...”

  “SHHH” Abeona interrupted. Through Wheeler’s windscreen, a pair of icy blue, bespectacled eyes were trying to peer inside Wheeler’s cabin. Santa had found them, and had now picked up and was inspecting the ‘toy’ truck.

  “HO, HO... OH, Now what’s this?” Santa asked out loud, “Now why isn’t this toy wrapped?”. However, something in Santa’s slow, chuckling tone, and the mischievous glint in his eye, made Wheeler believe the big red guy knew more than he was letting on. Santa began giving the ‘toy’ a shake which rattled Wheeler immensely.

  Abeona’s now frantic voice indicated she too, believed Santa knew that Wheeler wasn’t simply a ‘toy’. “OH SHIT, WHEELER, HE’S ONTO US!” The goddess yelled. “You gotta return to full size right now.”

  “But... Wheeler began to protest, as Santa shook him again.

  “Just do it!” demanded Abeona.

  With no time to consider the potential consequences, Wheeler obeyed Abeona and transformed out of mini mode in Santa’s hand. From that moment a lot happened in the blink of an eye.

  There was an explosion of wooden shards as the sudden increase in Wheeler’s weight caused Santa’s sleigh to shatter into a shower of splinters. Santa himself was nowhere to be seen, most likely now a jolly red smear underneath Wheeler’s wheels.

  To be Continued