It was the season and there were lots of threats about Krampus.  “He was coming for sure this December fifth.  Krampus will beat you with his birch bundle and stuff you into his basket.  Then worse things than you can imagine will befall you in his lair in that unnamed place he came from.” were heard many times.

Several years earlier the three boys, thirteen-year-old Hans, his twelve-year-old brother Franz and their eleven-year-old cousin Klaus would have literally shaken in their boots at such a dire notice.  Not any longer.  They were NOT little kids anymore.  They knew the TRUTH now.  Just like Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny and even jolly Saint Nick, Krampus was just a fairy tale for babies.

Sure they had seen many Krampuses just like they had seen many Santa Clauses.  They were just ordinary men dressed up like the characters to fool the little ones and provide more income to rich store owners.

It was just an accidental overhearing that initiated the great adventure.  Hans listened carefully as his Uncle Günter talked with his dad.  The relevant words were “And Klaus needs a lesson that he must behave properly.  I arranged for him to have a visit from Krampus.  A good hiding should change his attitude.”  Hans continued to listen thus learning of the details of the detestable evil plot by the adults.  It did not escape his notice that if he had being doing that he would have been severely reprimanded at the very least.  He would have been harshly beaten at the worst.

The cousins were very close and they contemplated how they could counter the plot.  They planned long and hard on not only resisting but turning the tables on the Krampus imposter.  Perhaps even getting him arrested for attacking a child.  They were like generals planning a counter offensive with a huge army.  As a bonus it was far more fun and exciting than playing with their toy solders had been years before.© YLeeCoyote

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It was about an hour before sundown and Klaus was at his open window.  Knowing what was to happen, he had his winter outdoor gear on.  Hans and Franz were hiding behind some bushes near the house waiting anxiously to protect their cousin.  Right on schedule the faux Krampus came out of the woods and rushed to the open window.

All three boys admired how wonderful his costume and his posture were.  He was crouching down so that he appeared goat-like at the rear and had large ears and horns and shaggy black hair just like the legend said.  The monster grabbed Klaus as soon as he reached the open window and immediately turned to run back to the forest.  He ran slowly in the snow with the heavy burden of a boy.  The two other boys quickly caught up with him.  Immediately they attacked the evil kidnapper.

The Krampus was surprised by the attack.  Hans grabbed the chain that Krampus dropped and with a very lucky flip it went around the beast’s neck.  Klaus climbed up on the monster’s back grabbing hair for support.  He cleverly wrapped the end of the chain around the middle to form a loose noose about the beast’s neck.  Hans pulled hard keeping the beast off balance.  Franz had grabbed the birch bundle and was beating the monster as hard as he could mostly on his rump and side to avoid hitting his little cousin.

For the nonce Klaus was pulling on the hair near the neck painfully and planing to get higher up to the ears.  They were huge.  He wanted to get a good grip and twist them hard.  He knew that was a very painful for he had suffered through such an experience.

The Krampus was howling.  This is not going according to his evil plan.  Not only was it hard to breathe and the birch hurt but so did the kid on his back pulling on his hair and kicking his ribs like a bull riding cowboy of the American West.  And don’t forget the chain about his neck being pulled with all the strength that a young teen could muster.

The four struggled for a while.  When the Krampus reared up and jumped at Hans the boy lost his grip for he was scared.  Klaus also lost his grip and slid to the ground.  The Krampus ran back into the forest from whence he had come.

“WE WON!” the three boys shouted triumphantly.

“That was really a great costume.” opined Franz.  “Too real I think.”

“It did not smell like a man and the hair seemed real.” said Klaus who had been closest.

“Look there – another one.” cried Franz pointing to woods.  They all saw another Krampus coming from the forest.  It was easy to tell that this one was the fake that they had expected for he just looked like a man in costume.

“I’ve come for you Klaus.  You have been naughty all year and now you will pay the price.” he shouted and grabbed the boy.

“Attack!” yelled Hans to his brother and they did.  In just seconds the faux-Krampus was sprawled on the ground.  He was not nearly as strong as the real beast.  They now had two birches to use and they did so without mercy on the attacker who was screaming in pain.  Hans was sitting on his head making it hard for him to breathe or move.

That was the scene that Günter saw as he rushed to stop things.  It certainly was not what he expected.  It took him a while to restore order.  Then he had to confess that it was his own plot to scare Klaus in order to let the man leave.

“That was very naughty of you.” the boys all insisted.  They wished that they could have spanked him as he well deserved however they did not dare to say that to the man.  Later, in there dreams thing were different.