Short Story: ❄️ A Gift Karmastry Couldn't Make

Snow blanketed Big Dipper City, a rare treat for this part of Fortuna. Hugo, 13, and Marco, 14, were taking full advantage of the weather during their winter break. Next year, they’d be focused on getting into Wolfgang Academy, but for now, the holidays were just around the corner.

They spent the afternoon sledding down the untouched hills outside their subdivision, Stardust Terrace, where a faded sign still clung to a crumbling wooden post: "Phase 5: Coming Soon!"

The empty lots of undeveloped homes stretched out beneath them, untouched except for the wild tracks they carved into the snow using their own plastic laundry baskets as makeshift sleds. The baskets weren’t exactly built for speed, but that only made their crashes more spectacular—and their laughter louder. Neither of them gave much thought to the faded sign or the abandoned plans it represented; they were too busy hitting each other with snowballs to care.

Marco had just discovered the karmastry trick of turning his glove into a makeshift slingshot, which made pelting Hugo far more satisfying. Hugo, of course, retaliated with a light-density shift to make himself faster, the boys grinning as their battle escalated. Red-nosed and shivering, they trudged home from the hills, still laughing over who had won.

“Did you really have to dump that much snow down my coat?” Marco groaned, smacking clumps of frost off his winter jacket. Hugo had used gravity to suspend a massive snowpile over Marco’s head, dropping it just right to bury him up to his neck. Marco had been grumbling ever since, tugging the icy remnants out of his collar.

“Not my fault you’re so slow,” Hugo said, laughing as he raced ahead, the cold air turning his cheeks bright red.

Walking through the outskirts of their subdivision, Hugo and Marco trudged through shin-high snow, their boots leaving deep divots with every step. Around them, karmastry-enhanced lights and decorations glittered on every street corner and yard. Despite the cold, they took their time admiring the holiday decorations. It wasn’t often they saw them covered with snow, and the lights seemed extra magical this way.

“Dude, look! Mr. Shibata finally put up the lights!” Hugo pointed, and in the distance, they saw it. 

Shibata & Son’s—the one and only place in town that sold Escape Artist gear at a semi-affordable price—had some lights half-heartedly strung up on the outside of the boxy building. There was also an old inflatable snowman waving at them, only one of his eyes lit up. It was still more effort than they had ever seen from him during the holidays.

Like moths to a flame, Marco and Hugo were drawn to the storefront, which had a large window displaying a jumble of different Escape Artist products. Some new items were on display, surrounded by blinking holiday lights. The teens pressed their faces to the frigid glass, cupping their hands around their eyes to see better inside.

Hugo’s eyes swept over the new display: fishbowls, small toruses, trading card packs, and other Escape Artist merchandise. Then he spotted something that made his eyes go wide—an old One-Hit-Wonder trading card he’d never seen before. It almost seemed to sparkle beneath the glass, tempting him. Hugo tapped on the glass and turned to Marco excitedly.

“Do you see that?”

“Yeah, I do.” Marco’s eyes were wide, but he wasn’t looking at the trading card. Instead, his gaze was fixed on a mannequin wearing a retro Wolfgang Academy jacket.

“Not the jacket, idiot.” Hugo grabbed Marco’s arm, tugging him toward the display. “The trading card!” Marco adjusted his glasses, squinting as he peered through the glass.

“That’s a lot for an old card, even if it is One-Hit-Wonder.”

Hugo hadn’t even looked at the price. When he did, he gulped hard and pulled away from the window, disappointed.

“That is a lot…” he muttered, chewing on his chapped lips. “My parents already got my Christmas gifts. Maybe I can save up and buy it myself.”

“You’d have to do all the chores in the world.” Marco snorted, pulling his friend away from the window. “Come on, I’m freezing.”

Marco practically dragged Hugo through the snow, the tow-headed teen still craning his neck to catch one last glimpse of the store window.

“I have to have that card!” Hugo muttered under his breath with a determined look on his face.

When Hugo got home, he didn’t bother taking off his snow-covered boots before clomping into the dining room, where his mom had set up her ad-hoc office.

“MOM!”

Heidi looked up tiredly from the desktop computer on the dining table, her fingers pausing over the keyboard.

In one breath, Hugo launched into a frantic explanation of what he’d seen at Mr. Shibata’s store, how desperately he needed the card, and his plan to do extra chores to earn the money to buy it.

“Honey, it’s almost the holidays,” Heidi said with a weary smile. “I think you’ll be happy with what we’ve already gotten for you.

“But this is One-Hit-Wonder!” Hugo threw his arms up in exasperation. “Mom, come on! There has to be some chore I can do!”

Heidi sighed softly through her nose and leaned back in her chair. Before she could respond, Hugo’s dad, Owen, called out from the kitchen.

“You could shovel the driveway. It’s piled up pretty good out there,” he said, the sound of a knife scraping over toast in the background.

Heidi nodded. “That’s a great idea. Tell you what: I’ll pay you three merits if you clear it all.”

Hugo’s face lit up. It was a start.

“I’ll get started right now!” he exclaimed, already heading for the door.

As he disappeared down the hall, Heidi called after him, “Ask the neighbors too! I’m sure they’d pay for help with their driveways!”

Grabbing the shovel from the garage, Hugo hurried out into the snowy front yard.

“I’ll knock this one out fast,” he muttered to himself. “If I can do the whole street, I bet I’ll have enough to buy that card today!”

Shoveling the driveway turned out to be much harder than Hugo had expected. The snow was heavy, and the cold bit at his face and fingers. He had to pause frequently, his breath coming out in visible puffs as he leaned on the shovel to rest. Sweat eventually mingled with the frost on his brow, dripping into the snow. After what felt like forever—an exhausting hour and a half—he finally cleared the last patch.

Heidi stepped outside to inspect his work, her breath fogging in the chilly air.

“It looks great, kid,” she said, a note of pride in her voice. “Here’s four merits. I’m giving you a tip because you did such a good job.”

Hugo took the merits with shaky, gloved hands, stuffing them into his pocket. “Thanks, Mom,” he said, trying to catch his breath.

“You want to come in for some hot chocolate?” she offered.

He shook his head. “Not yet. I’m going to do a few more driveways today.”

Heidi smiled. “Ok, sweetheart.”

Shouldering his shovel, Hugo headed across the street to the next house. The neighbors were more than grateful for his offer to help and even promised him five merits for the job. Energized by the thought of earning more, he got to work, attacking the snow with all that he had.

But the task proved just as tough as his own driveway—if not harder—and it took him even longer to finish. By the time he stood back to admire his work, his arms ached, and his breath came in heavy clouds, but he didn’t stop. 

With the image of that rare trading card shining in his mind, Hugo pressed on, shovel in hand, thinking only of how incredible it would look in his collection.

Somehow both sweaty and cold, he eventually went home. It was long past dark. He’d only managed to finish two more driveways before his arms felt like they were going to fall off. Collapsing on his bed, he counted his merits. Not nearly enough.

Tomorrow, he would need to find another solution. This was taking way too long.

The next morning, Hugo woke up early, bundling up in his warmest clothes before heading further down the street. After getting the okay from a neighbor to clear their driveway, he paused, leaning on his shovel and frowning at the fresh blanket of snow. There had to be a faster way to get this done.

As he fiddled with something in his pocket, an idea crossed his mind. “I can use karmastry!” he said out loud, feeling a little embarrassed it hadn’t occurred to him sooner.

Digging into his pocket, Hugo pulled out his bracelet training torus. It wasn’t built to store much karma, but it would do for what he had in mind.

Turning the torus over in his hands, he began to brainstorm a way to use his budding Clockwork Karmastry abilities.

Hugo focused intently on the driveway, picturing the concrete tilting downward in his mind. His karmastry hummed to life, sending faint vibrations through the ground. The driveway began to glow softly, and with a rumble, it shifted just enough for the snow to slide off into the street in a neat pile.

With a groan of effort, Hugo guided the driveway back to its normal position and let out a relieved breath. Smiling, he knocked on the door to let the neighbor know he’d finished.

When she opened the door, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Well, that was quick! And it looks great!” she said, beaming. She handed him five merits and ruffled his hair playfully. “Come back next year when it snows. You’re a miracle worker!

With new confidence, Hugo headed to the next house, finishing the driveway even faster than the last. With his karmastry technique perfected, each job became quicker and smoother. The neighbors were thrilled with his work—some even gave him extra merits as a tip.

A new snow began to fall as the afternoon turned to night. Hugo had made just enough to buy the card. Fueled by excitement, he jogged through the neighborhood, determined to reach Mr. Shibata’s store before it closed. The glow of holiday lights reflected off the fresh snow, casting a magical shimmer across the quiet streets.

When he reached the corner where the store stood, he raced up to the window. Yes! The card was still there. Hugo’s heart raced as he reached for the door handle—but then he paused.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something else: the Wolfgang jacket Marco had admired earlier. It hung on the rack near the counter, and it was a little cheaper than the trading card.

A strange feeling stirred in Hugo’s chest. He glanced between the card and the merits clenched tightly in his hand. After a long moment, he stepped inside the store.

When he came back out, he held a package under his arm, the snow falling softly around him.

The next day, Hugo heard a tap on his window. Marco was climbing up, shaking snow off his boots as he swung inside and tugged off his winter gloves.

“I saw you shoveling like a maniac the other day,” Marco said, flopping onto the bed. “Did you finally scrape together enough for the card?”

“I did,” Hugo said quietly, pulling a package from under his desk. He held it out to Marco. “But… I ended up getting something else.”

Marco blinked, confused, as he tore open the package. His eyes widened when he pulled out the retro Wolfgang Academy jacket.

“Wait… what?” Marco looked up, stunned.

“Happy Holidays,” Hugo muttered, a crooked smile breaking across his face.

“Dammit,” Marco cursed, rolling his eyes. “Man… I thought I was gonna surprise you this year.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, paper-wrapped rectangle, handing it over with a reluctant shrug.

Startled, Hugo opened it and froze. His eyes shimmered as he stared at the One-Hit-Wonder trading card inside.

“You… you got the card?” Hugo stammered.

“Yeah,” Marco said, throwing the jacket over his shoulders with a grin. “Picked it up this morning. I was gonna hold it over your head for a while, but… guess you ruined that plan.”

Hugo let out a quiet laugh through his nose, shaking his head. That was so Marco. Marco smirked, fully aware of his own antics but not about to apologize for them.

Before Hugo could respond, the doorbell rang from downstairs, cutting through the moment.

“Your family’s here,” Hugo said, smirking.

Marco shrugged, kicking his boots onto the floor. “Yeah, probably with gifts or whatever.”

From the hallway, they could hear Heidi greeting the Mendozas warmly. “Marco? Oh, yeah—he’s already here. Do those two even know how to use a door like normal humans?” she said with a knowing laugh.

The boys grinned at each other, it was a tradition they’d carried on for years.

Downstairs, the Mendozas and Wandschneiders exchanged gifts and stories, filling the house with warmth that no fireplace could match. Hugo didn’t miss the chance to show off his new trading card to everyone, talking excitedly about its rarity and how much it meant to him. For fifteen minutes straight, he explained every detail until Heidi gently redirected him.

“Alright, future Wolfgang students, get over here!” she called, pulling out the camera.

As Hugo scrambled to join Marco for the pictures, Owen caught Heidi’s eye from across the room and mouthed a silent, exaggerated “thank you,” earning a small chuckle from her.

Hugo and Marco took turns posing in the Wolfgang Academy jacket, striking exaggerated heroic stances while everyone laughed. Marco even threw an arm around Hugo’s shoulders and pointed off dramatically as if spotting their destiny on the horizon. By the end, Heidi had captured plenty of photos filled with laughter and joy shared between the two families.

Outside, the snow continued to fall, the holiday lights casting their glow across the neighborhood. For a moment, it felt like the kind of magic even karmastry couldn’t create—something real.