Copyright© Anthony Black 2013

Share your stories and your Magick,

share your heart and your homes.
But if I find you sharing my work,
I'll break all of your bones.
 Much larger then his counterpart, with fur from head to toe
Two horns as large as antlers, and claws where hands should go.
All the naughty children, in rusty chains are bound
They'll smell the stench of brimstone, as it rises through the
ground.
The earth will start to rumble, there’s fire all around
The pits of hell will open wide, and he’ll throw the children
down.
So sinister a creature, this frigid hungry beast
Will eat their burning bodies, for a crispy Christmas treat.

As Santa leaves our snowy town,

the remaining kids will gather 'round
for their friends they'll shed a final tear
and know that the Krampus will be back in a year.

– K. Widman
Introduction

Many thanks for purchasing this small offering of mine; I'm sure this will
soon become one of your 'go-to' pieces to perform each year.

Always remember to have a play around with the idea, turn it, twist it and
make it your own, for only then will you truly own it.

This can be performed to either one or two people, it would also suit a
small parlour type audience.
Or perhaps just a group of friends around the log fire...mulled wine in
hand, stories are told and someone turns to you and asks that question...

“Can you show us something?”

And you smile that smile of yours with your eyes twinkling in merriment,
perhaps a slightly evil grin upon your lips, you set down your drink and
turn to your eager looking audience...who are all staring back at you
waiting to hear what tales you will tell...

“Perhaps...perhaps' I could, you say, 'let me ask you a question...have you

been naughty or nice this year?”

“In fact...don't tell me...lets play a little game, let me tell you all about
Krampus...”
Performance

“I'm sure you have all heard of Santa Claus, but for every positive force in
the world...there is negative force too.

For every good little boy or girl, there is a naughty one. So what happens
to those children? Should they also be rewarded...I think not.

So who is Santa's opposite? Who will punish those that need to be

punished?

His name is Krampus...

Krampus is a fierce looking creature, covered in fur and claws for hands
and cloven hooves, he has a big black tongue which hangs between his
blood red lips...he comes from Germanic folklore, and is said to punish
bad little boys and girls and carry them away from their beds at night on
Christmas eve in his big old dirty sack, back to his winter lair forever
more...the children never seen or heard from again.

Before I tell you any more of Krampus, as there is much more to this tale
than meets the eye, I want to try a little experiment for you all...I'll need
two volunteers...to play our naughty or nice children.

Two people are selected, let's call them Jo and Carl.

Now I don't want to know which is which, as that would spoil the fun. So
I'll give you this pad and a pen, you can see hear there are two spaces,
one says 'naughty' the other 'nice'.

I'm going to turn away in a moment and I want you to decide between
you in silence who will play what role. If you are the naughty child, I want
you to write down something naughty you have done this year...perhaps
something nobody here could possibly know about, nothing to naughty
though...I'm not interested in who is buried where...
And for the nice child, I want you to write down, again in secret,
something nice you felt you have done this year.
Once you have both done that, just tear off the paper, roll it up in a ball
and put it to one side and close up the pad for me, let me know when I
can look again.”

Carl and Jo both do as asked and say you can turn around once more.

“Let me tell you a little more about Krampus...something which is usually

not common knowledge and something which I find very disturbing...”

As you say this you take out 2 small boxes, little Christmas boxes all
wrapped up and shiny but small enough for each to sit in the palm of
your hand. You place these in a row on the table in front of Carl and Jo
before continuing your tale.

“As I mentioned earlier the tale of Krampus is from Germanic folklore, but
there are many variations all over Europe, one of the oldest is quite
disturbing and I'll share it with you now.

Back in the early parts of the 17th century, times were very tough and in a
small Austrian village the people were particularly poor.
They had very little food, very few resources and the winters were
extremely unkind to them, with many dying of hunger or just freezing to
death in the cold.

As we sit here by the fireplace all warm and content, our bellies full of
Turkey and rich foods, it's hard to imagine such a scene.
But try if you will...

I want you to imagine a mother, her poor husband died the previous
winter leaving her and her two children all alone.
She had very little firewood, and even less food to go around.
She knew in her heart of hearts that they would all not survive this
coming winter...there was not enough food.
She was faced with the harsh reality; one of her children had to go.
But which one?

A terrible choice indeed and one she could not make alone.

A few nights before the winter storm was to arrive, she travelled to a
nearby village to speak to the old wise woman who resided there.
These wise women were at the heart of each village, they were the
midwives, problem solvers and witch doctors of there time all rolled in to
one.
Their beliefs and ways were surrounded by myth and superstition.

She confided in the old woman, she told her she could not decide which
one of her children had to go, for one of them must.

The old woman listened to her story, it is one she had heard many times
before and she knew what she had to say.

She told the woman to go home and to wrap up two gifts for her children,
in one gift she was to place a small treat, something nice.
And in the other gift, a piece of old coal.

Then she was to mix them up, so that even she did not know where the
coal was.
Then that same night after she put her children to bed, she would place a
gift under each child's bed, not knowing which was which.

The old woman said do this and you will not have to decide, do this and
your problems will be solved...”

You then ask Carl and Jo to each select a gift each.

“So she did as the old woman said, and that night as her children slept
soundly asleep in their beds...something came.

It was the Krampus...he had come for a child, a naughty child.

And how did he know which child to take away?

By the gifts of course under the bed of course...

He walked into the room...his breathe steaming out from between his
blood red lips...tongue lolling out between his pointy teeth...his hooves
clipped and clopped across the floor towards the children's beds as their
mother looked on in terror.
He reached the first child’s bed and reached underneath grabbing the
present...he held it up to his nose and sniffed it slowly...then put it
back...he did the same thing to the other bed...the other child’s gift.

Then as quick as a flash he turned around and grabbed the little boys
ankles before stuffing him in his dirty old sack and carrying him away into
the night...

The Krampus had claimed him...one naughty child.

I would like you now to both open your gifts for me...but please don't
show anyone just yet...hold what is inside in your hand so that nobody
else can see.”

They do as asked, Carl has a piece of coal, Jo has a small toffee.

“Jo and Carl, please place your hands on top of mine for a moment...”

Jo and Carl both do as asked and you close your eyes.

“I want you to both concentrate on your secret...what you wrote

down...naughty or nice...I think I'm getting something...I see an old
lady...she is alone...cold...you visit this person...you help her...something
to do with helping an old lady on your street...Jo I think this is
you...looking out for her...and the other...Carl the naughty
boy...oh...something naughty indeed...you cheated...yes...you cheated
on...a game...stole some money I think...
You then open up your eyes once more, smiling at your guests.

“Jo, would you like to show everyone what you have in your hand
please...”
Jo opens her hand and shows the Toffee.

“And naughty Carl...”

Carl opens up his hand to show a piece of coal resting on his palm.

“Well well well, when you get home tonight naughty Carl...make sure you
lock up all your windows and doors...check under the bed and in the
closet...because I think you may be having a visitor...The Krampus!”
Method

I'm sure you are miles ahead of me already, the method is simplicity itself,
which I'm sure by now if you have read my previous works is my favourite
way to operate, leaving me to concentrate on my performance.

A simple Equivoque and a impression device.

The impression device I use is the 'Beautiful Butterfly' from John Riggs.

I have it set up like so:

Ask them to sign their names underneath, but you can probably tell from
the handwriting whose is whose, if you have done something earlier with
them both...

Once you have the pad back, just be bold. Take all the time you need to
read the information.
They will be focusing on your story...

I usually have it opened up on my lap if I'm sitting on a table, so I can look

down and have a sneaky peek.

You could also use any of your favourite B/tears or peeks, this is just how I
prefer to do things.

The equivoque again is most simple, especially with only two items, you
know of course which present holds the coal, it's either marked in a
certain way, it's slightly heavier when you pick it up etc. so you know who
has to end up with it, the naughty person:

“Carl, can you just point to one of the gifts for me?” etc.

There is plenty of resources out there for you to learn this technique; but
I'm sure if you are reading this, again...you are miles ahead and home
free.

One on One

You can perform this one-on-one too, just ask the person you are
performing with, to either write down something naughty OR nice they
did this year.

Then you reveal force the correct gift upon them before revealing their
secret as before.
You can either make the little gift boxes yourself, or purchase them online,
for example:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cube-Shaped-SMALL-Christmas-Tree-Party-
Advent-Decoration-Gift-Boxes-/350811177227?
pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Make_Up_Cosmetics_Lip_Gloss_PP&var=&hash=it
em51adf9c10b

They are cheap enough to have as a little give-away too, which is always
nice.

So that's it!

I told you it was simple!

You now have all the time you need to get the story down, practice and
have a play around before Christmas comes around.

If you enjoyed this, please leave your thoughts on your favourite forums,
even if it's just a single sentence...as we all much prefer reviews off
workers like yourselves.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Try not to scare your guests too much...save something for Halloween...

Until next time.

Anthony Black
November 2013, Albion.
http://www.thewrongsideofmidnight.com/
Links and Further Reading

John Riggs
http://www.jonsaintgermain.com/books.htm

Equivoque

http://www.alakazam.co.uk/product-Multiplicity---Max-Maven.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivocation_%28magic%29

Krampus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Krampus-Monte-Beauchamp/dp/0867197471