The train station loomed large and foreboding as Felix stepped onto its snow-covered platform. Its grey walls were streaked with grime, the broken windows rattling in the icy wind. The faint glow of holiday lights in the distance seemed a world away from this bleak, lifeless place. Felix clutched his bundle of lights tightly, scanning the shadows for any sign of the monster.

A creak echoed through the empty station, and Felix froze.

“Hey,” a voice called out softly.

Felix whirled around to see a boy about his age perched on a bench near the edge of the platform. His hair was unkempt, his scarf frayed, and his boots scuffed from what looked like weeks of wandering. Despite his disheveled appearance, the boy’s eyes were sharp and glinted with nervous energy.

“Who are you?” Felix asked, stepping closer.

“I could ask you the same,” the boy replied with a weak smile. He glanced at Felix’s bundle of lights. “But I think I already know. You’re the one bringing color back to the town, right?”
When Felix nodded, he was surprised when the boy burst out and exclaimed, "Let me help you!"

He stammered, then nodded and smiled. "Okay, yeah. Almost everything is done... but I was told that somewhere around here is the monster that caused all of this. I'm trying to find it."
Felix had to wonder why this boy, unlike everyone else in town, wasn't frozen. But before Felix could ask, a deep, rumbling growl echoed from the darkness of the station. Both boys turned as a massive shadow slithered out from the far end of the platform. The monster was enormous, its form shifting and writhing like a living storm cloud. Its eyes glowed red, and its jagged maw oozed despair. Admittedly, Felix froze as his eyes met the monster's. He reached down into his bag, pulled out the lights, and plugged them into the nearby outlet. Then he held the loop in his hand, and with a deep breath, flung it towards the monster.

The lights were absorbed into the infinite darkness of the monster's body. The cord got pulled tightly as it threatened to unplug, until it got ripped from the outlet and sucked up by the monster in its entirety. Felix's ears lowered.

"A-Any ideas??" He asked the boy beside him in a panic.
"I don't know! I've tried everything! Everything I do just makes it bigger!" The boy cried.
Felix paused. "...You knew about the monster?"
"What? No! No, I..." The boy stared at him with guilt in his eyes, then he shriveled. "..Okay, I admit it. I made the monster. I caused this whole thing. Everyone in town was so bored, so depressed, all I wanted to do was take away their unhappiness! And then I found this spell, that promised to take the sadness from everyone. But it... hurt them. And made this thing instead."

The monster snarled, inching closer. Felix tightened his fists, his mind racing. “You were trying to make people happy. That’s not wrong. But we need to fix this—now.”

“How?” the boy asked, panic creeping into his voice. “I’ve tried everything. I’ve even come here to face it, but nothing works!”

Felix’s gaze darted to his bag, where a few candy canes poked out from beneath the string of lights. An idea sparked.
“Maybe it doesn’t need to be defeated. Maybe it needs to be reminded of something better,” Felix said, pulling out a candy cane and unwrapping it.

“What?” the boy asked, baffled.

Felix turned back to the monster, his voice steady despite the pounding of his heart. “Hey, big guy!” he called, holding the candy cane up like a torch. The monster’s glowing eyes locked onto him, and it let out a low, guttural snarl.

Felix took a deep breath and tossed the candy cane toward it. The monster hesitated, sniffing the air before opening its maw and devouring the treat. For a moment, the growling stopped, replaced by a low, curious rumble.

“It worked!” Felix exclaimed, pulling out more candy canes. He handed a few to the boy. “Come on, help me!”

The boy hesitated, then grabbed the candy and joined in, tossing the striped treats toward the monster. With each one it ate, its form began to shrink. Its jagged edges softened, and its red eyes faded to a gentle pink. The boys kept feeding it until, finally, the shadowy mass was no larger than a puppy. The tiny creature let out a soft yip and wagged its misty tail, bounding toward Felix and nuzzling his leg.

Felix crouched down and picked the small creature up. "Aw, it's... kind of cute, now." He reached out to pet it,

It let out a happy bark, and a faint glow of color began to spread from its fur.

“It’s not a monster anymore,” the boy said, his voice thick with relief.

Felix smiled, kneeling beside him. “Because you helped it remember happiness.”

The boy looked up at Felix, his eyes shining. “Thanks. I thought I’d ruined everything.”

Felix shook his head. “You made a mistake, sure, but you cared enough to try to fix it. That’s what matters. Now let’s take this little guy back to the square. I think everyone could use a reminder that even the darkest shadows can turn into something bright.”