The Christmas Present

There will be no escape this Christmas...

They’re out there again.

My heart pounds as I look out of the kitchen window.

For weeks now, they’ve been harassing us, vandalising our property and intimidating our children. It’s been relentless.

The police don’t take them seriously because they’re teenagers. But they don’t know what it’s like to live like this. Those girls are running rings around us, and it’s got to the point where they're there every time we leave the house, mocking us. Following wherever we go.

We’ve had as much as we can take.

So in the middle of the night, my husband Howard and I pack our family into the car, and set off for a secluded cottage in the snowy wilderness of the Scottish Highlands.

As Christmas morning dawns, the children are excited to begin the festivities. Our eldest daughter, Taylor reaches for her stocking, her eyes sparkling with excitement. But as she peers inside, her joyful expression morphs into one of sheer terror. Time freezes as we all stare in disbelief at the ominous object that falls from the wrapping paper and we realise that there’s no escape.

What do they want from us, and what will it take to make them stop?