I had a crazy idea to do a paranormal version of short stories based on the Twelve Days of Christmas for next month. Traditionally, the first day is a Partridge in a Pear Tree, but that isn't very paranormal.

So, I came up with a Penghou In a Pine Tree!

What the heck is a Penghou, you ask? I couldn't find a good picture, so get your imagination ready — it's a tree spirit from Chinese mythology that takes the form of a black dog with a human face.

They are said to inhabit camphor trees, so you'll have to pretend there's a Penghou in the tree.

On the first day of Christmas in my series, the Penghou Shen finds Zacky, his long lost Dryad love, at the Tree Decorating Contest in Ashana.