Hello again Story Club members.

I'm Ivy, your ghostly host with the most and keeper of the strangest,

spookiest tales on earth.

Today is another Ivy's chilling tale.

This tale story club members goes out to my beloved listener Oliver in Minnesota,

who at just 11 years old is already a master of horror.

Oliver has come up with a super scary Christmas story for all of us to enjoy today.

It's a tale that I call virtual Christmas disaster.

The normally quiet town of Willow Creek was a buzz with excitement as Christmas approached.

And, for better or worse, presents were on kids' minds.

Children chattered about the latest tech toys, especially the new virtual reality

headsets that seemed to be on everyone's wish list.

Among the kids writing to Santa with a desperate plea for a virtual reality headset was

Liam, a bright-eyed boy with a vivid imagination,

who longed to join his friends in their digital adventures.

In Liam's family, money was tight,

but there was a lot of love and attention, especially from his father.

And so, of course, Liam's adoring dad noticed his son's growing

interest in the VR headset. Liam spent nights dreaming of exploring fantastical worlds and

battling virtual dragons, his longing for the headset growing each day. Liam's dad spent

nights worrying about not disappointing his son

on Christmas morning.

...