A loud "whoop" went up from about thirty feet away where Eddie and Jacek were striding toward us.

"Krampus is toast!" Jacek hollered.

The seven swans turned as one in the direction of the sound with barely a rustle of their feathers. Their beady eyes stared.

"So..." I cleared my throat, and when their attention was back on me, I nodded toward the statue of Krampus. "Thanks for that. Did you...enjoy your migration here?"

Stupid. I was terrible at talking to ...