By Maia Rebekah
Last cookie of the nightāstore-bought, but still tasty. Washed it down with a sip of milk. After so many stops, one cookie was really all I could bear to eat without it all coming back up. But the night was over. Wearily, I climbed back into the sleigh and didnāt even need to urge the reindeer on. They were ready to call it a night, too.
In the open sky, just as we were about to slip out of the time stream, I heard it.
Please.
āWhoa, boys.ā Reluctantly, the team halted. The bells stopped jingling as we hung, motionless, in mid-air. I listened. And it came again: a wish more desperate than Iād heard in centuries, sour, the last strand of hope falling from lips so tired of asking. Please.
Leaving the sleigh on the roof of a lavish modern mansion, I materialized in the living room, if one could call it that. Apart from the crackling fire pit, Christmas tree, and uncomfortable-looking ergonomic sofa, the roomās furnishingsāvarious sculptures and expensive paintingsāmade it seem more like an art museum. Gold coated nearly everything. The ornaments, the painting stands, the wet bar. Even the floor was one solid, shining slab.
I crept away from the fire, stepping around a strikingly lifelike golden statue of a weeping young woman. The things people call art these days.
āSanta?ā A small head peeked from behind the figureās skirts. Seeming satisfied with his guess, the boy stepped into the firelight.
āYes, itās me. Merry Christmas,ā I whispered, trying not to sound fatigued. āJohnny, right? And youāre, uh, five years old now?ā And on the naughty list. I wonder why?
He frowned. āFive and a half.ā
āOh, right. Sorrāā
āAre you bringing her back?ā
It was my turn to frown. Not only because of his question, but because there was also something strangely familiar about this little face. āPardon?ā
āMy mommy. At the mall you said youād try.ā
Blasted mall Santas. Never fail to make my job harder.
I scratched my neck. āIs it just you and Daddy here, then?ā
āNo. I donāt have a daddy.ā Tears welled in his eyes. āAnd now Mommyās gone, too!ā
āHey, now.ā I knelt down and grasped his shoulders. āIām sure she hasnāt gone far. I can lookāā
āNo!ā Johnnyās face crumpled, and he sobbed, āShe didnāt run away! Grandpa killed her!ā
āWhat?ā
āThey donāt believe me, but I saw it! He killed her! I hate him!ā
āJohnny, I canāt bring people back from the dead. Iām sorry.ā
āBut you have to!ā
āWhatās the second thing on your Christmas list?ā The kid was naughty, but he was clearly hurting. I really donāt make exceptions, but maybe there was something I could do.
Crestfallen, he backed away and sat on the couch. Staring into the fire, he said, āThat wasnāt the first thing on my list.ā
Soon, I had him enchanted and asleep on the sofa. I pulled the book from my pocket and flipped to his name.
āJohnny Midas wants his grandfather to die.ā
I snapped the book shut. Time to leave and wash my hands of it all. Shameful, all that time wasted on such a wicked child. I prepared to whisk away to the roof, but it came again.
Please.
So, it hadnāt been the boy. The wish was somewhere deeper in the house. I should have left, but I traveled through the fireplaces instead and appeared in an office.
A man sat at the desk, clutching a picture frame. His eyes were red-rimmed and lined with wrinkles. He was clearly surprised to see me but still sounded bored as he asked, āHow did you get past security?ā
I gestured to the fireplace.
āDoesnāt really matter, I guess.ā He set the picture aside and pulled off one of his golden gloves. His hand seemed to glow in the light of his desk lamp. He stared at it. āSteal whatever you like. Iāll just buy another one.ā
That seemed about right. I remembered him, forty-some years younger. Richard Midas had always sent me the longest Christmas listāan entire toy storeās worth of wishes. Heād eventually made the naughty list for his overwhelming greed and narcissism.
āIs that your daughter?ā The framed photo lay flat on his desk: Richard, a bit younger, with his arm around a smiling teenaged girl.
He grabbed the frame againāwith his bare handāand immediately dropped it, crying out. As it clattered on the desk, it turned to solid gold. The picture was gone.
He moaned, picked up the frame, and hurled it into the fireplace. Then he slumped on the desk with his arms about his head. His body shook with sobs.
Understanding dawned. I stepped closer. āRichard, what have you done?ā
āI just want her back. I sold everything, gave away all the money like she always asked me to. Thought the curse might break. The goldāā His voice creaked. āPlease, bring her back.ā
Shaking my head, I left the office and mounted my sleigh once more. I opened my book again, this time turning to Richard Midas. Where there had always been at least a hundred list items, there was only one. He hadnāt lied.
Neither of the boys below deserved any sort of gift. Each a festering pit of hatred, greed, and self-pity. Yes, Richard was obviously remorseful, but who could say he wouldnāt revert to his wicked ways if he had his daughter back? Iād seen the disgusted way heād looked at his gold, though, how flippantly he regarded the wealth heād given away.
Had I been doing this for too long? Had my ideas of ānaughtyā and āniceā overshadowed the truth of morality? True, I couldnāt see Midasās heart, but if he wantedāneededāa second chance, the opportunity to turn around, who was I to withhold it?
Leaving my restless reindeer again, I slipped back inside, grasped the weeping, enchanted statueās hand, and whispered, āTime to wake up.ā
Santa having an existential crisis about the basis of morality in the midst of Christmas Eve is kind of iconic. Sad, yes. But also iconic.
It’s all about that holiday spirit, amirite?
Humanizing such a figure as Santa, and a mashup with another legend was inspired.
Thank you! I honestly can’t even remember where the idea came from, but I was very pleased with the results!
I love it! Great story! And what a great present to have a story published on your birthday š š„³
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Wow… just wow
Kchow
Wow!!! LOVED this!! Excellent on every level, both the plot and the characters! Well done, Maia!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it š
This is such a refreshing and interesting twist with characters of well known tales. I love it!!!!
Aw, thank you, Timithia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Your comment made my day š„°