PROLOGUE
"Naughty. Naughty. Hm. Considered. Check. Naughty. Check."
He held the paper at arm's length to assess his progress.
"A thousand papers done and a hundred ninety-nine thousand more. What a productive day. Time to take a nap."
He stacked the papers and used it as his pillow. He was already on the verge of falling asleep when he felt something hit him.
"Ouch! What is that?" He looked down and saw a stone. "A stone? Who's son of a Grinch would throw a naughty stone at me? Why would someone want to hurt me?"
"Hey! What are you doing?! Get down!"
He looked up only to see the most beautiful woman he'd ever saw in his whole existence. Her hands are so soft and so smooth when she grabbed him down.
"Are you even listening?"
"Sorry. What?"
"I said, were you trying to kill yourself?"
"What? No! Why would I even do that?
"I don't know! Because you're a handsome cray cray?"
"Did you just say that I'm handsome?"
"After everything that I've said. The word handsome is the only one you remembered. Unbelievable." The woman crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look. "You were sleeping on the platform of the building. What if you fell? Huh? Were you even thinking?........."
She's so beautiful. Is she even human? It's like she was carved to perfection. He thought.
"Oh my gosh! Your head's bleeding!"
"It is?" He touched his forehead and felt a sticky wet liquid. "Oh. I am bleeding."
"Yes you are. And you were not listening to me again." She took her bag and started searching for something in it. "Here. Take it."
I suddenly saw a green thing flying towards me. "Woah. Can't you see I'm injured?"
"Yeah sure."
This woman has some attitude. He thought. I'll clean my wound myself. Who am I kidding. I'm just going to make it worse. Ugh.
She saw how the guy struggled to clean his own wound.
"Here, let me help." Out of her good hearted soul, she sat beside him and took the cotton.
"No thank you. I can handle it."
"Okay. If you say so."
She rolled her eyes as she stood up and turned to see the sunset. She looked so calm and peaceful.. But sad.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" She said.
"Yeah. Most beautiful thing in the world." She caught him staring at her and showed him her ghost of a smile.
I never knew someone could be this beautiful. He thought.
"WOAH!" A fat, long bearded man fell off his chair when he was woken up by a loud wail. He quickly headed to the nursery room only to see one of his elves trying to stop the baby from crying. A deep longing can be seen from the man's eyes as he stared at the baby.
"Mister Claus, there's only a few hours left before Christmas eve. You must take a rest. I'll take care of your son."
Santa Claus walked towards him and took the baby out of his hand. The baby stopped crying as soon as he felt the touch of his father. The baby's eyes is so pure and so beautiful just like his mother's. Santa used to stare at his wife's eyes almost every minute of the day. Her eyes as beautiful and as blue as an ocean.
He kissed his son's forehead and laid him down on his crib and went directly to his office. He checked his computer and read all the wishes of the people around the world. Yes, all. It's not only the kids that has their wishes granted by Santa. It's just that there are only few good adults around.
A wish by a couple caught Santa's eyes. After one deadly hour, he made a decision that he knew would be really hard for him and would probably break his wife's heart if she were there.
"Zap! Where's Rudolph?"
The green hatted elf ran to Santa and said, "He's taking a rest Mister Claus. Do you want me to call him?"
"Yes please. I'll be needing his glow tonight."
The elf nodded and went to fetch Rudolph. The other elves prepared all the gifts and put it on Santa's sleigh carefully. Santa was checking the list when Lenny-one of his elves- clapped her hands and told him that everything is already ready. He rode his sleigh as soon as Tucker placed Rudolph on the line with the other reindeers.
"Ready?"
The elves gave way to Santa's cleigh and all bowed down.
"Hohoho! Merry Christmas!" He said as the cold air of Christmas hits his face and readied himself for the long night ahead.
-
Before the clock strikes midnight, Santa already delivered all the gifts except for one. His last personal gift for the couple who kept on wishing and never stopped believing in the essence of Christmas. He gently took the basket and put it carefully on the doorway and laid a note on top of it. Taking one last glimpse of his gift, he pushed the doorbell then rode his sleigh with a heavy heart.
Happy Christmas.
