Story 407: Santa’s Wish

Santa’s Wish
by
Matt Zurbo

Christmas wasn’t far away, the whole town was excited! Little Mim was no different. She hopped and bounced and clasped her hands with the thought of Santa coming to town. But, in some way, she was different, too. Mim was the only kid to have not yet made a wish.

It was a small town, on the side of a mountain, with lots of brick houses, above a big, flat valley full of farms. A wonderful, if often lonely place, where everybody knew each other, and secrets were hard to keep.

“No wish Mim, no wish Mim…!” the other kids taunted. Until, finally, Mim shouted; “Santa will know if you’ve been good or bad!”

Teasing was bad, everybody knew that.

“No wish M-“ all the other kids stopped, just like that.

But, boy, deep down, they were furious! No kid who was being teased was allowed to get one back. Come December 26^th, they decided, they’d tease her shoes right off!

Mim knew, Mim didn’t care.

“Let them tease in whispers, let them give dagger eyes,” she mumbled, to herself.

Louis had asked for a toy rocket, which was fair enough. Ava a pink doll house. Good, good, good. Mim didn’t want any of that stuff enough to waste a wish on it! A wish was something special, she thought.

Mim had a dog called Floop. Floop would run around, then lie down with a ‘floop!”. It was the funniest thing. She could talk to him about all sorts of stuff.

“If I was, say, a mermaid, I’d wish for a harmonica, and a bath with wheels, and I’d roll around the hills, making music that echoed across the valley at night,” she said.

Now, that would be a good wish. Something special. But she wasn’t a mermaid, and didn’t need wheels on her bath. Floop didn’t get it. He just flooped onto his belly, before flooping back onto his back.

Then, a week before Christmas, Julie Cree, the popular girl who bullied Mim a lot, announced her wish, as loud as a fart at church.

“I wish Santa would do a selfie with me!”

It was a bold move.

“She’s smart,” Mim said to Floop. “It’s not an evil wish, not enough to go on Santa’s bad list, but it will make her more popular than ever.”

Popular kids, as far as Mim was concerned, were rarely very nice.

Then, three days before Christmas, the town mayor called over the public speaker system; “Excuse me, could we all gather on the school basketball court. I have something to announce.”

*****

Everybody gathered on the school basketball court, happy, bored, confused. The town was small enough that they all fit, but they were restless, they had things to do – it was almost Christmas!

“Um… Well…” the town mayor said. “It appears we’ve received a letter from Santa. When he’s giving presents he has to be lightening quick, and selfies take time. So he’s going to come to our town, at normal speed, two days early.”

“What?” everybody said.

“You’re joking!”

“No way!”

“It’s true!” the mayor insisted. “The letter floated down to my desk, like magic, surrounded by disappearing glitter and stuff!”

Everybody ohh-ed and ahh-ed and ran around in little circles, and doubted and shouted, and went home to do their hair and clean their best clothes, and make their houses nice and tidy just in case.

Soon, only Mim was left on the basketball court… and Floop, of course. Santa, she had decided, liked honesty, so she was going to be exactly who she was every day when greeting him.

“Imagine it, Floop!” she bounced with joy. “Santa, Santa, Santa! Here in person!”

To which Floop simply flooped.

*****

It was two mornings before Christmas, and not a creature was stirring, not even two mice. Everybody stood on the basketball court, straining, looking to the sky.

“What are we watching for?” asked a voice from the back.

“Santa…” a kid said, not taking his eyes off the horizon.

‘Wow, that’s me…” the voice said.

Everybody turned to see a plump woman in a red and white suit, looking to the empty sky, with a huge sack on her back.

“Wha… But… Blerk…!” everybody stammered and stuttered.

“A LADY SANTA!?” the mayor squawked.

“Sure, why not? Mother Christmas!” Santa said.

Mim watched as everybody ran in big circles and clunked into each other and ran in circles again. They fretted and raged and all looked so hot and bothered.

“I’m saving my flying possums for Christmas eve,” Santa said. “So I took the bus.”

“Flying WHAT!?” yelped Julie Cree.

“You’re not Santa!” raged Louis. “You’re a girl!”

“Ho, ho, ho! Sure, I am,” Santa said, handing him a beautifully wrapped toy that had the exact shape of the rocket ship he asked for. “And this is for you,” she gave Ava a present shaped just like a doll house. With pink wrapping and ribbons, of course.

“Don’t take it!” Ava’s parents screamed.

“Blasphemy!” raged Louis’ folks, and everybody ran around even more in every direction, knocking into each other even harder, waving their hands in the air.

Santa leaned down and whispered to little Mim from behind the back of her hand. “Giving is giving. Not very Christmas spirit of them, is it?”

“I guess not,” Mim said.

*****

Mim watched Santa rubbing Floop’s belly. The dog was on its back, paws bent, tongue lolling in pure bliss.

“Some Christmas presents are easier to give than others,” Santa said.

Mim had never thought of that before; why shouldn’t animals get presents, too? It made her feel guilty that she’d gotten nothing for Floop yet. He’d been a good boy, he deserved the best!

Mim had taken Santa to the hedge maze in the town’s small park, to get her away from the chaos. Santa seemed to like it, walking this way and that along a narrow hedge path. The whole thing was short, and only three feet tall.

“Best for little kids,” Mim said.

“What’s going on here?” Santa asked, as the hedge withered to scrawny, leafless sticks.

“Oh, that’s the mountain side of the maze. Not much grows in it shadow. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, I think it’s a wonderful little quirk,” Santa smiled. “Very unique!”

Wow, Mim thought. No wonder this lady was Santa, she saw the good side of everything. Mim had so many questions. Santa knew what most kids were thinking, so answered them before Mim spoke.

“Why can’t Santa be a girl? I was originally a priest, who liked to give as many presents to kids as possible. There was a nursery rhyme in which I was an elf, smaller than you! I used to wear light and dark green. Red and white only came about with the invention of colour printing in newspapers.”

“Colour?” said Mim. This was all very confusing.

“Yes, but they could only add one colour to the black and white newspaper ink, so they chose red, and used my image in an ad. Ever since then, I’ve worn red and white and black.“

“Oh,” Mim said. She didn’t know what to think.

“My point is,” Santa said, touching Floop’s nose with delight, “I am whatever kids want me to be. Why not!? I’m Santa! I bring joy! Ho, ho, ho! I mean, who cares? Only selfish people insist I be this or that.”

Mim’s head was spinning. “But you are Santa, right?” she nervously said.

“Of course!”

*****

Mim and Santa walked back to the basketball courts. The Mayor had passed out. Someone was holding his back up, two or three others were fanning him. A few kids were crying that they might not get their presents. Everybody else was dazed and confused. When Santa and Mim arrived, everybody started to run around waving banners, shouting, raging. It was quite a show.

“They’ll come around,” Santa smiled. “A present’s a present.”

Then Santa grabbed Julie Cree in a ‘best friends’ headlock as she passed, and insisted; “Quick, quick, quick!” Before Julie knew what she was doing, she pulled out her phone and took a selfie of Santa and herself, in which she looked totally bewildered, and posted it on social media.

“Ho, ho, ho!” Santa boomed, patting her back.

“She seems terrified,” Mim said, as Julie walked away in a daze. “As if people might blame her for finding out you’re a girl.”

“Remember; being a girl is not a bad thing,” Santa said, with a lovely grin.

Mim liked her grin. It made Mim like her, just like that!

“This place is just far enough out of the way from anywhere else. Think of it as my test town,” Santa said. “Let’s let this lot settle down. Why don’t you and your crazy dog come with me while I deliver a few gifts?”

*****

Mim scampered after Santa, who had a way of walking, as if gliding from house to house, quickly, but still without rush. Mim and Floop ran, ran, ran, and there Santa already was, at the next doorstep, the next Christmas tree, the next letterbox.

Some people had decided Santa was a woke, Communist, Socialist, Pinko, whatever all those things meant. They stormed up, really angry, looking for trouble!

“Santa’s no girl!” they raged.

Santa gave them a speed boat and some fishing rods, and an air horn for each of their trucks. They liked that, and meandered off with their gifts.

“Boys…” Santa scoffed.

Eventually, every house in the township had just the right amount of presents. Santa looked at the place with a satisfied smile. The way every house seemed to be made with the same type of brick was confusing, but sort of cool at the same time. Santa Googled the reason on her phone as she talked – apparently the township was once a power plant, full of worker’s cottages, all built at once. When it shut down, locals moved in.

“Fascinating…” she said. “I know some of the people here are being a bit rude, but whatever. Good and bad are important, but usually a gift should have no strings attached.”

“I guess,” Mim said, puffing as she and Floop finally caught up.

“Now,” Santa said, in a voice so serious it filled Mim with dread. “To you…”

“Me?” Mim squeaked.

“You didn’t make a wish,” Santa said.

Mim didn’t get it; Floop was happy, so she was, too. Was that so bad?

“I want to know what you’d like,” she said.

“Oh,” Santa smiled. “Biscuits and milk, please.”

“No, for real,” Mim said. “Everybody gives you that.”

“In Australia they leave out beer in a can!” Santa smiled. “What a crazy lot! I don’t drink, but imagine that!”

“I’m serious!” Mim huffed. “All those presents in a night, all this drama, the pressure, the good kids, the spoilt kids. My gift is to give you a gift. Do you get time off? To just be you? In that time, what would you like?”

“Hm,” Santa pondered, climbing down a chimney. “That’s a good question.”

“I mean, give good, get good. You deserve a gift. It only seems fair to me.”

“Yoik! I think I like you,” Santa’s voice floated up the chimney. She often practiced her chimney climbing in the days before Christmas. “In and out, quick as a wink, watch for soot!”

“Don’t avoid the topic,” Mim said, balancing on the roof.

“My, you’re stubborn, too!” Santa said, head popping out of the chimney, checking her watch to see how quickly she did it, then darting in and out again.

“Well…”

“Okay, but what you give me is up to you,” Santa said. “I have a day to kill. Maybe make me something. I have no interest in toys brought off a shelf.”

*****

Mim was giddy with excitement like she had never felt before. Santa was famous and a really nice person and talking to little ol’ her! Just a child! Who would have thought? She felt like the luckiest kid on the planet!

“So amazing!” Mim smiled to Floop, who flooped onto his back for a belly scratch, then flooped back again. “Now,” Mim said. “What to make?”

And, just like that, her smile dropped. Santa was no mug. Santa was the BOSS of present making! Santa could make her own gifts, anything she wanted. How could Mim top that?

*****

There was a day to go before Christmas. Santa had been called away, was off preparing, but promised she’d be back to collect her gift. Mim walked through the town fretting, stressed, past brick house after brick house. Santa was right, it was weird, it was special. If looked at the right way, these things made her town unique.

“Hmph!” she said.

Mim had never thought her town was amazing until Santa did. She wanted to make Santa happy so bad!

Mim watched each house as she passed, each window, each brick. Some kids had opened their presents and were so happy they were silly! Others were putting them, still wrapped, under their Christmas trees. Louis’ rocket was made of polished wood and gears and was the most exquisite thing Mim had ever seen. Ava’s doll house was so delightful it made her want to sit down in it for tea!

“It’s not fair!” Mim complained. “I’ll never beat that.”

“Beat what?” a sad voice said.

It was Julie Cree. She looked miserable. Being the person who brought a woman Santa to town had destroyed her popularity, just like that.

“Some say it’s not Santa, it’s really the devil, sent to test us,” Julie moped.

“Isn’t the devil also meant to be a boy?” Mim said.

“Arrg! Don’t say that!” Julie panicked. “I’m already in enough grief!”

Mim couldn’t believe all the fuss. One look at Santa and you knew, just knew, she was Santa! She was! Someone good, here to bring cheer to kids.

“That’s nothing,” Mim moped back. “I have a day to make a gift good enough for the world’s best ever gift giver.”

“You’re going to WHAT!?” Julie said.

“Yeah, I stayed up all last night trying. I’m just no good at woodwork, or photography, anything I make or buy she can do better.”

“Just give Santa milk and biscuits!”

“Nah, that takes ten seconds. Just think of all the effort Santa has given, since time began. All the presents you, and I, have gotten. That deserves the best!”

Julie Cree thought hard about what Mim said. She planned to shout to every person in the town that Mim and the lady Santa were friends! Everybody would tease the little girl and her stupid dog so much, that what Julie did might not seem so bad!

“Besides,” Mim said. “Santa gave you just what you wanted.”

“No way!” huffed Julie. “I wanted to be popular. The selfie was meant to help with that.”

Mim began to walk away, shoulders hunched in defeat, Floop flipping and flooping after her.

“Are you kidding?” she turned to say. “The Girl Who Proved Santa is a Girl? You’ll be world famous!”

Mim watched as what she’d said sunk in. Julie’s face grew from sad, to its usual sour self, to happy beyond belief! It glowed! It glowed pure and golden and full of unbridled joy! It was a picture of happiness, with no room for good or bad.

Oddly, it made Mim feel sad for Santa. All that work, all that sonic speed so fast it would melt your undies, all that effort. Santa had so many kids to deliver to she was always long gone by morning. She had no time to see a kid’s reactions to her gifts.

Then, in that moment, a penny dropped inside Mim. Ping! She knew what present to give.

*****

Mim was so nervous her knees knocked. Her teeth chattered, her palms sweat! She held her drawing, rolled up in her hands, fretting beyond belief! What if she was wrong? What if her illustrations weren’t good enough? What if, what if, what if…?

She stood in the park, with Floop, of course, next to the half dead hedge maze, looking up for flying possums and a sled. The morning sky was a beautiful, crisp, clear, pale blue. The mountains framed brick house after brick house, full of happy, content, confused kids.

Then, Mim heard a flush.

“I’d never get sick of this view if I lived here,” a warm voice said.

Mim turned to see Santa walking out from the public toilet.

“Santa pees and poos!?” Mim squawked.

“Doesn’t everybody?” Santa grinned, pulling on her belt a bit. “Sorry, I don’t have long. Now, about that gift…”

Little Mim nervously held her drawing out.

“What have we here?” Santa grinned.

Mim uncurled it for her, slowly, awkwardly, revealing a texta drawing of every kid in town. Some were rendered in pink, some in brown, some in purple, in green – whatever festive colours her pencil case had – each character was grinning ear-to-ear.

Santa held both ends of the drawing, scanning all the images on it, while Mim pointed to kid after kid.

“I drew everybody’s reaction to your presents,” she cautiously said.

Santa didn’t reply, she just looked and looked.

“Uh, there’s Louis, I’ve never seen him so happy…” Mim continued. “There’s Ava, look at that grin, she was jumping up and down a bit! Look! And there’s Tyron. He was so happy her cried. See? I drew the tears… And there, in the corner, it’s Floop wagging his tail! You inspired me to go to the butcher’s and get him a big fat bone for Christmas!”

The more Mim talked, the more relaxed she became, until she was gushing about every image, laughing, telling Santa tales of happiness.

“And baby Billy, he farted he was so glad! And there’s Nina’s mum and dad holding hands! And Grover, he was grumpy because he wanted a real fire truck! I mean a REAL fire truck! Even your sack’s not that big. I’ve put them all there, all the expressions that you never get to see!”

She looked up to Santa, unafraid, face full of delight.

Santa looked at her joy.

“Bomp. There it is,” Santa smiled the widest, warmest smile. “The gift of giving. The best present there is!”

Mim bobbled with happiness.

“Thank you,” Santa said, touching her cheek gently, and made to leave. “You’d make a fine Santa someday,” she added with a wink, and was gone. Just like that.

Off on her possum sled.

All that was left was a beautiful, cold blue-sky day, and the crunching, slobbering sound of Floop, happily chewing on his Christmas gift.

The End