We all know the story of Santa Clause right? A jolly, merry man who travels all the world on Christmas eve to deliver presents to children. He is known to be a generous man with a kind heart and a love for bringing children gifts. Do you believe in him? I don’t believe in Santa Clause… However, I do believe in Santa Claws. I have seen him with my own two eyes.
On Christmas Eve of 2016 when I was just 8, me and my family were on our sofa playing board games. Everything was perfect. Our Christmas tree lights lit up the presents sitting beneath them, while the fire burning in the fireplace heated the room with a warm glow of positivity.
The clock ticked away in the background. Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock. It was the loudest clock I had ever heard. The bell chimed at 10:00 pm and my dad told me and my brother to go upstairs and get into bed, so we raced up the stairs into our beds and went to sleep.
THUD!
3:33 am Someone was downstairs, dropping things. THUD! THUD! THUD!
‘Santa!’ I excitedly thought in my head. With exhilaration rushing through my brain, I got out of bed, slipped on my slippers and rushed down the stairs. With each step, I got closer and closer to the living room. I could see the red and blue Christmas tree lights beaming through the crack in the doorway. This was it. The day I would meet Santa Clause.
Finally, I reached the wooden door that stood at the end of the corridor. I reached out to touch the silver, rusty doorknob. I was so excited to meet someone that every child wished they could. I pushed the handle and stepped in.
I saw the back of a large, circular man standing by the fireplace, scoffing down the milk and cookies we had left out. “Santa?” I called out. The man stopped. He stood frozen for a moment before I heard a croaky, deep, eerie voice say “You should be in bed child.” “I- Santa?” “No, child.” He whispered, “I am Santa Claws. C-L-A-W-S” I Stood in shock. Was this the jolly fat man we all know ad love? “Want to see my claws?” With that, his claws grew to the size of a butter knife, but as sharp as a blade, like a cat’s claws.
He slowly turned around. Red, glowing eyes like fire. Sharp, pointy teeth like thorns. Skin that made him lol at least 400 years old. The creepiest part was his smile that reached from ear to ear.
I let out the loudest scream I had ever done.
My parents came rushing down the stairs. They saw me crying and immediately started comforting me. I couldn’t find the words so instead Instead I pointed at the thing in my living room. My parents looked up in shock. They bounded up the stairs, with me in my Mum’s hands. My dad grabbed my brother and we all ran into the bathroom, locking the door. They called 999 but by the time the police had arrived, the man had disappeared.
The police investigated the situation and found the presents he had left. -A box of dead snakes -A shovel -A gun -An axe He had come through the chimney with a rope.
This was how I found out that Santa didn’t exist. We stopped with the Santa tradition after that. We stopped leaving presents under the tree, we bricked up the fire place and we put a cupboard against it for good measures.
That didn’t work… Next Christmas was worse