December 25th 2011 - 02.36.01
I was awoken to the sound of a thump on the roof. “It’s Santa” I thought to myself. Everything else was silent except the sounds of his footsteps on the roof walking towards the chimney. He then came down the chimney with a loud bang,, place our presents under the tree and ate the cookies and milk my siblings and I had left out for him. I was getting ready to jump out of bed and run to the sitting room when he left to see what he brought me but then I heard his loud footsteps approach my room. He opened the door and entered my bedroom which I share with my younger brother. I pretended to be asleep so as to not spook him, but kept one eye slightly open to see him. He looked like what the media portrayed him. A large man with a big red coat and big white beard. He walked over to my brother’s bed forst.
“You were a good boy this year” he said
He then walked over to my bed, I was still pretending to be asleep.
“You were a naughty boy this year”
“I’m sorry” I whispered
“So you’re awake”
“Y-yes”
“No presents for you this year”
I sat up quick wiping my eyes
“That’s not fair”
He took out a long piece of paper from his pocket that read “Naughty List”. He scrolled down through it for a few seconds.
“Declan, aged 11
Bullying younger sibling Pulling dog’s ears and tails Drawing inappropriate pictures on classmates books Threatening to harm another child’s beloved pet Excessive swearing Not doing homework Shoplifting And much much more
You were a very, very naughty boy this year Declan and naughty boys and girls get no presents”
“Please. I-I Was a naughty boy but I’ll be a good boy next year”
“If you be a good boy next year, you will get presents next year”
“Did I even get a small present”
“No presents. Goodbye”
As he moved away I looked over at my brother. He looked very still as if he was frozen. I got up from bed and went over to him. He wasn’t breathing. I ran out of thr room to catch Santa before he left
“My brother, he’s not breathing”
“Yes. He is fine”
“HE’S NOT BREATHING”
“Goodbye”
I grabbed his coat
“Please. Help him”
“Goodbye”
He pulled his coat away and flew back up the chimney. I started panicking. I ran to my parents bedroom to get help but when I jamp on them to wake them, I noticed they were Frozen too. My mom’s phone was on the bedside locker beside me so I used it to dial 911 but there was a beep. I tried multiple times but each time there was a beep. I ran to the front door with intentions to go to my neighbours for help but when I opened it, I stopped. The snow falling from the sky was frozen mid air. The plane in the sky was frozen. The car driving past my house was frozen. Everything was frozen. I called out for help in hopes someone will hear me”
“KEEP IT DOWN” I heard a few doors down.
I ran in that direction. Leaning out of the window from a 2nd story bedroom was the kid who bullies me.
“It’s you” he said “you must’ve been a naughty boy this year”
“What’s happening I asked”
“Santa has frozen time. How else do you think he can get around the entire world in one night?”
“But why aren’t we frozen?”
“Because we’re “naughty” kids. Naughty kids are immune to his time freezing”
“But why?”
“Punishment”
“Punishment?”
“Prepare for the longest night of your life because it’s gonna feel like an eternity”
I didn’t really understand what he meant at first. He climbed out of his 2nd story bedroom, slid down a homemade slide he had made for himself and started walking towards me
“And the best part is, nobody is gonna help you when I beat your ass”
He started chasing me so I ran away as fast as I could
“It’s only me and you forever” he said while chasing me. “You won’t be able to keep outrunning me”
He was right about the night feeling like an eternity. What was punishment for everyone became his greatest gift as he spent “forever” chasing me down.
December 25th 2011 - 02:36:02
Santa was finally done delivering presents. I was laid in bed, exhausted, missing a few teeth and black and blue with bruises. You can’t escape someone who’s experienced forever several times. After that night, I did my very best to stay on Santa’s nice list for the rest of my childhood. I’m 22 now and I still fear I may somehow piss Santa off enough for him to make me have that experience again.