Santa’s Wish by Ryan Licata
He alighted upon her roof. Despite the years his descent down her chimney still sent butterflies up inside him. Her house, though changed, remained familiar. He placed his gloves on the mantelpiece where once he’d have found gingerbread beside a picture she’d drawn. Inside her room she no longer needed a nightlight; instead a lamp shone above her, asleep; her eyelashes – quivering – scratched the pages of a novel. A pair of silk stockings hung from the bedpost. She’d believed longer than he’d expected anyone to. But nothing lasted. He came closer, dimmed the light, and reached for her stockings.
Notes
Usually when somebody comes down your chimney it is to steal your valuables not to bring you presents. Actually I’m wondering: “why can’t mr.Santa just ring the doorbell, instead of sneaking into people’s houses?” and “Does he really use the chimney? Or is that only a fairy tale for children and what he actually does is break windows with a crowbar to get into young women’s bedrooms”
These are of course only the ramblings of my unstable mind and I hope I didn’t completely destroy the subtleness in Ryan’s story.
Well whatever, Merry Christmas! Hope somebody brings you what your heart is longing for, possibly without the use of a crowbar.
