Benny was dreading this holiday season, even while he saw everyone else just loving the jolliness of it. He hadn’t believed in Santa Claus ever since the previous year. He longed to, but he couldn’t bring himself to truly believe like he used to. He was pondering all of this while walking through the mall with his mother and father. It was late December, the snow was falling outside, and the mall was packed with bumptious shoppers. His mom pointed over towards the entrance of Macy’s where she saw “Santa’s Workshop.”
“Santa’s Workshop? Yeah right,” said Benny.
“Look! There’s Santa now,” said his mother.
“That’s not Santa. There is no Santa,” he replied.
Benny’s mom shot his father a distraught look. He shrugged and said, “What can ya do?” His father did not want to enter a discord.
They continued to walk through the chaotic mall, looking curiously into the clear glass windows of each store. There were people outside endorsing all of the stores' best products. The racks in each window were messy and unkempt. Benny pointed out things he wanted, while his mother, determined to muster a smidge of belief in him, kept saying “Alright, write that on your letter to Santa.” Benny decided to keep quiet and cut his mother some slack. After all, it was Christmastime, and his rebuttal would not help anything in the situation. She would always win this argument, for she was tenacious with her opinions.
Nearing the opposite end of the mall, they came across a petting zoo. “Go on, Benny! Go pet the reindeer!” Said Benny’s dad.
He gave in, hesitantly. “Okay, Dad…”
He walked over to the pen, and the cheery woman standing there unlatched the gate for him. “Go ahead, kiddo. They won’t bite!”
He glared at her. But there he went, dragging his feet into the smelly reindeer pen. He approached one way in the back and reached out his hand to pet its back.
“So, Benny. I hear you don’t believe in Santa.” The reindeer spoke.
For a moment, it didn’t register that he had just heard words come out of a reindeer’s mouth. “Did you just talk to me?”
“Yes, but that’s not the point. I’ll show you that Santa exists.” His voice sounded very prudent. He felt silly thinking this about a reindeer.
“Whatever you say!” Benny said sardonically.
“Go hide in a bathroom stall until the mall closes. It should be in about fifteen minutes. Then, come find me.” The reindeer’s nose glowed red.
He did what the reindeer said, though he didn’t know why.
His parents searched around the mall for him, frantically. They were talking to the mall cops after all the stores were closed. Benny’s father chuckled to himself at the officers’ silly uniforms. He glanced at the cop’s belt. There was a walky talky, and a slot on the belt that was gun-shaped, but lacking a fun. “Not surprising,” he muttered to himself, unimpressed with the mall cops’ tiny amount of authority.
Benny’s mother was on the verge of tears, becoming very anxious about where her son could be. She wasn’t happy with her husband, who went about this whole situation in a very puerile way.
Benny emerged from his hiding place and made his way to the small petting zoo. The reindeer directed him to climb onto its back and hold on tight. So he did, and they began to lift off the ground!
Soaring across the now vacant mall, Benny tried to keep his composure, but he couldn't help screaming with delight. This caught the attention of his parents and the cop.
“Benny, what are you doing up there!?” Cried his mother.
“No time to talk, mom!” He bellowed.
They reached macy’s and came to a hault on the ground with no turbulence at all. “That was exhilarating!” Benny exclaimed.
The reindeer lead him into Santa’s Workshop. Returning to reality, Benny got sucked into the same sarcastic attitude he had earlier. But, he followed diligently. He heard a noise, and all of a sudden, Santa appeared right in front of him!
“Believe in me now?” said Santa.
“How do I know you’re real?”
“Give a tug on my beard!”
So he did. Sure enough, it didn’t budge. The wizened old man snapped his fingers, and Benny was abruptly surrounded by mountains of presents. The dreadful feelings that he had about Christmas earlier that day were waning, and his excitement was augmenting. His parents acclaimed this new light they had been longing to see in Benny. His concise meeting with Santa was something he would never forget. That Christmas was the best he ever had, and Benny believed in Santa for the rest of his life.
