It was late evening when Tommy got home. He would have to spend the next night or two alone as Mommy had gone to help Aunt Martha with her new baby girl and Daddy was out of town.
As he closed the door he heard a low growl; no not like the neighbours’ dog when accidentally hit by a cricket ball. This was more deeper, ferocious.
“Monsters” he thought in fear as he lit a candle. “It must be a bad dream. But…mommy says that there are no such things”
He heard it again and silently crept towards his room to see what it was. There on his bed was a huge hulking mass, the light of the candle making it seem larger. He took a few steps ahead but another growl made him retreat in a hurry.
He accidentally stepped on a squeaky toy lying on the floor. The sound seemed to be louder than the creature. He hid behind a curtain as a balding head with white hair and blue eyes peeked outside the blanket.
*******
It was a tough year in the North Pole. Global Warming was causing the snow to melt and three quarters of Santa’s elves were working full-time to refreeze it. This left only a few elves to prepare the gifts for Christmas.
Santa of course pitched in by tying a ribbon here or pumping the Christmas Conveyor Belt but he was no match for the elves’ nimble fingers.
There were constant arguments between him and the head elf. Seeing the situation, the elf was of the opinion that no matter what, this year all toys should be made from the stuff that washed up on their shores. “We anyways have a huge pile of waste building up. Why not use it instead of burning it up?”
To this Santa would patiently reply, “But there’s barely any time to do anything about it. We’re already understaffed and it’s never going to make the toys look as good as new, if they ever work, that is.”
“Oh, you can leave that to us,” the elf would squeak out confidently, even though the tips of his ears were already drooping with tiredness.
Even the reindeers had started feeling the heat with about half of them falling ill as Christmas due near. This led Santa to decide to start delivering the gifts well before Christmas Eve.
He started his rounds doing one place at a time but soon even his eyes were drooping with much needed sleep. He happened to reach an empty house. While placing the gifts his gaze fell upon the cozy little bed nearby and as if by magic he found soon himself snuggling into it.
*******
He suddenly woke up, unsure of what it was that woke him. He looked around and saw a small frightened boy hiding behind the curtain. “Ho ho ho! And how do you like an early Christmas my little friend,” he said in a joyful voice trying to keep him from crying.
Tommy looked at him and then at the gifts on the table with a smile. It didn’t take another invitation from Santa to open the topmost present and start building the little toy train.
*******
15 Years Later…
Scores of reporters were standing with cameras and recorders to capture the event. Phase 1 of Project Network was finally over. It was probably the biggest in the century using ultra-fast trains made from all kinds of plastic waste. Phase 1 was supposed to connect three countries, following which other countries would join in the next phases.
When asked about his inspiration for the project, the young architect behind it all just smiled and said that it was a Christmas present.
Word Count 147: FCA – Preferred (Though all kinds of comments are welcome)
The December 2018 WEP Challenge: Ribbons and Candles. (Click here to know more.)
PS: I know that it’s a bit early for a Christmas post but will be busy with exams around that time and can’t seem to resist a Christmassy December post. This is also the first time I’ve tried a 500+ word article. Looking forward to reading everyone else’s posts in January. 🙂
Bernadette Braganza 
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