One Christmas Eve

 

Santa

Fish Bowl

 

Jack Frost

 One Christmas Eve

Dec 24th, 2070:

Nick woke with a start. He was sure he had felt the vibrations in the wall… Could it be a moon quake? Nick looked around in the dim light that was coming from the fish bowl. Everything seemed normal. The only thing that moved in the room now was the fish bowl. Standing on a wooden base, the fish bowl was rotating, casting a dim yellow light into the room. A red and white fish was plastered over the glass surface and tow toy Christmas trees, with two LED stars hanging on top was placed inside. Sensing Nick’s movement, the fish bowl had powered up.

The walls vibrated again, but this time it was coming from the room above. Nick grabbed the bowl and crawled up to the Observatory. He peered inside. Nobody… Everything seemed to occupy their assigned place. The telescope, the reading table, the space suit…. He looked up at the dome. It looked closed. Shrugging, Nick decided to leave. But at the same time the dome opened and the floor shook. 

Nick looked down at the fallen pile. The window wasn’t closed…. This man was stuck to it!!!

“Wouldn't mind helping me, would you?”, asked the man.

     

Nick helped the man up.

“Sorry about that…. “, the man said, straightening up. He looked at Nick and felt embarrassed at the entry he had made. He gave a small tight uncertain smile and said, “Thank you…” and patted awkwardly on Nick’s back. Nick stood transfixed.

“All right... Off you go then… off to bed”

“You are Santa….”, said Nick in an amazed voice.

“Right... uhhh….” The man started searching his pockets. He pulled out chocolates, umbrellas, scarves, marbles, balls, candy sticks…. The list was endless and then finally-

“There!!” He turned to Nick. “Now, mister …. Go to sleep….. OI!!!”

Nick had turned into a comet and dashed out of the window. The man turned the bottle in his hands and read its name and at once saw that it was not the “Dream spray” he wanted to use. Fearing, he had messed up things again, he bounced downstairs, placed few gifts, under the Christmas tree for little kitty and again with much difficulty, pulled himself out.
Rudolph rolled his eyes.

“What? The window is too small. Now, where did that kid fly to? Did any of you see?”

All the reindeer's pointed to the small orb in the sky.

“There you are… what do you mean by running off like that?”

Nick was jumping on his heels, holding his fish bowl. He pointed at a huge Christmas tree that stood, all bedecked with lights and jingles.

“Santa!!! It’s a real Christmas tree. I’ve never seen a real Christmas tree before. Look… All the houses and the streets and the shops are all decorated with lights and have music playing inside. And I can hear them, without my walky!!”

Santa looked at Nick. He hadn’t seen a kid getting excited over Christmas, since a very long time.

Nick ran around the Christmas tree and then again and again.

And all Santa could do was watch him. He remembered the times spent during his own childhood. The times when he would get excited at every Christmas, the times he spent wrapping gifts, and carried it over for Santa to deliver…. And the time when he became Santa himself!!! and then his first delivery…. Well, from then on he came to be known as the “Clumsy Santa”.

“All right, come on…it’s time to…. Gooooooo…..OI!! Young man”

Santa ran to catch up with Nick’s tiny feet. Goodness, how fast will this kid run!!!. Finally, Santa, caught up with him, and when he did, he had to grab hold of Nick to avoid his fall.

“Where…. are you… planning… to run off… now?”

“Everywhere!!!.... I want to see everything…”

“You… have to… go…home”

“But Santa-“

“No”, he pulled Nick towards the sleigh.

“Santa please…..” Nick pleaded.

Santa couldn’t refuse, especially after seeing the excitement filled in those little eyes…

“Fine, but you promise to behave?” Nick nodded excitedly.

Riding in the clouds, dropping gifts ... Nick was having the time of his life. There was nothing more he could have asked for…. He stood to look at the bobbing lights below, the way they went in and out of view… Santa took out his crystal wand and waved it once. The lights below started climbing up and down, imitating a flowing river. Excited, Nick requested for a few more tricks and then finally when he was done-. Santa stopped his sleigh in mid-air and watched the sky in awe. Nick had transformed the whole sky into a spectacular stage. The balls of lights splashed and spread out like fireworks. The Christmas trees skated in pairs while their stars formed a dazzling circle overhead that showered sparkles everywhere, and the bells played music to sync.

Santa laughed in surprise. All the reindeer’s turned to see him, not believing what they heard. It was a long time since Santa had really laughed. Santa turned to Nick and patted him, this time for real.

“Merry Christmas kid… Merry Christmas!!!”

Nick gave a toothy grin and said, “Merry Christmas, Santa…. Christmas here is just like what I’d read it in my books… except…”

“Except?”

“The snow…. What happened to all the snow Santa?”

Nick looked sown to search for a freckle of snow, but couldn’t find any.

Santa’s face fell. He turned his sleigh away from the moon and took Nick to an old cemetery.
Confused, Nick looked at Santa. He pointed to a stone that lay a few feet away.

Nick knelt and read the name written over the stone

“Frost?”

“Jack Frost, The man who brought snow into the world”

“What happened to him?”

Santa Shrugged. “Nobody knows… He was walking on a road one day, a wind blew by and then he was gone….”

“Disappeared? Why?”

Santa gave a long sigh. “People don’t need us anymore, kid. They can create whatever they want for themselves, now. We are just part of the legends now… people who used to be… ”

“But you are here? You still deliver gifts!!”

“For now, kid… for now”
Nick looked at the grave stone. He placed his fish bowl at the foot and said, “Merry Christmas, Frost”

Over the horizon a small light ray broke the night’s darkness.

“Time to go”

Nick climbed down the sleigh and pulled Santa along. But Santa politely refused looking uncertainly over at the window. Nick laughed and ran in, to wake his sister.
Rudolph rolled his eyes again.

“Is that the only thing you can do?”