Santa, Elves, and Reindeer Contest

Santa was a Kid Too
By: Lauren Simpson
1,417 words

Now listen before I begin. This isn’t going to be some sappy story about how the spirit of Christmas is a wonderful beautiful thing. Nope; this is a story about how much of a brat Santa was when he was a kid. You see Santa is from a time so long ago that it was just like our time; right before the world blew into smithereens… anyway… Santa wasn’t called St. Nicholas or anything like that. He was called Nick and lived stuffed into his tiny apartment with his sister, mother and eight brothers. His father had gone away to find a new house for his family to live in. Anyway, Nick was twelve years old and had always lived in the tougher; dump part of town. His brothers were always out of the house so when he came home his mother would be sleeping and his only sister May Bell would be doing the dishes or scrubbing the floor or doing laundry and so forth. Everyday May Bell was forced to stay home because their mother had been extremely ill and withdrawn because her husband had left to find a better home for the family as I said before except that she feared he had passed for he had been gone for years. May Bell was only eight and had no one. Nick was no help. She was say hello Nicholas when he got home. He would kick off his sneakers at her then she cried and he would call her cruel names.
But one day Nicholas came home crying.
“Whats wrong Nicholas?” May Bell said leaving the dishes unattended. Catnip the cat they one day found on the street and May Bell insisted they keep him until their father finally said yes; hopped onto the counter and licked the dirty dishes. “Oh Nicholas, what happened?”
“Get away stupid.” He said then shoved her into a wall. There was a cabinet on the wall and she started crying as it tore her arm. She begin to bleed and she cried harder. Nick stomped to his room and slammed the door. He looked down at his hands bruised and bloody. His eye was swollen and he had pavement in his hair with dirt. He wore a torn football shirt and jeans.
“What’s this!?” Their mother yelled as she came into the kitchen there was little May Bell and cat puke next to her on the floor. May Bell screamed as her mother hit her and for the first time Nicholas felt bad for her. The little girl worked hard all day and stayed cheerful then the brothers came home and yelled at her and then her mother hurt her. But she was still nice to them.
Then Nick’s door flew open. His mother grabbed him by his hair and pulled him into the tiny kitchen. “What happened Nicholas?” She growled “I can’t buy you another new shirt!” May Bell was gone but you could hear a soft cry coming from her closet; she lived in the closet because there was no room for her anywhere else.
“Some kids…they- they beat me up ‘cause I believe in Horent-” Horent was like a Santa Clause in Nicholas’s time. “-they called me stupid then beat me up.” His mother slammed her fist on the counter.
“Of course there isn’t a Horent you idiotic fool! Get to your room now. No supper.” Nick started to protest but his mother screamed and threatened to hit him before he ran to his room.
Late that night Nicholas sat on the floor of the room he shared with his brothers. He thought of ways he could get the boys to leave him alone. He wished there was some way he could get away from them.
Early the next morning Nicholas was getting ready for school when his mother slumped into the kitchen she looked at May Bell who was sweeping the ceiling.
“May Bell, today you’re going to school, get out.” May Bell looked up startled then grabbed her backpack and grinned.
“Thank you mamma! I love you sooooo so so sooo-”
“Go before I kick you out.”
“Sorry mamma!” Then May Bell skipped out the door. Nick rolled his eyes and walked down the hallway.
May Bell smiled most of the way there. A cold breeze swooped across the sidewalk and made Nick wrap his arms around himself. He hurried along. His cheeks blazed red and his lips were a pale blue.
“Well, well, well look who’s here Ron.” Said one of the two large boys that came around the corner of a tall building.
“Ron, Jason, what do you want?” Nick growled. May Bell pursed his lips together and backed up.
“You dead.” Jason said then the two boys ran towards them. Nick started to run and May Bell followed but Nick pushed her into them. She screamed as Nick ran away. She screamed so high and sobbed so loudly that when Nick turned around to tell her to shut up he saw her. huddled in the red snow with two large boys hitting her and he little girl sobbing that he stopped. Something inside him changed. He knew suddenly that he had to protect May Bell. His little sister. He looked around and grabbed something red from the ground he ran towards May Bell.
“Eat brick morons!” Nicholas yelled as he threw the brick it hit Jason and he stumbled backwards into Ron, luckily the two were near a hill and they tumbled down it. Nick ran towards May Bell. She lay facedown. “May Bell.” He turned her over and she looked at him blinking as if waking u from a dream.
“Nick you came back for me.” She smiled he put his arms around her and for the first time ever he hugged his sister.
“Let me help you up.” He said
“But my leg she said.” It was twisted oddly
“Here-” He picked her up then wrapped his jacket around her leg. Then he carried her to their Grandmothers house.
They slept there for the night and their Grandmother cared for May Bell. But then Nick returned to his home. When he walked through the door his mother sat at the table head in hands. She looked up stunned. He then looked at her stunned. He hair was neatly brushed and she had gotten dressed. His mother ran to him and hugged him and cried.
“Where’s my May Bell?” She whispered after a few minutes
“Gra-Grandma’s house. She twisted her leg so Grandma was taking care of her.” He said
“Oh, Nicholas. I’m so sorry, this past year I’ve been horrific to you and May Bell and your brothers, I’m so sorry.” He didn’t know what to say so he just hugged his mother.
Then the ground began to tremble. His brothers walked into the room and yelled his name in excitement but then the ground shook harder. His mother began to scream as things flew off shelves and the windows shattered. Then the bookshelf fell over. But suddenly something appeared in the window.
“Come! Hurry!” Everyone screamed but then a man poked his head in the window.
“Phil?” Nick’s Mother cried
“Dad?” Nick whispered in harmony with is brothers
“Get in! Our time is almost done the world isn’t one!” Everyone slowly walked to the window but hurried as more things fell. Nick’s father was in a carriage. It was being pulled by reindeer that seemed to be flying! Nicholas’s dad grabbed Nicholas’s arm and pulled him into the carriage then his mother and brothers. “Where’s May Bell?” He suddenly asked
“Grandma’s house but-” Then the reindeer began to gallop on air and the carriage sped forward. The wind blew into Nick’s face and he couldn’t help but gape. Everyone else except Nick’s father screamed.
Suddenly they were in front of Nicholas’s grandmothers house.
“MAY BELL! GRANDMA!!! HURRY OUT HERE ITS SAFE!!” May Bell and their Grandmother hurried outside and gaped.
“Get in! Hurry!” Nicholas yelled then a building across the street caved in. Their grandmother and May Bell got into the carriage and the reindeer began to gallop on air again instantly making them fly into the air and over the clouds.
ONE WEEK LATER
Nicholas rubbed his eyes as he sat up through the dark a candle flickerd it was coming towards him. The May Bell appeared in the candles glow.
“Merry Christmas Nicholas.” She whisperd