Mauricio writes...
Story 183 - The Magic of Christmas (Part One)
Mauricio writes...
Story 183 - The Magic of Christmas (Part One)
Up near the North Pole, blanketed with thick layers of ice, there is an urgent rush in the packaging area and control center at Santa Claus’s workshop.
Each year, Santa’s elves have more and more requests to fill. Thank goodness for computers, which are a big help. Otherwise, lots of kids would go without the toy they asked for... or receive something else in its place.
While packages of all sizes and colors pile up near the exit doors, Santa Claus checks the endless lists one more time. And everything seems to be in order.
Satisfied, the jolly old fellow decides to take a look at his special travel outfit. There’s the old red suit, well-padded to protect him from the cold and looking as good as new... thanks to the magic of Christmas. His boots are in perfect condition, too. So is his soft fur-lined cap. But... where are his wool socks? Oh! Without them, the cold can creep in around his feet and make the trip on Christmas Eve very unpleasant.
Now where did Mrs. Santa put my socks? ...
Ah... They must be in this drawer, but ... what’s this little piece of paper? Strange... It’s a note! Way at the back of the drawer! And the paper is already a little yellowed. Must have been here a long time... Oh, there’s a date! More than twelve years ago... signed by... Philip, age 8. He wants a soccer ball!... and lives in Brazil, near São Paulo... in a place called Villa Noel...
Goodness me! How could this letter have been left here all this time? ... Oh, I know. This was where I used to put the letters as they came in, before we had computers. This one must have gotten stuck in the back of the drawer and no one saw it. Not even me. But... Philip didn’t get his soccer ball. And I disappointed a child...
!!!
But wait. Philip isn’t a child any more. He must be about 21 now.
I wonder how he felt about not getting the ball. His pals, all of them, must have received what they asked for that Christmas. And he didn’t...
...
Hitch up the sleigh. I’m going to make a special trip. I know it’s not Christmas yet. But this will be a short one, just to deliver a gift that’s long overdue.
I’ll be back in time for the big delivery. Put this soccer ball, nicely wrapped, in the sleigh. I won’t be gone long...
...
Oh, dear. The street named in the letter isn’t here any more. Now there’s a big avenue where it was. Well, twelve years is a long time. But how will I ever find Philip?
Ah, yes, I forgot. The computers on the sleigh can locate any child anywhere just from the faith and the strength of the messages in the letters they send me. I just have to turn on the computer, open the search program and ... there it is! Well, Philip didn’t move very far away. I’ll follow the directions and... I’m almost there.
A big building with high walls around it... and... big wire fences?!
What can it be? It looks like a... prison!!! That’s all I needed! Philip is... in there... behind bars?! Why? He’s just a young fellow. How can he be in there? What did he do?
But my mission is to deliver the soccer ball. I’ll find out later what he did. When he wrote the letter, he believed in me, he believed in the magic of Christmas, and he believed in goodness.
He can’t have lost all that in a little over twelve years ... in spite of what happened.
...
Sir... There’s an old guy outside, all dressed up like Santa Claus, who says he came to deliver a present!
...
(Part Two).
Mauricio de Sousa
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