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I was finally convinced he was the real deal by what came next. Throwing his sack of presents over his shoulder, Santa stepped away from the fireplace and a short elf-girl emerged to follow him.
The elf had pointed ears, a glistening green suit, and was so short she only came up to Santa’s knee. Unlike the jolly old man, she seemed terrified to take a single step into our home. She looked all around as if there was some terrible threat in the room, and seemed only slightly relieved when she mistakenly thought it was empty.
Santa noticed her fear, but rather than reassure her as would be expected, for a fraction of a second his kind face changed into a look of pure, horrifying malice. It was like the kind old man had been replaced by an insane, merciless master only to return a nanosecond later. The elf’s mood changed on a dime. In short order she was filling our stockings with small toys and candy with a smile plastered onto her face that seemed ready to crack at any moment. Being so short, she had to use some kind of magic to levitate so she could get within reach.
With purposeful, yet quiet footsteps Santa made his way to our tree. Taking two presents from his bag, he placed them in the proper spot and went to where we had left his traditional snack. The elf was done with her job too, but Santa wasn’t inclined to share with his companion. Now that she was towing the line, he barely even acknowledged her presence. She just stood there next to him, waiting for him to finish, wringing her hands in nervous movements.
On its face this whole scene like something ripped straight from a Christmas television special, but even at my young age I could tell that something more was going on. What I’m trying to say is it seemed like they where attempting to appear whimsical for whimsy’s sake. Like it was all one big act they were putting on. The little elf barely passed as a convincing actress, and Santa’s momentary lapse only cemented my suspicions. It was something I was unable to articulate fully at the time, but I can now: it looked like a ruse.
Santa’s hand squeezed Chris’ shoulder tightly. “I’m always looking for more helpers,” he continued. “Children who have seen me, who could never keep such a secret are the perfect candidates.”
My brother’s face turned to an expression of absolute fear. He now realized his fatal error.
“You are not the first,” he said, “You certainly won’t be the last.”
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