"Maria, can you please unload the dishwasher?"
"No, I'm getting ready to go to Susan's house. Someone else can do it," the 9-year-old troublemaker fired back at her mother.
"'Everyone else' has work and you know that! Who's going to do it if I'm at work and you're gone?" Her single mother replied.
Her mother is sick of this daily fight right before going to the hospital for her night shift. With it being just them, she needs help from Maria but the message never seems to be received. At least now it's the beginning of December so she can play the Santa card.
"If you don't start helping, Santa won't reward you."
"You don't know him or his address so there's no way you can tell him," Maria says, with a strong attitude.
"I may not know him personally but I know several of his elves and they tell him everything. You don't want to know what will happen if you are bad the rest of the year."
Maria left without doing a single chore, thinking her mom was lying that anything would happen. After all, everyone at school says that Santa brings presents if you're good and coal if you're not. One person couldn't be right while everyone else is wrong, right?
A couple hours later, Maria gets home from being with her friend and goes to bed. She's too tired for the normal bedtime fight of wanting to stay up late.
At 12:15 am or so, she wakes up, hearing a noise. Of course, like all kids, she wants to see Santa. She goes to the living room and sees him. Except, he looks nothing like how he's always portrayed. He is wearing the signature suit but he looks angry to see a child, specifically her, knowing how awful she has been towards her mother.
His eyes glare at her as he reaches into his pocket. Her jaw drops, realizing her mother wasn't lying to her. He shoots one shot from his gun and she falls over, lifeless.
About the Creator
Rene Peters
I write what I know, usually in the form of poetry. I tend to lean towards mental health, epilepsy, and loss/grieving.



Comments (3)
That escalated quickly
it is karma, what can I say. Hope you had a good Christmas
Well, now. She should have behaved