Nina said.
"You could say that while smiling too." Alisha said.
"There isn't anything to smile about." Nina said. "Jack Frost doesn't like to be provoked but he likes to tease everyone by turning our noses cold."
"Well he is a lot better than Krampus." Alisha said.
"Now who's he?"
Alisha gave her a curious smile. "You don't know? I thought your parents would have told you about...."
"My parents don't...and I don't want to talk about my parents." Nina scowled.
"Fine." Alisha said. "Come." She led her to the house and made her sit on the porch swing. Then she went inside and brought out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.
Nina looked down at the little gingerbread men and picked one up. "You made these?"
"No, store bought." Alisha said. "I don't bake."
Nina bit into a cookie and took the glass of milk. "This is nice."
"So you can be polite." Alisha teased. "Anyway, where were we?"
"You were telling me about Krampus." Nina said, sipping from her glass.
"Ah yes!" Alisha leaned back on the swing and crossed her legs. "Krampus is basically a beast like creature with goat horns and feet."
"Woah! That's creepy." Nina said. "What does he have to do with Christmas?"
"Well..." Nina said, picking up a cookie and biting into it. "You know how Santa Claus keeps tabs on who's been naughty and nice this year?"
"Yes, and he rewards those kids who have been nice." Nina said, taking a big gulp of her milk.
"Exactly. Krampus on the other hand punishes those kids who have been naughty." Alisha said.
Nina laughed. "Yeah, right."
"He comes in the night when you're asleep." Alisha's voice grew low and deep. "He enters through your bedroom window as quietly as possible. At first you think it's only the breeze and go back to sleep. But just as you're drifting off, you hear the thump thump sounds of hoofs. You get up and look all around you and even turn on the night light, but there's nothing, no one."
Nina stared at Alisha with wide eyes. She swallowed the bite of cookie on her mouth and tightened her hand around the milk glass.
"You switch off the lights, thinking it was just your imagination and pull up your covers." Alisha continued. "Then you hear the sound of breathing. It's slow and heavy and soon you feel the warmth of it on your neck. You turn around and there he is- with bright red glowing eyes and pointed horns. Before you can even scream, he clamps a claw over your mouth and whisks you away into the cold night. You get so scared that you lose consciousness and when you wake up, you find yourself hanging on a branch of the tallest tree in the forest."
"What? Why?"
"So that he can eat you later on." Alisha said, biting down a cookie so that there was a loud crunch.
Nina jumped when she heard the crunching sound.
Alisha looked at her and burst out laughing. She tousled her hair and then patted her head. "Just teasing, kiddo. It's a myth to scare kids into behaving."
Nina took a deep breath and frowned. "I wasn't scared."
"Uh-huh." Alisha said. "You should have seen your face. You'll probably have nightmares tonight."
"No I won't!" Nina said.
A woman walked up to the driveway and then waved at them. Alisha got up and went down the stairs to welcome her.
"Mrs. Adams, I was expecting you."
Mrs. Adams smiled at her and then waved at Nina. "Is your Mother at home?"
"No, but I have the box you came here for." Alisha said. "Wait; let me get it for you." She went inside and Nina sat on the swing, looking awkwardly at her half-eaten cookie and then at Mrs. Adams.
"How are you doing, Nina?" Mrs. Adams asked. "You will be coming for the Christmas party?"
"Uh...." Nina got up and put down her glass carefully on the small table beside the swing. "I guess if my parents are home by then..."
"Well, Tina is expecting you." Mrs. Adams said.
Alisha came out then, carrying a large white box. As she passed by, Nina saw the words 'Diwali Lights' written on the side.
"Thanks honey." Mrs. Adams said, taking the box.
Nina heard a thunking and rustling sound when the box exchanged hands. "You are a life saver."
"Think nothing of it Mrs. Adams." Alisha said. "I'm glad we could help."
Mrs. Adams turned to go. "See you at the party."
"Bye!" Alisha said and came to sit back on the swing.
"What's Diwali?" Nina asked.
"It's the Indian Festival of Lights." Alisha said. "It was last month. You must have seen the decorations outside our home."
Nina remembered seeing the flower garlands hung all over the house and oil lamps lighted around the porch.
"Oh I just thought you had redecorated the house and it was part of your Indian culture."
"Well every festival is part of a culture." Alisha explained. "Diwali is about welcoming the gods and goddesses into our home which is why we light up diyas and candles to welcome them. It's a festival where we pray to the Gods and hope for their blessings."
"Oh." Nina said. "I didn't know."
"My family sent sweets too, remember?" she said.
"I thought that was just a gift....oh...I didn't know you had a festival going on." Nina looked down at her hands.
"Now you do." Alisha said, handing her another cookie.
Nina took it. "Why did you give the lights to Mrs. Adams?"
"Her tree lights were broken." Alisha said, putting down the plate. "The stores had run out of decorations so we lent them ours."
"So you saved their Christmas."
Alisha smiled. "Their Christmas? Isn't Christmas about giving?"
"I heard so..." Nina said.
"My family and I celebrate Christmas too, in our own way." Alisha said. "We decorate out homes, bake cookies, gift our friends and neighbors and help the needy. Christmas isn't just about gifts and neither is our Diwali. Any festival is a celebration- an excuse to be happy and share this with your friends and family among other things."
"Like prayers." Nina said.
"Yes." Alisha said. "My family and I may be Indians, but we try to partake in other festivals as well. We've celebrated Diwali, Eid and Christmas in our own way. Celebrating a festival is a good way to bring people from all communities together and be, well... Merry."
Nina frowned. "If festivals are meant to bring people together, then where are my parents?" She asked. "They never celebrate Christmas with me and are always traveling on business trips and leave me with a babysitter."
"That's why you've been in a bad mood?" Alisha asked.
Nina sighed and put the empty glass on the table. "I don't want to talk about it. It's just, all the stories you told me, they were supposed to..."
Alisha put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, there are Christmas miracles you know."
"Hah!" Nina said. "They won't come and I'll be all alone again."
Just then they heard a blare of horn down the streets and Nina saw a black limousine pull up. The window rolled down and Nina saw her mom peek out.
"Nina?"
She got up quickly. "Mom?"
"What are you doing here? And where's Betty?" Her mother asked.
"You're here?"
Her mother settled back and she saw her Father get out from the car. "Nina?"
Nina turned at Alisha with a big smile on her face.
"A Christmas miracle." Alisha said.
Nina ran down the stairs as her mother too got out from the car. "You're here!" She said, putting her arms around both her parents.
Her mother patted her head. "Of course sweetie. It's Christmas time. We wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Mrs. Rogers." Alisha said, coming behind her. "Mr. Rogers."
"Alisha. You've grown up."
Alisha laughed. "Yes, Mrs. Rogers. It's been quite some years since you last saw me."
"Nina was with you this whole time?" Her father asked.
Alisha shrugged. "I was telling her some stories."
Nina looked up at her parents. "She was telling me Christmas stories."
Alisha laughed. "Not all of them. I haven't told you about a really great book called 'A Christmas Carol'. You'll love that."
"Really?" Nina asked.
Alisha smiled. "Yes. Your parents will read that to you."
"Of course." Her Mother said. "Come honey, let's go home."
Nina started to go and the stopped.
"Merry Christmas." She said, waving to Alisha.
Alisha laughed. "Merry Christmas Nina."
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