Sarah pressed the snow in her hands into a ball. He passed it gently to Mr. Vekil, who caught it in his hands.
"Merry Christmas, Noel Vekil," she said for the third time.
Another ripple from the crowd of children, small and scared at first but growing bigger until all of the kids shouted at Mr. Vekil: "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
Chapter Twenty-Two
One More Tear
Mr. Vekil dropped the snowball, and it broke at his feet. Silence fell. Sarah took a step back. Mr. Vekil stepped back.
"Oh, Miss Pebbleton, you have so much to learn," he grinned.
Sarah felt as though she was falling through the sky. She was about to turn and run for it, when she saw something. It was the tiniest of things on Mr. Vekil’s face.
A tear.
"You think that's a snowball?" He said, leaning down and gathering up a mass of snow in his big hands, "Now THIS is a snowball."
He threw the ball into the air, and it came crashing down over his head, showering his head and suit in snow.
"I guess that means I'm it!" He yelled, "Run for your lives!"
Sarah squealed in delight as she ran, and Mr. Vekil leapt into the snowball fight. The air was full of flying snowballs again, and the laughing was twice as loud, Mr. Vekil's voice booming with cheer. At first, the kids were nervous around him, giving him a wide berth. But it only took a few brave older kids to throw snowballs at him and for Mr. Vekil to throw some back before he was right in the thick of it.
As Mr. Vekil helped to lift the head onto the top of a snowman's body, a glimmer of light near the gate caught Sarah's eye. Nobody else noticed. She circled around the edge of the courtyard. Near the gate stood a single postbox, the golden light within glowing from the postbox.
Time to go. She took one last look back at the orphanage. The laughter echoed beyond the walls and into the trees. The sun broke through the clouds. The grey concrete building looked less sad now, somehow. Mr. Vekil and the children had made a huge circle around the snowman, and were singing a christmas carol.
Sarah slipped her final ticket into the slot of the postbox. The door opened, and she climbed into the light. The light went out like a switch, and darkness surrounded her.
Is it over?
Something soft and warm pressed against her. Reaching out, she gathered a handful of the duvet in her hands and slowly peeled it away.
It was her bedroom. Her real bedroom. Morning sunlight streamed through the window. But wait...stepping out of bed, she went to her bedroom door and opened it. Sure enough, the real landing was outside. She looked back at her bedroom, and it had stayed as it should. Her bed, her writing desk, her wardrobe...they were all there. The clock by her bed said it was 7:20am, and the date: December 26th.
Sarah gave a little jump of joy. She was home at last. Did I ever leave? Had it all been one big dream?
She ran downstairs and into the kitchen. Mum and Dad were already there, drinking tea and eating toast.
"Morning dear," said Mum with a small smile, "Happy Boxing Day. Get a good sleep?"
Without a word, she grabbed Mom and Dad around their waists and gave them the biggest hug she had ever given them.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Magic? Dream?
"Are you sure you want to do this, dear?" said Mum, "You don't have to, you know."
"I'm sure," said Sarah, "Really, really sure."
She placed the Uberwoman figure into a box along with a couple of her soft toys, clothes and some books.
"What's brought this on all of a sudden?" Said Dad, standing in the doorway of the bedroom. "You...you liked your presents, right?"
Sarah spotted the look passed between Mum and Dad, and she stood up.
"They're the best," she said, "But yep, I’m sure."
She closed the box. Mum looked carefully at Sarah. "Well, if you're sure..." She pulled out a long strip of sticky tape and taped the box shut. Dad gathered the box under his arm and jingled the car keys in his hand.
"Well then, shall we get going?"
Dad drove them to the edge of town. The roads had been brushed clear of snow, and huge piles of white lay on each side of the road like small hills. In the distance, a large brick building loomed into distance between the fields. They pulled into the car park. It was a lot nicer looking than the orphanage she'd seen. Sarah's heart pounded. Why was she was nervous all of a sudden? All of that stuff with Mr. Vekil hadn't been real, and even if it had, this was a completely different place.
She stepped out of the car. Dad lifted the box out of the boot and they walked up to the front door. Sarah lifted the brass door knocker and rapped three times on the door.
A lady with a round and friendly-looking face answered the door.
"Ah, you must be the Pebbletons," she said, “My name's Lucy, pleased to meet you both." She shook Sarah's and Dad's hands. "Come on in!"
Inside it was warm and cozy. Photos and kid's drawings hung from the walls, and the doors were labeled with things like 'Quiet Room' and 'Fun Room'. Lucy led them into a small room with a simple wooden table and some plastic chairs. Dad laid the box down on the table and they all sat down.
"So! I hear that Miss Pebbleton here wants to make a donation," said Lucy brightly, smiling at Sarah, "I heard that you wanted to donate some of your old toys, clothes and books. Is that right?"
"Well, some of it isn't that old," said Sarah, "I got my Uberwoman for Christmas yesterday."
"Oh, an Uberwoman!" Said Lucy, eyes wide, "I've heard of that. It’s really popular right now. Well, if you don't mind me asking...why?"
"I just...I don't need them," Sarah shrugged, "I've got plenty of other things I can play with."
"This is very kind of you, Miss Pebbleton," said Lucy, pulling the box towards her, “I'm sure the children will appreciate it."
As Dad signed some papers, Sarah peeked outside of the door. It was completely quiet. Where was everyone? She half expected Becky, Anna, Michael or even Mr. Vekil to come around the corner any second now, striding towards her. But the orphanage was silent.
Dad and Lucy stood up and shook hands. Sarah stood up too, and after shaking Lucy's hand they headed out of the orphanage, back into the car park and into the car. It had all been so simple. For some reason, Sarah couldn't help but feel like she'd missed something, like a sign she hadn't noticed. As the car tyres crunched over the gravel, she scratched her head.
At the gate, they passed a postman heading into the orphanage, carrying a bunch of letters. Sarah’s heart gave an extra hard thump. It's him! The same postman she’d met that night!
Sarah twisted around in the seat to watch the postman walk up to the orphanage. That had been the same postman, hadn't it? He hadn't noticed her, though, and he didn't look so magical right now. He seemed...bored, actually.
"Everything alright?" Said Dad, "Should I go back?"
"N...no, it's OK..." said Sarah, and she sat down, her mind spinning faster than the car wheels all the way home.
When they got home, Sarah shot straight up the stairs and into her room. The letter she'd written to Santa was no longer on her writing desk. She'd definitely written it, hadn't she?
So what had really happened then? Had that all been real? Or had it all been one huge dream? That had definitely been the same postman. But that still didn't really explain it. Sarah could've seen that postman walking up and down her street a hundred times and not really noticed, but maybe her brain had remembered his face and locked it away, using it in her dream.
Maybe it was a bit of both - a dream, but some kind of magic had put it in her head. So...if that was true, then maybe Santa was real after all, and he'd planned the whole thing...
Sarah smiled and shook her head. It doesn't matter.
She stared out of the window at the gently falling flakes of snow. It really does not matter…
THE END
About the Author
Thank you for reading ‘Sarah sues Santa’ by P.J. Leonard! If you enjoyed this
novel, check these other books from P.J. Leonard:
Tick
Kami
Exit (coming 2017)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PJLeonardJr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeeJayx
Website: https://pjlbooks.weebly.com/
P.J. Leonard grew up in Worcester UK and moved to Japan in 2010, where he lives with his wife. He enjoys hiking, Japanese culture and photography.
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