Operation: Get Santa

Jeremy’s dad had dropped him off at the mall at two-thirty P.M. sharp, “Make sure you tell Santa what you want, Jimbo.” His dad reminded him. He stepped out of his father’s minivan and landed in a muddy puddle of slush. The van pulled away as soon as he closed the door. His shoes were soaked. “Damn it!” he whispered in anger. Jeremy stalked towards the mall entrance, a smiling little girl in a Santa Claus sweater held the door for him. “Why is she smiling?” he thought to himself. He opened the door to the left of the girl and walked into the building, “I don’t need her charity.” He said to himself.

The Woodcrest Mall was bombarded with the Christmas rush of customers as every year before. Moms raced around to every KB Toys with wish lists in hand hoping to get their child’s favorite doll or action figure. Strollers and toddlers screamed and pointed at the toys they wanted. “You’ll never get it anyway, Santa hates you.” Jeremy told to a boy who obviously didn’t hear him. For those not out frantically buying gifts, they were in line to see Santa. The line seemed a million miles long to Jeremy, he was at the end of the line. He couldn’t even see his target, Santa. He had ignored Jeremy’s wish list

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last Christmas when he said he wanted a new computer. So Jeremy planned to make Santa give him what he asked for, by force. He had his water gun in the back pocket of his grey sweatpants.

He was the oldest kid in line. Most of his friends stopped believing in Santa when they were eight years old, but Jeremy still believed until he was thirteen. The boy in front him had a Power Rangers shirt on and would not stop tugging at his mother’s coat sleeve, asking her if he could go to the restroom. He looked like he was maybe five years old and his mother told him to hold it until after he saw Santa. The line had moved several steps ahead and the boy and his mother didn’t move so Jeremy tapped the woman on her shoulder. “Could you move please?” he asked as nicely as possible. “Yeah, sorry” she said.

People dressed in elf costumes marched around the overly decorated line. They asked the children what they wanted for Christmas and gave them a candy cane. Jeremy stared as one of the men in an elf costume asked him what he wanted for Christmas. “Nunya Business,” He growled. The elf ignored his angry reply and gave him a red and white striped candy cane anyway, “There you go!” he chirped, and continued down the line. Jeremy broke the candy cane in half and looked at his black digital watch he got two years earlier for Christmas, “Three O’clock” it said to him.

Jeremy inched closer and closer to his prey. He only had five kids in front of him and then he could give Santa the present he had in his pocket. He took in his surroundings.

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Santa’s gold throne was in front of a giant Christmas tree, surrounded by

colorful boxes. The boxes mocked him with their teasing decorations and empty interiors. There were plenty of guards around to make sure no one hurt Santa. If he shot Santa he’d have to make his escape quickly, lest he be caught. Santa laughed a deep hearty laugh and whisked a blond girl off his lap, only four more to go.

Jeremy began to sweat, “Why am I sweating?” he asked himself. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Should I be doing this? I could get in trouble, and my parents said I might get a computer