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                                                                         Chapter 19

      Finally, DJ looked at everyone, “What do we do?”

      Brad stood there for a second and said, “Nothing yet, I mean nothing’s wrong, is there?”

      Larry looked at Brad, “Man, I don’t care what you say. That’s not a good place to go at night no matter if you got a million dollars or you’re a drunk homeless wino.”

      Brad stood there for a second trying to decide what to do, “Hang on guys, hang on just a second, she knows what she’s doing. I’ll tell you what, we’ll wait a few minutes and see if she comes out. If she doesn’t, we’ll call the police and go down there ourselves, okay?”

      Everybody nodded their head in agreement. Why did Sam turn down that alley? They couldn’t understand so they waited nervously.

      Sam was starting to think she had made a mistake walking as the snow got heavier. Unaware the guys were still watching her she heard bells jingling down the alley where she got robbed. She was hesitant but decided to investigate. She started down the alley and the bells got louder, and a bright light came on revealing a shiny candy apple red 1965 Corvette convertible. She was stunned. What was a nice car like that doing in a neighborhood like this. Another light came on ahead of the Vette and revealed reindeer attached to it. A light shined on the dock, and she saw the little girl from the Water Gardens still dressed in her Christmas outfit. The girl had a big smile and said, “Hello again. We’ve decided you will make a great Santa. It's time for a new Santa Claus and a new sleigh. We’ve upgraded your ride to the Vette. So, hop on in and we’ll get you started on making kids happy.”

      Sam stood there dumbstruck, “What are you talking about. I’m Samantha Coley. I’m not Santa Claus.”

       The girl jumped off the dock and took Sam’s hand, “We need a Santa Claus like you. We need someone who is a kind, giving person who really cares about the children. So come with me and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

      Sam was still apprehensive, “But Santa Claus is a man, with a beard. How can I be Santa?”

      The Christmas girl giggled, “Santa Claus is a generic name. It’s been many different shapes and sizes throughout the millennia. Santa has gone through numerous incarnations. Many years ago, Santa was a skinny old man with a goatee. Santa is what’s in the heart. Santa is a spirit that makes kids all over the world happy. Santa’s not a man or a woman, or a skinny or fat person. Santa is a giving person. You are now that person. Come with me and I’ll show you how to make it all happen.”

      Sam started walking towards the Vette holding the girl’s hand. As they got into the Vette the girl said, “Samantha Coley, you are Santa Claus. Think about it, you won’t even have to change your initials.”

      They settled in and Sam asked, “I don’t have to wear a beard, do I?”

      The girl laughed, “No, the new Santa is a woman, and everyone will know it. Who knows, maybe in twenty years Santa won’t have any hair. Now, just grab the reins and think what you want to do, and it’ll happen.”

      Sam, or now Santa, sat there for a second and looked at the reins connected to the deer coming over the top of the windshield. She grabbed them and wanted to fly. The reindeer began to move and rise into the sky.

      The guys were done waiting and decided to take action. Brad said, “Larry, you and DJ go check it out and just yell back if we need to call the police.”

      Both Larry and DJ nodded and started walking down Lancaster toward the alley where they had last seen Sam.

      About that time, they both stopped in their tracks. They were only feet away from Brad and Charlie who were also frozen. Nobody could move. All four guys saw something come around the corner from the alley Sam went down. It was in the air. It turned down Lancaster right towards the shelter. All four men were simply stunned. They had never seen anything like it before. As they all stood trying to figure out what they were looking at, it was bearing down right towards them. Finally, they began to decipher the image. It appeared to be Reindeer, many of them hooked to a bright red car. The whole contraption was coming down the street at about twenty feet off the ground and swaying back and forth. Everything is moving fast. The reindeer feet are moving but they are in the air. Suddenly they appear to climb and start towards the sky. All four men are mesmerized by the sight they’re witnessing. The machine or whatever it was then dived towards them. They were frozen as the entire reindeer; car combination dove past them. They saw what appeared to be Sam and a young girl sitting in the car waving.

      The men continued to watch in amazement. Sam yelled from the bright red Vette being pulled by who knows how many reindeer, “Thanks everybody. I’m going to the North Pole to help all the kids. Spread the word. You are my friends, I love you. Remember me.”

      The reindeer pulling the car went skyward, almost straight up and towards the north. DJ, Larry, Charlie, and Brad stood there for a second with their mouths open.

      Brad mumbled, “What just happened?”

      DJ said, “Sam Coley just became Santa Clause.”

      Brad decided that it was time for everyone to go into the shelter and get a good night’s sleep. Something strange had happened tonight. They’ll need to think about it when they clear their heads.

      “Come on guys, get into the shelter and we’ll find out what happened tomorrow.”

      It took the guys time to figure out they were there for the introduction of Samantha Coley as Santa Claus.

The End

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