A Christmas Conspiracy
Lisa poured Mr. Bunny a cup of tea.
Lisa: “I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Do you think Santa Claus really exists?”
Sabrina: “Of course he does, why wouldn’t he?”
Lisa: “You know, I’ve started to have my doubts. I feel like we’re not being told the whole truth. It’s as if they’re hiding something from us.”
Sabrina: “Well, I’m really worried when you say things like that. What makes you think that?”
Lisa: “Just a thought, it’s more of a feeling than anything concrete. And besides, Jack said —”
Sabrina: “Jack?! You’re not telling me you believe what Jack says? Just recently, he lied to our teacher about his homework. He always stands out in a negative way and constantly breaks the rules. And then he plays pranks on others! He once put a living spider in a boy’s lunchbag. Another time he hid my pencil case! Don’t tell me you believe Jack.”
Lisa: “But what if it’s true?”
Sabrina: “What if it’s not true?”
Lisa: “Who knows, maybe you’re right...”
Lisa looked out of the window gloomily; it was a snowy afternoon. The window, the garden, the swing, the whole neighborhood was covered in snow. Cars drove slowly down the street, a neighbor shoveled snow from his driveway. Smoke rose from some chimneys.
Sabrina: “Do you really think our parents would lie to us? Your mom has been looking forward to Christmas Eve for weeks. I helped decorating your Christmas tree just recently. And what a joy that was!”
Lisa: “That’s true, it was really fun.”
Sabrina: “See, you’re worrying about nothing.”
Lisa sighed.
Lisa: “Mom lied to me when we were shopping last time. She said we had gingerbread at home. But when we got home, we looked on the shelf and there were only raisin cookies that Aunt Victoria had brought over once.”
Sabrina: “You can’t possibly call that a lie, even if you don’t like these cookies.”
Lisa: “But she’s done things like this before. Besides, I overheard her by accident. I just wanted to ask if I could watch some TV, and I heard her say on the phone that she still had to buy Christmas presents. But she always says that Santa brings us our presents...”
Sabrina: “Do you realize what that would mean? You’re not just denying Santa Claus if you say things like that!”
Lisa: “I don’t want to deny Christmas at all, I just want to question whether Santa really exists.”
Sabrina blushed: “Without Santa Claus, there is no Christmas! Then there are no celebrations and no presents! And there’s no gingerbread either!”
Lisa: “I just want to know the truth...”
Sabrina: “The truth? You want to know the truth? Do you know how unlikely it is that so many people are part of a gigantic lie about Christmas?”
Lisa: “I mean, I can understand that it sounds crazy...”
Sabrina: “You’re not just talking about our parents, you’re talking about all adults! You’re talking about our teachers and friends, even our grandparents! Are they also part of your big conspiracy?”
Lisa: “You’re not listening to me, Sabrina!”
Sabrina listened up
Lisa: “I’m not saying that all adults have evil intentions. Maybe it’s a kind of unwritten agreement that they stick to, maybe because they enjoy lying or something.”
Sabrina: “Enjoy lying? My parents teach me that it’s wrong to lie, and you’re saying they enjoy it?!”
Lisa: “Maybe so we can have a nice celebration together. They only see the good and not what’s behind it. Jack said —”
Sabrina: “Not Jack again...”
Lisa: “Listen to me. He has two older siblings and they say it’s important to ask who benefits from it. They suggested that bakers and toy sellers benefit most from Christmas, and somehow that sounded like it made sense. Adults don’t see the big picture behind it, they only see the celebration we have together.”
Sabrina: “Exactly, but Jack and his siblings—they obviously know better. Sure.”
Lisa: “But there are other clues. How does Santa plan to visit all the children at the same time and bring them presents? All over the world? Do you know how many there are?”
Sabrina: “Yes, but it’s a different time elsewhere.”
Lisa: “Look, when I ride my bike to your house, it takes me several minutes. And I don’t know if a sleigh pulled by reindeer is that much faster, even if it can fly...”
Sabrina became thoughtful.
Sabrina: “What about the reporter from the children’s channel? He reported that many children sent letters to the North Pole... You know Lisa, I sent a letter too. What about my letter? Are you telling me it was all a lie?”
Lisa felt bad. At first she didn’t answer, then she said something that Sabrina would remember for a long time: “No matter what happens, what you feel and experience is all real and no one can take that away from you.”
The two looked out of the window. The street had become quieter. Snowflakes were still falling gently from the sky and it was slowly getting dark.
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