“Thank you, Ella, thank you.” Santa sat closer to Ella, taking a moment to get comfortable, and rubbed his nose slightly on the side. “Now, as you’ve noticed, the time is on hold until our deal is done. And once it is over, I’ll let you decide if what I offer is what you want or not. Okay?”

“Okay, sure.” She sniffled.

He brought out a handkerchief and gave it to her to wipe her tears and blow her nose. Which she did—and tried to hand it back to him. Santa looked at it in slight disgust, but gave a kind grin and motioned for her to keep it. The girl shrugged and poised herself to listen.

“You know death is a natural part of life, my dear.” He said. “Even those who seek to stop it or slow the process will ultimately succumb its fate. We can either fear it or embrace it. By fearing it we become distant and push everyone away who loves us, and left with nothing but regret and sadness for all. But by embracing it, we can show that death has no hold over us. Joy and peace will replace sadness. That our journey doesn’t end there, but opens a door to a whole new beginning.”

“That sounds nice.” Ella replied. “I like that one.”

“I gave that as part of a eulogy once. When I was a young cleric, that is. Did you know I was once a man of the cloth?”

“What does that mean?” Ella shrugged.

“Oh, well, that means I was a priest.” Santa smirked. “In fact, I was once a bishop.”

“But you’re not now, right?”

“No, that was a long, long time ago. In another life, you see,” He paused briefly. “I died.”

“Whoah—whoah, what a minute,” She interrupted. “Died? Your dead? Santa Claus is dead?”

“Well, kind of, yes. But, I’m better now.” He laughed.

“Aw, man! You’re messin’ with me aren’t ya?” She scowled.

“I’m telling the truth.” He gestured with a raised hand in earnest. “Kringle’s honour, I died, and became… well, the one you see before you!”

“Whatever!” She scowled. “People don’t die and come back. Death is forever…”

Santa chuckled at her and shook a finger.

“What about Jesus? He died and came back…”

“You’re not the son of God, Santa…”

“No, I’m not.” He exhaled in frustration. “But, nevertheless, it happened to me just as it did him.”

Ella folded her arms and scoffed at him. She cocked a brow with defiance, and mocked his answer.

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“Please, this is the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard.”

“That’s enough, Ella, do you want to hear it or not?” Santa pointed at her. He gave her a wry eye and kept his finger poised. “If you continue with this attitude, and interrupt me again, I’ll walk away right now. Its your choice…”

Ella thought on it for a second. She noted the seriousness in his tone, the bitter eye focused on her as he waited for an answer. She conceded and relaxed her arms, giving a slight nod in response. Santa kept his eye on her, waiting for a verbal acknowledgment instead. She glanced up at him and pursed her lips.

“Okay—okay…” The girl said with frustration, tossing her hands up in submission. “Don’t leave… I… I want to hear the story. I’m sorry for what I said.”

Santa lowered his finger and patted the girl’s arm lightly.

“Yes, I died.” He continued. “But not in the way you would think. I guess God had a very different plan for yours truly.”

“What do you men by ‘different plan’? What did God do to you?”

Santa looked around and leaned in carefully as if he wanted no one else to hear what he was about to say (which Ella thought was strange because it was only them in the room), but she humoured the man and leaned in closer as well.

“I think, I was granted the gift…”

“What gift?”

“Magic, my dear. The gift of Christmas Magic…”

Ella didn’t know what to say at first, but decided not to say anything at all. She smiled at his silly behaviour and giggled when he winked. The jolly old elf laughed and prepared to tell her of his amazing adventures of Christmas.

“Now Ella, some of the stories do get a bit upsetting, to younger minds that is. So I want to warn you ahead of time just in case you get scared.” Santa glanced in her direction.

“Hey, I’m not five, ok?” She quipped back. “I know how the world works. Just get on with the story.” She noticed his disapproving face and changed the tone, slightly. “Pretty please, I mean?”

Santa Claus nodded with approval at the correction and took out a golden ornament. It shone like none Ella had ever seen before. The gold was a perfect shade of gold, glitter surrounded the object and shimmered like stars in the night sky. She wanted to touch it, but Santa held up a finger for her not to do so.

“Magic of this kind only works for me, I’m sorry, but you can’t take hold of it...”

“What does it do?”

“Well, think of it like a kind of… well, like a magical crystal ball, of sorts…” He held it up and eyed the object. “It gives a visual of events in time; the past, the present and even the future. You’ll be connected in a way, with all the sights, smells and sounds, but, nothing from it can harm you. You’re not there physically, just observing the moment in real time, as it happens.”

“Ooh! You mean like virtual reality? Like an interactive game!” She smiled.

“Uh… um…” Santa shifted slightly. “Not quite like that, no. Trust me, you’ll understand once we begin. Are you ready?”

Ella nodded enthusiastically with a smile. The golden ordainment glowed brighter and formed an image. The room around them shimmered away, as the image took its place and replaced the background. Ella felt cold all of a sudden. It was dark and forbidding, with an eerie sound of water drips and chains rattling. She inched closer to Santa, and held onto his arm holding the object. She could hear the sound of someone struggling to breath, as if they were in pain. Santa took his free hand and patted on hers. She felt the warmth of it and glanced up at him.

Ella was scared at first, the terrifying darkness and sounds was very real to her, but she didn’t look away. Curiosity above all else kept young girl focused on the object. As it continued to glow, the light revealed more of the surroundings.

“I’m scared…” She whispered.

“So was I.” Santa said. “But, don’t be afraid, Ella. I’m here with you, just as God was with me on that night.” He smiled as she remained focused on the room transforming before her eyes. He leaned in and whispered to her. “Remember, death has no hold to those who believe.”

Ella nodded and was immersed in unfolding vision.