December 19, 2023

Holy Shit

The land where the Bible was born is on fire.

There has been more than two months of war.

There has been years and years of war.

These are the words Krabinsky writes in his journal as the early winter sun sinks beyond the naked trees.

Krabinsky puts the journal in his locker and puts on his Santa Claus suit and trudges through the rear hallway and then through the “secret door” and emerges into Santa’s Kingdom, where a line of youngsters await.

This is Krabinsky’s fourth Christmas as a department store Santa.

The first child, a little boy, sits on his lap and Krabinsky smiles and asks, “What would you like for Christmas?”

“How about your mother’s ass!?” the horrible child says with a cackle.

Krabinsky survives his four-hour shift then goes home that night and shoots himself in the head and dies instantly. He ascends to Heaven and God says “Sorry, Krabinsky, not yet” and sends Krabinsky back to Earth where it is somehow the day before and the whole thing never happened.

The land where the Bible was born is on fire…

Krabinsky writes in his journal…and stops there. --TK