Chapter 12: Santa Claus

Soundtrack: The Great Giana Sisters - 'Giana's Homecoming' by Polar

After everything that he had been through, Abner could only stare in numb disbelief at the sight that was before him - Santa sitting in a comfortable chair in front of a cozy fireplace. It was hard to even believe that there were still such things in this world as warmth and comfort.
"Ho ho ho," Santa chuckled as Abner continued to stare. "Why don't you take a seat dear boy, while I get us some refreshments."
As Abner sat down, Santa moved up from his seat with a surprising amount of speed for someone so old and plump; it was almost supernatural. Then again, Abner thought to himself, to do all the things that Santa did he must have some kind of magic about him.
Just as supernatural seemed to be this house. It was small and on top of an invisible mountain that stretched well beyond the sky's limits, and yet Abner felt like he was home. It didn't hurt that he hadn't sat in a chair or been warm enough to take off his jacket in over a week, either.
"Here we are," Santa said as he brought in a tray of hot cocoa, freshly baked cookies, and a pack of Sour Patch Watermelons, setting it on the table between them. Taking a cup of cocoa for himself, Santa smiled at Abner. "The rest is all yours, my boy."
Only now, looking at the tray full of goodies did Abner realize just how hungry he was. Muttering a quick "thanks", Abner immediately hulked out all over the food, devouring every last bit of it, while Santa looked on happily. As Abner masticated the final cookie, Santa set his cup of cocoa down.
"Now, how about we talk about why you've come, Abner," Santa said. "As good as my cookies are I'm relatively sure you didn't come just for those."
Abner nodded, finishing his cookie as he did so. After having come so far, all the challenges he had faced and somehow overcome, he figured it would have been easy to tell this story, but if anything it was even harder. Taking a deep breath and looking directly into Santa's eyes, he began.
"Sir, it's my mother. She's been sick for the past couple years, and she finally went into the doctor's last month, and it's terminal. They said she only has a few months left, and there's nothing anyone can do. She's the only family I really have left, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost her. She's always been the only one I have, and if she's not there anymore, I don't know how I'm supposed to go on. And she's always been such a good person, it's not fair that she has to go now. Please, Santa, there has to be something you can do, I've come all this way, I've been through so much, all just to give her some kind of chance." Tears were in Abner's eyes as he finished, not just because of the tale he had just told, but because as he looked at Santa, he somehow knew that not even he could do anything.
"My dear boy, I'm sorry, but there's nothing that I can do," Santa said, and Abner could tell, despite his anger and disappointment, that he genuinely was sorry. "You are not the first to come to Mount Qaf looking for a miracle, and nor will you be the last. I understand why you hurt so much, and why you've come here. And for someone so young, you have a much better handle on the ways of things than most men three times your age, and so I will say this, knowing full well that you will be able to understand it. Maybe not now, but eventually.
"The real miracles in this world are the ones with no form; even if you obtain or lose it, you do not notice. Yes, the miracle that you're asking for is something that is impossible; but the miracle that you're going to get is that, despite how much you hurt, despite how much you want to give up, you will find the will to go on. Even when you lose someone you care deeply about, you will still, somehow, manage to find it in you to love, despite the fear of losing them."
"So you're saying that I'll have to always live with pain and loss, regardless of the choices I make? Then what's the point? It comes down to the same thing then." Abner could barely refrain from shouting.
"It absolutely does not come down to the same thing," Santa responded warmly. "Look at what happened to Karmel; he suffered many losses similar to yours. But he did not know the love that you do; his mother was not anywhere near as strong or as kind as yours is."
Abner considered this for a while. It was true; as much as he had hurt lately, he could never let himself become anything like Karmel.
"But what about my mother? She doesn't want to die, and you're telling me she has to?"
"Ho ho ho, of course she doesn't want to die, Abner. But you know as well as I do that your mother is someone who is not afraid of death. She of course does not want to leave you, but my guess is that she is quite confident in your ability to carry on, and my guesses are usually right. Of course, I feel the need to remind you that her great love for you coupled with your current absence is causing her a bit of heartache."
The two continued to look at each other in silence, Santa smiling benignly, Abner lost in thought but starting to understand.
"So, all I have to do is have inner-strength, is what you're saying?" Abner asked after a while.
"That, coupled with action," Santa said, nodding. "As long as you have those things, the rest should always fall into place."
Abner stood up abruptly.
"I have to go home."
"Ho ho ho, that you do my boy," Santa said, standing up as well. "And that, I'm happy to say, is a request with which I can give desired results. There is, however, one thing I'd like you to do for me Abner."
Abner looked questioningly at Santa.
"Everything you've learned, the friends you have lost, all of your dreams that have faded...never forget them, Abner."
Before he could respond, everything suddenly became blindingly white.