Cindy could barely stop herself skipping in excitement as she made her way through the mall. She'd been thinking about this all year, and now, December 15th, she was finally going to get her wish-come-true!
All around her, the shopfronts practically gleamed with festive cheer. Tinsel decorated every window; sometimes hung from the ceiling; sometimes simply draped across mannequins, displaying a myriad of winter fashions, from ski-ware to Santa hats. The smell of hot chocolate and nutmeg filled the air, and the young woman took a deep breath as she absorbed the yule-tide atmosphere.
And then, dead ahead, she saw it. Her goal. The Winter Wonderland. Santa's grotto.
Cindy felt her heart leap into her chest as she approached the huge plastic and felt monstrosity set up in the middle of the thoroughfare. Fake icicles hung from the edges of its roof, and all around bored looking twenty-somethings loitered in elf costumes, doing their best to keep a rowdy hoard of children at bay. To anyone else, it would have looked like hell on earth. But for Cindy, nothing could've looked more like heaven.
Smoothing down her red-and-white striped dress, she took her place in line. Unable to stop herself smiling, she grinned unashamedly, despite the curious looks from parents and passers-by alike. Who was this woman, on her own, waiting to see Santa? If only they knew the truth, she thought. If. Only.
Before long, she found herself at the front of the line. Ahead of her, she watched as an exhausted mother did her best to shepherd two boisterous kids inside, and through the flap of the grotto, she caught a sight that made her stomach turn somersaults. There he is! Santa Claus! Cindy could barely stop herself squealing in excitement.
Five long minutes passed before she saw the same woman appear from the other side of the tent, looking even more haggard than before. The children at her feet screamed at each other, waving cheap plastic toys that would be forgotten within the hour, but Cindy couldn't hear them. All she could hear was the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears. The elf manning the door turned to her, looked her up and down, as if wondering what to do, then lifted the rope with a lacklustre.
"Merry Christmas"
His dull voice fell on deaf ears. Cindy had to restrain herself from running. 'This is it!' she thought. Finally, after so many years of fantasising, she'd finally bitten the bullet, and come here. On the way, she'd been nervous, but that was all gone now. She was about to fulfil her lifelong dream. She was finally going to get what she
really
wanted for Christmas.
Striding confidently into the grotto, she once again felt a rush of adrenaline as she turned the corner, out of sight of the waiting crowds, but it was nothing compared to the thrill of seeing him sat there, slumped in his chair, a half-empty bottle of water in his hand. A tired old man, with a big bushy fake beard and a red suit. A pair of lensless spectacles sat at the end of his nose, and he sighed as he saw another figure approaching. Cindy could barely believe it. There he was! Santa Claus!
"Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!" His voice was deep and hoarse, his demeanour dulled down to the point of exhaustion by the constant tirade of whining brats. "And what can I do for you young... uh?... Oh!"
Jumping into his lap, Cindy took the mall Santa completely by surprise. Undisturbed, she kicked her heels excitedly, giving the old man a gleeful grin, as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Merry Christmas Santa!"
It took him a moment to collect his thoughts. He stared at Cindy, trying to work out exactly what was happening. Who was this woman, sitting in his lap, and giggling so excitedly?
"Aren't you, uh, a little old to be visiting Santa?" Cindy shook her head.
"Of course not! There's no age limit on the door, is there?" He had to admit, she was right. There was nothing to say an adult
