Merry Christmas

“Raiden… let’s come for dinner, my child.” 
“I’m coming grandma… Where is grandpa ?”
“He has gone to the market.” 
“Market ? Why ? For Christmas ?
“No no, my child. For you.” 
“You know that the gift I want on Christmas is not available in the market. And I’m not celebrating Christmas this year. So why did he go ?”
After Raiden’s words, his grandma hugs him and cry. At the same time, the doorbell rang. His gradpa came. They handle themselves as soon as they see him.  
“Come Josheph, have dinner.”
“Yeah, Maria I come in a minute.”
After dinner, Raiden stands in the balcony and looks at the sky which is filled with stars. At that time his grandpa comes there and asks him what he wants from Santa Claus ? 
“Grandpa..Not only Santa but no one can give me what I want.”
“No my son. Santa can do anything.”
“Really ?” 
“Yes, my son.”
He then pretends to leave from there but after three or four steps he hides there and listens to him.
“I want one last meeting with my mom dad. Please Santa fulfill my wish.”
His grandpa could not stop his tears after hearing Raiden’s wish. And he starts planning to make Raiden’s wish come true.
“Raiden.. let’s go for sleep, baby.”
“Yeah… I’m coming. Grandma…”
Raiden falls asleep and then comes his grandpa becoming Santa. He wakes Raiden from sleep. “Wake up, my boy.. wake up. Look, Santa is here. Tell me what you want ?”
Raiden can’t believe on his eyes. “Santa… Santa.. are you here ? I can’t believe… please… fulfill my wish, Santa. Please… Meet my parents one last time. Please.”
“Okay, my child tell me where are your parents ?”
“My parents… They both died in Corona.” 
“Ohhh….. my child. So wrong with you. Then it’s impossible. My child, you ask for anything else.”
“No… You are Santa and Santa can do anything. So please. Do this for me. Please.”
“Okay, okay,  my child I’ll do for you but with some conditions. Okay ?”
“Okay, I’ll do anything for it.”
“So the first condition is that you will never tell anyone anything about it. The second one is that you will never ask for this wish again. And the last condition is that when you meet your parents you will do What your parents say. Okay ?”
 “Okay.”
“So let’s go with me.” 
Raiden’s grandmother also gets up and goes after them. Santa takes Raiden to a room. Where one man and woman wearing masks stand a short distance from Raiden.
Raiden can’t believe on his eyes. He becomes very happy after seeing them. He goes to hug his parents. But at the same time, his parents say, “stop Raiden. Please, keep a distance, my child. You know, we are both corona positive. So we can’t hug each other. Please try to understand, my baby. Stop crying and promise us you will never be sad, you will always be happy, you will help others, take care of yourself and your grandparents. And tomorrow you will celebrate Christmas. Promise us.”
“I promise you, mom dad. I’ll do that.”
“Be happy my child. Take care. We must go now. Bye-bye, my child.”
“Bye-bye, mom dad.”
At that time Raiden’s grandma switches off the light of the room for a few seconds. And they all three, Santa and both of them left from the room. When lights come back then Raiden sees no one is there only escape of him. He cries a lot and falls asleep crying.
Radon’s grandfather also cries a lot. At that time Maria come there and asks him how did he do this?
“Maria.. it’s happened only because of Sain and Herry.” 
“Sain and Herry !”
“Yes, Sain and Herry. Herry, our younger son, Raiden’s uncle and the twin brother of his father, and Sain the twin sister of our daughter-in-law, Raiden’s aunty. But Raiden has never seen nor will he ever see. Because they both live in Ohio which is far away from our country and they came here only on my special call, they will never come again, never come again.”
Raiden’s grandmother also cries as soon as she hears this. 
“Josheph, What will happen to Raiden after us ?” 
“God will do everything better, Maria.”
Raiden’s grandfather then puts Raiden to sleep in his room.
The next day morning, Raiden wakes up with great joy and greets his grandparents with the greetings of Christmas. “Merry Christmas grandma.. Merry Christmas grandpa..”
His grandparents bless him and also wish him “Merry Christmas.”

– Vaishali Barad