"Face it Andrew! There's no such thing as Santa!" the leader of the group yelled.
"There is so! He's real! My dad says so!" Andrew cried.
"Of course he says that! He is Santa!" another boy yelled with a harsh laugh.
"Leave him alone. Santa Claus is real." Peter smiled.
The group of boys laughed.
"You're a bigger dummy than Andrew is." the leader of the boys laughed.
The boys left a sobbing Andrew and a confused and hurt Peter behind.
"Those boys weren't very nice." Peter frowned.
"No they're not. They laugh at me because I'm eight and I believe in Santa." Andrew sniffed.
"Well I still believe in Santa. He's real." Peter insisted.
A tall man and a boy who was a little older than Andrew walked by.
"Dad, Santa Claus is real isn't he?" Andrew asked.
"No!" the older boy laughed.
"You don't have to be so nasty about it." their dad said angryly.
"So it's true! There is no such thing as Santa!" Andrew cried.
"Well..."
Peter was in shock.
He's real! I know he is! Peter thought as he felt a piece of his childhood slip
away.
Peter entered the downstairs bedroom and sighed. He glanced over at Davy who was
sitting on his bed, sadly looking out the window.
"It's tough being away from home isn't it?" Peter asked softly. He sat next to Davy and placed a gentle hand on Davy's shoulder.
A lump formed in Davy's throat. He nodded. "I miss my family."
"I miss mine too. It's tough being away. But I think it's a little harder on you because you're the youngest and England is a lot further away than Connecticut or Texas." Peter said keeping his tone gentle.
"Why do we tease you about being a dummy?"
Peter smiled. Then frowned. "Davy, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure mate."
"Do you...Santa Claus is real. Isn't he?" Peter asked sounding worried.
Could Davy really tell Peter the truth? No, of course he couldn't. He couldn't hurt Peter like that. So he blurted out the first thing that popped in his head.
"Of course he's real. I've seen him."
"You have?" Peter gave off a huge dimpled grin.
"Sure! He's got white hair and a white beard. His belly feels like a bowl full of jelly. He's as real as you or I" Davy insisted.
"Thank you David!" Peter grinned giving Davy a big hug. He raced out of the room still smiling.
"What have I done?" Davy groaned as he laid on Peter's bed.