Too Old For Santa by Janice Sperry

Excerpt from Too Old For Santa

"Michael? That thing of yours is broken.” Michael looked down at his little brother. Usually it was cute, the way Trent said his name. My Coal. It wasn’t so cute now.

 “What’s broken?” He kept everything that Trent could break up on his bunk bed. What could Trent have gotten his little hands on?

“That thing…of yours…that’s broken.” “What’s broken?” Michael struggled to keep his voice calm, especially with Mom listening. Nine-year-olds are too old to believe in Santa. Michael knew that Mom was Santa. The magic of Christmas was gone, but getting presents was still fun. Even Dad behaved himself at this time of year.

“That thing,” Trent said.

 “Mom!” Michael said. This conversation was going nowhere.

 “Calm down, Michael.” She got down on her knees and made Trent look at her. “Trent, honey, can you show Mommy what’s broken?”

Trent nodded and took Mom’s hand. Michael followed, wishing Trent could move his little legs a bit faster. After what seemed an eternity, they entered the crime scene. There sat his favorite airplane—minus one wing.

“My airplane!” Michael cried. He and Dad had worked for weeks on the plane. “You ruined it.”

“Michael,” Mom said. “Did you put your airplane away? How did Trent get to it?”

 “I had it on my bed.” Michael knelt by the ruined plane and gathered the pieces in his arms.

“Oh.” Mom’s cheeks turned pink. Michael glared at her. She felt guilty about something. “I forgot to tell you. Trent climbed to the top bunk bed yesterday while you were at school.”

A sick feeling settled in Michael’s stomach. His bed was his last refuge. The last place he could go to get away from his little brother. The last place where his stuff was safe from Captain Destructo.

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