Springfield was laced with white snow that was 3ft thick and everyone in town had a look of glee on their faces. Little children were playing in the snow and singing rhymes of joy. Christmas time is a special time that only comes once a year and everyone was embracing the cheer that it brought except for one little girl.
"Father, why is Santa inside the mall if I saw him at the entrance?" Maggie questioned her father as they waited in line for Santa.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure sweetie,"
"And why does Santa give us presents if we are celebrating the birth of Christ?" Homer looks at his daughter with sorrow. He wasn't the smartest of men and because of that he had troubled raising his daughter with the proper knowledge she seeks.
Homer wanted the best for his daughter as she was the only person he had left. His wife and other children had passed on, they had died in a car accident a few years prior to this one. His darling wife was taking his son and daughter to school but she had been involved in one of the worst car crashes of the century. Many years had passed since their death but Homer still couldn't lived with it. He wished that it was him that had been in the car crash and not his wife and children.
"What would you like for Christmas little girl?" Asked the man in the Santa costume as Maggie sat on his lap.
"I want my mummy back, I want my brother and sister to be alive, I have no memories of them and I just wish I knew them," Homer resisted letting a tear spill down his face although he wanted to cry.
"That's so sad, Santa hopes you have a merry Christmas but I'm going to have a break now," Santa said trying to get the little girl off of him but she wouldn't move.
"Am I going to get my Christmas wish?" Maggie asked getting off of Santa's lap.
"Break time for Santa," Says the man in the Santa costume as he hurries out of his chair, only dreading that he couldn't help the little girl in any way.
"Maggie… I think it's time when went home, I'll let you pick out any toy you want," Homer says because that is all he could do. His 8 yr old daughter had been brought up without a mother and it left many questions in Maggie's life. Maggie was always looking for the answers to those questions but she was always far from finding them. Homer knew that buying material gifts for his daughter wouldn't solve anything but it was all he could do.
On the trip home Maggie couldn't help but think of Christmas, for her it was just another day of sadness. Another day that was suppose to be full of glee and cheer but instead reminded her of the only memory from her infant years. Every Christmas marks the anniversary of their deaths, 4 years has now passed but Maggie reminds it like it was yesterday. She had been the only survivor of the crash, her mother's head rolled onto her lap, her brother's body crushed at the weight of the other car, her sister had a innocent smile on her lifeless face. It was a gruesome sight that Maggie wish she could forget, something that would make each Christmas less painful.
"You want ice-cream sweetie?" Homer asked her daughter but she kept silent. Homer knew that this was a difficult time for his daughter but he had no idea what to do. When home, Maggie rushed to her bedroom and locked herself in. She wished she could lock out the sounds of children running around the streets and having fun and she wish she could lock out the Christmas lights that blinded her.
"Honey, won't you come out and play, daddy is awful sad," Homer said while knocking on the door. He knew that this was a rough time for the only other family member left, although still only a little girl when it happened, something like that would haunt you for a life time. He regrets taking her to the mall and fears the worst has happened to his daughter.
"Maggie, I demand you open the door this instant," Roars Homer's voice in anger only so he knows that she is still alive, that she didn't do the unthinkable. In the back of his mind he knew an 8 yr old wouldn't commit suicide but he was so anxious he starting drawing negative conclusions.
"Yeah dad?" The door flied open and came out Maggie whose eyes were still wet with tears.
"Maggie, I know you hate Christmas but you need to get over this," The father said as he started walking down the stairs.
"Dad, you don't understand what I see, Santa hates me, 4 years ago instead of bringing me a new teddy bear he brought me the death of my mother, brother and sister."
"Look Santa isn't real okay? That's why you saw two at the mall, that's way Santa's handwriting is just like mine,"
"Well then who brought my misfortune? Jesus Christ?"
"No, Jesus didn't kill your mum. It was just some guy who drank too much on Christmas day and thought it would be fun to go racing." Homer said, he himself had quit drinking since that day.
"Why is this world so cruel? It would have been better if I had never been born at all," Homer puts his arms around his daughter as she cries. It's almost as if every Christmas is filled with tears instead of excitement of presents and Santa for Maggie.
"Don't say that Maggie, you don't understand what your mother went through to make sure you born into the best environment possible. She sacrificed a lot for you and saying words like that would make her sad, even in death," Homer said but Maggie ran inside.
-
It was now Christmas eve and Homer was relieved to see Maggie walk into the kitchen for breakfast, a festive feast filled with Christmas ham, non-alcoholic beer and cereal. That might seem like a strange meal, taking in consideration it was all served in a bowl and was mixed with special ingredients like pig snout and monkey claw, but Homer was at times a very strange man.
"Look sweetie, you can't change the past… you just have to live with what has happened." Homer said to his daughter.
"I guess your right dad, but it just gets harder, I wish that I could just see them again once, I know I'll pray for it," She said.
"Wait honey, maybe you…" Before Homer could stop her from disappointing herself she said words of hope and joy, something every child should speak on Christmas Eve.
"Dear God, please let me see my mother and my siblings, if it's just for one day, I want to know what they are like, what they look like, what they smell like. I just want a chance to know them, my only memories of them are their deaths,"
Homer knew that her wish was impossible but he didn't dare tell her that. The day was long and cold as father and daughter prepared for the magically day that was soon to come. Christmas Trees and fake snow, Christmas cards from friends and distant relatives and empty stockings waiting to be filled.
"Do you think Santa is going to bring me something good?" Maggie questioned her father knowing that there was no Santa and that her father was going to give her a present.
"It might just be a brand new book, a book you've been waiting to have for a year, Last Christmas Santa didn't have enough money to buy it but this year he saved up really hard and that's not all he got you but you will have to wait till tomorrow," Said Homer in response to Maggie's question.
Homer felt a little better that he was able to buy Maggie what she wanted this year because last year he had to make her a present and he wasn't nearly as talented as her daughter in terms of music, art and basically creativity. Homer ended up recording an Christmas album for her and it ended up on the radio but it only sold 2 copies world wide. To be fair it did have a very low budget, in fact most of it was improvised since Homer couldn't afford paper to write down most of the lyrics and music sheets and the album was created with a tape recorder, a piano and Homer's "creativity".
"That's great dad, tell Santa I got him a nice present and it's more than Milk and Cookies this year,"
"But Santa loves Milk and Cookies," Says Homer as he grabs his daughter and tightly embraces her. They spent the night talking about stories that could warm the heart of the dead. Homer told his daughter to get some sleep because it was getting late and Santa was starting to go on a trip to deliver presents to all the boys and girls in the world.
That night while Maggie was sleeping, something amazing happened to her and when she awaked the next morning she wasn't in her bedroom. She was in a land where the trees were made of gold and the fountains sprayed sweet orange juice. The skies were a blue mixed with a pretty shade of green and it was the most wonderful thing Maggie had ever seen.
"Hello little girl, are you lost?" Said a tree, shaking it's leaves and causing rainfalls of gold.
"Yes, where am I uhh… golden tree?"
"Your in the kingdom of life,"
"The kingdom of life?"
"Yeah, it's a part of heaven," Maggie face was blank. Her eyes stared towards the ocean, it smelt like freshly squeezed fruit juice and it was a rainbow of colours. She thought for a logical explanation but none came to her but she came to the conclusion that she was in heaven or dreaming. It had to be heaven, the air smelt fresh and like that scent of blueberry pie cooling on a window still.
"How did I get here?" Maggie looked around for the golden tree but it was gone. She looked around dazed in confusion but soon thought that maybe the tree walked away somehow. She didn't know if trees in heaven could walk or not but she came to the conclusion that it did.
"Hello my daughter," A warm and loving male voice said and too her shocked she turned around to see Jesus, the son of God.
"Je..Je..Jesus?" she said in disbelief and pinching herself that this wasn't a dream.
"Yes, I am Jesus the son of God and I have brought you here too give you want you wanted for Christmas,"
"You mean I can see my mum and my brother and sister."
"Yes young one, you may see the family members of yours that have passed on," Jesus starts walking and Maggie follows, trying to hide the excitement she is feeling.
"There is your mother," Maggie observed the woman, she seemed to be in her mid 30s and had long blonde hair and brown eyes just like her. She was a skinny lady who wore a pretty grin while picking apples off of a tree that had a cheerful smile.
"Mummy!!!" Cried Maggie as she ran to her mother, her mothers eyes locked onto Maggie and she instantly knew who she was.
"My precious sweetheart, I have longed to see for many years and now your all grown up," Even though Maggie was just a child her mother could see the adult slowly blossoming inside of her. Maggie's mother had longed to see her daughter, she knew they would be reunited one day but she couldn't believe it was so soon.
"Sit down and have some tea," Marge went inside a white house, it was an olden day kind of house, wooden with tin roofing but it had a homely feeling that Maggie easily adapted too. Jesus decided to join in the family union and drank some of Marge's amazing tea.
"Wow mum, your good at making Tea,"
"It's heaven Maggie, there is no failure,"
"Oh I see, where is my brother and sister?"
"They went to Angel Academy, they been working so hard I wish they would take a break now and then,"
"Dad told me my brother wasn't an under achiever at school,"
"Yeah, that was ordinary school, Angel Academy is different, it's got to do with soul power," Maggie had no idea what that was but nodded and smiled politely.
The day went on and on as daughter and mother talked of years passed, Maggie felt if she was meeting a complete stranger that was destined to be her best friend. Maggie's mother knew she had missed out on a lot in the past few years but she was glad to see the interesting individual Maggie had become.
"Well, Maggie it's about time you get home," Jesus says as he stands up prepared to leave.
"Wait, what about Lisa and Bart?" Maggie asked.
"Well Sweetie, they are too busy but don't worry, they send their warmest regards. I left you a present, and here take this," Maggie's mother said as she gave her an envelope, a neatly handcrafted envelop with the words Dear Maggie written in the front. Maggie returned home as quickly as she had left it.
"Good morning honey," Says Homer as he opens the curtains revealing a sunny but cold day.
"Dad, you won't believe it, I saw mum and Jesus," Maggie was right, her father didn't believe her and told her to take a shower and get dressed. As Homer was eating his breakfast he realised a present had fallen out of Maggie's Christmas stocking. He went and picked it up and too his surprise it was one he never brought or seen.
"Dad, what is it?" Maggie questions her father as soon as she walks down the steps.
"It's a present… from your mother," He says in disbelief, his face was as pale as a ghost's.
"Mum said she would get me something," Says Maggie excitedly as she opens the present and she is shocked to see a book. It wasn't an ordinary book, it was book about her and the first few years of her life. Maggie sat down and started to read her book and it was in the odd silence that Homer heard something fluttering. An envelop was laying on the unlit fireplace and Homer picked it up. Too his surprise it was from his dead wife. Now Homer was starting to believe that maybe his daughter wasn't dreaming about going to heaven.
"Dad, what's that?"
"It's a letter of some sort and it's from your mother," Homer hands down the letter to his daughter and she grips it with enthusiasm. Maggie opens the envelop carefully and it contains a letter.
Maggie, You are all grown up now and I am sad I couldn't be there with you. I am always watching you and don't you forget it my precious little girl. Merry Christmas and remember, mummy will always love you, even in death.