December 23, 2012
"Santa isn't real."
Hearing the words, Nessie looked up from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Her eyes strayed over towards the group of girls playing. They had huddled together in the library, and instead of quietly reading a book, they were gossiping. Up until Alisha spoke, Nessie had deliberately pushed the girls to the back of her mind. Now, they had her full attention.
Another girl, Lacey, giggled. "Come on, Alisha, be serious."
The nine-year-old ringleader rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "I am being serious. Santa is nothing but a big fake. Grownups made him up to make babies feel better and that's why only babies believe in Santa."
Her groupies nodded in agreement, not daring to disagree with her.
"Children, let's bring it on in!" Ms. Garwood, the head of the Let's Read Program, called to the group of third graders.
The girls left, and after pondering what she heard, Nessie followed.