A small toad with a warty skin whose hue approached between green and gray, croaked from inside the window of a pet store in the largest shopping center in Los Angeles. The amphibian licked its olive eyes idly, tilting its head to the side as it stared in confusion at the two tall, lanky creatures staring at it from outside, looking haggard, as if this was the worst day of their lives.

—I don't think this is going to work Mar-Mar… —Anne groaned, sitting down on a bench near the pet store.

—She said she missed Grime a lot, and this little friend here looks a lot alike —Marcy insisted, pointing to the toad in the window several times, causing the little boy to start getting uncomfortable —It's the perfect gift!

—I won't deny that it's identical —Anne's gaze returned to the toad—But after living for more than half a year with talking toads, frogs and newts... —she made a grimace of displeasure—I can't help but feel a bit awkward with our world's counterparts... I mean, how would you feel if you were given two salamanders exactly the same as Yunan and Olivia?

—Well... —the eyes of the black-haired woman crossed between the confused toad and the flat look of her companion—I would feel very uncomfortable... —she admitted sitting next to Anne on the bench— It would be strange to treat Olivia like a pet... offensive even...

—That's my point... and if it's Sasha we're talking about...

—Double discomfort... She could take it as a joke in bad taste...

—Yep —the Thai woman agreed, focusing her gaze on nowhere in particular, letting the silence deepen between them for a moment, she waited—Now what? —she said after a few minutes, tired and frowning.

—I don't know… —Marcy admitted—The toad was the best thing I could think of really… How much time do we have until the mall closes?

—Mmmm… —Anne looked up at the big clock in the mall, squinting at the little numbers between the minute and second hands—According to that thing we have about two hours or so left…

—Two hours... —the little girl seemed to collapse on her seat—We've been here for more than seven hours... we already checked all the stores... and nothing —Marcy let out a despondent sigh, leaning her cheek against her companion's shoulder.

—Ugh, why is getting a Christmas present so hard?! —The Thai woman cried out in frustration, her tired voice lost in the hubbub of over two hundred people trapped in the same situation as her.

The festive scent of Christmas could be smelled in the air, along with the lights that adorned as far as the eye could see, and the Christmas carols that could be heard on every corner. On a normal afternoon of December 24, what started as a simple last-minute purchase for Anne and Marcy, ended up becoming a fruitless search for the holy grail or the philosopher's stone itself, since like these mythical objects of legend, finding the right gift for they mutual girlfriend seemed like an impossible task. And I know that many would tell you that the perfect gift for Christmas is not something you can buy in any store, that the perfect gift is the happiness and love that you give to your loved ones during these dates full of peace and joy, throughout the year that spen together... However, the typical kitsch of a movie or novel of the nineties, popularized by greedy people as an excuse for their selfishness and lack of memory, did not apply in real life, especially on such an important date and stressful. Gifts are indispensable, whether it is something small or miserable, it is a physical sign of how important someone is to you, a way to share your own happiness with that person you really love. And that was the reason why these two young ladies felt so miserable about their resounding failure. Sasha Waybright may have been a bit moody, bossy, cretinous, infuriating and a long etc, but when it comes to giving gifts to people she cared about, she became the perfect personification of what the word altruism meant. On birthdays, as details, and especially at Christmas, somehow she had a sixth sense to surprise you with a fabulous gift that almost seemed like a dream; Marcy's Nintendo Switch that many people would believe was given to her by her parents was actually a gift from Sasha, Anne's yellow bicycle, Sasha, a collection of articulated Sailor Moon figures, Sasha, a professional tennis racket, Sasha , and the list goes on and on to the present day; and contrary to what one might expect, the golden-haired rude woman never expected anything of value in return, even though the gifts she received back from her friends were far inferior compared to what she gave, she genuinely looked happy with anything, since from her perspective that was never her goal, she gave what she could because she loved them, in her own words "Her girls always deserved the best ". Both Anne and Marcy understood, but deep down they felt they weren't doing enough; the calm overwhelmed them so much this year that they wanted to do things differently, they wanted to give Sasha the best gift in the world.

—Should we give up and just give her a card this year?

—Are you crazy Marcy?! We can't give up!

—B-but we've already checked all the shops... and I'm really hungry...

And boy did they do it, they checked every clothing store, beauty store, jewelry store, and among many other establishments that sold things of interest to their girl-friend, but either they were too expensive for their combined budget, it wasn't good enough, or for the typical Christmas curse was exhausted. They even went to bookstores, GameShops, and other places that they frequented to try some luck, and it was the same result... in fact on more than one occasion they almost forgot about their mission, tempted to buy something for themselves, but the ghostly image of a disappointed and sad Sasha made them retreat. In short, they found nothing and just dedicated themselves to wasting time.

—Ugh I can't believe you give up so easily! —Anne exclaimed throwing her hands in the air— You didn't give up against that stupid boss from Dark songs 3!

—Dark souls...

—The point is that you don't give up on a video game —Anne gave an angry mother look, pointing her index finger at Marcy—But what if you do when it comes to something as important as Sasha's gift?

—I'm tired... —Marcy murmured with her eyes lowered—My feet hurt, and I'm very cold... and hungry... we didn't even have breakfast... —and just as it came, the slight anger of the woman from brown hair vanished, leaving room only for guilt.

—I'm sorry... —she said as she hugged Marcy, running her fingers gently through her black hair—I'm also very tired... Who would have thought that a selfless gesture would be so stressful?...

—Maybe we're getting too carried away with the whole idea of the perfect gift… —the raven-haired woman commented in a low voice, muffled by her partner's shoulder.

—We really got carried away —Anne confirmed with a nod—It's just that I'd like to do better this year…

—Me too... but we won't get anywhere if we fight each other over it...

—You know what? —Anne got up from her seat almost carrying Marcy like a scared cat that was picked up from the streets—We deserve a break from all this, let's go get something to eat, and while we're at it we can keep looking.

—I'd like a hamburger... —Marcy muttered with a small smile; she was slightly blushing from how Anne carried her.

—Well, let's cool our heads. It's Christmas after all!

—Tomorrow is Christmas… —the Taiwanese woman corrected her, but Anne didn't seem to hear her, walking with her renewed energy towards the escalators, Marcy didn't say anything else even keeping her small smile following Anne.

Ten minutes into a short walk to the food court, and after ordering a combo of two cheeseburgers, an iced tea, and a large soda, Anne and Marcy found themselves sitting at a table away from the crowd, enjoying a little peace and serenity after the stressful hours self-induced by the very magic of Christmas; neither of them said a word, only keeping eye contact with each other while they ate, admiring each other as they always did in moments where the use of their voices was not necessary.

—So... —finished her hamburger, and with nothing else to entertain herself with, the black-haired woman chose to break the silence—have you thought of something? —She asks, taking a few small sips of her drink.

—Well… —Anne's eyebrows furrowed, forcing her brain to search for some idea that could help them in this situation.

—I got it! —But Marcy interrupted her thoughts, exclaiming excitedly as she pounded the table with her palms—We could write her a song!

—Oh… —the brown-haired woman considered for a moment, it really was a good idea… however—It's a good idea Mar-Mar… but didn't we write a song for her last year? We need to do something different, remember?

—Right… —Marcy returned to her seat, pursing her lips as she thought of something.

—I got it! —Anne said almost immediately snapping her fingers together—We could give her a night to herself at the Leon Spa & Massage.

—We went there for her birthday this year… —Marcy commented spontaneously playing with her drink straw—Maybe… write her a poem?

—Sasha hates poetry... —Anne answered, wincing at the memory of the poor person who dared to give Sasha a poem—Don't you remember what she did to David from math for writing her a simple romantic verse?

—Oh yes... Poor David... —Marcy made her own grimace of terror at that memory—Forget I said it—they knew their girlfriend wouldn't break their hand like the poor young sixth art enthusiast, but it was better not to try their luck.

—How about a T-shirt with a photo of the three together? —Anne suggested, changing the subject quickly.

—We already have about ten sets of shirts like this… —and for the next twenty minutes they dedicated themselves to nothing more than that, coming up with ideas and immediately discarding them because they had already carried them out in past years or recently. They talked and talked until they reached an impasse where they discovered that they had already done everything, and they had nothing new to surprise her with. How is that even possible in a relationship?—Hey... what's up... huh... you know —then, without further ideas, Marcy resorted to the simplest and most common gift that cornered couples in the same situation could give each other.

—What? —Anne didn't seem to understand.

—We? —the black-haired woman blushed deeply—Dress only with a giant pompom and...

—You mean... —Anne blushed too, finally understanding what her partner was referring to, for her part she just gave a embarrassed nod in response—For God's sake, Marcy! —she exclaimed in a very low tone, trembling slightly—Of all things, you had to think of something like that?! Don't you remember what happened last time?!

—I know! —Marcy defended herself—But it's all we have left!

—I'm not doing that again! I still have marks in places where I shouldn't have marks!

—You shouldn't have told her she could do whatever she wanted to us in the first place...

—Okay, in my defense, I didn't expect Sasha to have such a twisted mind.

—Or that she already had everything ready for that moment... —Even though she wasn't present, the two women could still feel the blonde's look of insane lust all over theirs body, aftermath of one of the worst decisions they could ever take; they girlfriend enjoyed her gift of course, but the price they had to pay for making her happy was a very high one—But, even so... maybe...

—No —Anne cut her off immediately, but Marcy's desperate look told her she wasn't forgetting—Ugh! The fact that you're considering it is proof that we're out of ideas... —she groaned leaning her chin against the back of the table, rubbing the accumulated stress in her eyebrows. Then, in between Marcy's explanations of why "it " was the only thing they could do now that they were out of ideas, out of the corner of her eye, a few feet away, an object gleamed through a shop window—It can't be...

—Anne? —The woman ignored her call, rising from her chair until it nearly fell to the ground, moving on autopilot toward the store away from the food court. Confused, Marcy followed Anne in silence, until they stopped in front of an establishment that stood out from the others for its old look "Old Simon's Thrift Store " it said in large letters printed neatly on the dirty and foggy glass—What are you… —Marcy's gaze traveled to where Anne's eyes were fixed, and she saw it—It can't be… —On a small wooden shelf, a silver sword gleamed in the dim lighting of the window, thin and long blade, short hilt, round pommel and guard with the exact image of a tiny heron, there was no doubt, it was one of Sasha's swords.

—But how?

—I-I thought… —they thought that was lost, Sasha had lost this sword twice, the first time during her painful escape from the floating castle in Amphibia, and the second time, it was during one of the battles on earth, this last one was a permanent loss, at least until the found now in this thrift store; the last time they saw the weapon was when it fell down a sewer drain, getting lost in the fetid aqueducts to who knew where, Sasha never bothered to retrieve it, claiming that the object was the reminder of one of the greatest mistakes of her life; and now here was, shimmering in front of them, begging to be taken out of that hell of old or stolen trinkets.

—Are you thinking the same as me, Mar-Mar? —Anne asked without taking her eyes off the window.

—Are Christmas miracles real? —Marcy asked back.

—Exactly.

Night had deepened in the skies when Sasha woke up; the blonde-haired woman had fallen asleep on the sofa in the living room of her apartment, remote control in hand and covered in cheese chips; the static sound of a dead channel echoed throughout the room along with her light yawns as she got up from the sofa stretching and rubbing her aching joints.

—I hate Christmas specials… —the woman grunted sleepily, limping heavily to the kitchen for a glass of water. Leaning against the edge of the kitchen counter, taking small sips, savoring the bitter taste on her lips, Sasha's eyes lifted to the small cat-shaped clock with dark, piercing eyes that hung on the wall in front of her, the time marked was half past eight at night—Is it that late already? —she murmur leaving the glass in the sink—Hey Anne! It's already past eight! Do you want me to help you with the kitchen?! —she exclaimed as she returned to the living room, gathering up her mess—Anne? —she called again, realizing no one was home—Marcy? —she went up the stairs to the room they shared, finding the place completely empty and messy, with the only presence of a black and white cat sleeping among the sea of messy sheets—Hey girl, have you seen Anne? —The animal purred in response. A little worried, Sasha left the room and went to the extra room of her apartment that her nerdy girlfriend used as a games room and office, the same result, she also checked the bathroom and there wasn't a soul there either—Where did they go those two? —Sasha wondered scratching the back of her neck, feeling a slight discomfort in her head as a result of uncertainty—Now that I remember, I didn't see them this morning either... —she let out a light sigh and went to the main door, took her keys and her coat But before she could even open the door, it swung open from the other side, revealing the two people she was looking for.

—Okay, you go distract Sasha while I...

—Distract me for what? —The two Asians froze at the presence of their girlfriend, surprised and scared alike, they didn't expect to find her right in front of their noses.

—Oh... hey Sash —Anne spoke quickly and nervously, standing in front of Marcy so that Sasha would not notice the rectangular package that the smallest was carrying in her hands.

—Hey Anne... —the blonde greeted in an indecipherable tone with her arms crossed and with no intention of moving from her place until they gave her an explanation, she knew them too well to know that they were hiding something—Where have you been?

—Oh you know… over there… —Marcy responded by leaning closer to Anne.

—Haven't seen you two all day —Sasha added, tapping her foot up and down impatiently.

—Well, we...

—You forgot to buy me a present, right? And you were lost all day in the mall trying to find it —it was winter and somehow the women were already sweating, they forgot that Sasha could always read them like an open book, of course she no longer used it to take advantage of them as she did in the past, but habits never die.

—Was it obvious? —Anne shrugged accepting that they had been found out.

—Well mostly because of the wrapped gift box Marcy's holding, and your sweaty faces —Sasha replied stepping aside so they could pass.

—I told you we should have sneaked in through the window —Marcy whispered into Anne's ear earning her a shove.

—If you hadn't started arguing with the seller about the bad care of the sword...

—Sword? —The women froze again.

—Damn! —Anne smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand, releasing more curses in her second language, an involuntary reflex for when she didn't want anyone to know what she was saying.

—Wow it's usually always me who ruins the surprises —Marcy commented genuinely shocked.

—I can't believe it! You two bought me a sword?! —Sasha gasped in surprise with a huge gleam in her eyes, her ruined surprise couldn't have mattered less—Gimme gimme gimme! —She spread her hands, moving her fingers like a little girl.

—No! Presents are opened tomorrow —Anne wanted to regain control of the situation (as if she had been in control from the start).

—Oh, come on! you already told me what it is —the woman complained with frustration—Besides, you left me alone all day —she pointed at both of them with her index finger, using a false tone of annoyance—I almost had an anxiety attack when I realized, The least you can do is let me open it.

—W-well, what if it's not a sword? I-I... I said this to deceive you...

—Really?

—Really.

—What is it then?

—I will not tell you.

—You will not tell me?

—No.

—Isn't that a sword? —Marcy intervened—Then why does the bill say it is... —she asks confused, ignorant of the true intentions of Anne's words, and how she wanted to kill her at this very moment.

—UGH! I cannot stand this! —she tugged at her brown hair in frustration—Okay, you can open the damn present!

—Yes! —Sasha exclaimed victoriously—Give me that thing Mar-Mar.

—Sure… —Anne stopped her.

—But you have to let us open our presents too.

—It seems fair to me —the blonde agreed, and without further ado, the three women sat on the sofa, Sasha in the center, Marcy on her right and Anne on her left, expecting how her girlfriend would react to the gift. Would she like? Would she hate it? they weren't sure, she knew it was a sword, but she didn't know what sword it was.

—Huh... maybe we should leave it for tomorrow, I haven't made dinner yet and...

—Ssshhhh you ruin the moment —There was no going back, as she watched as Sasha tore the paper, sliding the lid of the box to the side taking the object in her hands. The woman's eyes widened, paralyzed, unable to believe what she was seeing—You?... What?... How?... It's... —She couldn't find the right words, stammering incoherently over and over, trembling with little tears in her eyes.

—It can't be, Marcy, we broke her!

—God, I knew we should have given her our bodies!

—Marcy!

—Wait wait! —Sasha interrupted them taking their hands, reassuring them—I'm fine...

—Are you sure?

—Oh frog, Sash, we're sorry, we didn't think this would affect you.

—No no, I'm really fine —she takes the weapon by its hilt inspecting the worn blade with a frown—It's just that... I didn't expect to see her again...

—If you don't like it, we can return it.

—We just wanted to give you the best gift —They looked at her afflicted, feeling bad without having done any harm.

—I told you I'm fine... this is it —Her eyes reflected on the sword, noticing a different look in herself, the hardened gaze of a frightened girl had faded, meeting that of a relaxed woman who had made peace with her inner demons a long time ago—That's perfect…—the tears continued to flow—Thank you very much... —she left the gun in her lap, hugging her girlfriends with great affection, letting them know that her words were not a lie and that she was genuinely happy.

—Do you really like? —Marcy asked, still hesitant, Sasha just nodded.

—We thought you hated it... really, we bought it on impulse... —Anne confessed as she stroked her girlfriend's blonde hair.

—And why had we run out of ideas...

—I never hated it —Sasha finally spoke—It's just a sword... it's not to blame for anything that happened that day... I think back then I still wanted to make someone else responsible for my behavior and my bad decisions... But seeing her now... it just reminds me how much I've changed, reminds me that I'm a better person now —she sniffs, breaking away from the hug—Where did you find it?

—At a thrift store —Marcy said quickly—They gave us a discount, when we told them we were the original owners.

—They believed us because your initials are on the hilt.

—That's my girls, yes, I've taught you well —they laughed lightly—Thank you, I like it a lot —Sasha placed her hands on their cheeks, gently kissing each of them with great affection, they deserved it.

—It was worth wasting a whole day at the mall — Anne commented after they parted ways, Marcy couldn't agree more.

—Good! Who wants to open their presents? —the women shouted with emotion in response—Okay Anne this is yours and... this is yours Marbles —both opened their gifts in a less orderly way than Sasha opened hers, at the revelation the room was filled with a great tide of startled gasps.

—An RTX 3080 Ti card?! Sasha this costs a fortune!

—Oh, my God! Oh, my God! A ten-speed massage machine!

—Only the best for my loves —Sasha felt a wave of pride and happiness seeing how her girlfriends enjoyed their gifts, that is until she felt a strange force rushing towards her.

—We love you, Sasha! —both said in unison, squeezing Sasha in a gigantic hug.

—I love them too, silly, merry Christmas —little laughs and kisses were heard in all corners of the room while the night grew excessively, and the stars shone brightly, momentarily reflecting against the apartment window, like a gift offered by the strangeness of the universe.

Once again Sasha Waybright had defeated them, but more than that they felt overwhelmed by defeat, they felt an immense happiness that intoxicated their hearts, they had come quite close, being able to understand that the gifts were not just random expensive objects, but objects that they would awaken something great in the depths of their feelings, and it is that the object as such was not important, but the intentions that came with it, the wordless message that expressed how much she loved them, that she listened to them and understood them better than anyone in the world. And the thing is, that is the magic of giving a gift to someone, perhaps the words of affection are magical and comforting, but even something as simple as chocolate can brighten the soul of any individual invaded by the darkness of loneliness and sadness.

Written as a Christmas special.