Mother Claus

We drove up the snowy, winding road towards the cozy A-frame cabin.

"And here we are."

Rachel reached for my arm, my body so numb I barely felt her touch.

"Are you sure you're ready for this hun?"

My hand pushed the stick to park, but I left the engine running for a few moments.

"I mean it's been 4 years… I think I can handle it," I looked up at the rear-view mirror. "Let's unpack before she wakes up."

*****

Rachel stood next to the fridge. "Have your parents been here lately?"

"Not that I know of, why's that?"

"There's fresh—"

"Daddy! Look," Amy said, out of breath.

"Oh that's a nice scarf sweetie, where did you get it?"

"Mommy gave it to me."

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, she said if I didn't tell anyone I could keep it forever. FOREVER daddy!"

I looked at Rachel, her eyes so wide I thought they might leave their sockets.

"Of course you can keep it, it's yours now. Did you say thanks to mom?"

"I wiiilllll!" And she went running back to her bedroom, the scarf flying behind her.

"Kids," I said.

*****

"Aww, but I'm not sleepy," Amy said.

"But daddy is," I said.

A package was sitting on the bed, a bow and card laying on top.

"Whee! Santa brought me a gift! Can we open it now? Please daddy!"

"Yes, we'll just wait for mom, okay?"

"Alright, so I got The Berenstain bears' Christmas tree or Rudol—"

"Mommy! Look!"

"Oh wow, a present," Rachel said. "Is that for you?"

"Let's read the card first," I said. "Oh wow! So many sparkles. Ahem, ' HO HO HO! Merry Christmas my sweet Amy. I hope you enjoy Mr Piggy as much as I did. I can't wait to see you. I love you,' signed Mother Claus."

"Ha! A plushy piggy, he's so cute! Can he…"

I couldn't hear what Amy had to say. I could hear a voice, but not the words it was communicating. "Where did you get that?" I asked Rachel.

"What do you mean? Where I got what?"

"The damn pig, where did you find it?"

"I—I thought it was from you…"

And now I couldn't speak. I turned around to the hallway.

"Honey please, talk to me. What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"Mr Piggy… Mr Piggy was Hannah's."

Amy was snoring and I, well I was pacing. And freaking out.

"I don't know how this happens Rachel! Who the hell is Mother Claus! I swear if my mother has anything to do with this… humph. This is ridiculous."

"We'll figure it out… How about we call your mom tomorrow? It's probably just a misunderstanding." She came closer to me, not knowing what to do with her hands. She ended up leaving them alongside her body. "Let's go get some sleep, okay?"

*****

When I woke up, Rachel was already watching cartoons, Amy curled up on her lap. "Good morning girls." My words echoed through the cabin, making them jump and look up. "Are we ready for some pancakes?"

"I know they're your favorite! With some banana slices and maple syrup, right?" I said.

Amy danced around the island. "Miam!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." I gave her a wink.

"Are we gonna go for a walk in the trails after breakfast? Maybe we can bring the sleds and have a race down the hill, what do you think?" Rachel asked Amy.

"Yes! I'll win the race!"

*****

"Do we have a blanket to bring out with us? I'm afraid it'll get too cold for Amy." Rachel said.

"Yeah, I think there's one in the spare bedroom. I'll go get it."

I twist the knob to open the door, only crashing into it. "Huh, that's weird."

To the kitchen I go, searching through the junk drawer for the tiny metal pick.

Click. I push the door, which feels heavier than usual. A cold draft hits my skin and I see the curtains swinging across the room, "sigh, that kid". I walk back past the bed to reach the closet, my mouth letting out an ouch as my foot crunches "reading glasses?". I gather the larger pieces, leaving the rest to vacuum. I straighten up, but my body freezes mid-crouch; a dark mass of newspaper clippings are plastered on the walls above a makeshift desk, the remains of a sandwich thrown beside a pile of books. "What in the world…" I turn on the old lamp to get a better view of the articles; 'Mysterious disappearance', 'A wife and mother of toddler vanishes'. I could feel my stomach thrust its way to the back of my throat. 'Woman drowns, body never found'. Burning tears slide down my cheeks. 'A weekend of fun ends in tragedy'. I run to the bathroom, barely making it to the sink.

*****

"I can't believe you beat me down the mountain!" I said to Amy. She giggled.

Amy lied down on the sled, all snuggled up in the blanket. A few steps and her eyes were shut tight. We walked to the beat of our breaths for a while, only sharing sighs of content. We could make out the shape of our Jeep when I blurred out a few words. "Something happened… well, I found something when I—"

Rachel stopped walking, her face white as if she'd seen a ghost.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked. She nodded towards the cabin's driveway. The color drained from my rosy cheeks, my face looking lifeless. "Hannah…"