Micah's Take On An Old Classic


This is in response to The Tea Room’s November challenge on for a ‘Sad Song’ story. I couldn’t come up with more appropriate lyrics and Dizzy’s wanted a story with the Ghosts. Hope this satisfies.

 
“You know this is kinda a sad song, TJ.” Micah commented as he snatched up another chunk of cookie dough and popped it into his mouth.

“Are you serious?” TJ was astonished. “You must be the only person in the world to this that ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ is a sad song.” TJ shook his head in disbelief as he pressed the cookie cutter into the dough he’d just rolled out on the counter. “Maybe it’s because you’re dead?”

“It is not!” was Micah’s adamant retort. “Listen closely and you’ll hear the warnings. Ones, I might add, that have a threatening ring to them.”

“How so?” TJ stopped what he was doing to pay attention to what his friend was saying.

“Okay, take the lines referring to not crying or pouting. I’ve cried numerous times over the past year and I may even have pouted a time or two.”

“A time or two is a bit of an understatement, don’t you think?” TJ teased.

 “Hey, you pout more than I do,” Micah stanchly reminded the other man.

“Yeah, I guess I do at that,” TJ honestly admitted. He carefully lifted a gingerbread man and slid it off the spatula on to the cookie sheet. “What else do you find sad?”

“I wanna know what’s with this list thing and him knowing if we’ve been good or bad. Hell, I’m bad more than I’m good, so I guess Santa is a no-show for me this year.” Micah’s shoulders slumped. He put his elbows on the counter and rested his chin in his hands, looking a little forlorn at the idea.

“I thought you didn’t believe in him,” TJ pointed out.

“That was until he appeared last year and paid us a visit.”

“Hmm, yeah well….I’m kinda inclined to go along with Glen’s theory. You know the one where he insists it was just a bizarre dream.”

“You really think we both had the exact same dream at the same time?” Micah inquired dubiously.

“Hey, you gotta admit we’d eaten a lot of strange stuff before bedtime on Christmas Eve like the weird cheeses, meats and spreads that were packed in a couple of those gift baskets Glen got from some of his clients.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I seem to remember eating a lot of fudge, and then there were all those smoked oysters.”

“God Almighty, we ate chocolate fudge and oysters?” TJ was horrified.

“Not together,” Micah tried to set TJ’s mind at ease. “But at some time during the evening both items were consumed.”

“We’re lucky a seasonal apparition was all we experienced. I feel nauseous just thinking about it.” TJ grimaced and went back to concentrating on the job at hand. “I do believe I’ll request that Glen pay more attention to what I’m eating this year in order to avoid a repeat dietary fiasco.”

“Good plan,” Micah offered his support of the idea. “But I still consider this a sad song even if I am alone in that belief.”

“Tell you what; as soon as we finish up here, we’re gonna watch the movie ‘Elf’,” TJ suggested as he placed two laden cookie sheets into the oven and set the timer. “Then you’ll see the magic that song can produce.”

“Okay, but while we’re waiting can I lick the bowl?” Micah asked hopefully.

“It’s raw cookie dough, Micah.” Seeing the expression on his friend’s face, TJ shook his head and relented. “What the hell; help yourself.”

Micah’s eyes sparkled as he greedily reached out for the large bowl.

The End

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