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Sarah Sues Santa – P.J. Leonard

where they went. Only one thing for it: she picked a door and headed through it. She'd find them
eventually. How big could this house be?

Very, very big, was the answer. She'd walked through a maze of rooms and corridors: some rooms
were bigger than their assembly hall at school, and some rooms were small and covered in pictures
of nice art. At one point, Sarah came to the kitchen and she thought she’d walked around in a huge
circle, but then she saw that the sink was in a different place. This is a second kitchen! Why does
anyone need two kitchens?
She came to the end of a long corridor. Her feet ached from all the walking. Please be behind this
one…she opened the door and found herself back in the entry room. The computer still lay at the
foot of the stairs. Sarah stamped her foot, the sound echoing around her. Fine! She thought, I’ll do it
myself! She rolled up her sleeves, and step by step she dragged the heavy box up the stairs. Despite
it being a cold winter’s day, Sarah was sweating by the time she reached her bedroom.
Her stomach growled. She checked her watch. It was already 12:30pm. She’d spent so long opening
presents, getting lost in the house and dragging this computer around that it was nearly time for
Christmas dinner already! Sarah puffed out her cheeks. Maybe this isn’t so perfect after all.

When Mum made the call for dinner, Sarah had her new computer set up by her desk. It was huge
and made a lot of noise when she switched it on, but she had no idea what to do next. I’ll ask Dad.
She headed downstairs and back into the kitchen – the first kitchen – and for a moment all of her
worries disappeared. The huge dining table was stacked high with the most beautiful feast Sarah
had ever seen. Tall candles glowed on plates that looked like new, and the turkey in the centre of
the table looked bigger than her. Her parents were already seated, and to Sarah’s relief they weren’t
on a laptop now: they were pouring themselves glasses of a deep red drink from a glass bottle.
Sarah took a seat and dug in. It tasted as good as it looked: the meat was soft and juicy, and the
vegetables were crisp and fresh. She even managed to have a fun talk with her parents over the
luxury crackers, and for a moment everything seemed right again, until –
Ding dong. The doorbell rang through the house. Mum picked up her phone and pranced out of the
dining room.
"Who's that?" Sarah asked.
"The Mayor, probably," said Dad, picking up his phone as well and tapping away on it.
"The Mayor!" Sarah wheeled around to look out of the door towards the entryway, "What's she
doing here on Christmas Day?"
Dad raised an eyebrow. "Have you forgotten already, Sarah? We're having a dinner party with all of
the important people in the city tonight."
"On Christmas Day?" Sarah frowned, "Why? Aren't they going to be with their families on
Christmas Day, too?"
"It's a great chance for business opportunities, Sarah. You never know what the New Year might
bring."
"You guys sure like your...bizness octopuses don't you?"
"It puts this food on the table."
Sarah looked over the table. There was still so much of it. Was this going to be for the dinner party?
Sarah doubted it: she just knew that Mum and Dad would have a fresh new feast ready and waiting
in another room somewhere.
"I'm not hungry anymore," she said, "Can I go?"
Dad waved his hand without another word, eyes fixed on his phone. Fighting the urge to shout at
him, Sarah jumped down from her chair and headed through the living room, stopping at the
Christmas tree on the way. Someone had cleared away all of the finished wrapping paper, the

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