Page 38 - My FlipBook

Sarah Sues Santa – P.J. Leonard

Mr. Vekil smiled. "I see," he said. He held out the tickets to Sarah.
Sarah shrank back in her seat as though Mr. Vekil was holding a fist up at her. Was it a trick? A
test?
Mr. Vekil frowned. "Do you want these tickets or not?"
Slowly, as though she was being handed a bomb, she carefully took the tickets back. She stared at
Mr. Vekil, then at the ticket - yes, they were the real ones - and back to Mr. Vekil.
"But...but..."
"But what?" Mr Vekil leaned forward, "Do you think I’m trying to trick you? Because I am Mr.
Vekil, and I am supposed to be mean and terrible?"
Sarah was so lost for words that she could only make a faint squeaking sound. Mr. Vekil snorted.
"You children. You believe things so easily."
"I...don't understand," Sarah finally managed to say, "What's going on here?"
"What do you mean?" Mr Vekil leaned back in his chair. Now he was a bit further away, Sarah
found it a little easier to speak.
"I...well, you don't seem like a bad person..."
Mr. Vekil shook her head, "Oh, but Miss Pebbleton, you are quite wrong. Some of the rumors about
me are true: Your friends have told you that I made the orphanage a bad place. yes? Well, that’s
true."
"But why? Why have you done this?" Now that Sarah had found her voice again, it grew louder and
louder until she was almost shouting at Mr. Vekil, "This place is just...it's a nightmare. And to kids!
On Christmas Day! I've changed my mind. No, you’re not a bad person, you're evil."
Mr. Vekil stroked his short beard, and he looked tired and sad. "That's almost exactly what my
parents said to me when they abandoned me."
Sarah felt all of the rage disappear from her faster than a click of the fingers. This man...I just know
what to think. One second I hate him, the next I feel sorry for him.
Without thinking, she asked him a question. "Who are you?"
Mr. Vekil looked at the ceiling. Then he sat up straight again, as though he were in an interview. He
looked over Sarah carefully, as though considering her for an important new job.
"Come with me," he said, "I will show you."
Without waiting for an answer, he stood up and pulled a book from the shelf. He opened it, and
inside was a key. He grabbed the key and walked out of his office without even waiting for her.
Sarah twisted around in her chair, half expecting him to come walking back in and telling her that it
was all just a test. But he didn't. Sarah jumped out of the chair and chased after him.

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