gf3/WAT — comment on commit 5f1dc029ef174c44779211bb46f7bafa8493ed13
File:  line 0
By SlexAxton:

Pepto Belton had never had a tree.

He was scarcely 5 years old (even though lots of adults told him he acted older than he looked!) and Christmas was still magical for him.

He stepped up on his tip toes to see the stockings hung across the fusion micro-heaters that his grandpa put next to the couch. His family was big compared to most other families, and he was the youngest. "Axe, Canon, Disney, and Pepto" he said aloud, while scanning the names of his siblings. His dad had programmed each of their names into the stockings earlier that month with his older brother Axe. His was the smallest, but it was also the brightest.

Poor families often sold the first names of their children to the highest bidding advertising agencies in order to pay for their children's education. Unfortunately, people paid more for the first kids than they did for the last ones. He was sometimes mad that he didn't get a cool sponsorship, but he didn't let anyone know that it bothered him. At least he didn't do as bad as his classmates Huggies and KY. He wasn't sure why, but those kids usually got the brunt of the insults. The worst he had to endure was one of the 5th Graders always calling him "pink stuff."

He heard the FlashTransit rumble past his front door and knew his dad was moments away. His palms began to sweat and his stomach began to get butterflies.

His Dad had left a day and a half ago. He had gone with Axe to go get a Christmas Tree. He had always thought that Christmas Trees were just parts of the old stories that his parents told him. There were flying reindeer, elves who make toys, talking snowmen (which were even more confusing in the summer), and trees dressed up with jewelry and lights. He believed all of it for the most part, but it wasn't _real_ to him. Today, some of it would be. No... In a _few_ _minutes_ it would be.

He ran over to the back door and put on his shoes and ran out of the house as fast as he could to greet his dad and brother. Maybe he could help carry it in! Either way, Grandma told him that they had the best smell in the entire world, and he was interested in fact-checking!

Down the steps. Across the restricted zone. What seemed like _forever_ down the curvy road where he bought his new christmas sweater. Then he could see the station.

He looked around, and ran up to the doors that were about to open. He didn't care if he was in the way of the people getting off the FlashTransit, he was small and nothing was getting between him and that tree now.

The doors opened. He saw his dad. Then he saw his brother. And that was it. No tree. No smell. No smiles. Christmas was ruined.

_to_ _be_ _continued..._