[ WP ] Dyslexic children all over the world wrote Christmas wish lists to Satan . To their dismay he always responds .

Heavy winds whistled sharply, sending waves of snow whipping across the air. A sudden thud of the slush smacked into Jimmy ’ s bedroom window, rustling him out of a nightmare. He sat up panting and confused before a wave of relief washed over. 
 
 It wasn ’ t real. It *felt* real, but it wasn ’ t real. 
 
 Jimmy normally didn ’ t dream, or at least he rarely remembered his dreams. Perhaps once a month there would be fleeting snippets of images or brief random scenarios, but always benign and uninteresting. Last night had been different. 
 
 He was in a smoldering room of high red walls where flames danced and licked the surrounding air. The heat was uncomfortable, but not oppressive, and his skin had the constant sensation of being numbly sloughed off though it seemed to suffer no damage. The most unnerving part was that it felt real, as real as he felt now, sitting in bed. 
 
 Jimmy began screaming – a long, howling wail which surprised even him, though he had never had occasion to test such a desperate cry. As his voice grew hoarse and sweat doused his face, a slim, sharply-featured humanoid creature appeared before him. It didn ’ t walk through a door, or drop from a rafter – it simply appeared. Jimmy grew mute, though he could swear he was still screaming. 
 
 “ Greetings, slave! ” it cried, its voice a scratchy, high-pitched cadence that pierced Jimmy ’ s head like shards of glass. The tiny horns protruding from its narrow red skull wiggled with excitement, much like a dog ’ s tail. “ Pardon the change in conversation. I had to take your vocal cords, ” it crooned happily, reaching behind its back and producing a gooey white, circular band of flesh. “ Couldn ’ t have you interrupting the party! ” 
 
 Jimmy dropped to his knees, his head suddenly dizzy. His throat burned and everything below it felt as if it were being squeezed ever more tightly. He tried to crawl away from the creature, but his body suddenly stopped responding. 
 
 “ Now, now, my little Fraukin. It will you do no good to resist. You have requested our audience, and our audience you shall have! First, let us introduce you to our orientation officer. His name is… ” A piercing cacophony of syllables ripped through the air, sending a ringing through Jimmy ’ s ears and leaving the taste of blood in his mouth. “ Oh yes, and that is just his name! ” crooned the creature. 
 
 Jimmy had felt himself being picked up and tossed about like a rag doll as he shut his eyes and prayed for the horror to desist. Then he woke up. 
 
 There was a rushed patter of steps approaching Jimmy ’ s room before his parents burst in. 
 
 “ Goodness, are you alright dear? ” his mother exclaimed. “ You were screaming like a banshee! ” 
 
 His father appeared behind her, his face a mixture of scrutiny and amusement. “ Surprised you didn ’ t wake up the whole neighborhood, chief. What ’ s going on? ” 
 
 “ I…I had a bad dream, that ’ s all, ” Jimmy replied, his voice quavering. 
 
 “ Oh, my poor, precious little bumpkin! ” his mother exclaimed, rushing over and coddling Jimmy ’ s head. “ Well, it ’ s over now. You ’ re safe. ” 
 
 “ Yeah, because he was in danger before, ” his dad replied, rolling his eyes and smirking. His face softened. “ But anyway chief, why don ’ t we go open one of your presents early? ” 
 
 Jimmy ’ s eyes lit up, the nightmare almost forgotten. “ Really, dad?! You ’ ve never let me open any of my presents early! ” 
 
 “ Heh, well, today is a special occasion, isn ’ t it? Of course, it ’ s only if your mother agrees… ” He raised his eyebrows in her direction and winked. 
 
 “ Why, that ’ s a splendid idea! ” she exclaimed. “ Yes, let ’ s go do that now. ” 
 
 & nbsp; 
 
 Though it was 10 days before Christmas, their tree had been fully decorated. Jimmy ’ s mother had always insisted, much to her husband ’ s playful chagrin, on a yearly grand spectacle of no spared expense. Jimmy was convinced that if she were in charge of the Rockefeller stage, it would at least twice its size. Grand multicolored garlands were strewn every which way, and one almost had to look closely to make out the thick piney leaves and branches, so densely covered was the tree in ornaments of countless shapes and sizes. A golden star the size of a Labrador Retriever adorned the top. 
 
 Jimmy skipped, practically bounded toward the tree. A rainbow assortment of wrapped packages lay beneath, ranging from a tiny ring-sized square to a box so long it seemed to disappear under the branches ’ shadows. Falling to his knees he scanned the cornucopia, eyes wide and heart racing. His gaze finally fell onto what looked like a wrapped cylinder that narrowed slightly at the top. A faint glow emanated from inside the white and yellow striped wrapping paper. 
 
 “ This one! ” Jimmy shouted as his parents walked up behind him. “ I want to open this one! ” 
 
 “ Well, there goes any input from us, ” his father chuckled. “ What do you think, sweetie? ” 
 
 “ Well, it ’ s one of the presents we would have chosen anyway, right honey? ” his mother replied, rubbing her husband ’ s shoulder. “ In fact, I think Jimmy ’ s made the best choice of all! ” Her voice cracked a bit at the top. 
 
 Jimmy shivered slightly, crossing his arms and rubbing them. He looked back at his parents, both grinning down with shiny teeth and stiff lips. Jimmy couldn ’ t remember them every smiling so broadly. 
 “ Go ahead, son, ” they said in perfect unison. 
 
 Jimmy shivered more violently this time, a sharp, bitter sensation that ran through his torso and shot down his legs. His eyes burned and his hands shook as he caressed the package, his hands running across the smooth paper. “ I… ” 
 
 He stopped. There was more than a glow now, Jimmy realized. The package was pulsing like a heart. He gasped and threw it down, his hands feeling sticky and slimy though they were clean on the surface. 
 
 “ Jimmy. ” A intoned with a deep, stern bass behind him. 
 
 Jimmy turned slowly, meeting an impatient, dour expression wholly uncharacteristic of his father. “ Dad? ” he quivered. 
 
 “ Open your present, Jimmy. ” 
 
 He turned to his mother, and whimpered as he found her expression the same. 
 
 “ We ’ ve worked ever so hard procuring these gifts for you, son, ” she said baldly. “ It would be very, very rude of you not to open one now. ” 
 
 Jimmy heard himself quietly sob as he turned back, hands shaking. He reached again for the package, grimacing as he picked it up and felt its pulse. As he slowly began tearing the paper off, Jimmy heard a voice. 
 
 “ This is what happens when you write to Satan, my child. And remember, there are still 10 more days until Christmas. ”
