[ WP ] Santa Claus in a therapy session talking about some of the traumatizing things he 's encountered while delivering presents to peoples houses .

`` I've seen a lot of things, young fellow. Some good, some bad. You live as long as I lived and there's scarce a thing left to surprise you out there,'' said the old man, a faraway look in his eyes. `` Maybe you can understand.'' 
 
 `` You want to remember the good you did. You want it to have counted. It may not be much. Put a smile on their face—just that one day, you know. Yet there were so many times, I could do nothing for them. It was too late by the time I got there,'' he murmured, `` There are too many I was too late for. You add'em all up, and...'' he gestured vaguely, as words seemed to fail him. 
 `` It was back in 1774, London. Busy city, snowy night. I was doing my usual thing—found me the last house before running my team to France. I started climbing down their chimney. Terribly narrow place but that's what magic's for. Only, he was n't so lucky.'' 
 
 `` Who was he?'' asked the doctor, not unkindly. 
 
 `` He was one of those climbing boys. Kid became a street urchin after his ma passed away and was picked up by a nasty sweeper,'' the old man took a big breath, `` he was dead.'' 
 
 Neither of them talked for a while. 
 
 `` He'd gotten stuck inside the chimney. The storm was too big so his master could n't make it there. It was Christmas Eve and the family did n't care to wait. They told the servants to start the fire and the boy would cope with it. He suffocated in the fumes while the heat enveloped him and burnt the skin off his flesh. That's how I found him. A tiny, charred body emanating so much pain...'' 
 
 `` I brought him back with me. Nothing to do for him, they would just sweep this one under the rug—as they always did. Took him to a close monastery so he'd least have a burial. I left them a letter, `` he exhaled, `` A couple of years later, the parliament started passing laws to regulate those things but fat lot of good they all did.'' 
 
 He got up abruptly, `` I believe time's up, doctor. Would n't want to keep your next patient waiting. Hope you will enjoy your holidays, I'll see you next month.'' 
 
 The door closed with a snap as the other man stared out of the window, quietly watching the snow fall.
