Faith Lost and Found

Written for "Invalid Item"  monthly contest


Prompt: Two people who are strangers to each other find themselves stuck in an elevator on Christmas Eve. One of the characters is dressed as Santa Claus. Write a story, scene, or poem about the situation.

The word count must not exceed 1500 words.

1,493 words

Faith Lost and Found

Under other circumstances, Gracie would have thought she was too old to ride up and down in elevators, but tonight was an exception. She had to get out of that room. All the adults in there; everyone sad and just waiting.

Waiting for her mother to die.

At this late hour, the hospital was quiet. The bustle of the ICU behind her, she rode down to the basement where the cafeteria was located. The older woman behind the counter smiled kindly at Gracie, handing her a chocolate donut, free of charge. Gracie accepted the donut, just like she had the last three nights.

Going back to the elevator, she stabbed the UP button and waited for the elevator. Doors sliding open, she stepped inside, glad to find the car empty. Eating the last of the donut, she pressed every floor's button, one through eight.

Stopping at every floor would guarantee at least a few minutes more time. Gracie's heart pulled at the thought of returning to the room, to where her dad sat holding her mother's hand; the rest of the relatives looking at her with sad eyes, shaking their heads.

"Just to the cafeteria, and then come right back," her father had told her.

She wasn't exactly disobeying her dad. She knew he worried about her roaming the hospital halls alone, but she was almost twelve years old, and besides, everyone in the hospital knew her by now.

The car stopped at the first floor, making her stomach lurch. While the doors slid open, Gracie held her breath. She always hated sharing an elevator with a stranger. Especially at night. In a creepy hospital. No one entered the elevator, so she jabbed the CLOSE button several times rapidly, before someone had to chance to call out, "Hold the door, please!"

She wasn't so lucky at the second floor.

Doors parting, Gracie had her finger poised over the CLOSE button, but she pulled her hand away guiltily as someone entered the elevator.

Eyes downcast, she stepped away from the panel.

The stranger stopped as he saw all the floor buttons lit up. "We're going all the way to the top, eh?" he chuckled.

Still looking down, Gracie shrugged.

She took a sidelong glance at the stranger next to her. He was taller than her dad, and quite a bit heavier, too. Unless he had a pillow stuffed under that red coat, but the bulging stomach looked too real. As did the snowy white beard and ruddy cheeks.

She was so busy thinking about her mother dying; she'd forgotten that it was Christmas Eve.

He caught Gracie watching him. Smiling, he winked and touched the side of his nose with a gloved hand. Funny, she always pictured Santa doing something like that.

Nervously, she cleared her throat. "Did you just come from pediatrics?" she guessed.

A sad look crossed Santa's face, but his eyes still held a twinkle. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. Everyone needs the Christmas spirit, don't you think?"

Shoulders sagging, she answered softly, "I guess so. But I'm too old to believe in Santa."

Santa clucked. "That's a shame. No one is too old to believe in old Saint Nick."

As the elevator reached the third floor, the lights went out.

Gracie gasped in fright, hands reaching blindly for the operating panel. A second later, the lights returned, but dimly.

"Emergency generator," Santa explained. "But I think we're still stuck."

Testing his theory, Gracie pressed every button on the panel. Nothing happened.

"Oh man, this isn't good," she mumbled. "Dad will be so worried...Mom!" She turned to Santa, her eyes wide with fear. "What will happen to my mom?"

"Shh," Santa soothed, "are they here in the hospital?"

"Yes," Gracie sobbed. "My mom's in ICU--will the machines keeping her alive still work?"

"Calm down, little lady. I'm sure the hospital's emergency generators will keep all the needed machinery running." He reached to pat her head but Gracie shrank away from his touch.

"My mom and dad say strangers aren't supposed to touch me," she said, still half-panicked.

"I'm sorry," Santa said quickly. "Don't you know I won't hurt you?"

Gracie snorted. "How would I know that? You're not really Santa Claus. For all I know, you're just some pervert who likes little kids sitting on his lap."

Santa saddened again. "I assure you I'm not a pervert," but he stepped back.

When Gracie said nothing, Santa tried again. "Your mother is in ICU?" he prompted.

Looking over warily at him, she decided to answer. "Yeah, I suppose you want to know why."

Santa looked at her kindly, waiting.

"She has cancer," Gracie whispered. "And she's dying, and there's nothing the doctors can do about it." Anger laced her words; she clenched her teeth to keep from crying.

Gracie didn't object when Santa placed an arm around her shoulder. Without thinking, she turned to him and burrowed her face into his thick coat. Loud sobs wracked her body.

"There, there," Santa crooned, rubbing small circles on the girl's back. "Things always work out, you just need to have faith," he told her.

Gracie looked up at him with red eyes and wet cheeks. "Faith," she repeated. "You mean like in God? Because I've been praying; I've prayed for months!"

She stepped away from him, anger contorting her face again. "God, Santa, doctors... and my mom's still dying!"

At that moment, the lights overhead brightened and the elevator doors lurched open. They watched them slide shut, and neither said anything as the elevator continued its ascent.

Not another word was said as they passed the fourth and fifth floors. Nearing the sixth floor, Gracie stepped forward, ready to exit.

Destination reached, Gracie stepped through the doorway, only to feel Santa's hand on her shoulder. "What?" she asked, turning around.

"I want you to know you don't ever have to stop believing."

"I told you, I don't believe in Santa."

"No, no," he corrected. "Santa, God, yourself. Remember...things happen for a reason, and you'll get through this." He smiled one last time and let her go. She stepped out of the car and as the doors closed behind her, she heard Santa say, "Merry Christmas, Gracie."

She was past the nurse's station and down the hall when it dawned on her.

How did he know my name?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gracie slowly pushed open the door to her mother's room, dread filling her. What if something had happened while she was stuck in the elevator? What if her mother was already dead and she didn't get to say goodbye?

As she passed through the doorway, a nurse exited the room, smiling tenderly. The curtain was drawn for privacy and Gracie couldn't see beyond. The adults were murmuring quietly, but their voices sounded different somehow.

Cautiously, she slowly pulled back the curtain. Everyone turned to look at her. Gracie's heart leapt into her throat as she noticed the tears on their faces.

Eyes searching quickly, she found her father in his usual place. He hadn't looked up yet, but in profile she could see he was crying. Heart pounding painfully in her chest, she stepped forward, turning her gaze to her mother's bed.

Gracie stopped at her mother's thin, almost transparent hand. It looked so small and fragile in her dad's big brown paw. Her eyes traveled up her mother's arm, ignoring IVs and tubing, to where her mother had been propped up in bed, asleep in a deep coma for the last three days.

Gracie's eyes widened with shock at the sight of her mother. She was awake! Though she still looked weak, Gracie took in the color of her cheeks, the light in her eyes.

"Mommy?"

"Gracie," her mother breathed.

Gracie promptly burst into tears and threw herself into her mother's arms.

Gracie's father encircled his wife and daughter in his arms. "It's a miracle, Gracie," he whispered into her hair. "Our prayers have been answered."

Not letting go of her mother, Gracie asked, "How?"

"I don't know, really. But not long after you left the room, your mother woke up. The doctor has already run a few tests and he says there's no sign of the cancer."

Gracie pondered for a moment. "How long was I gone? And what about the power?"

"What do you mean?" her father asked.

"The power was lost, I was stuck in the elevator."

Her dad looked up at the other adults and then back to Gracie. "Honey, the power never went off...and yes, you were gone for nearly two hours. With everything going on, I'd forgotten about you. I thought I told you to come right back."

"I was gone maybe ten minutes..." she started, but then paused.

She cocked her head, listening. From far away, she could hear what only could be described as sleigh bells. Turning back to her mother, Gracie hugged her fiercely.

"Thank you, Santa," she whispered.