child frozen in time

The young child was spread out on bed, constantly moving frantically. She was hysterically crying in her room filled with pink flowers and stems growing up the walls. She was dressed in her sports uniform. Big basketball shoes that looked too big for her feet and a big jersey that she was drowning in. In her hands were two tiny stuffed elves in the spirit of Christmas time. She was grasping these elves as if they were going to leave her and never come back. As she hugged these elves, her mother walked in and stated, "Katie what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Katie looked up at her as if she didn't know how to respond. In a way, her face showed fear and confusion. Finally, she responded in a shriek voice, "Today at school..." She sniffled and proceeded to finish the sentence. "Someone told me Santa wasn't real! I don't know what to believe!" She continued to cry while grasping the elves as hard as she could. It was obvious the elves were very important to her, and not believing in them anymore would could potentially change her views on so many things. These elves provided simple happiness. The mother looked at her child for she knew this day would come. She replied, "Katie, I cannot tell you what to believe, you must decide that for yourself. Having spirit during the holiday season is something that will make you happy for the rest of your life. Even if you decide that Santa may not be real, you must always remember to keep the Christmas spirit, because Christmas is so much more than Santa and elves." Her daughter was still confused because she just wanted a yes or no answer. She bluntly stated, "I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF HE IS REAL!" The mother replied, "Keep the Christmas spirit, and the answer will come to you." Katie looked at her elves, almost set them down, but did not let them go.