Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2015 15:45:40 -0700
From: Michael king <thewriter1@live.ca>
Subject: Tommy Braden

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction any and all characters are solely
from my mind any resemblance to the living is purely coincidental.

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SANTA'S SPECIALTRIP:

Christmas Eve and we all know what happens on this night don't we?

This is the night that Santa comes and brings all the good little boys and
girls there toys. Tonight was no different and as soon as the sun had set,
Santa was flying off around the world, and little boys and girls were
tucked snuggly into their beds dreaming of Santa. Around and around Santa
land, with Blitzen and Donner, Comet and Cupid and all the other
reindeer. If one listen closely, they could hear the jolly old man laughing
out his ho-ho-ho as he flew over rooftops.

	Early the next morning as the sun was starting to rise and Santa
had returned to the North Pole, he had the elves put the reindeer and slide
away. Walking through his toy shop Santa stopped and gave his wife,
Mrs. Claus a kiss on her rosy cheeks, before heading off to his little
office to put away his list of good and bad the children. As Santa was
about to leave, he heard a fluttering sound coming from the chimney,
looking back, Santa saw a letter laying on the hearth. Walking back Santa
to the dirty envelope, wondering who had written to him so late.

	Sitting at his desk and was tired, cold fingers Santa carefully
opened the letter, and as he read it here starting to slip down his rosy
cheeks. Carefully laying the letter on his desk, He pulled out his bright
red Santa handkerchief and wiped his eyes. He was just putting his glasses
back on when Mrs. Claus came in with a hot cup of fresh apple cider.

Looking up Santa smiled at his wife as she carefully place the hot cider on
his desk. She was just straightening up when she saw the letter and with a
slight frown looked at Santa before asking where it came from. Santa just
looked at her and with a tired smile told her that it was a late arrival
having just come as he was about to leave the office. They also told her
that she should read it. As she read it Santa leaned back in his chair
pondering what he should do he knew that if he left now all the people
would see him and Santa did not want that, but he could not leave that
little boy out there alone.

Mrs. Claus could almost see the wheels turning in Santa's head, and with a
woeful smile gave Santa I had told him to be careful.





 TOMMY'S LETTER:



	New York streets are always busy, always crowded, more so in the
weeks following Christmas. Then the streets of New York are just hustle and
bustle, people pushing and shoving all in a rush to get the special sales
at places like Macy's or Bloomingdale's. The Avenue of America was no
different.

	Thirteen year-old Tommy was standing outside one of the big malls
occasionally asking a passerby for spare change. Tommy was a Street kid and
had been for the last two years having run away from a home that never
wanted him. You see Tommy was a foster kid and had been move from one home
to another, never feeling like he belonged anywhere. So when the last home
he was in barely fed him, made him sleep on a mat with a ragged old blanket
Tommy was determined to try and make it on his own.

	Now here was Tommy standing in torn and ragged clothing, begging
for spare change. When

Tommy first hit the streets he had with him a backpack and a few extra
clothes, but one night while he was scrounging in a dumpster for day-old
buns another boy had come along and stolen it. Tommy was upset at the theft
because now he had no change of clothes. As Tommy watched the other boy run
away with his backpack he remembered the letter he had written to Santa
when he first hit the street was still tucked inside one of the many
pockets. So with the bag of buns in his hand, he walked back to the place
where he had been sleeping.

	Now Tommy's place was nothing really special, but Tommy had found
it shortly after he had run away. It was while Tommy had been walking
through one of the subway systems in Manhattan that he stumbled across a
small little doorway low in the wall that was slightly ajar. Looking around
so no one could see him Tommy peeked inside. Smiling to himself, he knew he
had found his place, he just hope no one ever caught him crawling in. That
night, he slept dry and warm but on the hard cement floor.

	After finding his hiding place, in his first warm night, Tommy went
looking for either a sleeping bag or a couple of blankets. He knew he could
use cardboard on the floor, but maybe he would be lucky and find an old
piece of foam. Left seem to be with Tommy as he found both a sleeping bag
and some old blankets, but his luck really held when he saw an old
furniture company throw out a roll of foam. First taking the blankets and
sleeping bag back to his place, Tommy then ran back and grab the rolled up
foam.

	That night and Tommy climbed back into his hideaway he unrolled the
foam and found out he had enough to make himself a small pillow. As Tommy
lay on his new bed the sounds of the subway trains passing by didn't bother
at all, so with a smile on his face Tommy drifted off to sleep. When
December rolled around Tommy had just turned twelve and so still believing
in Santa, Tommy sat in with a broken old pencil and a torn piece of paper

Tommy wrote his letter.

Dear Santa:



	Santa I know you are busy this time of year delivering toys to all
the good boys and girls. I know they asking for a lot of things, but Santa
I'm not a good little boy, I beg for money, I steal food so that I can
eat. Santa I am a Street kid, my clothes are ragged and dirty and at this
time of year I am seldom clean. Santa I'm not asking for much I don't want
toys like all the other girls and boys. Santa all I want for Christmas is a
hug and a home.

Merry Christmas Santa.



Your street urchin

Tommy.



	Carefully folding the letter Tommy tucked it into a dirty envelope
he had scrounge, and in careful writing he wrote to Santa at the North
Pole. Making sure that the envelope was sealed Tommy placed it into one of
the many pockets of his backpack. Now Tommy could've left his backpack in
his hideaway, but he figured he might just find something, like clothes and
he would need someplace to carry them. Over the next week Tommy had
forgotten all about the letter he wrote, that is until the day the boy
stole it. Tommy had never meant to send the letter, because he knew that
Santa was always too busy, and he wouldn't make a special stop for dirty
street boy. Soon, he forgot all about both his backpack and the letter, but
what Tommy didn't know was that the boy it had gone through his backpack,
and had thrown everything to the side of the road and a gentle wind as if
magic had come along and taken Tommy's letter away.

	Now we all know that to go from New York to the North Pole takes a
long long time. So while the letter was flying north

	Tommy was back begging for spare change, and stealing food, but
every night he had a warm place to stay. Three days before Christmas Tommy
was digging through a trash bin when he heard the door opened behind
him. Looking up Tommy stood there frozen, scared that whoever was would
call the police, but instead, a woman's warm voice called out to him,
telling him to come inside and have a hot meal. At first Tommy was worried
that this woman was going to hurt him, but when she called out to him
again, and again said come inside Tommy quickly climbed out of the bin and
standing as tall as he could be with his head held up walked over to the
lady at the door. Tommy explained that he could not pay for any food that
he was a street boy. The woman just smiled at him and said it was Christmas
time, the time for all to share.

	Having eaten his fill Tommy stood and thanked the lady and as he
was about to leave she stopped him and gave him a bright shopping
bag. Tommy could smell the rich food she had placed inside and all he could
do was smile and thank her again. Back in his hideaway Tommy carefully
placed the bag beside his bed before looking inside. He could see the plate
of food the lady had made up for him, but underneath was a surprise that
made Tommy want to cry. Underneath the plate was a small Christmas card and
with trembling hands he calmly pulled it from the bag, opening it Tommy
read. "Little man, I often see you in my bin, and it makes my heart sore to
see such a little one as you out there, so this little gift I give to you
and I wish you a very Merry Christmas."

Tommy could not see the card had been signed or not for he was crying, at
the little gift the lady had given him.

	Christmas had come and gone and Tommy didn't think about the day,
he just tried his best to beg for change from those walking the streets.
When night had fallen, Tommy didn't have enough change to eat, so once more
he scrounged through a trash bin and found more stale buns, but he also
found some semi fresh donuts, these he tucked into a spare bag and then
headed back to his hide-away for the night, but tonight, Tommy was in for a
surprise.