Honorable Mention – Written by Tom Davis – Johnny told me about Santa Claus. Pat, one of his older brothers, told him. It happened about a week before Christmas. As soon as he could, Johnny hightailed it over to my house. We were best friends, so I was the first one Johnny told.

“No way,” I said. “It can’t be.”

Johnny nodded, then said that when he told his mama, she laughed, hugged him, and said Pat was teasing and it wasn’t very nice. Sounded right to me, but then Johnny said when Pat got in from doing the chores, his mama snatched him up by the collar of his blue-jean jacket, dragged him to the bathroom, and tore him up with his daddy’s whipping belt.

We didn’t know whether to believe it or not, so we decided to stay up Christmas eve. If it was true, all that stuff about Santa Claus not coming while we were awake — well, we’d just see.

I never could sleep the night before, so staying awake wasn’t a problem. Sure enough, after Mama and Daddy thought I’d gone asleep, they started pulling stuff down from the attic.

I saw Johnny on Christmas afternoon and asked if he’d stayed awake. He said he hadn’t but didn’t look at me. I said, “Me, neither,” and didn’t look at him.

I felt sick at my stomach. I felt disbelief. I felt betrayed. Just like the time when I found out how babies were really made. Johnny told me. Pat told him. Since we were best friends, I was the first one Johnny told.

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Tom Davis’ publishing credits include Poets Forum, The Carolina Runner, Triathlon Today, Georgia Athlete, Proud to Be: Writings by American Warriors Vol. 3, A Loving Voice Vol. I and II, Special Warfare., and Winston-Salem Writers’ POETRY IN PLAIN SIGHT program for May 2013 (poetry month). He’s authored the following books: The Life and Times of Rip Jackson, The Most Fun I Ever Had With My Clothes On, The Patrol Order; and The R-complex. www.oldmp.com/e-book Tom lives in Webster, NC.