Short Short: "Shut Up" #AmanoWritingClub

In Tokyo, silver illuminations wrapped around the street trees, quietly lighting up the winter night. In the shop windows, reindeer and snowmen danced merrily, and the sweet scent of cinnamon drifted from the corner bakery. Couples held hands, and children raised their voices in excitement. The city was like a Christmas picture book from a dream.

In the center of it all stood a man in a particularly eye-catching red outfit. A white, fluffy beard, a round belly. To anyone who saw him, he was Santa Claus himself. But suddenly, the man shouted toward the night sky.

"Ole hiljaa!"

Those words in Finnish vibrated through the clear air. The children cheered, surrounded the Santa, joined hands, and began to dance in circles.

"Joten en ole joulupukki."

The man suddenly wore a lonely expression. But the next moment, as if he had let go of something, he looked up and shouted with a beaming smile.

"Hyvää joulua!... Merry Christmas!"

That laughter spread, swirling through the city air like the glittering tinsel wrapped around the tree. Hahaha, hahaha. The laughter was contagious, and the children's smiles lit up the night.

But then, it happened.

A police car slowly approached, its red siren wailing. A uniformed officer stepped out and exchanged some words with Santa. Eventually, the man left his final words to the crowd.

"Olkaa kaikki kilttejä poikia"

Having left those words behind, the man quietly climbed into the police car. The street buzzed for a moment, but soon that excitement melted into the veil of night. The wind blew past, and the lights of the illuminations flickered.

It was discovered later that the Santa had apparently been saying this in Finnish.

"Shut up," "I'm not Santa," "Merry Christmas," "Everyone, be good boys."

What happened to him that night? Why was he so cheerful, yet somehow sorrowful? There is no way to know now. But looking back, I feel that his red costume wasn't a vibrant red, but rather something dull, like blood.

The truth is known only to God.

Merry Christmas🎄

The End

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Afterword

I participated in Mitsuru Amano's project, the "Amano Writing Club." Everything is completely colored by Christmas and high prices now. Merry Christmas🎄

#AmanoWritingClub
#ShutUp
#Santa
#SantaClaus
#FinnishLanguage
#TheTruthIsKnownOnlyToGod