Vitamins for the Heart (Short-Short) - The Forgotten Christmas Present

Hi there, this is "Pro Bono Sano".
Christmas is almost here, isn't it? 🤶
Well, for this special Christmas project, unlike my usual weekend notes, I'm presenting an original story related to Christmas.
Titled "Vitamins for the Heart".
I'm thinking of making this a series if it's well-received, so if you like it, please give it a "Like" <(_ _)>
This "Vitamins for the Heart" is a work of fiction based on an original idea, and I'll be presenting it as a one-shot short-short story.
I hope you'll stay with me until the end 🎄

*An event on a certain Christmas night

It happened on a day in December many decades ago.
The boy, who was born and raised in a home far removed from "Christmas," knew the words "Christmas" and "Santa Claus," but since they didn't do anything Christmas-like at home, he thought of it only as an event held in distant towns.
The boy was in the fourth grade of elementary school.
In class, there was a debate about whether Santa Claus existed or not; many of the girls said he "exists," while the boys argued that he "doesn't."
The boy lived a life far removed from Christmas at home, so he didn't think about joining the debate, but he overheard a boy say, "I clearly saw my dad sneak a present onto my bed last Christmas," and he had a faint hope that if he asked Santa Claus for the "Othello game" he had been wanting, he might buy it for him. When he got home, he immediately said to his mother, "I want to tell Santa Claus that I want an Othello game."
Then his mother said, "He won't give you such an expensive present unless you're a good boy," so from that day on, the boy worked hard on chores and many other things, with his heart set on receiving a present from Santa Claus.
And finally, Christmas Eve arrived.

*Santa Claus came, but...

That night, bone-in chicken was prepared at home, and the family enjoyed a little bit of the Christmas mood.
His father usually came home late, and on this day too, he didn't eat at the table with the family.
The boy assumed, "He must have gone to buy the Othello game," and hoping morning would come quickly, he went to his futon early to sleep.
Since he went to bed earlier than usual, he woke up at 3:00 AM and checked to see if a present had been placed by his pillow.
However, there was no present, just a letter.
It was written as follows:

Seeing this letter, the boy realized that Santa Claus didn't exist, and an indescribable sadness welled up inside him.
Before he knew it, large tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he was sobbing.
At that moment, his grandmother, who was sleeping in the same room, came to the crying boy and tried her best to comfort him.
But the boy's sadness wouldn't subside.
His grandmother said to the boy, "You've been a good boy, so it must be some kind of mistake. Santa must have gone to the wrong house to leave the letter. I'll tell Santa, so stop crying now. If you don't go to bed soon, Santa won't be able to bring you a present," and she tucked the boy in.
And then, Christmas morning.

*A miracle happens

When the boy woke up, he jumped up as if to shake off the nightmare of the night before, and went to wash his face while feeling a bit grumpy.
After washing his face, the still-grumpy boy happened to look under the decorated Christmas tree, and there was something that looked like a Christmas present.
The boy immediately picked up what was under the Christmas tree, and there was a letter attached to it.
The letter was written as follows:

Reading this letter, he immediately opened the wrapping paper of the present, and inside was the Othello game the boy had wanted.
The boy, who had been grumpy just a moment ago, was overjoyed, his sulky face replaced by one of pure excitement.
During winter break, the boy played a lot with his friends using that Othello game and had a fun winter.
After that year, Santa Claus never came to this house again.

*As time passed

As the boy grew up, becoming a high school student and then a university student, he began to treat his grandmother, who used to sleep with him, harshly.
Sometimes, the boy would often doze off under the kotatsu in the living room, and each time his grandmother would come to wake him up, worried he might catch a cold, but he would often lash out at her with harsh words.
Even after that boy got married and left home, his grandmother, who used to sleep with him, gradually developed dementia and could no longer recognize the boy's face.
A few years later, the boy had children of his own and went to visit the house where his grandmother lived, but naturally, she still didn't recognize him, though she did hold the boy's children.
One year later, in December, his grandmother passed away.
The boy felt bad in his heart about his reckless behavior toward his grandmother, but even if he wanted to apologize to her, she was no longer in this world.
Time passed, and during his grandmother's third-year memorial service, when the relatives were reminiscing about the past, the boy's older brother brought up the story of the boy's Christmas present.
At that time, the boy heard from his older brother that his grandmother, unable to bear seeing the boy crying because he didn't get a Christmas present, had scolded his father, who had written the letter, and went to buy the Othello game herself.
Learning that fact for the first time, the boy deeply regretted what a terrible thing he had done to his grandmother, even though he hadn't known.
The boy, who had been a "grandmother's boy," had thought he had grown up all on his own, but from that day on, he began to think that he was who he was today because of the support of the people around him.
Thank you so much for supporting someone like me.
That was the boy, putting his hands together in prayer at his grandmother's mortuary tablet.
Even now, years after learning the truth, the boy still prays like this at his grandmother's mortuary tablet.
And so, Christmas visits this boy once again this year.

*Afterword

How was it?
Including the VRS (Value Renovations Sano General Incorporated Association) era, I had never written an original story, but this story suddenly popped into my head, and I wrote it as if it were flowing out.
The concept of "Vitamins for the Heart" was written this time because I felt that while people often hurt others anonymously these days, people truly elevate themselves through interaction with others, and grow themselves as well.
There are many times when we clash, as there are many people, but I believe that if we don't forget the feeling of respecting others, even if we clash, our bonds will become deeper than ever before.
This was "Pro Bono Sano," hoping that this note reaches as many people as possible.
See you again 👋