Sammy's Wish

Chapter 8

Claire Sterling, a woman whose internal clock seemed to tick with the precision of a Swiss watch, found herself adrift in a sea of slightly-too-sticky linoleum. Pineville’s main street, usually a bustling artery of commerce, was now a sleepy, snow-dusted lane. It was the week before Christmas, a fact that still felt like an abstract concept to Claire, banished to this charmingly inefficient corner of the world to dismantle a toy factory. Her meticulously organized mind, accustomed to spreadsheets and profit margins, struggled to process the sheer, unadulterated *festivity* that seemed to permeate the very air. Garlands dripped from lampposts, strategically placed to catch the sunlight and sparkle. A faint scent of gingerbread wafted from the bakery, a scent Claire usually associated with a regrettable attempt at baking from her childhood.

She was on her way back to the Evergreen Toy Co. after a particularly fruitless meeting with Mayor Higgins, who had, with great sincerity and a damp handkerchief, pleaded for a miracle. Claire’s version of a miracle involved a swift, clean liquidation. As she rounded a corner, a small whirlwind of red and white intercepted her path.