By Aiden Lau

Vinder’s White Christmas: a parable for children

(Approved for publication by whom the protagonist is based upon. Also, this is my Christmas gift for him, I made it clear that he’ll get nothing else.)

Glorious now, behold Him arise

King, and God, and Sacrifice;

Heav’n sings Hallelujah

Hallelujah the Earth replies.

O star of wonder, star of night…

Many, many, years ago
Christmas spirit has fallen upon RCHK! In every classroom, Christmas cheer spreads like a coronavirus, and every teacher seems to only know (and play) that one carol. Coming down the stairs, the star of this story, Vinder, is accompanied by his crafty friends Jeopprey, Dave, and Chao.

“Do you want to eaattt?” Vinder called out with wild gestures to his Thomas the Tank Engine lunch box, “I’m hungry!”

Now arriving at ground level, his friends agreed simply, though sideway glances exchanged their mirth at his diction. As they approached the hole-ridden lunch table where they always had their meals, Vinder ran up to a small fella named Keir. Catching Keir from behind, Vinder pounced onto his back, a pretend knife in his hand, yelling “Backstab!”. Such imitation from TF2 was something of a specialty when it came to Vinder, and served not only to entertain his friends, but concerned them with his apparent lack of brain cells.

Slumping down onto the table seemingly exhausted by this modicum of exercise, the rather plump Vinder dragged his computer from his bag. Turning on whatever nonsense he wished to amuse himself with, he then turned his attention to his Thomas lunchbox. Pulling out the contents within, he delighted himself with the sight of korma and naan, wetting himself from the presence of these spicy treats.

As various proclamations of Christmas came, Vinder was interested in one thing, and one thing only, finishing his meal as quick as he could, while spitting as much food on the shirt of a boy strangely named Mom as he attempted to explain the story of Christ's birth for the fifteenth time.

Not two minutes later, Dave, Jeopprey and a large gent named Will could be seen conversing in hushed tones. 

“Grab the lunch box!” urged Dave. Though typically the most keen, Dave had a certain Slytherin-ness in him which led to blame never falling on him.

“But how am I meant to do it without getting caught?” inquired Will. “We already led him on a chase three times this week! That’s every day this week! There’s no way he’d be stupid enough to let us take it again!”

What you have to understand is that Vinder’s friends were not kleptomaniacs (at least in the technical sense), but they definitely were interested in keeping Vinder fit and healthy. Why should young boys sit in peace when chasing after their things is good for the heart?

With their cunning plan engineered, the trio approached Vinder inconspicuously. It was sneaky in a sense, had it been nighttime and creating noise was unfeasible. However, their stalking around and tip-toeing as a manner of ‘walking’ was not everyone’s idea of hiding in plain sight.

“So Vinder, how was math?” Jeopprey asked, using a sickly sweet voice. “That test today was really hard!”

Vinder looked up, “Really good for me, I think I scored full marks!” (he did not, but he didn’t know this yet).

“Oh well, that's great for you! I honestly expected you to fail, but I suppose you learn something every day!” replied Jeopprey. In doing so signalling Will and Dave to grab the lunchbox with a ‘discrete’, yet seemingly obvious pointing of his right hand.

As Dave snatched the lunch box in front of Vinder’s eyes, Dave immediately bolted for the ‘forest’; in actuality, a series of sickly trees next to the basketball courts.

Realising the trickery, Vinder howled several words that teachers call ‘bad words’, and gave chase to Dave.

Sensing the rotund, yet spry, 5”1 boy reaching him, Dave had no choice but to dump the lunch box into the forest. But not before taking a bite from Vinder’s naan.

Reaching Dave, Vinder screamed “Where the feck did you put my lunchbox?”

“I don’t know nothing about it Vinder!”

While all this was unfolding, Jeopprey was holding his laptop to film, perhaps forgetting that he had a phone in his pocket.

“I swear Dave, tell me where it is or I'm gonna beat your bum!”

“Alright, fine! It’s in there!” Dave conceded, no doubt concerned with the reckoning that Vinder threatened.

Glancing to his right, Vinder sighed internally as he saw the now dusted cover of his lunchbox. In a frustrated frenzy, he hopped over the low fence and yanked it from the sandy dirt.

As he walked calmly back to the lunch table, an awareness emerged within Vinder’s overworked brain.

“Get them back! Use your brain, Vinder! What can you do?”

Then Vinder knew.

As he approached the table, he pulled out his computer, and began drafting an email to a special person. Unfortunately for him, this was not a ‘special girl’ as is his usual want.

“Dear Mr Harry Brown”, the email started and Vinder knew what he would write, albeit writing Dr seemed to pass him by. Yet he so knew that he would get Will, Jeopprey and Dave, and all the other people who have wronged him, in deep, deep trouble.

But then, suddenly, a second message, from on high came.

“Oh child, can’t you see all around you? Spread the joy of Christmas tidings, don’t wreck it, dude. One must forgive others before they can be content in themselves.”

So Vinder thought, and then he stared into nothingness. An existential battle raged within him, yet he knew intuitively which side was right. So, with a heavy heart, he put down his laptop. It was here, he realised, that Christmas meant two things. First, the joy of salvation; and second, the need to love others. So, he did something that no one thought him capable of.

“Will, Dave, Jeopprey, I forgive you.”

So now, twenty years later, in front of the fireplace, a lovely wife sitting next to him and healthy children listening intently, he wistfully recounted:

“Remember that the world is deficient of love, and it is our duty to fill it.”

Forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

All was well.