Fiction: The gifts (Los regalos)

English
The gifts
It is Christmas Eve, the colors red and green mingled with the winter white. The mother in the kitchen was preparing Christmas delicacies. The smell of cookies, turkey, punch, and other foods flooded the house with the mysticism of bells and carols.

The mother was doing her best to make the best Christmas for her children and husband. The hours continued to pass and the children played happily around the tree, beautifully decorated with miniature figurines of Santas, colored balls, lights that changed color in a continuous cycle, and golden streamers that hugged the tree from top to bottom.

The joyful laughter of the children was a sweet melody for the mother, who continued like an automaton preparing the dishes to accompany Christmas. The pots continued to boil in synchronous harmony with the fire, and the food pranced to the sound of the knife, which moved to the rhythmic dance of the skillful hand, which stopped from time to time to ask the children. "Children, can you see if your father is coming?"

Meanwhile, in the living room, the children stopped the delight of the game and hurriedly ran to the window adorned with whitish lights that flickered to the sound of a Christmas melody. The brown eyes were fixed on the clear horizon about to disappear to give way to the dark, cold night.

The snowflakes fell softly, rocked by the breeze that blew on the eve of Christmas, at that moment, the harmony of the moment was interrupted by the abrupt sound of the engine, which with its peculiar sound warned the children that it was the father, who was busily furrowing the snow and then parked in the garage. The incandescent lights illuminated the entrance and the sonorous whistle called the family to welcome the beloved man.

The children's cries merged into one lively voice. "Mommy, mommy, our dear daddy has arrived." The laughter of happiness at the reunion with the father was not long in coming.

The key penetrated the lock with a very familiar sound, click, click! When it was turned, the door revealed the figure of the beloved and missed one. "Good evening, my beloved children." Those words resounded in the eardrums of the children, who without a word rushed over the paternal figure in an embrace of pure love.

"Daddy, Daddy, welcome back. We miss you so much." The boys' voices echoed throughout the house.

A smile was drawn on the man's tired face, and he reciprocated with the same embrace in the same tone of unconditional love. then a few words came out of the father's mouth, which expelled a whitish vapor product of condensation with the cold air. "I missed you very much, my dear children, and you too, my beloved wife."

The woman fixed her long, straight dark hair, which fell down her back, and then a few words dodged the night chill. "We missed you so much dear, welcome to the Finn's nest, haha."

The father dropped the packages on the red wine-colored couches in the living room and proceeded to the kitchen embraced by his wife. The children's eyes widened to the top of their sockets and they proceeded to look inside the bags.

Gifts packed with multicolored papers and Christmas figurines peeked out from inside, trying to satisfy the children's curiosity. "Children, stop prying, the gifts will be opened early tomorrow morning as has been the custom." Father's voice made the two children jump and run out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Please, Daddy, let us see our presents, just a little longer." The anxious children pleaded with the father to see if they could bend the decision made.

"I told you, children, tomorrow morning we will unwrap the presents, not before." The father would tell them, unperturbed by the children's pleas.

The mother entered the scene to cut the moment of intense pleading to the father. "Okay, kids, it's time for dinner so let's all go to the dining room."

The entire family would move at the mother's command and everyone would take their place to feast on the delicious dishes prepared. After an hour and a half of dinner, everything was picked up and ready for the next day. The children were sent to bed, while the parents placed the gifts under the tree.

The night came with its silence and the house was quiet, only the lights of the tree turned on and off without rest. In the bedroom, the children planned to get up early so they could check the presents. Their anxiety and curiosity to know what was in the presents kept them awake.

After a few hours had passed, the children got up stealthily, with the complicity of the night, moved to the living room, and reached the tree. The tension was palpable, so much so that the cold of the early morning turned into sweat that ran down the children's foreheads.

Now they could finally see what was in the gifts. The boys smiled eagerly, their plan to get up early had paid off. Slowly they opened one of the presents, being very careful not to tear the colored paper.

The older of the two brothers was wiping his hand over his mouth and continued with the work of unpacking the gift. A cardboard box was uncovered and the excitement of seeing what was inside made their hearts beat like wild horses.

They removed the lid of the box, and their wide eyes peered inside, to their surprise, they saw a brick, and a note that read, 'You fell into our trap, the gifts are fake and the real ones are stored somewhere else. Ho, ho, ho... Sincerely Mom and Dad.'

The children were stunned and immediately the lights came on, and the parents came out shouting at the top of their lungs with the presents in their hands, "Merry Christmas, hahaha..."

The end.

¡Thanks for you reading!