Christmas Full Throttle
Part 12: The Moment Before the Bang
The lights on the stage were blinding. Music pumped through the square. Children screamed with joy. Adults clapped along, as if everything was exactly how it was supposed to be.
And right in the middle stood Tom.
Red coat. White beard. Wide smile. Perfectly rehearsed.
No one saw how tense his shoulders were. No one noticed that his eyes weren’t smiling.
“Ho-ho-ho!” he called. The crowd cheered.
Tom waved. Slowly. Calculated.
He counted silently. Seconds. Breaths.
Backstage they had told him to be especially cheerful today. Especially confident. Especially normal.
Normal was the last thing he felt.
At the edge of the square stood Lea, Jonas, Sofia, and Mehmet. Not together. Not conspicuous.
But they were all looking at the stage.
“He’s playing along,” Jonas murmured.
Lea nodded. “For now.”
Sofia’s phone vibrated. She didn’t look at it right away.
Only when it vibrated a second time did she pull it from her jacket.
Unknown: “Last chance. Hold back.”
Mehmet snorted quietly. “Too late.”
Jonas’ phone vibrated as well.
user017_xd: “Not the Santa. The moment after.”
Lea lifted her gaze. “That’s what I thought.”
On the stage Tom bent down toward a child. Listened. Nodded. Laughed.
Perfect.
Too perfect.
Lea watched the edges of the stage. The technicians. The cables. The people with headsets.
“There,” she whispered.
Jonas followed her gaze.
The man with the clipboard stood to the side. Calm. Inconspicuous.
He wasn’t looking at Tom. He was looking into the crowd.
“He’s waiting,” Jonas said.
“For what?” Mehmet asked.
Lea didn’t answer right away. She watched as the host moved closer to Tom.
“For the transition,” she finally said. “For the moment when everyone thinks it’s over.”
Applause surged. The music changed.
The host stepped forward. “A huge round of applause for our Santa Claus!”
Cheers. Whistles. Laughter.
Tom waved one last time.
Then he stepped back.
For a second he was just a man in a costume leaving the stage.
At that exact moment Lea saw the man with the clipboard touch his headset.
“Now,” she said quietly.
Jonas’ phone vibrated.
Unknown: “Stay where you are.”
Lea started walking.
Not running. Not hectic. Just determined.
“Lea,” Sofia hissed.
“If not now, then never,” Lea said without turning around.
Jonas and Mehmet followed.
Behind them the market carried on wildly. In front of them, something began to tip.
And none of them knew whether what was about to happen would destroy everything or finally explain everything.