Santa tracker and the new safe room

It was finally finished. Danny walks through the open door into the small chamber. He turns in place, slowly, and with a deliberate reserve. If there’s anything he’s missed, now’s the time to see it. There is emergency power. Emergency lights, and in the corner hutch, there is a two week supply of survival rations. And as his turning comes almost full circle, there is the Santa tracker.

With this in mind, if not for the Santa tracker, this room would be useless. Everyone knew Santa was relentless. There was no hiding from him. Not yet anyway. In fact, Danny was going to be the first to ever succeed. Oh, he had heard every one of the horror stories about those who tried, and failed. Additionally he knew what would happen, if he failed.

His cousin Richard failed last year. Although Danny doubted that Richard was protesting, it was reported that he was just the same. That was how they did it. That was how they kept it going every year. Discredit the ones who were victims. Discredit the ones who were taken, when Santa didn’t get his present. Every year there were more and more Santa’s helpers. What would happen when everyone was Santa’s helper? Then what?

Santa tracker and the new safe room

Brian soft latches the safe room door. That was what the company who built the room, called it. Soft latching the door. The hard latch, was for the event, when it happened.

The Santa tracker was state of the art. Likewise, it was damn near top secret. If any of Santa’s helpers got wind of something like this, it would be game over. Not to mention Santa. Richard was one of the smartest people Danny knew. Although they never got to make any plans, they talked about this a time or two. Not the particulars. Just whether or not it could be done. Outsmarting Santa. Avoiding Santa.

Now it was time to find out. In three days Santa would make his rounds. In three days Danny would be tracking him from the safety of the safe room. It cost him nearly all his savings to build, but if it worked, it would be the beginning of the end for Santa’s gift greed.

The New Safe Room

Late afternoon, day of. Danny entered the safe room at three this afternoon. Additionally, he hard latched the door. He was sealed in for twenty-four hours now. No one in. No one out. But especially no one in. Not even Santa.

It was three hours ago when he hard latched the door. Therefore, he only has to survive twenty-one more hours before the auto timer will unlatch the door. He is confident in his chances because Santa only has the one night. All Danny has to do is make it until tomorrow morning.

Two hours later and only nineteen more hours to go. Also, he has begun to track Santa. In fact, the little red dot showed up about fifteen minutes ago. Since then it has been steadily circling his location. Danny has begun to feel a little uneasy. Of course he is certain Santa cannot penetrate this room. The only problem is he’s starting to think he may have been wrong.

Santa tracker

Three hours later, eleven in the evening. He’s okay. A little shook, but so far so good. He is eight hours in now. It’s possibly longer than anyone has ever made it avoiding Santa. He’s rattled because ten minutes ago the little red dot on the Santa tracker stopped circling his location. It stopped directly behind him.

When he turned around, he almost fainted. But there was no Santa. That was ten minutes ago. Now as he slowly turns in a circle, the Santa tracker shows the little red dot behind him. Always behind him. That was five minutes ago. The last time he checked the tracker, it showed the little red tracking dot directly in front of him.

He slammed his eyes shut. And he hasn’t opened them since. He doesn’t want to. He knows what he will find. Impossible, but he knows what will be there. Or who will be there. With all consuming dread, Danny opens his eyes…

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