Children story: Amanda

The light is already switched on. Amanda sees this, even without really opening her eyes. Mom has taken a shower and the refrigerator door opens and closes in the kitchen. “Off to daycare, up you go,” Mom calls from a distance. But Amanda can’t move at all. Her arms and legs are so heavy today, as if they didn’t belong to her at all. “Come on Amanda, I have to go to work, get up!” says Mom, now kneeling by the bed.

“No. Bed. No. No. No!” says Amanda. Mom strokes her head. But Amanda turns around and pulls her legs up, almost to her chin.
Suddenly a man with a long beard stands in front of her. He has bushy eyebrows and a red coat. “Good afternoon, Amanda!” he says. Amanda looks at him in amazement and recognizes a heavy sack on his back. “Where is Knecht Ruprecht?” she asks.

“Amanda, Dad is in Paris, please get up, I’m going to be late for work!”
Then the man says, “Would you like to know what all I brought?” Amanda hesitates. “Don’t you?” “Yes, I do,” Amanda replies.

A cold hand grabs Amanda’s leg and a pair of pantyhose is pulled over her left foot. “Amanda, help me out here, this isn’t the way to do it,” Mom says, scolding me a bit. But Amanda can’t help. Her leg is just as heavy as before and the man has this big heavy sack and Knecht Ruprecht is not there. Amanda is confused. She needs to know what’s in the bag. Gifts she suspects. A whole bag full of gifts!

“Amaaaaanda!” says Mom, now quite determined, “you have to join us, we’re going to be late!”
“Tell me Amanda, do you still have no idea who I might be?” “You’re Santa Claus, aren’t you?” “That’s right, I’m Santa Claus. And I came because you like presents so much and it’s extra early today. To cheer you up, so to speak.” “How do you know I’m Amanda?” “Santa Claus, he knows everything!”

Amanda is now dressed. Mom pulls her up so that she is sitting. But Amanda feels like a pudding and gravy today and flips back into her pillow. “You’ve got a fever,” Mom says. Amanda wants to say something, but then Santa Claus interrupts her: “Can it be that you want a pet? One to touch and pet and cuddle? One that you can take care of all by yourself?” “Yes,” says Amanda. “That would be my very favorite wish! A rabbit or a dog or no, a cat.”

Mom puts a thermometer in Amanda’s ear. “No,” she wants to shout, but her voice is now as heavy as if it, too, no longer belonged to her. She is under the covers again. Sounds are coming from the kitchen. The water tap is running. Then mom makes a phone call. When she comes back, she puts a plate of apple pieces and cucumber and peppers by the bed and a glass of orange juice. There is a straw in it. Pink. Amanda’s favorite color. “I think we’ll both snuggle in here together today,” Mom says.

“A pet is a big job. A pet needs you day and night. You must never forget that. It’s hungry and thirsty, just like you. It also needs to poop and sleep and wants you to love it,” Santa says, stepping closer to her, looking deep into Amanda’s eyes. Amanda wants to back away and also takes a step backwards. There she instantly falls through the wall of her nursery. She feels dizzy. When she regains consciousness, she finds herself in a park. Rabbits jump in trees, a flock of Dalmatians leap backwards, a cat does a somersault, and three neon fish bask in the leaves of a rose blossom. “Santa Claus!” she calls out. But nothing happens. Once again: “Santa Claus, where are you?”, but there is nothing to be seen of Santa Claus far and wide. Clouds whisper a nursery rhyme. Otherwise it is quiet.

Amanda looks around. The animals are funny. They are now mumbling something. It comes from all directions and makes quite a gibberish in her head. Amanda wants to greet them, but apparently the animals don’t speak German. No Italian either. And Amanda doesn’t know English. She has now tried everything. Their own language holds one last chance. Amandarian she called them. And it’s hard to believe. One of the Dalmatians wags its tail and hops backwards towards them. He says something like, “Welcome to pet heaven.” Quite exactly, Amanda can not understand. The Dalmatian mumbles something. Amanda, on the other hand, makes an effort to speak clearly. She really wants to know if one of these pets would not like to come with her to her nursery in Berlin. The Dalmatian says, “But no, we’re happy here!” and just as quickly hops backwards to his own kind and together they disappear into a forest.

Another pet, then, Amanda thinks. Someone here will come with me. At my place it’s warm and cozy and I can really take care of myself. But now all the animals have disappeared and Amanda starts looking for them. Suddenly Amanda is standing on a beach. In front of her a sea. It is peaceful and wide. Santa Claus waves from a cloud and rains gifts. But instead of her getting hold of one, they plop into the water with a loud splash. Amanda can’t swim yet and she doesn’t see a boat. To make matters worse, the waves drive the colorful packages out to sea instead of to her.

“Amanda, open your mouth, please,” Mom says as she strokes her cheek. Amanda looks at her. Mom is like behind a gray but somewhat transparent curtain. Amanda now manages to open her mouth and a sticky sweet liquid that tastes like strawberry runs into her mouth. “Suck it up, Amanda, and you’ll feel better soon,” she hears. And Amanda gulps.
A package seems to be on its way to her after all. It is green, square and it is wrapped with a shiny pink bow. It is also not softened at all. It defies the sea, swims against the waves. It must be intended for them alone. Santa winks at her and his cloud finally dissipates with him. What remains is a bright blue sky.

“Let me feel your forehead,” Mom says. “Oh, I think you’re starting to feel better, can that be?” Amanda opens her eyes and the gray curtain is gone. Mom sits in front of her. She hands her the orange juice. And Amanda drinks. That feels good. Amanda can also move again, her arms and legs belong to her again. Looking over Mom’s shoulder, she sees something lying on the red dresser. It is a green package, square and it is wrapped with a shiny pink bow. “Who brought this?” asks Amanda. “I don’t know,” says Mom. “There was a parcel carrier at the door. It doesn’t have a return address. The address label has your name on it. Who knows, maybe it’s from grandma and grandpa. Do you want to unwrap it?” Amanda nods. She tears the paper and holds a stuffed animal in her hand. It is a Dalmatian.