"Make a wish Rick!" I encouraged him as he blew out the candles with all the breath he had contained in his puffed up cheeks. I felt warmth spreading throughout me just as the candle lights blew out, watching Rick. Rick had been a miracle baby, one of my nephews. I had never had children of my own and never planned to either, but when it came to Rick I just knew he was the one.

"What did you wish for honey?" I asked, ruffling his hair.

"I'm not Honey. I am Rick," he said proudly. I glanced at him sideways knowing he was too caught up in the moment and that I would have to ask him about it later.

I laughed mirthlessly and cut his cake as he carefully gave me a bite and then chomped down on it greedily.

As I went about the room, one eye on him, the other on the guests and his friends that he had invited, I felt someone tugging at my sleeve.

"Marie?" I turned and looked at Rick's dad Ed.

"Yes?" I paused, wondering what had happened.

"Could you take care of Rick today too? I am just so exhausted and Kat already fell asleep, she had too much on her hands as she planned this..."

I raised an eyebrow and then smiled. "Sure! I love Rick so it won't be a problem."

"And so the big baby bear decided to eat all the honey..." I continued pulling Rick close to me as snuggled underneath the covers looking up at me.

"Is there anything you wanna tell me, honey?" I asked him gently.

"Why doesn't dad read any stories for me?" he asked, his big brown eyes shining.

"He's just a little busy and tired. I'll read them to you and we will have lots and lots of fun okay? See, I even baked some cookies for you," I got up and slid a container towards him.

"Don't you ever get busy then Marie?" he asked, taking a cookie.

"I do, but I like spending time with you. Besides I only have myself to take care of. Your parents have a lot on their hands. You'll understand someday," I said gently, pulling him to me. "What did you wish for?"

He pulled out a book and pointed to a picture of glittery yellow things, squinting. "Sa..."

"Stars. I want the stars."

I looked at him bewildered. "We have lights you know..."

"Yea but these glow forever at night," his eyes shone. "And...since you get me the best cookies, could you get me stars?"

I stood there mouth agape as the words tumbled out. "Sure sweetie. But you have to sleep now."

"I want them for New Years'," he mumbled softly as his eyes fluttered shut.

I pulled my nightgown around myself and paced the room, rubbing my temples. Sure, I always got Rick stuff that was different than toys, mostly it would be little baking treats or some fun fandom thing he loved.

The phone rang and I rushed to pick it up. "Hello," I whispered. "Marie here."

"Of course of course. We will be coming to pick you in ten minutes. Get ready."

I cradled the phone looking at it in shock. "Excuse me..."

The line went dead as I froze in the hallway. I couldn't afford something ever happening to Rick. I bolted to the front doors and made sure the locks were on, and then double checked everything. Only then did I manage to pull over a cardigan as fear consumed me.

I felt chills creep on my skin as I watched the window being rattled and violently opened with a force that rattled the glass.

"Marie! Marie!" a stout man waved cheerfully at me. "You see, I can't quite manage to get in so if you would be so kind so as to come here..."

As I stayed rooted to the spot, my mind whirling through the insane possibilities, I felt my pocket for my phone and glanced around quickly. It was on the table near the bed which was miles away. Not to mention near the window. I slowly walked towards it as the window rattled on further and I felt snow creep on my hands.

"Hey! Don't you wanna to fulfil Rick's wish?" I could feel him struggling against the window as I froze in my steps. I could call the police...

"How do you know Rick? And me?"

"I feel myself skidding across the floor and look in shock as the snow slides smoothly and I come face to face with a man who has a beard that possibly shines whiter than the white noise I hear in my head half the time.

"Santa..." I blubbered like a fool.

"Well, how nice you figured it out...so late," he chuckled. I saw him hop onto the sleigh and watched in awe as he held out his hand.

"Are you crazy? Are you saying we are going to put those shiny things in the..." I saw the sleigh floating with reindeers hovering.

"Never mind..." I climbed on. "Just a dream."

I kept whispering it over and over again as I clutched the side. "What about Rick?"

"The elves will keep watch."

I felt the sleigh shake fiercely as a sprinkle of snow dust falls from it. From over here I could see the glowing city getting miniscule by each passing second.

"We manufacture one hundred stars every year. They can only be seen from certain parts of the world. Hence only some stories have it."

I swallowed hard. "Stars...are real?

"Yea. What do you expect when people are made of star dust itself? When you're born you're full of star dust and then when you die you become stars."

I edged away. "We're gonna kill someone to make bloody stars?"

He let out a huge laugh. "Ho Ho hee! You're a funny one! No," he wiped a stray tear from his eye wistfully. "We only make stars once people die simply. People who are killed are turned into the constellations. The rest of them we have to mix one layer of skin with soil and sprinkle snow."

I nodded curtly.

We reached a cemetery and I shivered internally, wrapping my arms around myself. "Wait here."

I raised an eyebrow. "So, you're gonna go in there and I'm supposed to do what exactly?"

Santa shrugged. "You can come if you want to see me skin them dead, with their eyes popping out and all, not that they have much skin left. It's disintegrating soon and I'm looking for fresh bodies you know...they smell the best, and have such smooth skin..." he chirped clapping his hands together.

I must have been frozen for he clapped me on the shoulder. "Well, alright then, I'll be right back. Stay here, eh? You can look out if someone comes to steal."

I didn't question any further. I didn't know what was worse at this point. Not knowing about what was happening in there or the fact that knowing made me want to puke yesterday's cake right here.

I heard a scream and darted in, keeping my head low as I saw Santa wrestling with a half dead...person? I couldn't tell really. Looking around helplessly, I noticed that the body hadn't yet seen me and I crouched further along. Seeing a shovel, I picked it up and walked dragging it behind me.

"Hey! Do you want me to chop your head off to?"

In the blinding darkness all I could really make out was a stout figure writhing and a bony arm clutching at his neck.

The body hissed at me and evaporated as I rushed towards Santa. "Are you okay?"

He rubbed his neck. "Yea I am. Guardians of the cemetery who want to see the disintegration for themselves and won't let me take skins. No matter happens every year. I forgot to bring him extra treats."

He got up and brushed off the dust, heaving a large bag. "Is that..."

He laughed heartily. "No, no. The reindeers already took them to the place. These are some candies in case someone else comes after us. Rudolph will be back and we need your help."

"To do what?"

"Sing carols my dear and stir the potion. What else did you expect?" he shrugged.

"I donno, something along the lines of I get to pluck some candy and mix it with sparkles and it becomes stars," I muttered.

He bellowed out a huge laughter. "Ho Ho Ho! You humans believe all that just for children's stories."

We reached the place where I saw elves after elves tinkering about, tiny little hats resting on their heads. They were about half my size. The factory was huge but none like a normal factory. Everything glittered in green and red as wheels of candy, sweets were made, wrapped and put into boxes.

"This is huge," I said in awe. I wish factories would be half like this not like the ones in U.S where all we could see was smoke and ash rise from already grey buildings. There wasn't any smoke billowing from this one just pink fluff they floated away. I couldn't believe that after that skinning I heard about pink fluff came out.

"If you're wondering...stars are the only thing that's gross. It's huge too. Gotta pay for something that wonderful to happen."

I nodded mutely.

"This way," he gestured, heaving the huge bag onto a conveyor belt.

I went in and saw little elves sprinkling santa-knows-what onto a rotating cupcake shaped container.

"Sing, sing, sing!" the elves chanted in unison.

I went up to them and noticed a liquid brewing as a cold blast hit me in the face.

"Wow, it's cold," I said.

"Well, everything here is cold," one of the elves muttered as he dumped a load of...skin into the broth. I couldn't say broth, it seemed more like frost was brewing in it.

One of the elves gave me a ladle as I took it uncertainly and looked at Santa. "So..."

"Sing and stir," he commanded cheerfully.

The cheerfulness wasn't rubbing off on me, instead all I could feel was a chill creep on my spine as I thought about how he must have ripped those skins apart. Shaking my head, I wiped the image from my head.

"Jingle bells..." I began.

"Oh no, not that one," he said annoyed. "I don't know who came up with that idiotic thing. Sing All I want for Christmas is you."

"I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree

I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you, yeah."

I took a deep breath and sang the same lines and noticed the elves singing along with me. Very soon the frost broth bubbled faster and faster as I looked at Santa.

"Stand back!"

The elves pulled on a lever as the overhead windows opened spiralling towards a snowflake shape and the frost shot up ahead, a huge explosion and moved further back and watched in awe.

After it was all over, I went and looked up, smiling in awe. What Rick had mentioned about the so called stars were now aligning themselves in the sky. I read about it a long while back. About stars forming shapes.

They were called constellations.

"Wow," I said.

It was all I could ever mutter as Santa smiled brightly but not as bright as the stars that twinkled up there. "So this is how..."

"Yes. Let's get you back shall we?"