Santa is a tired

It was the night before Christmas when Ollis had a growling in his stomach so he decided to go get something to eat. He got up from his bed, and walked with sleepy and slow steps. As he entered the kitchen he heard a rustling sound coming from the living room. He shrugged thinking it was nothing and grabbed a piece of leftover pizza when he heard more rustling. He turned around slowly holding the pizza like a gun ready to shoot the pepperoni. He crouched down and started sliding against the wall getting closer to the living room. Then he saw it well and he saw him. A large man with a large sized belly not too big but round and jolly. The man was wearing a bright red onesie with a big Santa hat. It couldn't be. Then the big guy turned and to Olliss surprise he saw a big fluffy white beard. Dang Ollis was looking at the red big guy himself it was no other but Santa! Ollis hid under a table near the Christmas tree. "Oh boy Ollis how far you have gotten from the nice list." Santa spoke sadly. Ollis paused what did he mean? the worst thing Ollis ever did was run over a granny on the street. surely he wasn't that bad. Hopefully. "I remember when you were a small little boy.. That feels like a hundred years ago." Santa chuckled to himself. Ollis frowned getting annoyed by Santa now. "Who are you calling old?" Ollis snapped, forgetting he was supposed to be hiding. He crawled out from under the table, still clutching the cold pizza. "And for your information, that granny had it coming! She stepped right into the bike lane without looking!"Santa didn't seem startled. He just sighed, a sound like wind whistling through pine trees, and reached into a velvet sack that looked much too small to hold the mountain of toys Ollis had seen in movies. "It’s not just the bike incident, Ollis. It’s the borrowed lawnmowers you never returned. It’s the 'accidental' unplugging of your neighbor's inflatable reindeer. It’s the general lack of... merriment."Ollis stood up, brushing pine needles off his pajamas that were under the table. "Look, Big Red, I’ve had a long year. I just wanted a snack. Are you here to give me coal or what?"Santa pulled out a small, glowing compass instead of a lump of coal. The needle wasn't pointing North; it was spinning wildly, glowing a faint, sickly green. "I’m here because your 'Nice Meter' has dropped so low it’s actually started to affect the local weather patterns. You’re creating a localized gloom-front, Ollis." Ollis looked at his pizza, then back at the legendary figure standing in his living room. "So, what? You’re like a magical parole officer now?" "In a way," Santa said, his eyes twinkling with a sudden, mischievous light. He reached into his red onesie pocket and pulled out a silver whistle. "You have until sunrise to perform one genuine act of selfless kindness, or I’m turning your internet off for a year. Magic-level blockage, Ollis. No Wi-Fi, no data, no nothing."Ollis dropped his pizza. "You wouldn't." "Try me," Santa winked, and with a sudden, deafening pop that smelled like cinnamon and burnt rubber, he vanished, leaving behind nothing but a half-eaten plate of cookies and a very stressed-out Ollis. "Damn it what am I gonna do." Ollis grunted. "Maybe I should clean my room. Nah what am I thinking. What if I become a genuine and kind loving person. WHat the Hell is wrong with me?" Ollis flopped himself onto the couch thinking hard. He stared at the ceiling, the ticking of the wall clock sounding like a countdown to his digital doom. No internet meant no streaming, no gaming, and—worst of all—he’d actually have to talk to people in person. The horror was enough to make him break a sweat."One selfless act," he muttered, rubbing his face. "How hard can it be?"He thought about his neighbors. There was Mr. Henderson next door, who was eighty and always struggling with his trash cans. Ollis had once watched through the window as the old man slipped on ice, only moving to see if he’d dropped any loose change. Okay, maybe start smaller, Ollis thought.He stood up and paced the kitchen. He looked at the leftover pizza. He could give it to a stray cat? No, Santa said "selfless," and giving away cold crusts didn't exactly scream Mother Teresa.Suddenly, a loud thump echoed from outside, followed by a muffled curse. Ollis froze. He crept to the window and peeled back the curtain. There, in the middle of the street, was a car stalled in a snowbank. Steam was billowing from under the hood, and a woman was standing there in a thin coat, shivering as she poked at her phone with blue-tinted fingers. Ollis checked the time. 3:00 AM."I could just go back to sleep," he whispered. "Maybe Santa was a hallucination brought on by bad pepperoni."But then, his phone screen flickered. The Wi-Fi signal bar dropped to a single, pulsing red dot. It was a warning shot."Fine!" Ollis yelled at the empty living room. "Fine, you bearded bully! I'm going!"He threw on his crusty old boots and a coat over his pajamas. He grabbed a thermos, filled it with the lukewarm hot cocoa he’d left out earlier, and snatched a heavy shovel from the garage.As he stepped out into the biting December air, he felt a strange, itchy sensation in his chest. It was either the beginning of a heart attack or the first spark of a conscience. He trudged toward the stalled car, his breath blooming in white clouds, ready to save his internet—and maybe, just maybe, a person in need. "where do you need help." He muttered. He stopped himself and brightened his mood and straightened up. "Hello may I help you?" He asked, holding out the hot cocoa to her. "T-Thanks. Mhh that's really good." The woman thanked Ollis as she slipped the hot cocoa. "Its fine just wait here while I get your car out of the snow." Ollis nodded putting a large smile on his face and then turned straight back to the car and started digging up all the snow putting it all into a huge pile on his lawn. After he finished he could feel tired screaming through his bones. "Thanks again here's a uhm a candy cane for your kindness." The woman thanked Ollis again, handing him a candy cane from her bag. "Its a pleasure." Ollis took the candy cane and watched the woman get in her car and leave. Ollis actually smiled not the fake smile from earlier but a genuine warm smile. He shook his head and headed back inside. He laid back on the couch as the sun rays shown through the blinders of his windows. "Damn that was exhausting I think I will just hibernate the rest of winter away like a bear. Maybe a panda bear or a grizzly bear." Ollis sighed. He laid there silently for a few minutes just waiting for the morning to come crashing in. "Alright big red guy I think I did it. So I can finally have my internet back. Now.. Please." He spoke still not fully awake but still there. Then he saw the internet bars reach high again like they should always be. He smiled at the phone. Then with a slow nod he fell asleep.