"The power of suggestion, my dear, he said, sitting down on a rock and stroking his chin. "It's how the whole legend about me got started. But everyone sure is out of date on what I've been doing."

"What, you have a Lear jet instead of a sleigh?" I tried to humor him

"I just told you. I gave up toys. They're worthless," he snapped, gesturing at the elephant, whose trunk still clutched Lenny's tire chain. "It's kids like that that bug me--kids who never believed in me in the first place. That's how I got obliterated or forced out of the toy business anyway. All the kids were yapping about some guy who left toys in their stockings, so the unbelieving parents decided to leave presents on their own. The demand for the real article dropped to zero--some means of production are better if they're not centralized."

"Gee, that sounds like a real bummer." I said, giving the red elephant a poke with my tow. It had started to rain, and he looked a bit soggy. "What's going to happen to Lenny, there--uh, are you going to change him back?"

"Are you kidding? Resurrect your enemy? Never, never in a million year!" he chortled, rubbing his hands. "You never leave the enemy in position of power--haven't you ever read..."

I wasn't going to hang around for any more of this stuff. Genetic engineering...the enemy...power of suggestion.

Maybe my parents weren't so bad, after all, as long as I had a shot of bourbon and a cigarette.

Even the Denny's in the center of town seemed, with its day-old fish-and-chips aroma, kind of inviting as I sprinted past.