Our Elf on the Shelf ‘Told’ My 6-Year-Old Son I’m Not His Real Mom
Jamie, Julie’s six-year-old son, loved Sparkle, their Elf on the Shelf, until Sparkle sent Jamie a terrifying message this Christmas: “She’s not your real mom.” Julie, terrified and anxious to keep Jamie safe, discovers a dark conspiracy involving a sound recorder concealed inside the elf.
With sparkling lights in every nook and cranny, the aroma of cinnamon coming from the kitchen, and, of course, our Elf on the Shelf, Sparkle, our house becomes a festive paradise every December.
Jamie, my six-year-old son, loved her. He would laugh at her ridiculous antics and dash through the house every morning to find her hiding place.
However, something changed this year.
It began quietly.
One morning, Jamie looked at the elf and pouted, letting out a sigh.
“I don’t care where Sparkle is today,” he replied.
I dismissed it as a grumpy mood and laughed it off. However, he went silent over the course of the following few days and showed no interest in opening his advent calendar or decorating the tree.
He didn’t even look at the ornament box when I took it out. Jamie wasn’t like that. His favorite season was Christmas.
The actual pivotal moment occurred two days ago.
I discovered my son sitting cross-legged in front of Sparkle, his cheeks smeared with tears and his tiny hands clenched.
“Jamie, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” I hurried to his side and inquired.
My touch caused him to recoil, and his hands began to shake a little.
According to him, “Nothing, Julie,”
Julie? When did he start addressing me by name?
“Talk to me, baby. Please.
After a moment of hesitation, he cracked his voice and met my eyes directly.
“The elf told me… you’re not my real mom.”
My heart stopped beating.
“What?”
He wiped at his face with shaking hands as he sobbed more intensely.
“I was informed by Sparkle that you are not my biological mother. She refused to tell lies. She is amazing! Mommy, you used to tell me that Sparkle was really magic. “So.”
Stunned, I reclined. My brain raced to take in what he had said.
Glitter? The elf? Saying something like this to him?
He stiffened as I pulled him into my arms.
“Listen to me, Jamie, my darling. I’m your mother. And ever since the day of your birth, I have adored you. I think I’ve shown you every picture. Of the pictures when I carried you and you were barely born?”
“Yes, but she said…”
“My dear, Sparkle is mute. She is merely a plaything. Do you recall?”
He gave a violent shake of his head.
“No! When I was by myself, she told me! I heard her! Why are you unable to believe me?
A shiver went through my body. Jamie had been thinking about this, and I had to find out who had done it.
I slipped back into the living room that evening after Jamie had gone to sleep, being careful not to wake him or our dog Biscuit. I scooped up Sparkle and gave her a close inspection. She appeared to be little more than thread, stuffing, and cloth. However, a slight click sounded from within her as I held her.
My stomach rumbled.
What on earth?
I carefully opened the seam along her back with scissors. There was a small voice recorder inside, tucked somewhere between the stitches. I took it out and hit play with trembling hands.
The snap of static was followed by the distorted voice of a guy. It resembled a woman’s voice and was cool, collected, and purposeful.
Jamie, she’s not your true mother. She is deceiving you.
I was ill. Only one person was sufficiently deranged to carry out this act. I had to double-check, so I played it again.
Yes, it was unmistakable. My ex-husband, Thomas. When he was reading to Jamie and acting out the roles of a female character, he employed this voice.
Let me clarify.
Shortly after Jamie was born, my ex and I broke up. He paid the minimum amount of child support and hardly ever visited, making him an absent father in every meaning of the word. Of course, Jamie hardly knew him, and years ago the courts gave me complete custody.
Then something changed six months ago. Suddenly, my ex wanted to get back in touch. He began to call more often, send gifts, and make fictitious promises of vacations and visits. He read to Jamie during one of his visits a few weeks back.
It didn’t feel real. I had a sneaking suspicion that he had a plan, but this was beyond my wildest expectations.
I gave him a call the following morning.
I said, “We need to talk,” in a firm voice. “Meet me at Java & Joe’s in an hour.”
I was irritated by his arrogant demeanor when he entered the coffee shop. I wasted no time at all. I pressed play after sliding the voice recorder across the table.
He lost the color in his face.
I responded softly, “I know what you did,” but my rage was simmering beneath the surface.
He chuckled uneasily.
“Julie, you’re overreacting. You’re just exaggerating and most likely making this up, whatever it is. That’s what you always do.”
“Overreacting?” Like a whip, my voice sliced through the atmosphere. Now many were watching.
“You gave Jamie’s elf this. You betrayed his confidence. Are you aware of what that has done to him? To me?”
He moved around in his chair, attempting to get better.
“Jamie deserves to know the truth.”
I leaned closer, glaring coldly.
“Stop the nonsense. Thomas, what are you actually doing?
He paused, then broke under the strain. At last, he came clean about everything.
He had just been married again. Despite her intense desire, his new wife was unable to conceive.
“Jamie is my son, and Denise wants a family. He said, “He should live with me,” as though it explained his craziness.
I felt a chill go through me, but he wasn’t done yet.
During their visits, he admitted to working on Jamie, casting doubt on me by claiming that I wasn’t “nice” or that his house was so much “better” for Jamie.
The recording of the voice was just the start. In order to persuade Jamie that he would be happy living with him and his new bride, Thomas intended to utilize Sparkle.
“Sparkle was going to convince him that Denise was his real mother.”
The worst thing wasn’t even this.
Denise and Thomas were preparing for a custody dispute.
“Jamie already feels distant from you,” he sarcastically pronounced. “The court will listen to that.”
I tried to maintain my composure by clenching my hands beneath the table.
However, how could I maintain my composure? Particularly when this lunatic was attempting to rob me of my entire universe.
I lowered my voice dangerously low.
“You pay attention to me. This recording of yours is with me. My home security cameras, by the way? During your most recent “gift drop,” they discovered that you had planted the gadget in Sparkle. This is how it will proceed, Thomas. You’ll avoid Jamie at all costs. No trips. No phone calls. Nothing.
He let out a long sigh.
“I’ll go to court right away if you try anything else. I wish you luck in figuring out how to get out of it. You’re abhorrent, Thomas.
He started to argue, but when he saw the expression in my eyes, he stopped. I wasn’t bluffing, and he knew it.
Jamie was in the living room playing with his toys when I arrived home. For the first time in weeks, he looked up and smiled at me.
“Mom! Sparkle is where? Didn’t you bring her with you?
I whispered, “She’s back where she belongs,” “And she only brings good messages now.”
Jamie nodded, content with the response.
“All right, Mom. However, why was Sparkle acting so cruelly?
“Darling, I’m not sure. She probably just added herself to Santa’s naughty list.
“Well, that’s not pleasant. Sparkle, poor you.
“Oh, poor Sparkle. However, she… You are aware that Sparkle was lying about everything, aren’t you?
“I know.”
“Let’s have some ice cream, shall we?” I questioned my boy.
He held on to me a bit longer than normal when I put him to bed later.
Silently, he whispered, “Mom?”
I said, “Yes, sweetheart?”
“I’m glad that you’re my mom.”
My eyes pinched with tears, but I spoke steadily.
“I’m also happy, Jamie. Above all. Little buddy, you are my favorite person.
His tiny hand curled around mine as he fell asleep.
That Christmas, Sparkle brought more than just magic. She exposed the reality and reminded me that I would stop at nothing to keep my son safe.
And I was ready to battle to the death even if Thomas did reappear.
To be honest, I felt terrible for Denise. I thought back to the time Thomas and I were attempting to find Jamie. Every time those pregnancy tests came back negative, a piece of my soul was taken away.
Jamie was still mine, though. That was the end of the matter.
