Workshop

We worked day and night. We assembled Barbies for girls, made actions figures for boys. We threw rejects in the trash, ignoring the dolls' crying voices. In the toy workshop we knew Big Red was watching us, prepared to fly down if we slacked off. Our pointy ears could hear his clopping feet. Outside the window reindeer practiced jumping in the air. Our hands burned from the hammer's touch. We coughed out tinsel. We were blinded by strings of lights.