Some of them were laughing. Some were thinking.
"You're going to get in such deep doodoo," said one.
"E," said Dink. "But then, that's where I live all the time anyway."
"Don't even try it."
Dink looked up to see who had spoken so angrily.
Zeck.
"I think we already know where you stand," said Dink.
"In the name of Christ I forbid you to bring Satan into this place."
All the smiles disappeared. Everyone fell silent.
"You know, don't you, Zeck," said Dink, "th
at you just guaranteed that I'll have support for my little Santa Claus movement."
Zeck seemed genuinely frightened. But not of Dink. "Don't bring this curse down on your own heads."
"I don't believe in curses, I only believe in blessings," said Dink. "And I sure as hell don't believe I'll be cursed because I give presents to people in the name of Santa Claus."
Zeck glanced around and seemed to be trying to calm himself. "Religious observances are forbidden for everybody."
"And yet you observe your religion all the time," said Dink. "Every time you don't fire your weapon in the Battle Room, you're doing it. So if you oppose our little Santa Claus revolution, eemo, then we want to see you firing that gun and taking people out. Otherwise you're a flaming hypocrite. A fraud. A pious fake. A liar." Dink was in his face now. Close enough to make some of the other kids uncomfortable.
"Back off, Dink," one of them muttered. Who? Wiggin, of course. Great, a peacemaker. Again, Dink felt defiance swell up inside him.
"What are you going to do?" said Zeck softly. "Hit me? I'm three years younger than you."
"No," said Dink. "I'm going to bless you."
He set his hand in the air just over Zeck's head. As Dink expected, Zeck stood there without flinching. That was what Zeck was best at: taking whatever anybody dished out without even trying to get away.
"I bless you with the spirit of Santa Claus," said Dink. "I bless you with compassion and generosity. With the irresistible impulse to make other people happy. And you know what else? I bless you with the humility to realize that you aren't any better than the rest of us in the eyes of God."
"You know nothing about God," said Zeck.
"I know more than you do," said Dink. "Because I'm not filled with hate."
"Neither am I," said Zeck.
"No," murmured another boy. "You're filled with kuso."
"Toguro," said another, laughing.
"I bless you," said Dink, "with love. Believe me, Zeck, it'll be such a shock to you, when you finally feel it, that it might just kill you. Then you can go talk to God yourself and find out where you screwed up."
Dink turned around and faced the bulk of Rat Army. "I don't know about you, but I'm playing Santa Claus this year. We don't own anything up here, so gift-giving isn't exactly easy. Can't get on the nets and order stuff to be shipped up here, all gift-wrapped. But gifts don't have to be toys and stuff. What I gave Flip here, the gift that got us in so much trouble, was a poem."
"Oh how sweet," said the Brit. "A love poem?"
In answer, Flip recited it. Blushing, of course, because the joke was on him. But also loving it--because the joke was on him.
Dink could see that a lot of them thought it was cool to have a toon leader write a satirical poem about one of his soldiers. It really was a gift.