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NARRATOR:
It’s Christmas Eve at the Metropolitan Museum of Toys and Childhood Artifacts—
after the last visitor has gone,
after the gift-shop lights click off,
after the lobby wreath stops smelling like “busy” and starts smelling like “quiet.”

[SFX: KEY RING JINGLE. DOOR CLICKS. FOOTSTEPS ON TILE.]

NIGHT WATCHMAN (GENTLE, CONTENT):
All right, everybody…
Merry Christmas Eve.

(beat)

Now… let’s have a peaceful night.
No surprises.
No—

NIGHT WATCHMAN (LOOKING UP):
…No surprises.

NARRATOR:
In the Seasonal Traditions Gallery, under the dim night-lights, something small sat on a shelf as if it had always belonged there.

An elf doll.
Not blinking.
Not moving.
Just… waiting.

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