A/N: I use lots of quotes and things from the Christmas Carol, written By Charles Dickens, not me, and I do not own the charachters settings, or themes from the books, written by Eion Colfer. Anything you recognize, or think that you may have seen before is probably not mine.

It was Christmas eve in Fowl Manor, Lavish decorations and Christmas cheer could be observed in every room in the large house, except for one. That was the bedroom of our main Character, young Artemis Fowl the second. Master Fowl was seventeen years old and engaged in his usual work of making money, depositing said money into his many Swiss bank accounts, and avoiding all human interaction.

Artemis could still smell the eggnog and Christmas cookies who's fragrance had wafted into his bedroom from his parents' annual Christmas party that was by now, long over. The Fowl heir glanced across his dimly lit bedroom to check his bedside clock, it read 12:00. Artemis sighed contentedly, another Christmas eve over at last, and he hadn't even been forced into coming downstairs. All was right with the world.

Midnight, the young genius thought, I should probably get to bed.

Just then, the boy felt the air grow cold, he watched as his chamber filled with mist. How very cliché he thought.The sound of metal clinking against metal, and scratching on wood (presumably his hard-wood bedroom floor) came to his ears. Artemis warily looked up to find the figure of Julius root standing imposingly in his bedroom. It may have been merely the boy's imagination, but he thought that he could through the mist, see the elf's feet floating a few inches above the ground.

But Julius Root has been dead for more than four years now!

"Fowl" Commander Root greeted, "It's been a while." Artemis noticed that this Julius Root looked tired and his clothes were torn, he wore heavy looking iron chains on his hands and feet. Artemis, for once, was speechless.

"Are you surprised to see me?" The Ghost, whom Artemis decided could not be Julius root asked, Artemis nodded and swallowed hard, searching for his voice, what he said came as a whisper. "Who are you"

"In life, I was your enemy, as well as your friend, Julius Root. But I am sure that you already knew that." Once again , Artemis nodded.

"Why have you come then?" Artemis asked still skeptical.

"I've come to warn you Artemis." Root said flatly "I don't want you to end up like me, even if you do deserve it." Artemis thought this entire situation seemed reminiscent of something he had seen before, but at this hour, he was not thinking clearly enough to remember where.

"What happened to you then?" Artemis wondered aloud.

"In my life, I gave all my time and energy to my job, leaving no time for those people who cared about me. My spirit wanders forever, because it never left work in life." Artemis took a moment to let this sink in before he asked his next question.

"Why do you carry those heavy chains?"

"I made these chains during my life, by isolating myself from those people I cared about, and becoming cruel toward others… Sound familiar Mud Boy?"

It did sound familiar, and that scared Artemis enough that he forgot that he didn't believe that any of this was real. The ghost continued.

"At the time of my death, your chain was as large and as heavy as my own, and since then, you have added to it."

"How" Artemis asked slowly, "can I avoid such a fate?"

"Tonight, three spirits will visit you, they will help you." Artemis sighted, more ghosts? He didn't like the sound of that at all.

"Expect the first Ghost when the bell tolls one" Julius said as his figure began to fade.

"May I point out Commander, that not a single clock in this manor tolls on the hour?" Artemis said with a little smile, as Julius Root disappeared completely.

The Ghost popped back into existence irritably. "At one then," he snarled, as he disappeared again he muttered something about stupid Mud Boys, ruining dramatic exits.

Artemis sighed, and checked the clock, as the mist cleared and the temperature in his bedroom returned to normal. It was 12:45, time to go to bed and forget this ever happened.

A/N: What did you think? I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP.