OMG! Christmas Spirit time! Happy holidays, !
This story goes with Bellatrix Kale 23's Adventure Through the Jump Scar, mmmkay? :D
Twas the night before Christmas. Everyone was snug in their beds. Griffin was asleep on David's couch, over to spend the holiday season.
David was sprawled on the floor in his room, no one knew the reason. Seriously, why are you on the FLOOR, David? Dumbass…
Anyway…Tori was curled up for a long winter's nap.
But Kernsy…er Ashley…was wide awake, wearing her cap. You know, the hat that Jimmy gave her. She was wide awake, playing video games. Why, she had such a small amount of Christmas spirit, she couldn't remember the reindeer's names! Sorry, but that's the only thing I could find to rhyme. It's not like I do this all the time!
Everyone in the Rice household at the moment loved the Christmas holidays and stuff. Even Griffin, who looked forward to the food…and stuff. Yep. But Ashley, who was staying up when she shouldn't…
"So what?"
Did not like the holiday season one bit.
"Hey, I like it…I just want to…"
One BIT!
"Okay, okay…"
But little did she know, she would get a special visit…
"That didn't rhyme at all…" she rolled her eyes.
I don't care about rhyming now. This is the Dickens part of the story. Before it was Sues…
"Did you even spell that right?"
It doesn't matter right now. AND STOP BREAKING THAT DAMNED FOURTH WALL!
"Sorry…" she sighed as she went back to her gaming. Soon she fell asleep…
"But…I'm not tired…"
I don't care. And, indeed she fell asleep. Soon, however, she was awoken by a strange noise. A horrible, scraping, frightening noise.
"What's that? Who's there??" she called with fright.
A moaning sounded. Soon, a large, metal box, covered and locked with chains, flew out of the wall and landed in front of her. It had a long chain leading to behind the wall. Ashley touched the chain and recoiled.
"Gah! Electricity!" she shrieked.
Another box flew out. And another. All attached to chains. Then, slowly, a horrible specter came through the wall. It looked like…
"WHO ARE YOU??" Ashley exclaimed…er…well, demanded.
"I am the ghost…of Roland…"
"Roland? But…you're not dead."
Roland Ghosty gave a horrible screech. "Do you not believe??"
"Why, the stomach can make me see strange things…or something like that…why, you could be a bit of undigested beef! A blot of mustard! A crumb of cheese! There's more of gravy than of grave about you!" Ashley paused a second. "Ew…that's just gross. What kind of quote is that? You could have chosen ANYTHING that Scrooge says. And you make me say that. What is WRONG with you?"
Must you really ask?
"Eh…" Ashley shrugged.
Roland gave another horrible yell.
"Ah!" screamed Ashley. "My…enemy…friend? No. Enemy. Why do you wear those chains?"
"THE CHAAAAIIIIIINS!" screeched Roland. "I have killed innocent lives to get rid of the Jumpers! I forged these chains myself! You, too wear such a chain!"
"Don't….please….speak comfort to me!"
"Comfort! AHHHH! You will be visited by three. Three spirits!"
"WHAT? NO! I DON'T WANNA!"
Roland screamed again and the chains rattled. One struck Ashley on the side and zapped her. Roland started to leave through a window. "Expect the first when David's grandfather clock tolls one!"
"David's got a grandfather clock?"
He does now…for the story's sake.
"Hm…"
Roland gave a low moan and disappeared out of the window. Ashley rushed to look out the window and gasped. It was a horrid sight. Ghosts everywhere, with chains, moaning and crying. A man was floating beside his wife and child.
"I wish I could help you!!"
"Meh…humbug…" Ashley murmured. "You were gonna be a deadbeat anyway!" she yelled. She slammed the window closed. "Probably…"
She went back to her video gaming. However, she found herself asleep again. She woke with a start as the grandfather clock started to chime.
"Hm….it's the end of the tolling of one and there's nothing here! HA!" she danced a bit.
"Ashley…." a whispery voice called behind her.
Ashley turned. It looked like Tori….as an eight year old.
"I am the ghooost of Chriiistmass Paaaaaasssst…." Tori explained in the same whispery voice.
"Why, you are but a child…"
"I am over a thoooouuuusaaand years oooollldd…"
"Can you not talk like that?"
"Oh, all right…."
Ashley looked the spirit over. She gave off a bright light.
"Why do you come to me?"
"To show you how good Christmas was to you in the past…"
The window opened and the spirit pointed to it. Ashley shook with slight fright. She did not want this to be happening.
"But I am mortal. I will fall. Then Jump. Then fall. And so on."
"Just a touch of my robe…and you will fly higher than you ever imagined. WithOUT an airplane!"
"Sweet!" Ashley pumped a fist in the air. She hesitated, but grabbed onto the robe. She closed her eyes as she was lifted into the air. They sped through the window and flew quite a while before Ashley opened her eyes again. She saw a pale light coming from the horizon.
"Spirit, what is that light? It can't possibly be dawn…"
"That is the past…"
And they flew RIGHT INTO THE LIGHT! "Gah! It burns!" Ashley yelled. And they came out on the other side. "What day is this?"
"Christmas day. In your…childhood…" the Tori Sprit explained.
"Why, look! It's little Tori…um…you?" Ashley pointed, as they landed. "And Gregory! I know these children! Hello? You there!"
"These are merely SHADOWS of your past. They cannot see or hear us."
"That's a shame. I was gonna pound that kid Gregory…"
"What? Why?" the spirit asked in surprise.
"He turned out to be a Paladin…"
"Oh…"
"That's why, I'm inside. Inside my…SCHOOL!" Ashley ran to it and went inside. Sure enough, there she was. Sitting there, writing a fan fiction. Like she always did in school.
"There's another reason you're in here, no?"
"Yeah…I was failing…had to stay after…there's my old teacher! Asleep….at the desk…what a loser…"
"Teacher…" little Ashley called. The teacher woke with a startled snort. "I finished the work…"
"Ah, man…" Ashley said, reflectively. "This room was always the same. Nothing changed…"
"You changed…"
And so, Ashley saw her childhood in the school flash before her. She grew up quite fast in five minutes.
"That's a neat trick you got there…"
Until, finally…
"Ashley, Ashley!" a familiar voice rang. "You can come home!"
"What? What do you mean, Kelsey?" younger Ashley asked her little sister.
"Daddy said he found a way to stop the Paladins!"
"REALLY??!!" little Ashley exclaimed. Kelsey nodded and they ran off. Ashley began to cry.
"What is wrong?"
"The Paladins tried to kill me that night. They almost succeeded. My dad did stop them, but I had to leave the house and live elsewhere…"
"Do you remember that Christmas?"
"Do I?? Do I??" Ashley laughed. "Not really…"
The Spirit grabbed Ashley's hand and they were magically teleported to the house. It was a glow with candles and the oven. Yep. Christmas turkey was cooking, because we don't cook goose anymore. It's way too expensive. Seriously! The other day my mom showed me a picture of the price of a goose…a SMALL goose, the size of a Cornish hen! And it was about $24.00!!! I know, right!!??
"Mmmm….yumm…" Ashley drooled at the smell. "Hey, look! We're singing by the piano!"
"What?" the spirit looked at Ashley with an expression that seemed to say, "WTF?"
"Whaaat?" Ashley shrugged. "You've never done that before?"
"God, you ARE weird…"
"Thank you!" Ashley smiled, proudly.
"Let's go elsewhere…"
So they did. A large warehouse decked for Christmas. Almost everyone in town was there. In the midst of it, stood a round man, looking quite like Saint Nick himself. His face was round and jolly. His laugh bellowed and…this is one messed up description. Was Dickens's description like this, I don't remember. I'm just remembering the movie. The Jim Carey one. Which was AWESOME!
"Why, it's Mr. Fezziwig!" Ashley squeed with glee. Did I spell his name right? Oh, and REAL Ashley, if this is against whatever you made for your character's ACTUAL history, I don't care. I'm trying to make it fit Dickens's story as well…
"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Tori Spirit exclaimed. "Is this WHOLE thing, like, a complete reproduction of the story?" Kinda… "I don't like it." Shut up and deal with it. I might do one for South Park if time lets me…
"And look! There I am! And Tori!"
"Wow! Ashley, it was a great idea to come to London!" past Tori said, smiling.
"Yeah, Fezziwig has the best parties, I heard!" past Ashley smiled back. Okay, this IS a bit weird…
"May I have your attention, please!" Fezziwig called out, voice booming. "This is our fifth annual party, in honor of Charles Dickens's story, A Christmas Carol! And I, (giggle) Fezziwig (slight giggle) would like to get this party underway!"
The crowd cheered and music started to play. Everyone was dancing now. A great mash of bright colors twirling around to the music. Hm…not bad. Anyway. Eventually, Ashley…dear God…ran into a man. NO! Not ROMANCE! (sniffle) I promised myself I wouldn't make it the least bit serious!
"Nice going…" Ashley scowled. Shut it.
So the two danced and danced and later talked and talked and laughed and whatnot and this is now a run on sentence…
"We must be going on…" Tori spirit said, solemnly.
"No…I don't WANNA!" But the vision faded from Ashley's sight. And another vision came into view. Just ONE YEAR LATER.
"WHAT?" past Ashley could be heard on a hill covered in snow.
"I didn't want to tell you, because it would have ruined us…" that man whose name is not going to be told cause I don't care said…(inhale)
"But you're a PALADIN!" past Ashley shrieked.
"My voice cracked a lot back then…" Ashley noted.
"But I can NOT be a Paladin, easily!" the man insisted.
"No, it's too late…" past Ashley murmured. "I must leave you…"
"And later that day, he was killed by the other Paladins for letting you escape…" the spirit murmured, solemnly.
"What??" Ashley exclaimed. "Why'd you tell me!?"
"This is a realization story, you have to know, or you won't learn anything…" the spirit explained. The vision started to fade. "I must go now…"
"You have shown me so much…"
"I wish I didn't have to…" Tori faded away.
Ashley woke up in her bed, startled. How did she get in her room? She nearly jumped three feet when she heard the bell toll once more.
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Six pages on MS Word seems like a good place to stop for now…
Hope you liked it so far. It's hard to write this, actually. I think I got sloppy with the first ghost. I'll be more careful with the next one…