I really am working too muc' Frank thought to himself as he rubbed his tied eyes. `There is no way I just saw what I think I saw.'
"Ghosts aren't real. Right?" Frank asked himself, this time aloud. "Now I'm talking to myself! I really have to stop this. See what it's done to me?"
Refusing to speak another word, whether to himself or anyone else that might drop by, Frank headed to the bed room. It would be another Christmas spent alone and he planned on sleeping through the day. Anything to forget exactly what day it was. He fell asleep rather quickly considering what he had imagined earlier in the evening. He awoke to a clock striking twelve in his living room. Usually he was awake at that time but he went to bed early the past evening and that's why it had awaken him. Donovan started to roll over but sat up suddenly when he saw a plump man sitting on his chair.
"Who the hell are you?" Frank yelled reaching for the gun in his nightstand but it was already removed.
"There's no need to get hostile is there?" the round bellied man asked, taking a bite out of a chicken wing.
"Who the hell are you?" Frank asked not backing down and hoping what he had hoped was a dream, was just that.
"I expected you wouldn't believe Hobbs. Well Frank Donovan. I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past. It's a pleasure to meet you," the ghost said, extending his hand but Donovan only stared at him.
"This is not real!" Donovan shouted, and shook his head.
The chubby man got up from Donovan's chair and walked over and grabbed his wrist. " hoped I wouldn't have to make this hard, but I guess I'm going to have to," he said slapping a cuff on Donovan's wrist and one on his own.
"Wait. What's going on? What do you think your doing?" Frank asked trying to get the cuff off.
"I have a job to do Mr. Donovan. You of all people should know that there are sometimes there are just no need for negotiations," the apparition replied, dragging Frank closer to the window.
"This isn't real. This isn't real," Frank repeated over and over, attempting to soothe his troubled mind to no avail.
The Ghost of Christmas Past dragged a struggling Donovan over to the window, which he waved a plump hand at. The window disappeared leaving an opening large enough for the two to fit through. They stepped through and began flying and the hole in the wall immediately closed itself back up. Donovan was screaming as soon as their feet left permanent ground and once he realized it was to no avail glanced around at the lights of the beautiful city around him. It was an amazing view and Donovan got caught up in the moment.
"Where are we going anyway?" Frank asked, finally giving in to the ghost he was flying with.
"So Mr. Donovan, finally agreed to come with me peacefully?" the ghost asked, ignoring the agents question.
"Yes, but only because I figure I'll wake up sooner or later," Donovan replied not wanting to fully give in.
"Well Frank my boy. What your going to see tonight is not only your past. But the past of others as well. You will come to realize that what good old Hobbs said is true."
"Nothing he said is true," Donovan replied.
"You'll see my boy you'll see. You know there is no need to be so rude to me. I've been around a lot longer than you have. I'm just doing my job," The Ghost of Christmas Past explained.
"So this is your job? You do this all year round?" Frank questioned.
"No. No one really gets visits from the Ghost of Christmas Past around Easter. I do other holidays too to keep busy. But Christmas is the most important one and my favorite."
"Why is that?"
"You'll see once you've been visited by all three ghosts. Then you will finally understand the meaning of all this."
"I wish I could find out the meaning of all this now!" Frank yelled, but it did not phase his traveling companion.
"Look we're here," the ghost commented bringing Donovan and himself slowly down to the ground. With a flick of a hand the handcuffs were gone and seemingly so was Donovan's anger.
"Do you realize where we are Frank?"
"Yes. This is where I went to high school. Cardinal Cross Academy."
"Right Frank. And there's you. Walking over there by the fence. Where is everyone else?"
The Ghost of Christmas Past and Frank glanced over towards the snow covered football field. A young Frank was walking along, running his hand along to the top of the fence. He was about seventeen years old and was obviously lost in his own thoughts. The world around was silent. The only sound that could be heard was Frank trudging through the couple inches of snow.
"They all went home. It was only me and three others left," Frank spoke, his eyes glazed over, remembering.
"Where was your brother Frank?" the ghost asked, urging Donovan to tell him more, even though he knew it all.
"He left. The scum bag left me. All alone on Christmas. He went home with his girlfriend. I guess she was more important than family."
"How did it make you feel Frank? Sad? Angry?"
"I hated him for it," Frank replied solemnly. Hatred filling his deep eyes. Knowing that the agent could not take much longer of that particular scene and flicked his fingers and they were back in the city. Near a church to be specific. The church looked familiar but Frank couldn't picture where he had seen it before.
"Where are we now?" Frank asked, curiously.
"You don't recognize this place?"
"No," Donovan replied plainly.
"Look over. That little boy. Sitting outside, lonely and cold," The Ghost of Christmas Past added, pointing towards a young boy about five years old. He was sitting outside the church, his dark hair covered in snow. His brown eyes filled with tears.
"That's not me. I don't understand. Why are we here?" Frank demanded, not liking being confused. Especially since he had been confused all night long so far.
"That's Jake, Frank. While you were alone at school. He was alone on the streets. This was the night he was taken in by the priest at the church here. But he wouldn't go in himself. He waited outside all night long until someone found him in the morning."
"He's lucky he didn't freeze to death," Frank said scolding. "Typical Jake, too stubborn to go in by himself."
"Oh he wasn't too stubborn Frank. He was to scared. Do you know how he ended up here anyway?"
"No."
"He ran away from his last foster family. The father had beaten him so he ran away. He didn't know where to go. He was afraid to go inside because he didn't want to get in trouble."
"So he stayed outside all night long?" Frank asked in disbelief. He knew Jake had grown up in foster homes but he hadn't know Jake had spent a Christmas like this. Maybe they were more alike than he had thought.
"Yup. When the priest found him the next morning they had to rush him to the hospital. He had hypothermia. But other than that he finally found a home. He didn't have to spend anymore Christmas' alone until later in life."
"What do you mean?" Frank demanded.
"I'm sorry Frank I have to go now. My job is done."
"You can't leave now. You haven't explained everything to me. I don't understand. You cant leave now!"
But the Ghost of Christmas Past was already gone.
"Ghosts aren't real. Right?" Frank asked himself, this time aloud. "Now I'm talking to myself! I really have to stop this. See what it's done to me?"
Refusing to speak another word, whether to himself or anyone else that might drop by, Frank headed to the bed room. It would be another Christmas spent alone and he planned on sleeping through the day. Anything to forget exactly what day it was. He fell asleep rather quickly considering what he had imagined earlier in the evening. He awoke to a clock striking twelve in his living room. Usually he was awake at that time but he went to bed early the past evening and that's why it had awaken him. Donovan started to roll over but sat up suddenly when he saw a plump man sitting on his chair.
"Who the hell are you?" Frank yelled reaching for the gun in his nightstand but it was already removed.
"There's no need to get hostile is there?" the round bellied man asked, taking a bite out of a chicken wing.
"Who the hell are you?" Frank asked not backing down and hoping what he had hoped was a dream, was just that.
"I expected you wouldn't believe Hobbs. Well Frank Donovan. I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past. It's a pleasure to meet you," the ghost said, extending his hand but Donovan only stared at him.
"This is not real!" Donovan shouted, and shook his head.
The chubby man got up from Donovan's chair and walked over and grabbed his wrist. " hoped I wouldn't have to make this hard, but I guess I'm going to have to," he said slapping a cuff on Donovan's wrist and one on his own.
"Wait. What's going on? What do you think your doing?" Frank asked trying to get the cuff off.
"I have a job to do Mr. Donovan. You of all people should know that there are sometimes there are just no need for negotiations," the apparition replied, dragging Frank closer to the window.
"This isn't real. This isn't real," Frank repeated over and over, attempting to soothe his troubled mind to no avail.
The Ghost of Christmas Past dragged a struggling Donovan over to the window, which he waved a plump hand at. The window disappeared leaving an opening large enough for the two to fit through. They stepped through and began flying and the hole in the wall immediately closed itself back up. Donovan was screaming as soon as their feet left permanent ground and once he realized it was to no avail glanced around at the lights of the beautiful city around him. It was an amazing view and Donovan got caught up in the moment.
"Where are we going anyway?" Frank asked, finally giving in to the ghost he was flying with.
"So Mr. Donovan, finally agreed to come with me peacefully?" the ghost asked, ignoring the agents question.
"Yes, but only because I figure I'll wake up sooner or later," Donovan replied not wanting to fully give in.
"Well Frank my boy. What your going to see tonight is not only your past. But the past of others as well. You will come to realize that what good old Hobbs said is true."
"Nothing he said is true," Donovan replied.
"You'll see my boy you'll see. You know there is no need to be so rude to me. I've been around a lot longer than you have. I'm just doing my job," The Ghost of Christmas Past explained.
"So this is your job? You do this all year round?" Frank questioned.
"No. No one really gets visits from the Ghost of Christmas Past around Easter. I do other holidays too to keep busy. But Christmas is the most important one and my favorite."
"Why is that?"
"You'll see once you've been visited by all three ghosts. Then you will finally understand the meaning of all this."
"I wish I could find out the meaning of all this now!" Frank yelled, but it did not phase his traveling companion.
"Look we're here," the ghost commented bringing Donovan and himself slowly down to the ground. With a flick of a hand the handcuffs were gone and seemingly so was Donovan's anger.
"Do you realize where we are Frank?"
"Yes. This is where I went to high school. Cardinal Cross Academy."
"Right Frank. And there's you. Walking over there by the fence. Where is everyone else?"
The Ghost of Christmas Past and Frank glanced over towards the snow covered football field. A young Frank was walking along, running his hand along to the top of the fence. He was about seventeen years old and was obviously lost in his own thoughts. The world around was silent. The only sound that could be heard was Frank trudging through the couple inches of snow.
"They all went home. It was only me and three others left," Frank spoke, his eyes glazed over, remembering.
"Where was your brother Frank?" the ghost asked, urging Donovan to tell him more, even though he knew it all.
"He left. The scum bag left me. All alone on Christmas. He went home with his girlfriend. I guess she was more important than family."
"How did it make you feel Frank? Sad? Angry?"
"I hated him for it," Frank replied solemnly. Hatred filling his deep eyes. Knowing that the agent could not take much longer of that particular scene and flicked his fingers and they were back in the city. Near a church to be specific. The church looked familiar but Frank couldn't picture where he had seen it before.
"Where are we now?" Frank asked, curiously.
"You don't recognize this place?"
"No," Donovan replied plainly.
"Look over. That little boy. Sitting outside, lonely and cold," The Ghost of Christmas Past added, pointing towards a young boy about five years old. He was sitting outside the church, his dark hair covered in snow. His brown eyes filled with tears.
"That's not me. I don't understand. Why are we here?" Frank demanded, not liking being confused. Especially since he had been confused all night long so far.
"That's Jake, Frank. While you were alone at school. He was alone on the streets. This was the night he was taken in by the priest at the church here. But he wouldn't go in himself. He waited outside all night long until someone found him in the morning."
"He's lucky he didn't freeze to death," Frank said scolding. "Typical Jake, too stubborn to go in by himself."
"Oh he wasn't too stubborn Frank. He was to scared. Do you know how he ended up here anyway?"
"No."
"He ran away from his last foster family. The father had beaten him so he ran away. He didn't know where to go. He was afraid to go inside because he didn't want to get in trouble."
"So he stayed outside all night long?" Frank asked in disbelief. He knew Jake had grown up in foster homes but he hadn't know Jake had spent a Christmas like this. Maybe they were more alike than he had thought.
"Yup. When the priest found him the next morning they had to rush him to the hospital. He had hypothermia. But other than that he finally found a home. He didn't have to spend anymore Christmas' alone until later in life."
"What do you mean?" Frank demanded.
"I'm sorry Frank I have to go now. My job is done."
"You can't leave now. You haven't explained everything to me. I don't understand. You cant leave now!"
But the Ghost of Christmas Past was already gone.
