Frank awoke back in his own room. Back in his own bed. He glanced to his right at the clock on his nightstand and it read 12:30. He had only been gone a half an hour. Though it felt like an eternity to him. Gone, he thought, I haven't gone anywhere.
"It was just a dream," Frank said aloud excitedly. "It was just a dream! Thank God!"
"What was just a dream, Mr. Donovan?" a young woman asked. She was standing near his largest dresser in a beautiful silver evening dress that sparkled in the incoming moonlight. The young woman looked like a heroin from some Disney movie. Her wavy blonde hair flowed down her back. And her blue eyes gleamed as they stared at the shocked federal agent in front of her. Her eyes showed kindness that made Frank feel kindness towards her. As opposed to the animosity which he had felt towards the first two apparitions that had visited him earlier on.
"Not again," Frank mumbled laying back down in his comfy bed, placing his masculine hands over his eyes drowsy eyes.
"Frank? Frank?" the young ghost asked nicely, taking a step towards him. When he had not answered her she spoke up, this time much louder and more demanding than she had the original times. "Please your not making this very easy!"
"Will you please leave me alone?" Frank whined, without removing his hands from his head. His voice was drained, and he sounded very pathetic. Nothing like his normal voice, which demanded respect from everyone by anything he said in any tone.
"Don't bet on it mister!" the young woman exclaimed, taking another step closer to Donovan. She placed her hands on her petite hips and struck out one foot, like a mother pretend scolding her young children. Though this ghost seemed intent on making sure he listened to her. "Your coming with me whether you like it or not!"
She stormed over to Donovan and pried his hands off of his face. The ghost pulled him to his feet. She's stronger than she looks, Donovan thought as he stood up, knowing that any fighting was useless. He was not getting to sleep tonight there was no doubt about it.
"I've dealt with worse men than you, Mr. Donovan!" she said, in her angelic voice that didn't make her seem menacing. But the look on her face told you otherwise. "Your coming with me!"
With that she grabbed onto Donovan's right wrist, then she nodded her pretty head. With that they we're transported to a street. A fresh snow covered the ground and not many cars were driving around. Though a few people we're still walking around together.
"Where are we now?" Frank asked, still annoyed.
"Patience, my dear. Patience."
The two walked slowly towards an old hotel. The hotel wasn't very well lit and there weren't many people inside the main lobby.
"How many years ago is this?" Frank asked, agitated. He could not remember ever being at a hotel like this but maybe it was from someone else's past he could be witnessing again.
"None. I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present, darling. This is now. Right now. We are on the other side of town from your apartment. We're going to go into that nice hotel now."
They walked through the lobby, no one paying much attention to the two, despite the apparition being over dressed. They reached the elevator and the doors opened without anyone pressing a button. Frank walked along with her, knowing going against it was fruitless. He was just waiting for this awful dream to finally be over. They reached the tenth floor and the elevator doors opened. The odd couple stepped out the doors and Frank followed the spirit down the hall to the right.
"Will you please tell me where we are going now?" Frank asked, hoping to get some kind of an answer.
"Are you ready?" she asked, as she stopped outside room 1014.
"You ghosts have a knack for not answering questions and changing the subject don't you? How about you give me a hint, as a sign of good will. Then I'll give you whatever you want."
"Your negotiating skills are to no use with me young man," she added, even though Frank looked older than she did. "And I'll take that as a yes you are ready."
She grabbed onto his wrist again and pulled him through the door. Amazed he had just walked through a door, Frank turned around startled staring at the door which he had just been staring at the other side a moment before.
"Look," said the Ghost of Christmas Present, nodding her head towards the two beds.
"Jake?" Frank asked sadly. He began walking towards the beds were Jake was sitting there. A glass in his hand, and a half empty bottle of whiskey on the table. "What are you doing Jake?"
"He doesn't know your here, Frank," the young looking ghost said sadly, glancing at Jake. "We are here to witness. We can't change anything. At least things that are happening now."
Jake got up and turned the television on. He staggered back to the bed and tripped, landing face first on the bed. He laid there a second before turning over and began flicking through channels. He came across USA and a rerun of "New York Undercover" was on. Jake watched it intently for a little while, while Frank and the Ghost of Christmas Present watched him with the same intentness. Neither wanting to miss a thing.
"That's bullshit!" Jake screamed, attempting to get up but was so drunk he fell back on the bed. "It's never like that. Why can't my life be that easy once and a while?"
Jake finally got on his feet and swayed a bit. He caught his balance and walked over to the chair in the corner and picked it up and through it. His anger was growing with each drunken step he took. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and chugged it. Some of it spilling on his gray shirt.
"Make him stop. He's going to do something stupid. We have to stop him. Please," Frank pleaded.
"I'm sorry Frank. That's how things are. You want me to change it now? But you didn't care about Jake two hours ago," The Ghost of Christmas Present added. Her strength growing with each word she spoke. "I'm sorry Frank, you can't just care about people when you feel like it. Jake has always been like this. You know what his life is like. You didn't care before. You could have helped him from doing what he's doing now."
"I was stupid. I didn't know," Frank added, glancing back at Jake.
Jake was through with his drunken rage and was now huddled on the bed. 'New York Undercover' still playing on the television. He grabbed his glass and chugged the remainder. Anything to forget his life. He was mumbling now, once and a while he could be heard saying "Quito" or "Sonny". So he kept drinking, trying to get away from his demons.
"Please help him," Frank asked again.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do," the young looking replied and slowly the room began to dim.
"What's happening?" Frank asked, looking around.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. The Past and Present remain, but the future can be changed Frank. The Future can be changed if you try," Frank heard the Ghost of Christmas Present say before she vanished from the space in front of him.
"It was just a dream," Frank said aloud excitedly. "It was just a dream! Thank God!"
"What was just a dream, Mr. Donovan?" a young woman asked. She was standing near his largest dresser in a beautiful silver evening dress that sparkled in the incoming moonlight. The young woman looked like a heroin from some Disney movie. Her wavy blonde hair flowed down her back. And her blue eyes gleamed as they stared at the shocked federal agent in front of her. Her eyes showed kindness that made Frank feel kindness towards her. As opposed to the animosity which he had felt towards the first two apparitions that had visited him earlier on.
"Not again," Frank mumbled laying back down in his comfy bed, placing his masculine hands over his eyes drowsy eyes.
"Frank? Frank?" the young ghost asked nicely, taking a step towards him. When he had not answered her she spoke up, this time much louder and more demanding than she had the original times. "Please your not making this very easy!"
"Will you please leave me alone?" Frank whined, without removing his hands from his head. His voice was drained, and he sounded very pathetic. Nothing like his normal voice, which demanded respect from everyone by anything he said in any tone.
"Don't bet on it mister!" the young woman exclaimed, taking another step closer to Donovan. She placed her hands on her petite hips and struck out one foot, like a mother pretend scolding her young children. Though this ghost seemed intent on making sure he listened to her. "Your coming with me whether you like it or not!"
She stormed over to Donovan and pried his hands off of his face. The ghost pulled him to his feet. She's stronger than she looks, Donovan thought as he stood up, knowing that any fighting was useless. He was not getting to sleep tonight there was no doubt about it.
"I've dealt with worse men than you, Mr. Donovan!" she said, in her angelic voice that didn't make her seem menacing. But the look on her face told you otherwise. "Your coming with me!"
With that she grabbed onto Donovan's right wrist, then she nodded her pretty head. With that they we're transported to a street. A fresh snow covered the ground and not many cars were driving around. Though a few people we're still walking around together.
"Where are we now?" Frank asked, still annoyed.
"Patience, my dear. Patience."
The two walked slowly towards an old hotel. The hotel wasn't very well lit and there weren't many people inside the main lobby.
"How many years ago is this?" Frank asked, agitated. He could not remember ever being at a hotel like this but maybe it was from someone else's past he could be witnessing again.
"None. I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present, darling. This is now. Right now. We are on the other side of town from your apartment. We're going to go into that nice hotel now."
They walked through the lobby, no one paying much attention to the two, despite the apparition being over dressed. They reached the elevator and the doors opened without anyone pressing a button. Frank walked along with her, knowing going against it was fruitless. He was just waiting for this awful dream to finally be over. They reached the tenth floor and the elevator doors opened. The odd couple stepped out the doors and Frank followed the spirit down the hall to the right.
"Will you please tell me where we are going now?" Frank asked, hoping to get some kind of an answer.
"Are you ready?" she asked, as she stopped outside room 1014.
"You ghosts have a knack for not answering questions and changing the subject don't you? How about you give me a hint, as a sign of good will. Then I'll give you whatever you want."
"Your negotiating skills are to no use with me young man," she added, even though Frank looked older than she did. "And I'll take that as a yes you are ready."
She grabbed onto his wrist again and pulled him through the door. Amazed he had just walked through a door, Frank turned around startled staring at the door which he had just been staring at the other side a moment before.
"Look," said the Ghost of Christmas Present, nodding her head towards the two beds.
"Jake?" Frank asked sadly. He began walking towards the beds were Jake was sitting there. A glass in his hand, and a half empty bottle of whiskey on the table. "What are you doing Jake?"
"He doesn't know your here, Frank," the young looking ghost said sadly, glancing at Jake. "We are here to witness. We can't change anything. At least things that are happening now."
Jake got up and turned the television on. He staggered back to the bed and tripped, landing face first on the bed. He laid there a second before turning over and began flicking through channels. He came across USA and a rerun of "New York Undercover" was on. Jake watched it intently for a little while, while Frank and the Ghost of Christmas Present watched him with the same intentness. Neither wanting to miss a thing.
"That's bullshit!" Jake screamed, attempting to get up but was so drunk he fell back on the bed. "It's never like that. Why can't my life be that easy once and a while?"
Jake finally got on his feet and swayed a bit. He caught his balance and walked over to the chair in the corner and picked it up and through it. His anger was growing with each drunken step he took. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and chugged it. Some of it spilling on his gray shirt.
"Make him stop. He's going to do something stupid. We have to stop him. Please," Frank pleaded.
"I'm sorry Frank. That's how things are. You want me to change it now? But you didn't care about Jake two hours ago," The Ghost of Christmas Present added. Her strength growing with each word she spoke. "I'm sorry Frank, you can't just care about people when you feel like it. Jake has always been like this. You know what his life is like. You didn't care before. You could have helped him from doing what he's doing now."
"I was stupid. I didn't know," Frank added, glancing back at Jake.
Jake was through with his drunken rage and was now huddled on the bed. 'New York Undercover' still playing on the television. He grabbed his glass and chugged the remainder. Anything to forget his life. He was mumbling now, once and a while he could be heard saying "Quito" or "Sonny". So he kept drinking, trying to get away from his demons.
"Please help him," Frank asked again.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do," the young looking replied and slowly the room began to dim.
"What's happening?" Frank asked, looking around.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. The Past and Present remain, but the future can be changed Frank. The Future can be changed if you try," Frank heard the Ghost of Christmas Present say before she vanished from the space in front of him.
