Stave 3

Harty awoke again, at the strike of one. He didn't want to be caught by suprise by this next spirit. The minutes passed, and he was quite nervous, not even hearing the call of a lone Shoyru in the night. It was 1:15, then 1:30, and he saw a strange light out in the hall. He went to investigate. "Matthew." A strange voice called from his room. "Come in." Following directions, he did.

At first it did seem like his own room, but it had changed. The walls were green with holly, the ceiling had ivy climbing about, and mistletoe was abundant. Upon the ground was a picnic-blanket heaped up with turkey, goose, cheese, and chicken. A large husky dog sat, watching the food and licking his chops. A great Giant sat upon a chair, with a torch that looked like a horn.

"Come in, Matty!" The Ghost exclaimed. "Come in and meet me! Be careful of the Atomic Cheese..." He motioned to the cheese sitting on the blanket. "I am the Spirit of Christmas Present. But you may call me Yrdie or Chachi!" The spirit gave a jolly laugh. He wore a green robe, and had long red hair and a beard that was very curly. The dog wagged its tail happily.

Matt looked at the ghost. "You have never seen the like of me before." "No...Never." "Now, touch my robe and we shall begin!" Matt did so, and the meal disapeared, as did the dog. So did the whole room, in fact. They were flying high above the city, and people were shoveling sidewalks and going to church. Soon they moved on to Harty's clerk's home.

Erma's wife, Ashley, was getting dinner ready with the help of her second oldest daughter, Ari. Her oldest son, Shand, snuck some mashed potatoes from the bowl. "I wonder where damn Erma went to... and where is little Tiny Timm? Oh, and Lupess!" Ash said to herself. "Here I am! See my new vest? See my vest See my vest See my vest?! HUH!?" Lupess entered. "Lupess! Hi!" Ari cried. "Hola!" She said and smiled.

"Oh, look! Here comes father! And Timm!" Lupess pointed out happily. She hid behind a chair and giggled. Ernesto came in, and his back was leaned over, because he held an 18-year old boy in crutches upon his shoulders. "Damn, Timm, you're getting HEAVY...Ugh" He set him down, and wiped the sweat off his face. "Where is Lupess?" "She's not coming..." Ari said, trying to hold back laughter. "Not coming? For Christmas? Oh..." He gave a large frown. Lupess hated to see father like that, especially since it was only a joke. So she came out and hugged him.

"Well, how did Timmy behave?" Asked Ashley. "As good as gold. Better, even..." Erma paused. "Except when he threw palm fans at everyone." He glared at Tiny Timm. "Hehehee...It was only a joke, pa..." ^^;; Everyone continued making dinner. Ari mashes applesauce, Shand mashed potatoes, Ash stuffed the small goose. After they ate all they could (for the first time in a great while), they tasted a spectacular pudding made by Mrs. Breast.

After that, they formed a semi-circle round the fire, and Ernie held up his cup. "Merry Christmas, everyone. God Bless Us." They all echoed. A little late, Timm said "God Bless Us Every One." And coughed.

"Yrdnal," Matt said sadly, "Will Timm live? Please tell me he will!" "I see..." The Spirit of Christmas Present began, "An empty spot by the fire. A crutch, hung on the wall. Palm fans for every family member, treasured. If the future remains unchanged, yes, he will die." "No! No, please...Can you not spare him? Please let him live!" Harty pleaded. "I do not have the power to. But, if he must die," He said mockingly, "He had better do it, decrease the surplus population!" Harty hung his head.

"To Mr. Harty, founder of this feast!" Ernesto called out, raising his glass. "Founder of the feast indeed!" Ashley said crossly, "I wish he was right here. I'd give him some of MY mind to feast upon. And Oit Dammit, he better have a good appetite for it." "My dear...Do not curse in front of the children! It is Christmas Day!" Ernesto tried to calm his wife. "Hell, I agree with dad." Ari said.

"Of course," Ashley said, infuriated, "It would be Christmas Day when one drinks to the health of such a greedy, stingy, CHEESE-POOEY man such as Mr. Harty. And you should know it better than anyone, dear!" "Dear...It is Christmas!" "Oh, fine. I will drink to him for you sake and the Day's, but not for his. I am sure he is very happy."

After a long, akward pause,(Don't ya hate that?) there was talk about Shand getting a well-paying job. "You'll make more money than I do, dear boy!" Erma was very proud. Soon, the Spirit and Matt left, but not after the family sang a wonderful song.

Hark! The Herald Shoyrus Sing!

Oity to the newborn Chats!

Poor PN, has met its end,

Chats are ways to keep old friends!

They flew out, over to Harty's nephew's house. "Ha! Ha ha! Ha!" Night had a wonderous, jolly laugh. "And THEN, he said, Hehe, That Christmas was CHEESE POO! And you know what, I think he really meant it!" "Oh, that is horrible, Night. HORRIBLE!" Said Matt's neice, Zulu. "I am sure he is quite rich..." "Oh, he is! But he spends his days saving it, keeping it, pinching every single neopoint! It is confuddling, really it is..."

"Well, I cannot stand him!" Zulu said. Her sister, Zippy, agreed. "But I, really," Night told them, "I feel sorry for him, in a way." They all drank tea, and soon Zulu started to play her harp. Soon after, they played charades. It was Night's turn, and he bared his teeth, looking like a ferocious animal. "Ummmmm...A Kougra? Your dear Galagirl?" He shook his head. "Oh, Give us a hint!" Zippy said. "Okay...Bah! Cheese Poo!" He growled.

"OOH! Ooh! It's your Uncle Harty!" Zulu called out. "Yes!" Night laughed. Matt frowned at this portrayal of him. "Is this really what they think of me as, Spirit?" He asked of Yrd. "This is only what is happening. I only project Christmas Present."

Matt had noticed that Yrd was cleary getting older by the second, his beard longer, his hair greyer. "Are all spirits living such short lives?" He asked. "Only my kind..." The Spirit said sadly. "Only Spirits of Christmas Present, for it is only tonight."

Then Matt noticed something very odd. He saw a small hand underneath the ghost's robe. "What is that..." Matt asked. He opened his robe to reveal two small children. One boy, one girl. "Are these spirits?" Harty asked. "No...They are real children." The ghost said sorrowfully. "This is Ignorance, this is Want. Take care of them, or they shall grow... And they will not be children for long." Matt frowned.

"My time grows short." The Ghost of Christmas Past said as he slowly faded away. The clock struck twelve and a hooded figure came out of the mist...