Stave 5

And he was in his own bed! He was in his own room! He was in his own skin! And best of all, he was in his own time and place, to make changes of his and Timm's fate!

"I will live in Past, Present, AND Future!" Declared Matt as he hopped out of bed. "Thank you, Spirits! Thank you Omni, old dear!"

"My curtains -- My stuff! It is all here, nothing has happened!" He shouted with glee, "I can still change it! It has not happened!"

"I'm happy as a glass of clamade! Giddy as a drunken Brit! Light as a floud! Merry Christmas all of Planet Neopia! Happy New Year to the Universe!"

"There's where Chachi sat," Said he, "And there's where Christmas Past appeared, and look! Out the window where I saw the ghosts! It all happened, it's here, its true! LOL! HA HA HA!!!!"

For one who had not laughed for such a time, it was an excellent laugh. Not great for your experienced chatter, but a damn good laugh anyway.

"I don't even know what day it is! What month! What year, oh I feel like such a newbie! I'm a newbie! What time is it?" Harty didn't really care! Oh how the bells rang from the church, oh how the children played! The sun was golden and shining! He was happy to be alive for the first time in years.

"Hey, you there! What's today?" He called at a girl with a clarinet walking down the street. "Eh?" Asked the girl. "What is today?? I need to know, dear girl!" "Today?!" She looked at him oddly, "It's Christmas Day, of course!"

"Christmas!" Harty said to himself, "Oh, Christmas! There's still time! They did it all in one night! Why, of course, Spirits can do whichever they like! Of course they did! Of course they can! ...--Hey! Celebi!"

"What?" The girl replied. "Do you know the Wal-Mart down the street?" "I should hope I did! Lest it went down the toilet or something!" Celebi giggled.

"Intelligent girl," He said jubilantly, "Remarkable girl! Now, dear, have they sold that large ham? Not the little one, the BIG one?" "The one as big as me?" She asked, a confused look on her face. "YES! Is it still there?" He said, hopping around. "Well, yea... No one has THAT much money..." "Go and buy it! Here, take this money!" He handed the girl a stackful of neopoints. "If you come back in twenty minutes, I'll give you 1,000 np. Ten, TEN THOUSAND! How'd you like that?"

Celebi practically flew to Wal-Mart. "I'll send it to Ernie's!" Matthew whispered happily, "He'll have no idea who sent it! It's twice Timmy's size, even! Oh, hurrah!" Matt was quite hyper with glee.

His fingers flying and making half a dozen typos, he printed out Erm's address and gave it to the Wal-Mart Greeter when he arrived. But before he burst out the door, he glanced at the doorknob. "Oh, wonderful knob! I must use some mud remover on it, indeed! It's getting mighty dingy. Poor thing."

He called for a dog sleigh to carry the huge turkey to the Breast's house, and a large healthy husky was the lead dog. "Thank you, my friend! Be off and brighten the Breast's day!"

As he got ready to go out, it was very impossible. He kept cracking up and could not keep still. He nearly cut his nose off shaving, but if he did he wouldn't care at all. He was in too fine a mood.

Matt was not the old man he was long ago -- only a day! People walking along the streets greeted him happily, "Good morning sir! Merry Christmas!" And he did likewise. They were the best words he ever heard.

Nigel and Nelvin, dear fruitcups, were shivering in the cold, but still asking for donations like always.

"Dear sirs!" He called at them. "Yes, Mr. Harty sir?" Asked Nelvin. "I would like to..." He whispered into Nigel's ear, and Nigie gasped and his eyes grew wide, as he quickly told Nelvin. "Excuse me, sir?!?" "Not a neopoint less, dear sirs!" He replied cheerfully. "Must we... do anything? We are eternally in you debt--" "One thing, my good men! You must come to my shop where I can pay you! Please, any time is well!"

They told him they most certainly would.

Matt then rushed to Night's house. Zulu answered the door. "Oh... Mr. Harty... Do come in, please." She said as politely as she could, quite suprised. Nice girl! Thought Harty. Wonderful girl. "Night is upstairs."

When Matthew walked in, Night just stared. He did this for a few minutes straight, but then remembered his manners.

"Oh... Hello. Who is this?" "It is I, Mattchew Harty, your uncle dear boy!" He chuckled. "Might I stay for dinner?" He asked happily. "Of course!"

All of Night's and Zulu's family came, and a good few of their friends' families, and so on. There were many people and the food was delicious.

There were games and there was music and it was all so excellent. So this is family! This is friends! This is the way life ought to be! He told himself.

He was at his office extra-early, so he could catch Erma coming in late.

And he did! It was nine o clock. No Erma. Fifteen minutes... No Erma. Eighteen minutes late he was!

When he did come in he rushed to his stool and started working, twice as fast as normal like he had been working for hours. "You're late," Harty said, trying as hard as he could to keep his cold voice.

"Dreadfully sorry, sir!" Erma replied meekly. "It- It's only one day a year, you know, and I was really partying last night, and..."

"I cannot take this anymore, Ernesto!" Harty shouted. "Therefore, I do not want to do this, but," Erma prepared for the worst, "But it looks like I must raise your salary!"

Ernie was confuzzled, there was no doubt of it. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Breast. Ever Merrier! Merrier than you have ever had. Now, I must help you and your family out!"

Matthew Harty did help them out, and infinitly more. Tiny Timm did not die, and Matt was like a second father to him. He was a good man, he laughed a lot, and he had many friends. He is one of the major Planet Neopians to date.

He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. He lived happily and kept one motto. As Timm said: God Bless us, Every one!