Digimon Christmas Carol Chapter 3
Matt awoke in the middle of the night and sat up in his bed to get his thoughts together. He was waiting for the second spirit that Tai had said would come. He was wondering what the spirit would be like, and nervous because he didn't like surprises. But at that point, he was prepared for anything. Then the bell struck one and he waited for a while, but nothing came.
Then a bright light shone in the room, a ghostly light. Then Matt heard someone call out his name and he obeyed. He was sure that it was his own room, but it looked different. The walls and ceiling were hung with wreaths and all kinds of green Christmas decorations. And before him was a table filled with turkeys, geese, mine-pies, plum puddings, oysters, chestnuts, apples, oranges, pears, cakes, and a big bowl of punch. And sitting on the couch eating some of the food was a man around his size.
"Come in!" The ghost said when he spotted Matt. "Come in and know me better, man!"
Matt entered, but he hung his head low, not wanting to gaze at the spirits cheerful eyes.
"I am Takuya, the ghost of Christmas Present." The spirit said. "Look at me."
Matt did so and saw Takuya. His hair was dark and he wore a green robe and had goggles on his head.
"You have never seen the likes of me before!" Takuya said.
"No, never." Matt answered.
"Have never walked forth with the younger members of my family?"
"I don't think I have. How many brothers and sisters do you have spirit?"
"More then eight-hundred."
"A large family."
"True." Takuya said as he rose.
"Spirit." Matt begged. "Please tell me where you are going. I left last night on compulsion and I learnt a lesson which is working right now. Please, if you want to teach me, let me gain more by knowing where we are going."
"Touch my robe." Takuya said and Matt obeyed him. Then the room and all food inside it disappeared and they found themselves in the city streets on Christmas morning. The streets were filled with people, even on a day as cold as that. But nobody noticed them because Takuya said that they can't see either of them. The entire town was decorated and every place but the grocers were closed. Everyone in town was heading to the church. And even though the bakers were closed, the smell of their goods filled the air.
"Spirit." Matt said. "Is there a peculiar flavour in what you sprinkle from your torch?"
"There is." Takuya said. "My own."
"Do you plan to use it on any kind of dinner today?"
"To any kindly given to a poor one."
"Why the poor?"
"Because they need it the most."
"Spirit." Matt said. "I wonder why you should desire to cramp these people's opportunities of innocent enjoyment."
"I."
"You would deprive them of their means of dining every seventh day, often the only day on which they can be said to dine at all. Wouldn't you?"
"I."
"You seek to close these places on the seventh day?"
"I seek."
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it has been done in your name, or at least in the name of your family."
"There are some upon the Earth who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name. Remember that and hold it against them, not us." Once Takuya finished, he took Matt to a place. It was a house that looked a little run down. It was the house of Matt's clerk, Takato Matsuki.
Inside there was Takato's wife, Jeri, was cooking the food for their dinner with her two daughters, Susy and Ai. While her son, Mako, was bringing some wood in for the fire.
"Is that enough mother?" Mako asked.
"That should be enough." Jeri told him.
"I think we're ready mother." Ai said.
"So are we ready?" Susy asked.
"We'll be ready as soon as father and Tommy come back from church." Jeri told them.
Then Takato entered with little Tommy on his shoulder. Takato let Tommy down and under Tommy's arm was a little crutch that was holding him up. All the kids ran over to their father to greet him.
"Hi kids." Takato said.
"Hi father." Susy, Ai, and Mako said.
"So how did Tommy behave?" Jeri asked him.
"As good as gold." Takato told her. "And maybe even better. He's so insightful and hopes that he could be a memory of how one day the lame will walk and the blind will see."
Takato and Jeri both looked at him and they both trembled when Takato said that Tommy was getting a little stronger and more active. Both Ai and Mako led Tommy to his stool by the fire where he sat down and rested. Then the other kids went to fetch the Christmas goose, which they brought back very quickly. Then all of the other Matsuki's helped make the rest of the dinner and Takato placed Tommy into his stool at the table.
The family never had such a goose, despite it's size and price, the whole family was happy. They found that it was a great delight to them and found that it was enough for them to eat. And after the goose was finished, Jeri left the table and brought out the pudding, it didn't look too good ether, but Takato and the kids were happy with it. And after dinner, Takato called everyone together to propose a toast.
"A Merry Christmas to us all!" Takato said. "God bless us." And after that, the family echoed him.
"God bless us every one." Tommy said. Takato hugged his little child, with the hopes of keeping him with them forever.
"Spirit, tell me if Tiny Tommy will live?" Matt asked.
"If these shadows remain unaltered." Takuya started. "I see an empty stool in the chimney corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved."
"No kind spirit!" Matt begged. "Tell me he will be spared."
"If these shadows remain unchanged, then none of my kin will ever find him here. And besides, if he should die, he should do it quickly and decrease the surplus population."
Matt hung his head low to hear Takuya use his own words.
"Man." Takuya said. "If man you be in heart forbear that wickedness until you have discovered. What the surplus is and where it is, will you decide who shall live and who shall die? It may be that you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child."
Matt understood Takuya's rebuke and hung his head low until he heard his name.
"To Matt Ishida, the founder of the feast!" Takato said.
"The founder of the feast indeed!" Jeri cried. "If he were here right now, I'd give him a piece of my mind to feast upon and he'd better have a good appetite."
"But Jeri, it's Christmas."
"It should be Christmas day, on which one drinks the health of such an odious and stingy man as Mr. Ishida. But I'll drink to his health for your sake and because it's Christmas."
Then the children followed after Jeri. Tommy drank last of all, but he didn't care about Matt being an ogre to the family.
After that, Takuya took Matt to another house, a house that was filled with laughter and cheer. Then Takuya and Matt went into the house and there Matt saw his nephew laughing with a group of his friends.
"And then he said that Christmas was a humbug as I live." His nephew said.
"More shame for him TK." Said TK's wife and Matt's niece Kari. Kari was a beautiful young girl with short brown hair and a cute smile.
"He does have a nice side, although it is impossible to see it."
"You did say he was very rich, didn't you TK?"
"Yes, but he never uses his wealth, it's just there in his mind. And I doubt he'll help us with it."
"I have no more patience with him." Kari said and everyone else expressed the same opinion.
"Well I still have." TK answered. "I couldn't be mad at him if I tried to be. And besides, I kinda feel sorry for him, he lives alone and suffers ill whims. And he keeps repeating in his mind that he dislikes us and that's why he probably didn't want to come to dinner."
Matt looked at what was going on and knew that they were all talking about him.
"Hey, I have an idea for a game." TK said. "Why don't we play a game where I think of something and give you clues and you guys try to guess it."
"Sounds fun." Kazu said. "So what's the first clue."
"It's something vicious."
"Is it a bear?" Kenta asked.
"A lion?" Kazu asked.
"No." TK said. "It's very cold."
"Is it a rat?" Derek asked.
"A snake?" Kari asked.
"A wolf?" Matt said, forgetting that they couldn't hear him.
"A wolf?" Rosa asked.
"I just said that." Matt said, then Takuya reminded him that they couldn't hear him.
"No." TK said. "It's a solitary creature."
"How about a weasel?" Michael said.
"No, it must be a fox." JP said.
"Still not right." TK said with a laugh.
"I know." Catherine said. "It's your uncle Matt Ishida."
"You're right." TK said as everybody laughed. Matt just hung his head low after hearing that. They left the place just as the bell started to strike twelve.
"My time is almost up." Takuya said. "But you still have one more spirit left. His name is Koji." Then Takuya vanished and Matt was wandering the streets until he found a person in a hood.