Stave Three: A Blast From the Past
Pádme went inside the white building, it was a church. A choir of kids were singing the song that she heard, the one that she had followed. Pádme sat on a bench. The place and the kids looked very familiar, specially a red haired girl that was singing.
"That little girl... she reminds me of someone... Nah!" she thought.
"Howdy Pádme!" said a man that sat next to her.
"Do I know you?" she asked.
"No, but I do know ye." he answered. "My name is Past, Chris Past."
Chris Past was a young man that looked like a cowboy. He had black hair, grey eyes and a beautiful smile.
"Oh, well, nice to meet you Sir. Do you know how I can get out of here?"
"Sure, follow me M'am."
Pádme stood up and looked at the little girl once again.
"Oh, Mr. Past, do you know that little girl?"
" 'Course I know that girl. Her name is Pádme Wesford."
"What?"
"Please follow me."
"No, wait! Did you said that that girl is Pádme Wesford?"
"Yes, M'am."
"But... I don't understand."
"Follow me and ye might find something."
Pádme did as she was told and both went out of the church. Outside things looked different, there was no fog and they were in the middle of a huge alley. There were lots of shops and houses all over the place and a group of people sang Christmas carols.
"Where are we?" asked Pádme.
"Don't ye recognize the place?" asked Chris.
Pádme looked at every shop and house. She even recognized the Christmas carolers.
"Yes, I do recognize it, Blooming Alley. I used to live here when I was a little girl."
Chris smiled and walked towards a big house. Pádme followed him.
"That was my house."
"Was?"
"Yes, I don't live there any longer."
"Home is where the heart is."
Pádme walked towards a window and looked through it. A young red haired woman was decorating a Christmas tree, two little girls and a boy were helping her.
"Chris? I'm a bit confused."
"Why?"
"I know this might sound a bit funny but, that woman looks like my mother and the kids like me and my brothers, but... 20 years younger. "
"Actually, 24 years younger."
"How is that possible?"
"We traveled 24 years back in time. Ye are here to learn from yer past."
"I... I don't understand."
"Ye do understand, but ye don't want to believe it."
"Are you one of the spirits that my dad talked about?"
"Yes, M'am, I am. I want to help ye."
Pádme was confused, she knew what was happening, but as Chris said, she didn't wanted to believe it.
"Why are you showing me this?"
"I want ye to see something. Let me ask ye one thing. Why yer father isn't helping with the Christmas tree?"
"He... is working."
"Christmas with no dad isn't good, right?"
Pádme sighed.
"Can we get out of here?"
"In a minute."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Ye don't want to go inside and remember how much ye loved Christmas?"
"No, I don't want to go inside."
"Come on, go inside, then we'll leave."
"Ok, I'll go. But, what if they see us?"
"They can't see us. They are just memories, things that already happened. They can't be changed."
"Mommy, will dad come home soon?" asked little Pádme.
"No darling, he is in Ohio, working."
"But mommy, tomorrow is Christmas. He won't be here with us?"
"I'm afraid he won't."
"Last year daddy wasn't with us on Christmas, or the year before or the year before the year before or the year before...." said little Leah, but was interrupted by Pádme.
"Enough Leah!" said little Pádme.
She went upstairs and inside her room. Adult Pádme followed her and so did Chris.
"Not fair! Not fair! How come daddy's never with us on Christmas? I promise that I'll never, ever leave my family alone on Christmas." said little Pádme crying.
Adult Pádme wanted to hug her. Pádme's mom went upstairs and inside Pádme's room.
"Darling." she said as she hugged her.
"I want to get out of here!" said adult Pádme.
"Sure." said Chris as he clapped and both were transported to another place.
Now, they were inside a classroom, there were about 30 kids. All of them were drawing and talking, all of them but one, a red haired girl, Pádme, at the age of 8. A blond woman, that seemed to be the teacher, walked towards her.
"Pádme, are you ok?"
"Yes, Mrs. Jacobs."
"Then, why aren't you drawing like the other kids?"
"Because you said that we are suppose to draw something that we like about Christmas."
"Yes, I did. What's the problem?"
"I don't like Christmas!"
"How come? Do you know what we celebrate in Christmas?"
"No and I don't care."
"We celebrate Baby Jesus' birthday."
"Well, I didn't got any birthday invitation."
Mrs. Jacobs chuckled.
"Christmas is a huge birthday party that you can celebrate without an invitation."
"But, I don't want to celebrate it without my daddy. I love him very much and I don't think that it is fair to celebrate while he's away."
"I..." said adult Pádme.
"Yes, I know what ye want." said Chris clapping.
They were no longer in the classroom.
"Where are we now?" asked Chris.
"How am I supposed to know? You are the one that controls time, not me."
"We are travelling through yer past."
They were inside a small, white and warm room. There were posters all over the place. In one of the walls, there was a red flag that said 'Ohio University'. A calendar on the wall indicated that it was Decemeber 19 and a wall clock that it was 8:02 pm.
"Oh, no! Please, get me out of here, right now!"
"Not yet."
"You want to torture me?"
"No, I just want to help ye."
"Well, this isn't helping, you know?"
A younger Pádme walked through the room looking for something.
"It isn't here Anya!" she yelled.
"Oh, is ok, forget it." said a young brunette woman.
"Maybe you left it in the dinning room."
"Yes, maybe. Anyway, I'll try to find it when I come back. My parents are waiting for me. Aren't you going to spend the holidays with your family?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Don't ask, ok?"
"Wanna' spend the holidays with me and my family?"
"No."
"Well... I have to go now. Happy Holidays! Have fun!" said Anya as she went outside the room.
Young Pádme sat on a bed.
"I hate the Holidays! I hate Christmas!" she said.
"I don't understand why ye hate Christmas so much." said Chris.
"You don't? I thought that you knew everything about me."
"No, I don't. Can ye tell me why?"
"The only thing that I'll tell you is that loneliness is the worst feeling in the entire universe. Get me out of here, now!"
"As ye wish M'am." said Chris as he clapped his hands once more and transported them to another place.
They appeared in a cementery, it was covered in snow. Lots of people were gathered around a tomb, one of them was Pádme.
"Do ye remember this day?" asked Chris.
"Yes, I do. My father's funeral."
"Ye made a promise to yerself this day, right?"
"Yes, I did. But that's none of your bussiness."
"I just want ye to remember. What was yer promise?"
"I... promised... that I'll never celebrate Christmas again."
"Yes. Why?"
"Because, my dad died on December 23rd, two days before Christmas."
"But, life must go on."
Pádme was about to cry.
"Yes, life must go on. But what can I do?"
Chris walked away.
"Wait! Don't leave me here! I don't know how to get out of this place."
She tried to reach Chris but he dissapeared.
Suddenly she heard her father's words through the air.
"The only way out is located inside your heart."
She sighed and the cementery dissappeared before her eyes.
Pádme went inside the white building, it was a church. A choir of kids were singing the song that she heard, the one that she had followed. Pádme sat on a bench. The place and the kids looked very familiar, specially a red haired girl that was singing.
"That little girl... she reminds me of someone... Nah!" she thought.
"Howdy Pádme!" said a man that sat next to her.
"Do I know you?" she asked.
"No, but I do know ye." he answered. "My name is Past, Chris Past."
Chris Past was a young man that looked like a cowboy. He had black hair, grey eyes and a beautiful smile.
"Oh, well, nice to meet you Sir. Do you know how I can get out of here?"
"Sure, follow me M'am."
Pádme stood up and looked at the little girl once again.
"Oh, Mr. Past, do you know that little girl?"
" 'Course I know that girl. Her name is Pádme Wesford."
"What?"
"Please follow me."
"No, wait! Did you said that that girl is Pádme Wesford?"
"Yes, M'am."
"But... I don't understand."
"Follow me and ye might find something."
Pádme did as she was told and both went out of the church. Outside things looked different, there was no fog and they were in the middle of a huge alley. There were lots of shops and houses all over the place and a group of people sang Christmas carols.
"Where are we?" asked Pádme.
"Don't ye recognize the place?" asked Chris.
Pádme looked at every shop and house. She even recognized the Christmas carolers.
"Yes, I do recognize it, Blooming Alley. I used to live here when I was a little girl."
Chris smiled and walked towards a big house. Pádme followed him.
"That was my house."
"Was?"
"Yes, I don't live there any longer."
"Home is where the heart is."
Pádme walked towards a window and looked through it. A young red haired woman was decorating a Christmas tree, two little girls and a boy were helping her.
"Chris? I'm a bit confused."
"Why?"
"I know this might sound a bit funny but, that woman looks like my mother and the kids like me and my brothers, but... 20 years younger. "
"Actually, 24 years younger."
"How is that possible?"
"We traveled 24 years back in time. Ye are here to learn from yer past."
"I... I don't understand."
"Ye do understand, but ye don't want to believe it."
"Are you one of the spirits that my dad talked about?"
"Yes, M'am, I am. I want to help ye."
Pádme was confused, she knew what was happening, but as Chris said, she didn't wanted to believe it.
"Why are you showing me this?"
"I want ye to see something. Let me ask ye one thing. Why yer father isn't helping with the Christmas tree?"
"He... is working."
"Christmas with no dad isn't good, right?"
Pádme sighed.
"Can we get out of here?"
"In a minute."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Ye don't want to go inside and remember how much ye loved Christmas?"
"No, I don't want to go inside."
"Come on, go inside, then we'll leave."
"Ok, I'll go. But, what if they see us?"
"They can't see us. They are just memories, things that already happened. They can't be changed."
"Mommy, will dad come home soon?" asked little Pádme.
"No darling, he is in Ohio, working."
"But mommy, tomorrow is Christmas. He won't be here with us?"
"I'm afraid he won't."
"Last year daddy wasn't with us on Christmas, or the year before or the year before the year before or the year before...." said little Leah, but was interrupted by Pádme.
"Enough Leah!" said little Pádme.
She went upstairs and inside her room. Adult Pádme followed her and so did Chris.
"Not fair! Not fair! How come daddy's never with us on Christmas? I promise that I'll never, ever leave my family alone on Christmas." said little Pádme crying.
Adult Pádme wanted to hug her. Pádme's mom went upstairs and inside Pádme's room.
"Darling." she said as she hugged her.
"I want to get out of here!" said adult Pádme.
"Sure." said Chris as he clapped and both were transported to another place.
Now, they were inside a classroom, there were about 30 kids. All of them were drawing and talking, all of them but one, a red haired girl, Pádme, at the age of 8. A blond woman, that seemed to be the teacher, walked towards her.
"Pádme, are you ok?"
"Yes, Mrs. Jacobs."
"Then, why aren't you drawing like the other kids?"
"Because you said that we are suppose to draw something that we like about Christmas."
"Yes, I did. What's the problem?"
"I don't like Christmas!"
"How come? Do you know what we celebrate in Christmas?"
"No and I don't care."
"We celebrate Baby Jesus' birthday."
"Well, I didn't got any birthday invitation."
Mrs. Jacobs chuckled.
"Christmas is a huge birthday party that you can celebrate without an invitation."
"But, I don't want to celebrate it without my daddy. I love him very much and I don't think that it is fair to celebrate while he's away."
"I..." said adult Pádme.
"Yes, I know what ye want." said Chris clapping.
They were no longer in the classroom.
"Where are we now?" asked Chris.
"How am I supposed to know? You are the one that controls time, not me."
"We are travelling through yer past."
They were inside a small, white and warm room. There were posters all over the place. In one of the walls, there was a red flag that said 'Ohio University'. A calendar on the wall indicated that it was Decemeber 19 and a wall clock that it was 8:02 pm.
"Oh, no! Please, get me out of here, right now!"
"Not yet."
"You want to torture me?"
"No, I just want to help ye."
"Well, this isn't helping, you know?"
A younger Pádme walked through the room looking for something.
"It isn't here Anya!" she yelled.
"Oh, is ok, forget it." said a young brunette woman.
"Maybe you left it in the dinning room."
"Yes, maybe. Anyway, I'll try to find it when I come back. My parents are waiting for me. Aren't you going to spend the holidays with your family?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Don't ask, ok?"
"Wanna' spend the holidays with me and my family?"
"No."
"Well... I have to go now. Happy Holidays! Have fun!" said Anya as she went outside the room.
Young Pádme sat on a bed.
"I hate the Holidays! I hate Christmas!" she said.
"I don't understand why ye hate Christmas so much." said Chris.
"You don't? I thought that you knew everything about me."
"No, I don't. Can ye tell me why?"
"The only thing that I'll tell you is that loneliness is the worst feeling in the entire universe. Get me out of here, now!"
"As ye wish M'am." said Chris as he clapped his hands once more and transported them to another place.
They appeared in a cementery, it was covered in snow. Lots of people were gathered around a tomb, one of them was Pádme.
"Do ye remember this day?" asked Chris.
"Yes, I do. My father's funeral."
"Ye made a promise to yerself this day, right?"
"Yes, I did. But that's none of your bussiness."
"I just want ye to remember. What was yer promise?"
"I... promised... that I'll never celebrate Christmas again."
"Yes. Why?"
"Because, my dad died on December 23rd, two days before Christmas."
"But, life must go on."
Pádme was about to cry.
"Yes, life must go on. But what can I do?"
Chris walked away.
"Wait! Don't leave me here! I don't know how to get out of this place."
She tried to reach Chris but he dissapeared.
Suddenly she heard her father's words through the air.
"The only way out is located inside your heart."
She sighed and the cementery dissappeared before her eyes.