Later that night, Polly was visited by the first of the three spirits. As it turned out, the first spirit looked a lot like a brown wiener dog wearing a red vest.

"Good evening," said the spirit. "Hi, I'm Frankie! I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past mascot. You can always count on me. I really know the ropes."

"Oh, shut up," said Polly. "Dogs can't talk!"

"I'll be taking you back to the Christmas of... two... years ago," said Frankie. "That's when you were in... first... grade."

"Oh, I don't think you will," said Polly, crossing her arms. "Daddy is very serious about keeping anyone but himself from using the Time Machine. I found that out the hard way when I sent twenty-five robots back in time to change history just a little."

"Ha, ha, we won't be using your father's Time Machine!" laughed Frankie. "We'll be going back in time with magic!"

"Magic's not real, you dumb dog!"

"It sure is!" Frankie answered. "The Queen Bee once used it to shrink me down to the size of a bug!"

"I wish you were still that size," said Polly, turning away from him. "Then I could stomp on you."

But Frankie grabbed her hand and then jumped through her bedroom window. Polly screamed as they magically flew down to the entrance of Mystery Mountain.

"You idiot!" she yelled as they came in for a landing. "You brought me down here in my nightgown! This is so embarrassing!"

"Hey, calm down, Polly," said Frankie. "You're not really here. This is the past. See?"

He gestured to Professor Spark, who was walking up to the Front Door. The Professor didn't seem to see either Polly or Frankie standing there. They followed him inside, where they saw the entire First Floor had been trashed, including various Christmas decorations and presents. Standing in the middle of it all was the young Polly.

"I - I remember this day," said the present-day Polly.

Meanwhile, the Professor marched up to the young Polly. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "Where're Zack and Jess?"

"Oh, I scared them off," said the young Polly, grinning.

"So help me, I really thought hiring two older kids would work."

"Well, it didn't," the young Polly replied cheerfully. "They were scared off just as easily as that Jo Hammet you tried last time."

"Polly, this behavior is not something to be proud of. You cannot scare away your sitters and wreck the house every time I have to attend an inventors' convention!"

"Well, I wouldn't have had to wreck it as badly if I hadn't had sitters to scare away. So really, this is all your fault."

"It's not just the house, Polly," said the Professor. "Someone has to look after you when I'm not here. That used to be your mother, but now that she's passed, I have to hire sitters. You can understand that, can't you?"

"But why do I even need a sitter?" asked the young Polly. "There're plenty of robots around here."

"Hmm, that gives me an idea," said the Professor, rubbing his bearded chin. "What if I invented a robot to be your sitter? I could call it... Android XL2."

"No, I don't want a robot sitter!"

"Oh, but he won't only be your sitter. I'll set him up as a prototype companion device, programmed to be your friend. I should have him finished by Valentine's Day. You'll like him after you've given him a chance."

"I'LL NEVER GIVE HIM A CHANCE!" wailed the young Polly. "I JUST WANT MOM BACK!"

The present-day Polly cringed at these words. It had been a long time since she had been so upfront about missing her dead mother.

The Professor sighed. "Believe me, I miss her just as much as you do," he said, "but she is dead. Even with all my inventions, bringing her back is the one thing I can never do."

"I DON'T CARE!" yelled the young Polly. "SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO REALLY LOVED ME!"

The present-day Polly saw the hurt look on her father's face, something that was completely missed by her enraged younger self. She desperately turned to Frankie.

"Get me out of here, spirit!" she begged. "I can't bear to see this memory any longer!"

"Hey, I'm just showing you what happened," said Frankie. "It's not my fault if you don't like it."

"Boy, are you sassy!" said the present-day Polly.