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Zel peered over his bed. No sound entered the room.
"Phew... ," Zel wiped the sweat from his forehead. It had been a dream after all....
"HELLO MR. ZELGADISS!!"
Zel fell off his bed. He slowly pulled himself to his knees and looked up.
"Amelia??????", Zel gasped in surprise.
"Who?," the girl who looked very much like Amelia asked. "No silly, I'm the ghost of Christmas past!!!"
The "ghost" had an uncanny resemblance to Amelia. She glowed a holy white and her blue eyes sparkled. Her skin was pale and translucent. She was clothed in a sparkling white dress. A veil of baby's breath hung loosely from her hair. Innocence and purity seemed to radiate from her.
"I have many things to show you Zelgadiss Greywords, and not very much time to tell them to you."
The ghost held out a delicate hand to Zel. Zel took it cautiously and brought himself to his feet.
"Come on!", the ghost said and dragged Zelgadiss by the arm. The action gave him a sense of day ja vu but he couldn't remember why. The ghost of Christmas past led him to the edge of the bay window.
"Ok here we go..."
"But this is two stories down... " Zel peered over the edge.
"I know!", the ghost giggled and pushed him off. His surprised mind didn't have time to cast levitation or raywing. At the edge of his senses he registered a high pitched giggle and a bright flash of white.
"Here we are".
Zel slowly pulled his face off of the ground. He was outside a small cottage. He pushed himself to his feet.
"Where are we?," he asked looking around the area.
"Don't you recognize this place,"? the ghost of Christmas past asked softly.
"Its....my childhood home," Zel said in awe. Zel walked up to the window and looked in.
A young child was playing in front of the fire. A huge Christmas tree was in the far right corner. It reached the ceiling and its lights twinkled softly. A young women was also sitting in a chair knitting. A handsome man sat in the chair next to her reading a book out loud.
"They all look so happy," the ghost said softly. Zel looked at her
"Why are you showing me this?? Just take me home."
"You are home," the ghost told him with a smile.
"... That's not what I mean". The ghost giggled.
The world seemed to shift around Zelgadiss. He found himself inside the cottage. Long forgotten feelings wafted back to Zelgadiss. The smell of the wooden floors and the cooking on the fire ignited remembrance in his mind.
The scene had changed and Zelgadiss was now 6 years old. It was Christmas once again. The tree was not half the size of the one before but still shown brightly with mini light globes.
The man was gone. Little Zel sat on the floor once again playing with his toys. His mother also sat and knitted. Her face cringed with barely held back tears. Her head was cast down; she was obviously trying to hide her tears from her son. She turned her head as one escaped and ran down her cheek. Little Zel noticed and looked up with concern written all over his face.
"Mom, please don't cry", he said as he stood up and put a small arm around her shoulders.
"Its ok I can take care of you," little Zel said confidently. His mother looked up and a sad smile spread across her face.
"Oh you will , will you.?", Zel's mother said not unkindly.
"Yep!", Zel said putting his hands on his hips, "When I grow up I'll be strong!".
The older Zel cringed at the last word.
"And I'm going to be the best swordsman and sorcerer in the land! I'm going to marry a beautiful princess and then you can come live with us in our castle!" Little Zel laughed and hugged his mother. The young women smiled. Her spirits had lifted.
"Thank you honey..."
The scene again faded. Zel turned to the ghost.
"Can't we just stop here?", he asked. The ghost looked at him with sad blue eyes.
"No.... you must see the rest....."
Zel's surroundings solidified once again. A teenage Zel, couldn't have been more than 15, stood in front of the door arguing.
"Your not my father! You can't tell me what to do!!!", a young teenage Zel screamed at his step father.
"As long as your under my house young man...
"Your house??! My father, built this house, it will never be yours!", Zel yelled angrily.
"I put food and cloths on your back you ungrateful...." his step father said trying to control his voice.
"OOhh your such a big man... It must have been hard taking over my fathers land and marrying my mother. Very big accomplishment." teenage Zel spit back. His step father raised his hand and smacked him. Teenage Zel winced, not from the smack itself, it hadn't been that hard, but from the shock that he actually had been smacked. He narrowed his eyes.
The real Zel looked at the ghost.
"He was too strong..." Zel said softly, " I knew I couldn't do anything to him... I needed to be strong...". Zel looked sadly at his past self. He knew what came next. He would regret it for the rest of his life.
Teenage Zel grabbed his coat from the door. He shot a quick glance toward his mother. Her eyes were pleading.
"Please..don't go," she mouthed silently. Teenage Zel averted his eyes and looked away. He flung the door open and walked out into the cold.
The wreath fell off the door knob as the door slammed, and holy berries scattered on the floor.
Zel's stepfather held his head in his hands.
"I'm so sorry Martha. I can't seem to do anything right with that boy." His wife walked up to him and put her hands around his shoulders.
"Its ok he'll be back...," she said and a worried tear ran down her cheek. She desperately hoped he would be all right.
"Why is he acting like he cares?? He never gave a damn about me". Zel stared at the shadow of his stepfather.
"Are you so sure about that?," the ghost replied her voice ringing like bells in Zelgadiss's ear.
"I wanted that boy to like me," he said mournfully.
"Just give him time," she replied gently, "He'll come around."
Young Zel walked for hours in the snow. His fingers were frozen to the bone. Lifted his head. He saw a forest in the distance. He quickened his pace. Zel entered the forest and discovered that it was void of snow. It seemed like spring in the within the little forest.
He sat down on a nearby log. Exhausted to his very core he pulled out his sword. He turned it in his hand watching the moonlight gleam off of it.
On impulse he stood up and took a couple of practice swings with his sword.
"I want to be strong", Zel chanted, "Strong strong,".... he trailed off still swinging his sword.
**JINGLE JINGLE**
Young Zel looked up surprised. Someone was listening.
"So Zelgadiss... you want to be strong??"
Zel wanted to scream and his younger self, but he knew it wouldn't help.
"Why are you showing me this spirit?? Do you enjoy tormenting me??!".
"Things are what they are," the ghost said sternly, "Do not blame me."
Zel watched in horror has his former self was transformed painfully into his abhorred chimera form. The youth screamed out in terror and pain. Finally after several minutes the youth collapsed on the ground.
Rezo walked up to the boy laying on the ground.
"Merry Christmas grandson".
"I can't take much more of this," Zel said from his knees. He was trying to keep his emotions in check. He had to keep his emotions in check. He couldn't show weakness to anyone.
"Get up, I still have one more thing to show you," the ghost replied.
"Your a monster you know that?"
"I thought you were the monster, or at least that's what you always called yourself."
"... shut up".
The ghost of Christmas past made a sweeping motion with her hand. They were once again in front of the little cottage. Sounds of arguing were heard from in the house.
"What's going on?" Zel asked as he walked up to the window and looked in. His mother and his stepfather were arguing loudly. He couldn't make out what they were saying through the glass.
"After you "disappeared" your mother and stepfather were devastated. Your stepfather blamed himself. Their marriage degraded day by day. This same scene was replayed, almost daily."
The glass faded to black.
Martha sighed and switched her groceries to her other hip.
"What's going on??", Zel asked the ghost curiously. The ghost didn't say a word and just pointed to his mother. Martha pushed upon the door and went inside. Zel followed closely behind her.
Martha froze in horror. Zel ran ahead in front of her.
"Oh...my..god,"....
Hanging from the rafters was his stepfather, a noose tied around his neck. His mother fell to her knees and burst into sobs.
Zel fell to his knees himself, and this time he wasn't able to hold back his tears.
"I... never knew.. I....
The scene changed one last time. Martha, Zel's mother, sat all alone knitting. She sobbed quietly to herself. The only Christmas decoration in site was a small tree. Well shrub could more accurately describe it. There were no presents, no more festive decorations. Nothing more to show that it was Christmas Eve.
"She's all alone," the ghost of Christmas present told Zel. Zel walked slowly up to his mother. If only he could comfort her...
"She waited patiently hoping her little boy would come home, but.. he never did".
"It would break her heart to see me in this monstrous form".
"Oh, I think she would have liked to see her little boy in any shape or form."
The young women cried softly to herself.
"Oh... Zel my little boy.. I hope your ok....
She broke down in uncontrollable sobs. Her knitting fell to the ground.
"I'm so sorry mom, I'm so sorry."
When Zel finally looked up from the tears streaming down his face. He found himself back in his inn room on the floor. Nothing seemed to have changed.