“I know. He is like that character in the story Mam used to read to us,” Tommy replied.
“Mr Scrooge?” I asked.
“Yes. Do you remember she’d read it to us at Christmas?”
“Mam would read us a chapter a night,” I said with a smile.
“That was a scary story. But he is like Mr Scrooge.” Tommy smiled as memories hit him. Then, his face got sad. We both missed our Mam. Mam had gone away when we fell asleep, and she’d not been here when we woke up.
“Shall we talk to Poppy and Margaret? Maybe we could make him like Christmas again, like Mr Scrooge did,” I suggested.
My little brother’s face lit up with a big smile. “Yeah! He’ll love Christmas again! Let’s find Poppy!”
Ernest
Janie, Tommy, and several other children rushed over to where I stayed. I smiled at my grandchildren. They’d not passed on, and it had broken my heart. I’d stayed because they were my grandchildren. Janie and Tommy had been my treasures. My daughter had been widowed in a mining accident before I died a few weeks later. The children had died two years later. My daughter came three days after them, but while the children stayed, she hadn’t. I’d remained behind for them.
“Poppy!” Janie called, and I swooped down and caught her up.
“What, darling girl?” I asked.
“That man needs to learn a lesson, like in the book Mam used to read to us,” Tommy said. He pointed in the direction of the man called Sunny, who was cursing under his breath as he climbed to his feet.
“You think so?” I asked as an idea began to form.
“He makes the pretty lady sad,” Janie said.
“You think someone needs to learn the spirit of Christmas again?” I asked.
“Yes, Poppy, can you make it happen?” Janie asked, gazing at me like I’d hung the moon and stars.
For my grandchildren, I would make it happen.
???
Sunny – the following night. The Ghost of Christmas Past.
Callie had benched me for the rest of the investigation. Fine. I’d rattle around here. After breakfast, I headed upstairs to our room. The talk downstairs had been full of their findings, of which there had been plenty. It had then turned to their plans for tonight, from which I was excluded. They were investigating at the hotel.
Liv and Mom had sent me concerned looks, and Callie made it obvious that I was being cut out.
I lay down on our bed and closed my eyes. I cast my mind back and tried to understand what was causing me so much grief. Why had I turned into such a miserable bastard? Lost in my thoughts, I almost came out of my skin as a bang made me jump. I sat up and gaped.
“The investigation isn’t taking place in this room,” I said as I stared at the outline of a man.
“When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll be visited by the first of three ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past,” the ghost said.
“Heard this before, except the ghost should start visiting at one,” I replied and rolled my eyes.
The ghost smiled, said, “You’re in our town now, Sunny,” and faded away.
“Yeah, right, whatever,” I retorted and rolled over. I didn’t need any more bullshit.
???
“Wake up, boy,” a woman demanded. I opened my eyes and saw a ghostly woman standing in front of me.
“What the hell? Who are you?” I snapped.
