Chapter Four

Lina stirred as the clock struck the hour of one; she closed her eyes to fall back asleep until a memory shook her again.

Opening her eyes suddenly, she sat upon a gasp. Her eyes looking around the darkroom for signs that she wasn't alone.

"Another spirit." She whispered.

Jumping from the bed, throwing aside the crisp crinkled blankets and running to the door and into her living room, the room sat in a tranquil quiet darkness nothing moved or shone, except for the stars in the sky.

Taking a breath of relief, Lina turned back to her bedroom and stood stock at the door.

It was her own room.

There was no doubt about that. But it had undergone a surprising transformation.

The walls and ceiling were so hung with a living green that it looked a perfect grove, from every part of which bright gleaming berries glistened. The crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy reflected back the light as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there. Such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney as that dull petrification of a hearth had never known in Lina's time.

Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat. Sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the room dim with their delicious steam.

In relaxed state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see, who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty's horn, and held it up, high up, to shed its light on Lina as she came peeping round the door.

'Come in!' exclaimed the Ghost. 'Come in! and know me better, woman!"

Lina's eyes widened as she looked upon the Ghost's face, where the last had been the spitting image of Yvette, this one wore the striking resemblance to someone Lina knew very well." Kiera!"

"Not Kiera, child, come in and eat this goose is utter perfection, and with the cranberry sauce, it's divine."

Lina lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. "Are you sure, cause this is a very Kiera thing to do, she has a love affair with food going on, I'm waiting for my invitation to her wedding to her favorite delicious Potsticker"?

The Spirit smiled, lifting up a giant goose leg and devouring it in its mouth. "I have taken the form of the one who makes you smile the most."

"Kiera does seem to have a ray of sunshine that exudes from her, it's impossible not to be happy around her, it's one of the reasons she's my best friend," Lina said thoughtfully, feeling guilty for having made her so sad earlier at her office.

"I am the spirit of Christmas present." The Spirit smiled. "Look upon, me, child."

Lina reluctantly did so. It was clothed in one simple deep green robe bordered with white fur. This garment hung loosely on the figure that its capacious breast was bare as if disdaining to be warded or concealed by any artifice.

Lina blushed. "Do you…errr wanna cover-up, I can err….well, I can see your…girls right there."

The Spirit shrugged and smiled, stuffing its face again.

Its feet, observable beneath the ample folds of the garment, were naked; and on its head, it wore no other covering than a holly wreath, set here and there with shining icicles. Its honey blonde locks were long and free; free as it's genial face, its sparkling eye, its open hand, its cheery voice, its unconstrained demeanor, and its festive air. Girded round its middle was an antique scabbard: but no sword was in it, and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust.

The fact that the Spirit looked like this and wore Kiera's face was too jarring for Lina to take in.

"You have never seen the like of me before!" exclaimed the Spirit.

"Never," Lina shook her head. "Well, aside from your face, that's kinda familiar."

"Have never walked forth with the younger members of my family; meaning (for I am very young), my elder brothers born in these later years?" pursued the Phantom.

"I don't think I have," Lina replied, her voice shaky, "I am afraid I have not. Have you had many brothers, Spirit?"

"More than eighteen hundred," said the Ghost.

"A tremendous family to provide for," Lina muttered under her breath. "The Christmas gift list much be a bitch."

The Ghost of Christmas Present rose.

"Spirit," said Lina submissively, "Take me where you will. I went forth last night on compulsion, and I learned a lesson that is working now. Tonight if you must teach me, let me profit from it."

"Touch my robe!"

"Definitely not a Kiera line." Lina mused softly.

Lina did as she was told and held it fast.

A flash of light seemed to emanate from inside the Spirit and engulf them in its bright essence.

When the light dimmed and dispersed, Lina found herself in a strange room; a Christmas tree stood guard like an over-decorated soldier in the corner, tinsel and baubles of red and gold shone against the little light that came from through the window.

The sky outside grey and dull made it necessary to light a small elegant lamp that sat on the mantle place to give a soft romantic light.

Lina turned to the Spirit to ask where they were when a small child rushed through the door at breakneck speed, dressed only on a diaper. He chuckled mischievously as he raced away from some unseen pursuer.

"What the..." Lina was cut off by the sight of the blonde woman running after the child, an indulgent smile on her face.

"What the hell?" Lina gasped.

"You see now why she wanted Christmas off?" The Spirit asked with a shrug, pulling out a vast Turkey leg from under its coat; with Kiera's face, this did not look odd. It was just more convincing; this Spirit is a method actor apparently.

"But who is he?" Lina questioned, watching her secretary scoop the laughing child into her arms and throw him into the air.

"It's what happens I'm afraid when you have an office hook up in a cupboard, do you think anyone takes condoms to work?" The Spirit said through a mouthful of Turkey.

"What?" Lina still glared at the woman and child.

"Office parties, I believe you humans call them." The Spirit smirked.

"I canceled this year, and by the looks of it, I was right," Lina replied. "People are in my work closest having sex."

"Eve has a child?" Lina said, shocked, she'd never suspected, but Eve had never even hinted she had a son.

The Spirit nodded. "She got a bad hand, the man child departed, and she was left alone with a child. Sad, but it seems even dodos can give the greatest of gifts."

"She never told me, why would she hide this? How could she think she'd hide this forever?"

Lina turned to face the Spirit this time, picking at the bowl of red and black grapes that sat in a jar at the side.

"Are you sure you aren't Kiera Daniels?" Lina questioned again.

"No child, you see, Eve was afraid too, fear is quite common in hindering humans I've noticed, you know someone can be in love and never tell that person just because they are afraid." The Spirit laughed as Lina felt heat shoot through her; she was well aware of that fact. "It's that frightening to try and take flight, they don't want to fall, but they never consider that they might actually soar."

"Can we can the cliche lines and tell me why Eve is keeping a child from me? I'm not an ogre."

"She asked you for Christmas off you said no, only with Kiera did you agree but then demanded she come in early the next day, what do you think she found comforting in that?"

"What about before that? I didn't take over the company last week, you know." Lina asked stubbornly.

"Fear." The Spirit repeated. "Eve found herself in a place she didn't want to be, knowing herself for the fool he had taken her for. Eve didn't want to admit it, she didn't want to tell Kiera, fear comes in many forms even when there is nothing to fear."

The realisation hit Lina. "It was Kiera's ex?"

The Spirit nodded.

Lina cringed. "They both need to get better taste in men."

The Spirit turned towards her a sly smirk across its Kiera like lips. "Indeed."

"She could have told me," Lina said firmly but a twinge of lost forlornness in her voice. "My mother had me alone, I would have understood more than anyone."

"And how, child, would she have known that?" The Spirit questioned.

"Momma!" The little boy squealed with delight as his mother continued to pretend to throw him into the air.

"You are too wicked." Eve chuckled.

"Santa Momma, Santa!"

The Spirit laughed. "It's a good thing he has her brain too; otherwise, that would be frightening for humanity."

Lina turned unbelieving eyes to the Spirit. "Remind me not to say that when she tells me about this, I get the feeling it won't be comforting."

"Truth is truth, child."

"Eve, darling." A soft motherly voice called from the hallway came closer into the room until a middle-aged woman stood in the doorway, eyes so like Eve's twinkled with warmth as she looked at her daughter and grandson. "You help Tim with the presents, I'll clean up, you have to enjoy your time with him, that awful Lina Leonard who does she think she is demanding everyone work at Christmas!"

Lina frowned.

"Mom, don't start Ms. Leonard isn't as bad as you think; she just is in a bad place right now," Eve said, defending her gloomy boss.

"Well, I don't like her." Eve's mother said finally as she turned around and left the room again. "She sounds much too, like her damn mother and brother."

"Ms. Leonard is a good and kind woman, Mom, she's just going through a hard time," Eve said sadly as her son grabbed hold of her nose and chuckled hard as he squeezed.

Lina stood stunned.

"Momma." Lina watched the two again, their interaction so sweet and innocent, the play between a mother and her child reminded her of her own mother, her real loving mother. A sob caught in her throat.

The Spirit grimaced as though it had tasted something terrible. "Still, at least the kid doesn't look like his father; no one wants a face that looks like a smacked backside."

"What." Lina started, eyes full of surprise.

"Truth is truth, child." The Spirit chuckled.

"Err, he's not my type, recently I've found it steers towards redheads." Lina shrugged. But only certain redheads.

"Speaking of redheads, come we must move on." The Spirit said, holding out its hand for Lina to take.

Engulfed in light, Eve's apartment disappeared slowly, but inevitably a familiar sight came into view.

"Kiera's apartment."

"Yes." The Spirit said, eyeing the turkey on the kitchen table, golden brown and oozing with delicious hot steam.

The whole apartment was decorated from top to bottom with tinsel and lights, baubles hung from the giant Christmas tree that reflected against the window glass casting a beautiful ethereal reflection.

Footsteps echoed around them as voices began to be heard moving into the room.

"I asked her to come, Alexa, and she wouldn't, now she's all alone in her office like some loner." Kiera sighed sadly, heading towards Turkey, surveying her work as she pulled the stuffing balls from the oven. "It's like she hates me these days, she doesn't want anything to do with me, I miss my friend Alexa."

Lina felt a tsunami of sadness wash over her with the force of Kiera's words; she hated seeing the pile-up of tears in her blue eyes, hated seeing her glasses steam up.

Alexa was soon next to her sister, pulling her close into a warm protective hug. "Hey, it's okay; she's a big girl. She knows what she is doing."

Lina frowned at the redhead's words. "She doesn't sound like she cares." She pouted.

The Spirit shrugged. "Maybe she moved on."

"Moved on!" Lina shouted, her face turning red with rage at the idea. "She's moved on, I cried every fucking night, and she's moved on."

"It's not only that Alexa, but there is also something else, I could tell she was hiding something, and I think she wanted to tell me about it." Kiera lifted her sorrow-filled navy blue eyes to her sister. "What if she's in trouble, Alexa, what if something has happened with her mother?"

"You can't go, everyone is arriving soon." Alexa grabbed hold of her sister's arm, stopping her.

"I don't care, it's Lina Alex."

Alex nodded, a soft, almost unreadable look in her eyes. "I.....I need to tell you something."

Lina gasped. "What is she going to say?"

"I hope it's something about sharing Turkey." The Spirit smiled with delighted glee.

Lina rolled her eyes. Looks like Kiera and thinks like Kiera, talks like Kiera.

Alex sighed, a fear in the pit of her stomach, but Lina's words had haunted her for the longest time.

"What is it, Alexa?" Kiera asked, concerned.

"It's about Lina."

"You know something, it's bad, isn't it? I knew it what's happened?" Kiera asked worriedly.

"She's not in any trouble or danger, it's something else," Alexa reassured her sister. "I know the reason she isn't here today."

"What is it?"

Lina watched Alexa swallow hard and looked away; for a moment, their eyes connected, and Lina could have sworn that the redhead saw her.

Lina smiled slightly, her lips stretching as her woman's gaze remained on her until reality sunk in and. Alexa turned away back to her sister.

"She doesn't want to be near me."

"Don't be so foolish, Alex, it's Lina. We're talking about what does she have against you?"

"We had a thing for a few months, no, that's not true, we dated, we were together and... hell Kiera, I was an idiot," Alexa stressed, running her hands over her face as Kiera looked at her sister, her mouth open in shock.

"What?"

"She wanted us to be open, to tell you, but I was too scared, I felt something for her Kiera, something huge and I was afraid by risking, it by giving us a title and going public that would die, we haven't even talked about kids and what we want, what if all of that happened again?" Alex said sadly. "What if I was too deep, and the same thing happened again as it did with Paula, Lina...she was...no she is special Kiera."

"Were you in a place to talk about kids and the future?" Kiera's asked, still feeling the effects of the confession. Was she so oblivious that she'd missed this colossal thing, her sister and her best friend was together?

"I don't know, in my mind, I wanted to ask it, I wanted to know everything she wanted."

"This can't be true, spirit," Lina said in disbelief, her green eyes unwilling to leave the form of the woman she loved. "If this is fake and you are playing with me, that is too cruel a joke to play on me."

"It's no joke, child" The Spirit stepped forward, "Eve was ruled by one fear, Alexa by another, you too if you are honest."

"I was afraid I wasn't good enough for her," Lina admitted, tears clouding her eyes. "Look at her, she's everything, intelligent, beautiful, sweet, and kind. What could she ever want with me?" The truth was she'd always felt that way; it had begun the very first day she'd set eyes on Lilith Leonard and had never faded away.

Her stepmother had gone out of her way to install feelings of doubt and self-loathing, the woman had hated her husband had loved another woman and had an extramarital affair.

"She was afraid, and you were afraid, all you got was misery alone." The Spirit said knowingly. "Humans, when will you ever learn that this physical world is but a blink of an eye, too soon you'll find yourself at the end, and too many are filled only with regret, grasp ahold of who you love, kiss them, hug them, love them while you can because all too soon your chance is gone."

"Are you going for the Noble price this year?" Lina asked, dapping the tears from her eyes.

"Come, we must leave and return you to your bedroom, we have been here for too long, and time is pressing." The Spirit warmed, holding its hand out.

Lina took one last look at Alexa and Kiera, biting her lip she wanted to run to them; she tried to pull them into her arms and hold them tight. She wanted to be held by Alexa's safe arms and be kissed by the lips she missed so much.

Taking the spirits outstretched hand, Lina experiences the same transformation as they had before, only now she found herself back in her bedroom.

It was a long night if it were only a night, but Lina had her doubts about this because the Christmas Holidays appeared to be condensed into the space of time they passed together. It was strange, too, that, while Lina remained unaltered in his outward form, the Ghost grew older, clearly older.

Lina had observed this change, but never spoke of it until they arrived in the safety of Lina's bedroom, when, looking at the Spirit as they stood together in the spacious room, she noticed that its hair was grey.

It was strange to see Kiera look old, wrinkles adorned her face, and her hair was grey and brittle as though it had been frozen in the snow and broken into bits.

"Are spirits' lives so short?" Lina asked.

"My life upon this globe is very brief," replied the Ghost. "It ends tonight."

"Tonight!" Lina cried out.

"Tonight, at midnight. The time is drawing near."

The chimes were ringing the three quarters past eleven at that moment.

"Forgive me if I am not justified in what I ask," said Lina, looking intently at the Spirit's robe, "but I see something strange, and not belonging to you, protruding from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw?"

"It might be a claw, for the flesh, there is upon it," was the Spirit's sorrowful reply. "Look here!"

It brought two children from the foldings of its robe, wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable. They knelt down at its feet and clung upon the outside of its garment.

"O, Man! Look here! Look, look down here!" exclaimed the Ghost.

They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meager, ragged, scowling, wolfish, But prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shriveled hand, like that of age, had pinched and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity in any grade, through all the mysteries of beautiful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread.

Lina started back, appalled her eyes wide with alarm and fear. Having them shown to her in this way, she tried to say they were beautiful children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude.

"Spirit! are they yours?" Lina could say no more."

The Spirit shook its head. "No, they are not mine, they are yours."

"Excuse me!" Lina shrieked. "How can they be mine!"

"This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware of them, and all their degree, most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom unless it's erased. Deny it!"

cried the Spirit, stretching out its now wrinkled and withered hand towards the city. "Slander those who tell it to you! Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse! And bide the end!"

"What?"

"They are yours, but in your ignorance, in your fear, you will continue to deny them life." The Spirit warned. "You will doom yourself to loneliness, your fear crippling you with such ferociousness you will not even see it anymore, but these children will know and will await your end to haunt you."

"What?" Lina echoes again, how could these creatures be her children?

"Take your fears and charge at them, child, fear is inevitable, but that makes the rewards even greater."

The bell struck Twelve.

Lina looked about her for the Ghost but saw nothing. As the last stroke ceased to vibrate, she remembered the prediction her brother and, lifting up her eyes, beheld a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming like a mist along the ground towards her.

"Oh, this one isn't going to be good."