Chapter 1: Being dead is a pain
Cold air danced around the sky, carrying the sound of giggling children. The children at the orphanage burst out of the house wearing layers of warm clothing, making them look like literal bundles of joy. They staggered and rolled on the snow, laughing all the way because December was just one day away.
It was surprisingly cold for an afternoon but since it was the last day of November, we can strike out the word "surprisingly" from this sentence. Normally, no one would dare go out on such a freezing weather but the sun was out and the clouds that delivered the snow already left and there are lots of snow covering the entire garden now. This isn't something that children would ignore.
"SNOWBALL FIGHHHHHHT!" One of the children yelled out as he scooped a big pile of snow and threw it before making it snowballs. Soon enough, the children were scooping snow and throwing it at each other. When hit, they would pretend to have been shot by a gun and roll on the ground while chuckling.
"FEAR MEEEE!" One of the kids screamed as he charged and threw a snowball. After putting the snowball into projectile motion, however, he tripped on a big pile of snow and landed on the cold snow, face first, and was not able to see who he was able to hit with that sloppy throw.
Well, it's actually a good thing that he didn't get to witness the hit because the snowball didn't hit anyone. It only passed through the one who was already in front of him.
Yes. PASSED THROUGH.
"Tch, what a pathetic human." The girl in front of the young boy rolled her eyes, her arms crossed. She was a ten-year-old looking blondie and she was wearing a cute little dress which was unfit for the weather. Her tone was pretty mean back there but it's not like the human boy in front of her would be able to hear it.
After all, she was a ghost.
"Hey, are you alright, Mark?" The boy's friends ran to his aid, passing through the spirit that they didn't know stood in front of the boy.
Mark, the boy who fell on his face, snickered as his friends helped him up, "Sorry! Sorry! I was clumsy—whoops!" He fell backwards this time for some reason that confused his friends.
The girl snorted, "What a klutz."
"Oi, Mark, are you feeling dizzy or something? We should probably get you back inside…" One of his friends suggested as he stepped closer to the boy, but then Mark sat up with his face facing the ground. His friends blinked, perplexed.
"SIIIIIIKE!" Mark cackled as he threw a lot of snow (note: not very snowball-looking at all) at his friends who had apparently lowered their guard when he slipped a second time. His friends got hit one by one, while some of them ran away for cover. Mark shouted gibberish while throwing snowballs to pretend to be doing some kind of special move like the ones he sees in the videos that his brother watches all the time.
The little ghost girl watched the childish chaos unfold in front of her but she remained uninterested and unmoving. She just raised an eyebrow as she commented on how the children were throwing snow that don't look like balls, thus making it inappropriate to call it a snow-ball fight.
"What a senseless game." The little girl exclaimed.
"Come now, Lizzie. That's not very nice." A woman in her middle ages appeared behind the little girl. She put her hands on the little girl's shoulder in a comforting way, but since the two were both ghosts, they couldn't feel each other's warmth.
Lizzie looked up at her caretaker and said with the same respect she had for the children she was watching over, "Miss Pasty the hag. What do you want from me?"
"Not very nice. Very NOT NICE!" Miss Pasty pinched her cheeks vigorously.
"You know I don't feel anything, right?" Lizzie reminded the woman, "We're already dead."
Miss Pasty stopped pinching her and then frowned, "Why I'll be it… you're such a weird soul for your age."
"Age is just a number." Lizzie replied with no enthusiasm and then asked, "Now do tell me, what do you want from me?"
Miss Pasty sighed in frustration and stepped forward to position herself beside the young little girl. The sun's light just passed through her as she did so. Not even a small shadow was cast on the white snow. She answered, "You know I'd really like it better if you had been more enthusiastic with your job as…"
"…the ghost of Christmas present?" Lizzie said, "I don't think that's necessary as long as I do my job and watch the stupid humans celebrate Christmas until the day my spirit decays."
"…" Miss Pasty's face was an indescribable combination of disappointment and astonishment. Her expression was loudly saying, "I saw this coming but I'm still surprised". Miss Pasty frowned, "Young child, do you not wish to participate in these Christmas events too? Don't be such a…"
"I'm female so I can't become a Scrooge, Miss Pasty." Lizzie answered, still unmoving.
"I was going to say kill-joy but scrooge works too." Miss Pasty shrugged, "How ironic to find that one of the ghosts of Christmas does not enjoy Christmas…"
Lizzie rolled her eyes and started walking off to a distance, "Irony or not, I'd like to leave this conversation as is. Please don't show your face to me ever again and stay approximately 10 meters away from me."
"Remember! Don't tell anyone you're a Christmas ghost!" Miss Pasty reminded.
Lizzie hissed, "I'm not in this conversation anymore, woman."
Miss Pasty sadly smiled as she watched the young blondie strut away with such an attitude, "For a ten-year-old, she sounds older than me…" Miss Pasty slapped her cheeks lightly and then put on a smile, "Welp, time for work!" She stretched her arms and whispered some ominous sounds. As soon as she finished whispering, her silky dirty blonde hair finally shone because of the sunlight and under her was a shadow that states that she became solid.
She put her hands near her mouth and called out, "Children~! It's time for some hot chocolate!"
The kids' eyes immediately locked on the front door of the house where Miss Pasty was gesturing them to come in. They squealed in excitement as they made a bee-line to the house.
Lizzie watched Miss Pasty get the children inside the orphanage and squinted her eyes. Miss Pasty was a lucky ghost. She was the ghost of Christmas's past solely because she makes a certain deal with people who have recently died unnoticed.
According to the rumors, a ghost of a mother once asked Miss Pasty to take care of her family, who were not aware that the mother of their house had succumbed to illness abroad, and out of pity and with the consent of the ghost of Christmas's future, Miss Pasty took the form of the mother for 10 years, after which she pretended to succumb to illness just like the original mother and disappeared.
Ever since then, when mothers beg for her help to comfort their families, she would take their form for 10 years and pretend to die the same way the original mothers did. Sometimes, Miss Pasty would extend that contract though, if the child of the mothers were fit to be too young to experience loss.
At the moment, Miss Pasty is stuck with a job at the orphanage because a mom of an orphanage begged on her knees. She seems to enjoy it though and she's able to balance her time as the ghost of Christmas's past and her time as the mom of the orphanage, Miss Miranda.
Lizzie frowned, "She'll be crying for another set of months after she leaves this place. She'll probably ask me to watch over this kids more than I already do. Tch. That'd be a pain." She then whispered, "Being dead is a pain…"
That was just a play on words of course. She knows that the dead can't even feel pain.
She looked up at the sun, not needing to squint her eyes because her eyes do not feel threatened by the scorching light. She scowled at the sun, "Just wait until you explode, you ball of flames, and let's see who'd be threatened by that light of yours."
Lizzie decided to lean on a tree but she passed through it instead. She growled as she stood up, "Stupid ghastly characteristics. I can't even lean on a tree." She stood back up, fuming.
She then looked at the tree again. Then, she looked around to see if anyone was around. The garden was deserted except for some birds who were taking a rest before heading south. Lizzie pouted, hesitating to do what she wanted to do right now.
But in the end she ended up whispering ominous words as well and turning visible and touchable temporarily. Lizzie took this opportunity to punch and kick the tree while yelling, "RAAAAAA!!!!"
She was really just taking out the stress of being a Christmas ghost on the poor old tree and she's aware of how unfairly she was treating the tree but she's also aware that trees don't have thoughts nor feelings so she continued on and kept on lashing at the tree's bark.
She kept doing this for a few minutes and then she leaned on the tree and sat down.
She was only allowed to be visible and touchable for 1 hour every day and she apparently used her 1 hour to harass a tree. Unlike Miss Pasty, who was allowed to be visible and touchable for 10 hours because of her side jobs as mothers, here and there, Lizzie was only supposed to use that 1 hour if there was someone in danger and if she is able to help that person in any way.
But she's never used it before. This is the first time she's used it. And it's for such a ridiculous reason too.
Lizzie sighed and buried her face on her knees.
According to Miss Pasty, Lizzie died at the age of 2 and the ghost of Christmas's future decided that she would be the Ghost of Christmas's present that same instant she died. A perk of being a Christmas ghost was that they can still act as if they were normal humans because they still grow and develop. In Lizzie's case, she grew as a ghost surrounded by other ghosts who seemed to never age and humans who can't even see her.
For her, not being able to live normally, just like the kids, despite being humane, was the only pain a ghost might ever feel.
And right now, that's what she feels…
"Hey…! Are you okay…?" Lizzie shrieked and looked up to be greeted by two big blue eyes.
A blonde boy, about the same age as her, blinked at her. Lizzie recognized his face as one of the children earlier. Mark! That was his name!
"Uh? Hiloooow???" Mark waved his hand in front of Lizzie, checking if she would respond.
Lizzie's first reaction was panic and she screamed, "Get away from me, Satan!"
Mark gasped and looked around. He then pointed at himself, "Are you talking about ME???"
"No! I'm talking to the snow!" Lizzie sarcastically hissed as she clung to the tree for protection.
Mark blinked, "Ooooh, okay." And then he stepped closer, "Don't worry! I don't think Satan is in the snow so you can calm down…"
"STUPID! DON'T COME NEAR ME!" Lizzie barked. "DON'T YOU DARE!"
Mark swung his hands right up and backed away, "Okay, okay, okay! But I swear, there are no demons or ghosts around here! This place was doused in holy water when I was a baby!"
Lizzie wanted to inform him that she and their "mom" are ghosts but decided not to.
Mark sat down on the snow and asked, "You're a new face here… Are you new?"
Lizzie stuck out her tongue, "As if I'd tell you. I don't know who you are. You're probably a secret spy from the neighboring country disguised as an irritating kid."
"What?"
"YOU'RE A STRANGER TO ME, OKAY???"
Mark blinked, "You know, for a second earlier, I thought you were crying."
"Ghosts don't cry." Lizzie blurted out.
Mark blinked, "What?"
"I said Guuurls don't cry." Lizzie hissed.
Mark blinked, "I don't think that's the same thing as the one you said befo—"
"Just leave me aloooone!!!" Lizzie hissed and shuffled on all fours to get around the tree.
"Hey wait!" Mark chased after her.
"Don't come near me! I'll curse you if you do!" Lizzie threatened as she ran around the tree.
Mark blinked, "What???"
"THAT'S THE LAST WHAT I'LL BE GETTING FROM YOU!" Lizzie stopped on her heels and turned around to face the blonde boy. She put her finger in front of him and said, "Listen here, I don't know if you're stupid or ignorant but I'm gonna make this clear. Don't come near me!"
"Why???" Mark blinked.
"STOP THE QUESTIONS! I JUST WANT SOME PEEAACE!" Lizzie screamed and covered her ears while saying incomprehensible words to drown out whatever question Mark had.
Mark sweat dropped. And then he blinked. This boy was born with slow processing skills but he's the type of person who can't un-hear what comes in his ear. Mark gaped, "YOU'RE A GHOST???"
Lizzie didn't hear this though, she kept saying weird words to drown out whatever Mark says.
But Mark was jumping up and down, beaming, "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! I have so many questions! 1.) When you eat children, do they pass through your body or are they digested? 2.) Do you guys sleep in coffins like vampires? 3.) Can sugar exorcise you from a house or body???"
That's when Mark realized that Lizzie wasn't listening so he slapped her on the cheek, vigorously in order to catch her attention. It worked successfully but Mark suddenly yelled, "LIAR! YOU'RE NO GHOST! MY HAND TOTALLY HIT YOU!"
"Yeah! And it hurt! What the hell do you want?!" Lizzie hissed.
Mark hissed, "You're a wanna-be ghost. I don't like liars like you!" Then he stuck his tongue out.
Lizzie raised an eyebrow, triggered, "exCUSE ME?! I am the ghost of Christmas's present! How dare you call me a wanna-be gho—" Mark suddenly collapsed. "—WHAT THE HELL?!"
Lizzie stared at Mark's unmoving body on the snow. She thought it was another trick of his to throw snowballs at his enemies but this one was real.
And it wasn't caused by any natural phenomena, no, it was caused by something beyond that.
Miss Pasty walked out of the house, "Lizzie."
Lizzie stared at Miss Pasty, "What?"
"What did I tell you this morning…?" Miss Pasty asked with a straight face.
Lizzie blinked and then remembered. Her eyes widened as she stuttered, "D-don't… tell anyone… I'm a ghost…"
Miss Pasty sighed in frustration and then walked towards Lizzie, who was trembling.
Lizzie just broke a rule. You can't simply reveal yourself to anyone. Lizzie panicked thinking that some horrible punishment would be set on her. But she's never exactly felt physical pain before so she couldn't think of anything worse than being a ghost.
"Lizzie, you're such a forgetful little child." Miss Pasty murmured.
Lizzie looked at her and blinked in confusion but then Miss Pasty put her finger on Lizzie's forehead, and as soon as she did, everything in Lizzie's vision turned black.
And she collapsed.
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CloudInABottle
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