The Ghosts of Christmas

When we stumbled into a city, I was more than relieved.  I tried heading toward the first café I saw, but Chaz pulled me back.  Even though I couldn’t see his face I could read his emotions through his arms that had protectively wrapped around me.  Through the snowstorm various dark figures roamed past us and a few entered the popular looking café.  Even from across the street I could smell the warmth of hot chocolate.

Chaz practically carried me as he fled down a side street.  He stopped occasionally, looking at street signs even though it was obvious that he didn’t know where he was going.  Even with his jacket, I was starting to shiver uncontrollably.  Chaz tensed a little  and pulled me into the nearest building.

It was a public library of some sort, but even bigger than the Library of Congress.  Chaz dragged me back through the bookshelves and we finally settled ourselves on the floor between shelves.  It was then that I had noticed that the outlines of people really were just outlines.  More like shadows.

“Do you mind explaining what just happened?” I asked him.

Chaz paced a little, trying to find the best way to explain his abrupt behavior.  “There was trouble back there.”

“An hour?” I guessed, though we usually went straight after those things.

“Superiors,” Chaz admitted.  “Well, sort of.  We can’t afford drawing too much attention.”

“Are we illegal?” I demanded.

“That’s not the issue,” Chaz quickly said.  “We aren’t the only ones looking for the hours.  The thieves are too, so we need to keep a low profile.”

He didn’t say no, which I couldn’t decide if I wanted to pursue the subject or not.  Chaz seemed so incredibly agitated that I was more worried for him than the legality of our actions.  He pushed a few books aside to peer through the shelves and I knew he was grimacing.

“Stay here,” he said quietly.

“What’s going on?” I whispered.

“Just trust me.”

I did.  I wrapped Chaz’s coat more tightly around me as he disappeared around the shelves.  I didn’t follow, but I did listen.  There were voices, Chaz’s and two others, that were occasionally being shushed.  I could make out the words finder and hours now and again and realized that I was the center of the topic.  As the voices neared my hiding place, though, I heard more.

“The Finder is none of your concern, Present,” Chaz said angrily.

“The Finder should be kept in the Realm until its task is done,” a deep voice growled.  “We do not have time to waste, not with the Timewights acting all snooty right now.”

“Snooty?” asked a childish voice.

“Shut up, Past,” Present snapped.  I thought Christmas Present was supposed to be a jolly fellow.

“Present, listen,” Chaz started again.

“You listen, Lost,” Present growled and it sounded like someone was shoved against a bookshelf.  “Either find all the hours today, or we’re advertising.”

“Won’t that upset the Timewights?” Past asked.

“I don’t have a problem with embarrassing them because they lost our hours,” Present snapped.

“You don’t know the full situation,” Chaz protested.

I was so absorbed in the conversation that I completely missed the ghost coming up behind me.  Of course, now that I think about it, she probably didn’t make a sound.  I nearly jumped and knocked over the massive bookshelf when she knelt down next to me.  She was definitely a Ghost, she had the same glass like quality that Chaz had, but everything was shades of black.

“Future,” I said quietly, both a statement and a question.

She pushed back her hood a little and what looked like an ordinary glass, college aged woman cocked her head at me.  I was more surprised when she spoke and her voice was mellow, but not cold.  “I see.  I will get Present to back off.  Finder, can you please find my Christmas before its eve?”

“I’ll try,” I said.  “And it’s Amy.”

“Pree,” the young Future said before she stood to deal with her Present companion.