Dreaming of a Lost Christmas
by Jeffrey Scott Holland - part 7

Edward walked into the house and took off his coat. He looked at the chiming clock on the wall and saw it had just turned eight-thirty. He sat down in the chair and closed his eyes, with a smile on his face. He was definitely in love again. Suddenly, the fireplace lit up, and he opened his eyes to see Grim walking out of the fire. He had almost forgotten about the old man, and about the gun lying on the table.

Propped against his cane, Grim said, "I hope she didn't build your hopes up too much!"

A sly grin appeared on Edward's face, "So what if she did?"

Grim was not amused, "Mr. Potts, trust me! Just go ahead and get it over with!"

Edward got up and walked over to where Grim was standing, next to the gun. "You know, you have a really negative outlook for someone who is supposed to lift people's spirits!"

Grim raised his voice, "Just go ahead and do it! It will notwork out!"

Edward picked up the gun, put it back in the box and latched it, "So who are you now? The Ghost of Christmas Future? Just forget it! I changed my mind!"

Grim frowned, "No! It's too late for that! There's no turning back now!"

Edward was beginning to get mad, "You know, I'm getting a little tired of you! Go away and leave me alone!"

Grim's voice became very deep and rough and echoed through the entire house as he spoke, "You idiot! You still have no idea who you are dealing with, do you?"

Grim's face suddenly distorted and his body began to bend out of shape. His short, stubby body stretched into a tall, skinny one wearing a black robe. The skin on his face melted away, leaving only the skull and two hideously large eyes. His black hair stretched down to his shoulders and attached to the robe to form a hood. He held his cane up as it stretched, transforming into a long shaft with a curved blade attached to the end.

Edward stumbled backwards, tripping over a rug and falling to the floor, "What kind of Christmas ghost are you?"

Grim's evil laugh rumbled through the room, "You fool! The three ghosts of Christmas were in a story written by Charles Dickens in 1843!"

Edward crawled away from him, "Then who... what... are you?"

His big bulging eyes looked down on Edward, "Haven't you figured it out yet? I am the Grim Reaper!"

Edward quickly got to his feet, "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"

The Reaper smiled, as much as someone with a skull for a face could, and chuckled, "Because, that's what I do! Haven't you ever noticed the suicide rate is always highest around Christmas? There are so many people who are so completely miserable for no reason. It doesn't take a lot to convince them they will never be completely happy"

The thought horrified Edward, mostly because he knew it was true. He had been so miserable this morning, convinced he would never be happy again. He just hadn't had the right outlook on life. Suddenly, he realized how quickly one's perception of the world could change. His perception had changed in just a couple of minutes. He held up his hands, "I'm not one of those people! Not anymore, anyway!"

Grim's evil laughter filled the room, "I'm sorry you feel that way, but if you won't do it, I'll just take you myself!"

Panic filled Edward's voice, "You can't do that! I changed my mind!"

Grim laughed, "Maybe so, but deep down inside, you still don't have any hope. You know there's an enormous chance it won't work out between the two of you, and you could be totally miserable again!"

With that, he knocked Edward to the ground and swung at him with his scythe. Edward rolled, and the curved blade dug into the floor. Grim pulled it out as Edward got back to his feet. He ran for the door, but the Reaper blocked him off. Grim backed him into the corner, getting closer and closer.

He positioned the blade of his scythe at Edward's throat, "Look on the bright side! At least you'll get to see Alicia!"

Edward closed his eyes tightly. He could feel the blade touching his throat. His muscles tensed as he prepared to feel the cold steel slice his flesh. As he gritted his teeth, he could hear people singing outside.

The blade moved away from his throat as the Reaper turned and took a step backward to look out the window. Edward slowly opened his eyes to see a group of Christmas carolers outside on his lawn.

Warmth filled Edward's heart with the thought some people cared enough to spend their Christmas Eve singing to a stranger. The world, which he had earlier thought of as a horrible place, now seemed a little more pleasant. Maybe there was still good in the world.

The reaper slowly backed away from Edward, giving him a suspicious look.

Someone knocked at the door, but Edward was afraid to move from the corner. He shouted, "Who is it?"

A muffled voice came from the door, "It's Patty! Come outside! You have Christmas carolers!"

His heart skipped a beat when he heard her voice. The Reaper threw down his scythe and put his hands to the sides of his head as if he were in great pain. The Reaper's actions threw Edward off guard. What was going on? He picked up the staff and held the blade out to defend himself from an attack.

He heard Patty at the door again, "Edward? Are you coming out?"

He yelled back, "Yes! Give me just a minute!" He could tell from the sound of her voice she was as interested in him as he was in her. The Reaper let out a piercing shriek and started to decompose. He was dematerializing and melting at the same time, and in a few seconds, there was nothing left.

The floor thumped as Edward poked around with the shaft of the scythe to make sure he was really gone. Then the scythe vanished from Edward's hands as well.

He stood there for another minute and then tucked in his shirt tail as he walked over to the door. He walked out onto the porch and over to Patty, who was leaning against the rail listening to the carolers.

He put his arm around her, and she looked at him, "Isn't this nice?"

He smiled as their eyes met again, "It's wonderful!"

She noticed he was out of breath, "Are you okay?"

He looked into her eyes, "I'm fine, now." She smiled, and they turned around to give their attention to the carolers.

He knew eventually he would have to face the Reaper again, but he didn't expect it to be anytime soon. He now realized the weapons to use against the Reaper: hope, happiness, and a reason to live.

He now had hope he could be happy again, and as long as he had hope, he had a reason to live. As long as he had a reason to live, he could be happy. It was all a giant loop, and all he had to do was stay in it.