Christmas is Canceled [IC]

[Omac]

Christmas was known throughout the many worlds as a holiday of faith, celebration, and giving junk to family and friends at outrageous prices. In most of the multiverse, it was seen as a time of happiness and joy. For some though, Christmas was a sense of darkness. It was cold and cruel like lady luck on a Monday. Where some saw the beauty of snow, some saw it as a death trap waiting to happen. It depended on the person, really. Christmas could be cheery or it could be depressing. It was kind of a touchy subjective.

The year was 1994... Once. It was at one point 1994. Now it was much, much later at the end of 2019. Reese Reeve, mayor of Townsville, had become tired of how the holidays had affected his town. For only the night before, a horrible snow storm came and endangered the tens to thirties of people living in Townsville. Luckily for Reese Reeve, his house was packed with a force field so that the snow simply fell to the poverty district rather then his own mansion. The next morning he had enough. The holidays had brought enough pain to their fair city. He stepped out onto his balcony, "People of Townsville, please rejoice, for Christmas is canceled!" He asked each of them to voice their opinions so he knew what to do, but he had his own plans...

Soon the three ghost of Christmas would arrive. They would not arrive in a stereotypical order. There was a "brb" note left by the Ghost of Christmas Present. Perhaps, Christmas Future would be the one to arrive first. For all powerful beings who enforce the rules of the holidays, they didn't seem to follow them. It mattered not. For Reese Reeve had a secret plan... he had already called for help. A ghostbuster from the town over who was trained in ghost catching. Reese hoped that if he could capture all three ghosts of Christmas that he could destroy Christmas forever. It was brilliant, he thought, and he made his way to his bed. He left his front door unlocked for any of the ghostbusters, ghosts, or townsfolk to come right on in, and lowered the forcefield ever so lightly so that they may enter, but perhaps never leave.

[SirCookie]

The door creaked open for the Ghost of Christmas Present to have dramatic effect. The ghost climbs his way to the bedroom of Reese Reeve. He opened the door and greeted the man as he walks in. "Ah, hello! You must be Reese Reeve! I am the ghost of Christmas Present. Er, not to be confused with the ghost of Christmas Presents! I heard you are the man planning to cancel Christmas forever! Why would you ever want such a thing, sir? Everyone loves Christmas! Except the Grinch, and Scrooge, and..." He rambles on for another while and then stops talking.

[Omac]

Reese Reeve peaked his head out from under the covers like a curious kid. Not the kind that was hoping for Santa to drop off presents or the sight of presents. No, it was more like a kid who had done something bad and felt not guilt or empathy for the action. Much like putting pop rocks in fathers coffee or snakes in grandma's wig. It was an embrace into the darker side of life. It was more fun, more thrilling, and in all his years of life it was still filled with childhood wonder. He saw the ghost standing before him and silently chuckled. Not because he enjoyed the banter of the ghost. It was because he knew the trap had been set. "Oh! Welcome to my home." He faked a smile, "But may I ask you why you are here? Is it not my business to cancel such a destructive holiday in my own town?"

[SirCookie]

The ghost gasps a very dramatic gasp. "Destructive holiday?! What an absurd thing to say! I am but a humble Christmas ghost!" He pulls a chair out of nowhere and sits on it with a clipboard and a paper. "So tell me good sir, why do you want to cancel the biggest holiday of the year! Er, no offense Easter Bunny! Do you have a tragic backstory? Did Santa killed your family? No, no, Santa would never do such a thing!" He thinks for a second. "Is it because you have nobody to give gifts to? Nobody to celebrate with? Nobody to... love?"

[Omac]

Reese Reeve thought about it for a moment. He rubbed at his beard. "Oh, you misunderstand. I am mayor of a great city town thing. I don't have time, or desire, for love." He pulled out a stick from under his pillow as it expanded into a cane and took a deep breathe. He moved around his bedroom, passing the curtain in front of his closet, and a bunch of paperwork. "I am quite a happy person. I have nothing worth your lurking, certainly nothing behind this curtain, okay let's let it go." He kept moving, now closer to the window. "I have no secrets to hide. Not a wife who really died. Or a reason much behind the fact that, Christmas sucks."

He took a pause as he looked around the room and then to himself. He started again, speaking even faster then before. He spoke even faster. "See listen here little ghost, when the holiday gets close, I feel like I'm gonna choke, oh we can only hope!" He grabbed at his neck. "I'm mayor, it's my duty to protect my city, from the snowy gritty doom that we all face. For every single year, all because of freaking Christmas cheer, while the people have a blast, our economy gets crashed, and I'm worried this year may be our last!" He pointed the cane towards the ghost. "So yes, use your little ghosty brain, that one you left in your cold dead grave, and realize Christmas is a shame." There was a faint kick line. "A sham! A let down perhaps. I tell you now, oh I tell you now, that Christmas." he held tight on this note, singing the word Christmas every so slightly, then bring the mood down compositely with one final word. "Sucks."

[Lady Celeste]

“Give it time, brother. As long as he lives, there is still hope.” Whispered what sounded like multiple voices echoing in unison. As they spoke, a tall figure in a long, hooded black cloak emerged from behind Mayor Reeve. Underneath the hood was the face of a woman, her skin pale as moonlight in contrast with her dark eyes, and her long wavy hair spilling out of the hood in hues of purple and silver. Afterward, from among the multitude of voices, one calm female voice began to rise above the others.

“But be on your guard.” The woman warned her fellow ghost. “This man means to ensnare us; I foresaw his plans just as we arrived here. He thinks that our absence would end Christmas forever, but that which has endured throughout the world for centuries cannot be undone so easily.”

[SirCookie]

"Ensnare us?! End Christmas forever?! We cannot let that happen! Christmas brings joy to many! I suppose grief to others. Say, you look quite familiar... ah yes! How could I forget you! You must be the ghost of Christmas future! My apologies for my forgetfulness! You must take it from here. My time grows short anyway. I'm just gonna go to the kitchen and find something to eat... wait... I don't think I can!" He laughs his way out of the room until he is fully out of sight. He goes downstairs to explore because he is tired of talking for now.