Ghost of Christmas Past (A Copper-Christmas Carol)
A version of the Ghost of Christmas Past, called Past for short by the others, was one of a trio who called themselves the Three Spirits and travelled between dimensions, repeatedly enacting the plot of A Christmas Carol on various misers — often, but not always, versions of Ebenezer Scrooge proper. It was seemingly genderless, being referred to as an “it”.
Description
Physical appearance
The Ghost of Christmas Past resembled “the flame of a candle” and, like it, was “always flickering, wavering and ever-changing”. It was “small, in a way that reminded [Philatel-426] of looking through a telescope backwards”, and was described as looking “neither old nor young”. (PROSE: A Copper-Colored Christmas Carol)
Powers & abilities
Like the other Spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Past had the ability to transport its mortal charge for the night through time and space. (PROSE: A Copper-Colored Christmas Carol)
Biography
In December 2019, after Celebration-665 introduced the Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids to Christmas, (PROSE: The Frost King's Treasure) the Three Spirits were able to enter the Cupid Homeworld for the first time, and homed in on grouchy postmaster Philatel-426 as their Scrooge for the evening. After Philatel had been visited by the ghost of his old partner Mailbag-431, the Ghost of Christmas Past appeared in Philatel-426's house, by his bedside, then compelled him to follow it out the window, flying through the skies of the Homeworld and back in time. Though momentarily puzzled upon realising the Homeworld had no past Christmases to draw on, it soon landed on its metaphorical feet, using past Valentine's Day parties instead as it showed Philatel moments of his past, starting from his earliest days in the old training hall, continuing on with a party at the Department of Journalism's building, and ending with his falling-out with his one-time best friend Journey-535 after he began to become monomaniacally focused on his Department of Postal Services work.
The Ghost of Christmas Past then left Philatel in the care of the Ghost of Christmas Present. However, unbeknownst to both of them, when it faded away, the Ghost of Christmas Past was remotely grabbed by the Spirit Realm's invaders, who pulled it into the Spirit Realm and bound it in ghost-repelling chains. The same fate befell Present as he left Philatel. After the third ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come, fulfilled his duties, he realised something was wrong due to Present failing to appear to take Philatel back to his present-day home; Yet-to-Come elected to take Philatel into the Spirit Realm, where he was bidden to rescue the imprisoned ghosts of Present and Past, with Present explaining the situation and clearing the name of his “fond friend” Yet-to-Come (whom Philatel had previously believed to have gone rogue). With mortals being more easily able to manipulate the chains than spirits, Philatel was able to complete this unexpected trial, after which the Spirits returned him to his bedroom as expected with no memory of this side-step — promising to stick together more closely from now on, as they believed the reason Yet-to-Come had not been captured was that the invaders feared him, even though they didn't fear the other two. (PROSE: A Copper-Colored Christmas Carol)
Pythagoras-858 would later mention Philatel's encounter with the “Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future” to Jenny Everywhere. (PROSE: The Time of the Toymaker)
| Incarnations of the Ghost of Christmas Past |
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| A Copper-Colored Christmas Carol |
