Ghost of Christmas Present (A Copper-Christmas Carol)
A version of the Ghost of Christmas Present, called Present 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.
Description
Physical appearance
The Ghost of Christmas Present appeared as “a giant, eleven feet tall at least”; although “each time [one] looked he seemed a different height entirely – first taller than a treetop, then about the height of a Cupid, and, at one moment, smaller than a mouse”, eleven feet tall seemed to be the default. He wore a crown of holly and had a bushy golden-red beard, moustache and eyebrows; his right eye had a green iris and yellow pupil, with the other eye being the reverse. He wore a green cloak with white fur trimmings. (PROSE: A Copper-Colored Christmas Carol)
Powers & abilities
Like the other Spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Present had the ability to transport their mortal charge for the night through time and space, both to show him various scenes going on in the present, and to take them back to the present after the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come left them in a possible future. The Ghost could also make wonderful feasts appear at will. (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 and by the Ghost of Christmas Past, he was returned to his bedroom in his house only to hear boisterous laughter coming from downstairs; he tip-toed down to his sitting room and found the Ghost of Christmas Present sitting amidst a marvelous feast.
After introductions were made, the Ghost whisked him off to invisibly witness Dandy-432's dinner party, in which he had declined to participate — or at any rate to a possible version thereof, as, after Philatel was later returned to his house with his journey complete, he found the party hadn't started yet, and was able to attend it in earnest. At any rate, once Philatel had grown to realise he would have quite enjoyed himself at Dandy's party, and the Spirit had made him think twice about the grudge he bore against the Blue Feather, the Ghost transported him anew, this time to Lady Spatium's dwelling in the Void Between Worlds, with Philatel's perceptions altered so that the sight of it would appear mundane to him rather than drive him mad. Though even he “ha[d]n't a clue” how buildings such as Spatium's home or the Interdimensional Tavern could exist within a “void”, the Ghost was able to explain the biology of the Embodiments to Philatel, chiefly making him realise how his overworking Lord Thymon so much was endangering the health and very existence of his nephew Tiny Thymon.
After reassuring him that he could change if he tried, the Ghost of Christmas Present left Philatel in the care of the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come. However, unbeknownst to both of them, when he faded away, the Ghost of Christmas Present was remotely grabbed by the Spirit Realm's invaders, who pulled him into the Spirit Realm and bound him in ghost-repelling chains. After 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 Present |
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| A Copper-Colored Christmas Carol |
