A Yogsmas Carol

Part 5: I must break you.

Lalnable looked around the quiet empty church, ready to accept whatever lesson he had yet to learn. The air was still, nothing moved. The stone walls were bare and staring down on Lalnable. Silence.

"Hello?" Lalnable stood up, dusting off his nightgown and inspecting the area. "Hellooo?"

Just as he was about to walk back to the seat a tall imposing figure was stood behind him when he turned. The ghost had bright purple eyes that pierced right through Lalnable. His face was mostly hidden behind a purple scarf and the hood he wore. Lalnable could see scars however. The hood was part of the long flowing charred grey cloak the phantom was hidden behind, it was impossible to tell if he walked or floated.

"So you're the ghost of Christmas future?" Lalnable asked, stepping back. There was no reply.

Just as Lalnable was about to say something more the church blurred, melting from existence around them. Then in a flash they were stood back in the streets of Minecraftia. It was raining hard. It was quiet. Lalnable looked around confused.

"Why are we here spirit?"

The purple eyed figure pointed with a gloved hand to a nearby alleyway.

"Down here?"

He nodded.

Lalnable got the idea, stepping through into the darkness. There he found a small hole at the end, a light shining through. He crawled in, coming to find a den of sorts, miscellaneous items piled up all around. Sat on a chair was a tall ginger man in a dark green suit, his face seemed sneering and cruel to Lalnable. Before this man were two others. The first was wearing a lab coat of sorts, though it seemed unlikely he was a doctor of any kind. His hands were sore, his face tired and weary. The other man was also dressed in a suit, looking more beaten up and torn than the man in the chair's was. He had a scraggly beard, his hair black and his eyes shining blue. "Robbers." Lalnable said under his breath.

The man in green spoke up, "So what have you got for old smiffy today, hey lads?" He chuckled, rubbing his hands together.

"I've got this, uh..." The man in the coat looked at what he was holding quickly, "it's a watch sir! Still warm!"

"Oooh Trotty, you know how i like it!" Smiffy grinned, taking the watch and putting it on to admire. "How about you Ross, eh?"

"Oh I've gotten his bedsheets right here." Ross said, handing up the clean white sheets.

"Ohoho we can put these to good use!" Smiffy laughed, taking them greedily.

Lalnable sat back appalled. What poor man had they robbed so soon after his death? Whoever it was nobody must have cared much for him at all... Deciding he'd seen enough, Lalnable crawled back out, leaving the trio to laugh at each other in their hideout. The ghost of Christmas future was stood waiting.

"I see spirit, what happened to that man could happen to me if I don't change my ways either!" Lalnable exclaimed, smiling weakly. There was no reply.

"Oh please, take me somewhere merry this Christmas... Take me to the Cratchit house!" Lalnable asked, tugging on the cloak of his guide. After a moment they moved again, fading in and out to arrive outside the house Lalnable had visited earlier. If it had been quiet here before, it was silent now. Dread set in to Lalnable. Nervously, he moved to walk inside.

The room seemed grey and dull. Parv sat tweaking his instrument with a forlorn look. Martyn was stood over at the stove, quiet as he washed dishes. The spirit entered behind Scrooge.

"Why is it so quiet spirit?" Lalnable asked, his breathing heavy. "Tell me why."

The door opened, Five walked in with her head bowed, she seemed to have been crying. Martyn turned and walked over, hugging Five. "How was it?"

Five sat down, a tremble in her voice. "I-it's a lovely spot. I'm sure she would have loved it. Zoey always liked to go watch the ducks in the graveyard."

Lalnable's breathing stopped, he had to sit himself down. He began to cry. He sat and sobbed, looking up to a broken and empty household he had never even known. "This was my doing." He gasped, wiping his face. After a moment he looked to the spirit, "May we leave this place now? I do not want this anymore." Lalnable had genuine sadness in his voice. The ghost walked back outside silently. Lalnable followed. The spirit stood waiting and Lalnable took his arm. As they began to shift once more Lalnable saw down the street a young girl in a grey jumper, she was wearing a rainbow scarf. She too, was sat alone crying.

Finally they were at the journey's final location, a graveyard. The church was stood on a hill not too far away. There was a pond at the bottom of it. Lalnable did his best to avoid looking to that, instead turning to the ghost.

"I see it now, the error of my ways! I know that I must change myself or else others will suffer!" he clung to the spirit's cloak, kneeling and weeping. "Oh please, tell me, where am I in all of this?"

The spirit simply pointed to a grave covered in snow.

Lalnable shook his head, not ready to face his fate. "No, no, I beg you! Not this!"

The ghost remained motionless.

Lalnable slowly crawled over, tears streaming down his face, his hands and knees bruised. He reached the solemn grave, reaching out to brush away the snow. It simply read one name.

"LALNABLE SCROOGE"

Lalnable backed away in horror, turning to the glaring figure. "Oh please, no! I promise I will change! I will learn from the past present and future! I can change!" He cried out, pulling down the cloak of the ghost of Christmas future to reveal...