Chapter 15: Last Christmas

The Ghost of Last Christmas didn’t waste time with words. Instead, it extended a hand for Mike to take, which he did. The others grabbed onto his free hand, and a dark mist filled the room. Though it looked sinister, Mike didn’t feel like the spirit’s intentions were malicious. In fact, he realized he could see what the spirit was made of now. It was similar to Freyja’s soul, except the threads of Christmas Past were made up of tiny little gears that shifted in sync with each other.

The cabin vanished, and Mike found himself standing in Santa’s special workshop. The fat bastard himself was contemplating a large gift with the letter M on it that had been installed into a vise for Mike to find later.

“I believe that’s everything,” he said out loud, then turned his attention toward Mike. “For next Christmas, anyway.”

“What the fudge?” Mike licked at his lips and rolled his eyes. “Okay, sorry. Can he even hear us?”

“These are the shadows of the past,” the spirit began.

“Yeah, yeah. They can’t hear us or whatever.” He dismissed the spirit and put his hands on his waist. “So now I get a pre-recorded message from the past. I’m over these time travel shenanigans. At least the Santa at the mall talks to you in real-time.”

Yuki moved to stand next to him, then dug her nails into his side.

“Ow, what the heck?” he groused. Yuki tilted her head toward Holly. The elf was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her chin in her hands and a huge smile on her face.

“It’s been a very busy week,” Santa began while pulling over a rocking chair. When he sat in it, the wood creaked but held his weight. An elf came in through the door of the workshop with a large plate of cookies and a carafe of milk.

“Thank you, Lester.” Santa patted the elf on the head. “This is exactly what I needed.”

The elf beamed, then walked away.

“That was Lester,” Santa said once the elf was gone. “If everything I’ve learned is true, this will be his last Christmas. Sometime after I go missing next year, one of the giants will eat him.” He shook his head and wiped a tear from his eyes. “Poor Lester.”

“What the farts?” Mike stared in disbelief. “The elves are getting eaten? Why isn’t he doing anything?”

“That he knows the future with such certainty,” Yuki muttered. “He really did know what was coming.”

“Indeed,” Santa replied. He turned his attention to Holly. “I am so sorry about everything you’ve gone through, but I’m afraid there’s more to come. Your faith in me is a blessing, but I do not deserve it.”

Holly sighed. “Santa,” she whispered, a dreamy look on her face. “You can rely on me.”

Santa nodded, then turned his attention in Freyja’s direction. “As for you, old friend, I am sorry for your ordeals as well. You should know that all of it was necessary to get you into your current state.”

The goddess snorted. “More like you’re lucky we got this far,” she muttered.

The big man sighed, then put the plate on his belly and the carafe of milk on a nearby bench. He held up one of the cookies and chuckled.

“In fact, this is partially your fault.” Santa glanced over the top of his glasses at the goddess, his lips momentarily stretching into a frown.

“Excuse me?” Freyja stepped forward, but Mike grabbed her by the wrist. A chill ran up to his elbow, but he shrugged it off. Apparently touching her when they weren’t naked and fudging was much safer.

“These are just shadows of what have been,” he said in his best spooky spirit voice.

“There are two fundamental truths about this place, my dear Freyja. Although this is home to perhaps the most powerful magic on Earth, it’s been confined to revolve around a single, temporal point—Christmas Day.” Santa smiled and took a bite of the cookie. When it crumbled onto his beard, Mike could see some of the hairs twitch and reach for the crumbs.

“In this way, I am both its lord and its servant. I can perform a great many miracles, but only if it furthers the cause of Christmas. You see, when you came to me, the only reason I was able to save your life in the first place was because it was part of a chain of events that could lead to the survival of Christmas itself.”

“Right, but I’m the reason Christmas is in danger in the first place. So why not just speak up and tell me you know I’ve been talking to the Krampus?”

“Mmm, so good!” Santa devoured the rest of the cookie. “I really do love cookies, especially when they’re baked by the missus. Come. Walk with me.”

He picked up the plate of cookies along with the carafe and led them out of the workshop. They hovered behind as he walked. His home was flooded with dozens of elves dancing around and partying.

“I just got back from deliveries this morning,” Santa explained. “You can see that everyone is in a pretty good mood. In fact, this was a really good Christmas.”

“Who are you talking to, Santa?” An elf with long pigtails stopped him in the hallway.

“Some friends of mine that you can’t see, Adora. Will you take some of these to Mrs. Claus?” He grabbed a handful of cookies and gave them to the elf. “She’s still in bed recuperating from earlier and could use something to eat.”

Adora looked pleased to be given a task from Santa, and ran off.

“Even now, I can feel the magical barrier protecting the North Pole weakening. Whoever is looking for the Caretaker is taking the nuclear approach.” Santa tsked to himself as he led them down the stairs. “Those are events I have not been privy to, and would love to hear the story someday.”

Santa led them to the basement door. He stopped on occasion to celebrate with his elves, laughing and hugging them. Once across the room, he slid through the door and locked it behind him. They were now alone, the sounds of the party muffled by the thick door and stone walls.

“Anyway, my dear Freyja, the means of your resurrection were all related to saving the future of Christmas. When I made you into Jack, it wasn’t just to hide you from the Others. That’s what I call them, anyway. I think it’s far more accurate than the Ancient Ones, or even the elder gods. After all, they live outside of time and space. Who’s to say how old or young they really are?”

He chuckled at this as he led them down the stairs. “My dear friend, if you could speed things along?”

Mike wasn’t sure who Santa was talking to until there was a sudden blur of motion. Santa went into fast-forward, traveling down the winding stairs in a matter of seconds. They were outside the chamber with the North Pole inside when he slowed to normal speed.

“Ah, here we are.” He opened the doors, then moved inside. The North Pole was glittering with light, sparks swirling beneath the surface as if it had captured a tornado. “This is a new room to most of you. Welcome to the North Pole!”

Holly gasped in awe, but the others said nothing. Yuki looked at Mike, who shrugged.

“I’ve been here before, will tell you later.” He was more than a little surprised that Santa was revealing all of this.

“The source of all my magic,” Santa explained, then set his carafe and cookies down on a table. There was a clean mug waiting for him, and he poured some frosty milk into it. “As well as my curse.”

From behind the North Pole, a figure emerged. It was the ghost of Christmas Future, hovering just over the floor.

“The spirits are a manifestation of the entity living within the North Pole,” Santa explained, waving the spirit over. “As well as an extension of my own unique genealogy. You see, Future can only see what is coming, but cannot remember what has been. Every possible outcome filters through this poor creature, and it is their job to pass on to me any events of note. Freyja is one of those events. When I pulled her from those dark Atlantic waters, it was because Future led me there to retrieve her.”

“Okay, maybe Future isn’t a total dick,” Mike grumbled to nobody in particular.

“She has been hidden all this time in the guise of Jack Frost in order to keep her safe until the time is right for the gods of old to return.” Santa reached over his bench and opened a drawer. He pulled out a chessboard and set it nearby. “I assume you’re familiar with the analogy I’m about to make, Caretaker.”

Mike nodded, his eyes now on the board. Santa pulled a wooden figure from his pocket and set it down near the middle. It was Jack Frost, meticulously carved. “You see, I was warned of a potential future that would rely on me having certain pieces in position. So here we have Freyja in the form of Jack Frost. But there are more pieces, aren’t there?”

Santa took a minute to pull more figures from his pockets. Mike watched as one side of the board filled up with the Krampus, Grýla and her brood, a giant cat, and what looked like another giant.

“From where you sit, you may think it would have been easier to sweep the pieces away before the game even began, but it isn’t that simple.” Santa winked at Mike, then touched the side of his nose. For just a moment, the room was gone, and Mike realized he was standing on a giant game board. All around him, blurred figures with boards of their own shifted pieces he couldn’t see. In the few moments he was there, he watched one figure overtake another, shifting into their space and claiming their pieces.

They were back with Santa now, everyone save Holly muttering.

“There are events neither of us are privy to. This whole time, you’ve been under the impression that the Christmas I need you to save is this one, but you are incorrect. Certain events must occur today to prevent a disaster that will end Christmas many years from now. I cannot tell you much, but I think you know that one of the things which had to occur was Freyja’s return by your hand.”

Understanding bloomed in Mike’s mind. Yes, Santa had known everything that was about to occur, but there was a greater purpose for it. It wasn’t just some machiavellian effort to piss him off, but something bigger than that.

Santa leaned back and sighed. “Future can only tell me so much, you know. In fact, Freyja’s arrival was the first time the spirit mentioned this event to me. Since it will be the end of Christmas, you would think I have some power over it, but that’s just a side effect. I needed to alter the events of your present to stack the odds that you will succeed in ... whatever it is you’re supposed to be a part of.”

“Damn.” Mike shook his head and looked at Yuki. “I hate the idea of being manipulated like this, but what else was he supposed to do?”

“I like to think he had better options.” Freyja crossed her arms. “But what now? Can he just tell us what happens next?”

“Doubt it,” Mike said. “Unless telling it guarantees the outcome, he’ll keep his secrets.”

“Annoying.” Yuki moved her fingers through his and squeezed until their palms met. “We’ll figure it out together.”

Santa waited a few more moments before pulling more pieces out of his pockets. Tink, Kisa, and Yuki went onto the empty side of the board, followed by Death, Lily, and Cerberus. Mike couldn’t help but notice they were all wearing Santa hats.

“Do you know what I find interesting and frustrating all at the same time?” Santa drank some milk and then cleared his throat. “You have to remember, Future only sees the possibilities, no matter how small they are. When they speak, it is rare and I make sure to listen.” When Santa looked up at Mike, the world dimmed. Yuki and the others faded away, leaving Mike alone with Santa. “Some years ago, a wonderful young lady did me a huge favor and asked for a very special Christmas wish in return. In granting that wish, I accidentally changed the fate of the world.”

Mike looked around the room. “Where are the others?”

“This message is for you and you alone,” Santa replied. “You’ll understand why very soon.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Okay, big guy, I guess I’ll bite. Not that you can hear me bitching. Or maybe you can, because Christmas Future is feeding you these lines like candy and you’re essentially reading off a script. So you granted a Christmas wish that changed the world. Please continue.”

Santa nodded. “My magic is very powerful when it comes to granting Christmas wishes. The same magic that can stop the world until I deliver my gifts or even create pockets of time so I can visit children can easily undo the best laid plans of even the gods themselves. Now her gift was complicated, and I couldn’t just magically create the thing she asked for, nor find it in a store. She wanted someone to love her as she was.

“But when she made that wish, I butted up against a powerful geas and her circumstances. Despite what the movies would have you believe, I can’t just snap my fingers and bring it all together. And I don’t foresee all of it either. I am often a slave to the magic, and don’t immediately understand how my actions go about granting such a wish. One time I hid a man’s shoes. No idea why, but the magic demanded it. He missed the bus for work and stopped inside a nearby coffee shop to beg for a ride. A young woman was headed in the same direction for a doctor’s appointment and was feeling generous enough to give him one.

“She was a couple minutes late for her appointment. While signing in, she had a question for the receptionist. A man across town was trying to call in and had to wait a few minutes before being helped. This meant he didn’t walk his dog at his usual time, and he ran into an old friend. I think you can see where this is going, but it’s not that simple. Ripples don’t travel out in a straight line, Caretaker. They make circles. The man who got the ride was feeling extra generous and dropped his spare bus fare in a street performer’s hat. The doctor was pressed for time at the woman’s appointment and forgot to ask her an important question. All of these things created a circle of impossible events that eventually led to a young girl’s mother coming home from her deployment in time for Christmas.”

Mike crossed his arms. “So a Christmas butterfly effect. You toppled a ton of dominos to make something unexpected happen. It makes sense. By doing these little things, you’re still hiding in plain sight.”

Santa nodded. “You’ve experienced several of these already. The gifts I’ve left for you, the minor coincidences. Each one is a planned ripple to keep you on your ordained path.”

“Yeah, and I hate it. I don’t like the idea that everything I do is at your whim.” Mike waved his hand around him. “Have I had any choices of my own since coming to the North Pole? Or am I just a sexy Rube Goldberg device that you’ve set off in your home in the hopes that I beat up the Krampus and don’t fudge your wife?”

“The debate about free will and predetermined events is an old one that we have no time for, Caretaker.” Santa didn’t seem bothered by Mike’s outburst, probably because he wasn’t there in real time. “You have to understand that you’ve been part of the game longer than you think.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“The moment I pulled you from that burning car, I set off a chain of events that nearly drove Future to madness.” Santa produced a wooden Mike figurine and set it on the chessboard, right in the middle. It sent out a cascade of sparkling lights that crawled across all of the pieces

“Wait, what?” Mike was breathing hard now, and he looked around for the others. Was this a joke? “It wasn’t even Christmas, there’s no way you were involved in that!”

“My powers can exist outside of Christmas, Caretaker, as long as they serve to prolong belief. It was a simple feat to appear as an ordinary man and pull you from the wreckage of that vehicle. What I couldn’t know at the time was the profound effect this would have on everything.”

“That ... it doesn’t make sense, I...” Mike spluttered, at a complete loss for words.

“You were never supposed to be the Caretaker, Mike Radley.” Santa tilted his head forward and looked over the top of his glasses. “I can’t always predict how the magic operates. All I knew was that I needed to save this young man before he burned up like a candle, to grant a Christmas wish for someone else. In doing so, the geas chose you over the woman slated to inherit your home.”

“Who was supposed to inherit my home?” he asked, his voice little more than a fearful whisper.

Santa shook his head. “It no longer matters. The home is yours. But the sudden shift in fate caused ripples. The Krampus is just one of these ripples, manifesting in the flesh. The dominos are falling, and whether they lead to destruction or salvation is still unknown. You have become the catalyst for many things, Mike Radley, and you need to understand that trouble will come for you no matter where you go.”

“I just want to be left alone,” Mike said. “I don’t see why I keep getting pulled into crud like this.”

“That’s what happens when you’re a player in the Great Game, especially when you’ve made as much progress as you have. A target has been painted on your back, and you must be ready to protect those you love lest you lose them. These are heavy truths I have burdened you with, but you needed to hear them.” Santa sat up in his chair, and the room brightened again. The others reappeared, their attention still on Santa. “So now that you understand why I have stacked events in our favor, I have one more confession to make. Holly?”

“Santa?” The elf moved forward enough that she accidentally passed through Santa’s large belly. Mike was a little disappointed that it didn’t at least get a token reaction from the big man.

“There’s a certain secret I must share with you, one that very few know.” He knelt down so the two were eye to eye. “You’ve been aware for the longest time that I was once a normal man who became more. I am a human soul that has merged with the eldritch entity sworn to protect this place.”

Holly nodded.

“And I wish I could have told you earlier, but you wouldn’t have understood. You’ve always been different than the others, but you couldn’t have known how free you truly were. The original elves, like Alabaster, were not slaves to the magic like the newer generations. When Mrs. Claus and I made you, it was an attempt to lift those shackles, to create an elf capable of defining themselves outside of Christmas. It’s why you were on the special team, sent out to observe humans. It was to help you understand them, and maybe come to terms with all the new feelings you would eventually experience.

“But due to recent events, you have a tiny piece of a human soul inside of you. Even now, you can feel those remaining shackles fading away. It’s a degree of freedom I could never have granted you myself.”

Holly’s face turned beet red and she threw a glance at Mike. He nodded in agreement, letting her know that Santa spoke the truth.

“I was once a man. And men are capable of becoming monsters. I am not a being who walks solely in the light, and when it became necessary, I became the monster needed to save this beautiful land.”

Santa took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes. When he opened them, they blazed with red light.

“I am the Krampus, Holly. I am an amalgam of both the dark and the light, a being capable of good and evil. Unlike most, I cannot choose one or the other at a whim. When I am Santa, I am only the good parts of me. But when I’m the Krampus?” He shivered, then looked at the others. All but Mike stared at him in shock. “I have no control. I am him, and partake in his deeds while I weep from the inside.”

“No.” Holly’s voice was little more than a whimper. “That can’t be true.”

“It is, my child.” Santa smiled weakly. “I wish I could have told you in person, but the Krampus knows all that I do. When this Christmas Day is over, I intend to imprison the Ghost of Christmas Present to keep Krampus from gaining access to this conversation later when they become a ghost of the past. I wrote vague notes for myself to avoid the gifts I’ve left for you. Tomorrow, I will eat one of Mrs. Claus’ special cookies to erase all knowledge of these events and this conversation, for whatever happens to one of us must happen to both.”

Holly said nothing. She buried her face in her arm and sobbed.

“She will need you,” Santa said, looking vaguely in all of their directions. “For the road ahead is tough, and she will struggle to walk it. Even now, Future is uncertain that my efforts will bear fruit, but I have to try.” He stood, suddenly weary. “And Freyja?”

“Santa.” The goddess’ lips were thin on her face.

“I’m happy that you’re back.” He bowed to her in deference as the scene turned to smoke and faded away. They had returned to the cabin, the Ghost of Last Christmas standing in the center of the room.

Nobody spoke for several minutes, the room quiet except for an occasional squeak from Holly. Mike knelt by her side, but she turned away from him.

“So what now?” Yuki looked at Freyja, then the spirit. “Santa’s been pulling strings this whole time, so why fight it? Everything we’ve done has led to this moment and...” she shrugged, and then put a hand to her stomach and winced. “Shit, cramp.”

“Language,” Holly whispered.

“If you wish to know more, I’m afraid that I have no knowledge about what is yet to come.” The spirit shook its head. “But I was told that I would not be merged with my siblings so that the Krampus could not command me. I am free of his influence, but only because I am following Santa’s orders. Should I meet the Krampus, I will be obedient to his whims.”

“Maybe you should fuck this one, too,” Freyja muttered.

“Christmas Present was a fluke,” Mike said. A hot, sexy fluke, he admitted mentally.

Holly stood and walked out the front door of the cabin, leaving them behind. Yuki raised an eyebrow at Mike. He nodded and went after the elf. She was sitting on the steps of the cabin, her feet buried in the snow.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” She kicked at a clump of snow. “What I just learned, I ... it’s like there’s a storm inside of me, and I can’t control it. All my thoughts are just spinning around, and when I try to examine them, they...” she gestured helplessly and pulled her knees to her chest before burying her face in them. “I don’t know what to do,” she groaned.

“It’s hard.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t know this, but my childhood was pretty messed up. My mom was ... kind of like the Krampus. She would say and do terrible things. Even after she was gone, all I could do was hate her for the things she did.

“However, the Ghost of Christmas Past, not the one in there, the main one, or whatever, they showed me a memory from when I was very little. It was before my dad died. My mom was ... normal. Happy, even. She was reading me a book, acting like a mom should. During this trip down memory lane, I learned something about her that changes how I see her now.”

Holly tilted her head so that she was looking at him.

“Before my dad died, my mom was taking medication to help with her mental state. You see, that Krampus thing that lived inside her, it came out when she no longer had my dad around to keep her on her meds. Learning that this ugly person used to be so nice, well ... it was hard. Humans are complicated. The worst of us are capable of acts of kindness, and the best of us will sometimes fall from grace. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Santa used to be human, just like me.”

She shrugged, and resumed looking at the ground. “I was created to look up to him,” she said. “He’s a huge part of me, and everything I’ve done has been for him.”

“Are you sure?” He put a hand on her knee and squeezed. “Because if I remember right, you’ve been pursuing some things to learn more about yourself. It’s like what that memory was telling you, about how he wanted to make an elf who was truly free. A good parent doesn’t want their kids to worship them. They want their kids to live better lives than they did.”

Holly grunted in agreement, then sniffled and wiped her nose. “But he’s had that monster inside of him all this time,” she muttered. “I just ... I don’t know what to think.”

“And that’s okay. Your feelings are valid. Sometimes we just need time and support to process things. But you need to remember there’s a reason for everything he does. He told you the truth because it was important that you heard it from him and nobody else. Santa trusts you, Holly. Despite everything else that’s going on, that has to have some worth.”

She sighed. “It doesn’t make me feel better, but ... he was right about the human thing. Ever since we ... did the deed, the world feels less confining. When you guys swear, I don’t get dizzy like I used to. I have stray thoughts that aren’t about sex or Christmas. It’s small, but out of character for me.”

“Well, part of your soul is human now.” He chuckled. “And part of mine is elven. That’ll manifest somehow, I’m sure of it.”

“What do you mean?”

He held up a hand and summoned a lightning spider. “This isn’t something I did on my own,” he told her, setting the spider in the snow. “It’s a mark left behind by someone I loved. It’s a thing my magic does.”

Holly stared at the spider, its sparkling exterior reflected in her eyes. “So we left a mark on each other?”

“Yep. You gained something from me, and I gained something from you.”

“Will I stay this way?” She looked away from the spider and gazed into his eyes. “I mean ... I’m going to live a lot longer than you, so...”

“I can’t say for certain. But the woman who left this mark on me, she died months ago. My magic still carries that imprint, so it will probably be the same way for you.”

“Good.” She scooted closer to him, put her arm around his waist, and then leaned her head on his arm. “Because maybe it’s confusing, and a little bit scary, but I like how I feel. It’s different, in a good way. It’s like I fit into the whole world a lot better than before.”

He sat with her for a few minutes, his eyes on the Northern Lights as they danced about in the sky. Her sniffling had subsided, and she was motionless at his side.

“Is it okay that I don’t know what to believe anymore?” she asked.

“It is. Doubt is a very human quality.”

“I hate that the one person I believed in is ... well, I don’t know how to put it into words.” She sat away from him and looked into his eyes. “It hurts not having anything to believe in. So maybe ... maybe I should believe in you instead.”

He smiled at her and shook his head. “You really shouldn’t. Do you know why?”

“I don’t.”

“Because the most important person you should believe in first is yourself.”

Holly looked down at the ground and chewed her lip in thought. “I don’t know if I can do that. I’m not even sure who I am, anymore.”

“Join the club.” He patted her affectionately on the head. “But you don’t need to have all the answers to believe. I learned that from you.”

She smiled. “You’re really good at making me feel better.”

“I’ve had a lot of practice at it.” He put his arm around her and hugged her tight. “But you should know that I believe in my friends, and that includes you. Whatever lies ahead, we’ll face it together. Agreed?”

Holly sighed and leaned her head against him.

“I agree,” she replied.

Lily was taking a break with a large mug of cocoa when Christmas Present and Dancer appeared in the sky. The spirit dismounted and hovered across the distance between them before landing pertly in Lily’s lap.

“Just taught a little boy how to ride a bike.” The spirit grinned, then traced a little heart on Lily’s chest. “Feeling pretty good about myself. Any chance that the bone daddy will be away for long?”

The succubus snorted. “Doubt it. He’s already been gone an hour, so I expect him back any minute.”

The ghost pouted, then shifted off of Lily’s lap as the rope ladder dangling over the sleigh’s edge became tight. A few moments later, Death’s bony visage appeared, with him clutching a candy cane between his teeth.

“Well?” Lily asked.

“It went very well.” Death climbed into the sleigh and tucked the candy cane into his robes. “Lucille shall no longer fear the monster beneath her bed.”

“Good job.” Lily offered Death a high-five, which he accepted. “No problems?”

He shook his head. Lucille was born blind, giving the Reaper a rare opportunity to make a house call. “She felt my beard and my hat, but I told her I was wearing my anti-monster mask and that it would feel scary, so she skipped that part. A child’s innocence is rare, and I was grateful she took my word.”

Lily chuckled. “So what was keeping her up at night?”

“A monster.” Death took the thermos from the console and poured himself a cup.

“An actual monster?” Christmas Present asked.

“Indeed. I beat it with my bat, and when it became incorporeal, I strangled it until it agreed to leave her alone.” He sipped at his cocoa, then turned his attention to them. “Afterward, Lucille read me her favorite bedtime story in Braille. She even taught me how to read a couple of the letters, it was so interesting!”

“What the heck was living under that girl’s bed?” Lily shook her head. “You know what? Nevermind. Who is next on the list?”