A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol
by Awlni ©

Carol had done the same thing she was doing every night: she had cooked dinner, eaten, done the dishes, and finally plopped on the couch to watch television with her husband of fourteen years. He would stay there with her, occasionally mentioning the shows they were watching, and get up to get ready for bed immediately after the news. He’d come back into the living room, let the dog out, kiss her good night and go off to the bedroom alone. She’d lay down on the couch, switch to the reruns she wanted to see, and fall asleep to the sounds of Remington Steele or Law and Order, waking up about 2 or 3 and finally going to bed herself. Tonight she wondered for the thousandth time if comfortable and safe was worth giving up fun and exciting.

She awoke to the sound of snow on the television and wind blowing outside. She looked at the screen for a moment, shook her head and decided that the wind must have moved the satellite dish again. She made a mental note to have Tom get up there and readjust it tomorrow morning. Finally she stood up, stretched, and turned around to turn the table lamp off and begin her nightly routine.

“Carol,” she heard as she clicked the light off.

Carol turned around quickly, startled to find no one in the room with her. She shook her head and then reached for the remote control.

“Don’t do that Carol. It really wouldn’t work anyway, but I like the set on.”

“What is this?” Carol said softly. “Tom, are you playing some kind of prank?”

The wind whipped loudly around the house causing the windows to shudder. Startled, Carol dropped the remote and as it hit the floor the television screen flickered into a perfectly clear picture.

“It’s not Tom, Carol. It’s me.”

Carol’s eyes widened as she saw her old college roommate on the television. Sue was dressed in one of the short dresses she had liked to wear, but the red material was torn down one side. Her hair hung limply and looked as if it hadn’t been washed in a while.

“Surprised to see me?”

“Sue? How can you be here? You died in a car crash last summer. I was at your funeral.”

“Details,” Sue said as she pushed a dragging lock of hair off oh her forehead. “So how are things going for you, Carol?”

“At the moment not too well. I’m looking at my dead roommate and trying to figure out if I need medication or just a quick trip to the shrink’s office.”

Sue smiled wryly, one side of her mouth climbing higher than the other. “Neither one. You’re not crazy. Just tired and bored with life.”

“And how do you know that? We haven’t done more than exchange Christmas cards in five years.”

“When you’re dead you see a lot of things. I see you sleeping on the couch every night while your husband sleeps in the bedroom. And I see the dreams you have about your daughter’s math teacher.”

“Hey, leave my daughter out of this.”

“Fine. But mostly I see how unhappy you are with your life and how much you’ve lost since we graduated so long ago.”

“So why are you here?”

“You know the drill. Don’t you remember your English Lit classes? When you die you have to spend your afterlife walking the earth until you atone for all of the bad stuff you did as a mortal. It’s my turn. I have to correct all of my past misdeeds.”

“What is this, ‘A Christmas Carol?’ Dickens wrote fiction if you remember. You were never really good in English.”

“Dickens was simply a very perceptive man. I suspect he had been visited by one of us at some point. Maybe he was trying to atone for something before he died. I don’t know. All I know is that I have to atone and you are next on my list.”

“What do you mean, you never did anything bad to me.”

“Well, I fucked your boyfriend once when we were roommates, but that’s not….”

“What do you mean you, did that, with my boyfriend?”

“Still can’t say the word fuck, huh. You never could. You remember that dweeb Bob Tuttle you were going out with junior year? He came over to visit you one night but you were in the library studying, as always. We sat and had a couple of beers waiting for you. He made a pass at me and I caught it. Didn’t you wonder why I looked a little disheveled when you got home? You know I always tried to look good, especially when there was a guy around.”

“You did it with Bob? You lying little bitch. You told me that he had just gotten there and that you two were watching TV.”

“We figured that what you didn’t know wouldn’t hurt you. You certainly weren’t doing him. And no one else would sleep with that geek. It was really a kind of a mercy fuck.”

“My sex life is really none of your business, thank you. And I can’t believe you’d have the gall to do that to one of my old boyfriends and them come here and crow about it. I thought you were supposed to atone, not make people feel worse.”

“You’re right. Sorry. I shouldn’t have told you about Bob. I didn’t come here to brag about my conquests. I came here to help you figure out what the hell went wrong with your life.”

Carol stood up straighter and pushed her shoulders back. “What do you mean, figure out what the hell went wrong with my life? There’s nothing wrong with my life. I have everything I want.”

“Except your daughter’s math teacher, right.”

“You said you’d leave her out of this.”

“Yeah, you’re right, I did say that. Sorry about that. I’m still new to this atonement stuff.”

“So what’s wrong with my life?”

Sue snorted in a most unladylike manner. “Where are you right now?”

“In a drug dream, I think.”

Sue’s voice got a little louder. “Where are you, goddamnit?”

“Standing in the living room listening to my dead ex-roommate lecture me about the quality of my life from the inside of my television set.”

“And where is Tom?”

“Asleep in our room.”

“Right. And you don’t see anything wrong with that? I may have flunked English but it seems to appear as if you have forgotten all of your math skills. Or is that why you like to take Mr. Reynolds to bed with you every night? And what is the significance of the old-fashioned tape calculator? I really can’t get that one. I thought I was into about anything, but that one has me stumped.”

“You mention that one more time and I’ll turn the TV off.”

“Won’t work. Go ahead, try it.”

Carol picked up the remote and hit the power button repeatedly, but the television stayed lit. “Told you. Now, back to the atoning. Do the math, Carol. Your marriage adds one and one to get two single people who happen to live under the same roof. At least for the moment.

“What do you mean, at least for the moment?”

“Never mind that. When is the last time you made love with Tom?”

“That is none of you goddamn business. How dare you….”

“I told you, I have to atone, and that makes it my business. I can’t move on until I get you where you need to be. And, by the way, it was three weeks ago last Saturday. You two went back into your bedroom, you turned off the lights, he reached over and grabbed your tit, you crawled on top of him, fucked him in five minutes and you both went to sleep. You’d both have been better off masturbating that doing that.”

Carol staggered backwards and sat down roughly on the couch. “How….how….”

“It’s the atonement thing. We have to do a little research before we visit someone. I’ve been watching you on and off for months now.”

Carol dropped her head into her hands and began to cry silently. Sue’s expression softened and she looked like she might lose a few tears herself. “It’s okay, Carol. You’ve got the time to fix it.”

Carol looked at the television through blurry eyes. “But I don’t know how.”

“And that’s my atonement. I have to show you. Now the rules don’t let me do it myself, because I’m only allowed one contact to do my job. That part makes it a real bitch, you know? But I have some friends who are going to come visit you tonight. Each one will have something to teach you. Listen to them, Carol. Learn their lessons. If you do you’ll be most of the way home by morning. Remember to open your mind to all of the possibilities, and they will show you the way,” Sue said as the picture began to get fuzzy. “Gotta go now, hun. Remember that I really do love you, in my way. And I’m sorry about Bob….”

“Sue? Come back, Sue. You can’t do this,” Carol said between sobs. “Sue?”

But there was no reply from the television. Eventually, Carol picked up the remote again, turned the set off and walked into the bedroom to get ready for bed. She changed into her nightgown and shook her head, trying to convince herself that it was all a dream. She walked into the bathroom she shared with her husband, closed the door, and flicked on the light. Immediately she was greeted with a loud and raucous laugh. She whirled around quickly and found a large, athletically built man standing behind her. “Who are you?”

“Come on, Carol. You read Dickens. I’m the ghost of Christmas Past. I’m here to show you a few scenes from your past to try and get you to wake up a changed woman.”

“How did you get into my house?”

“Does it really matter?”

“I guess not.”

“Good girl. Take my hand and we’re going to take a little trip.”

“Where are we going?”

“Into the past,” he said as he reached out to her.

“Do I need to change?”

“Yes,” he said, “but not your clothes. Come on.”

Carol reached out and touched his hand. She felt a moment of disorientation, and then realized she was standing on a rooftop looking into an open window. “Where are we?”

“Charlotte, North Carolina. But more importantly, can you figure out when we are?”

Carol peered into the window. “My parent’s apartment. I haven’t been here since I moved out after I graduated from college. It looks just like I remember it.”

“Of course it does. It is exactly what you remember. Keep looking.”

Carol looked again. In the dimness she could see two people kissing on the couch. “If they would turn a light on I could see better,” she said.

“If you had turned a light on your parents would have known you were in there. Don’t you remember the day?”

Carol felt wind as she moved magically closer to the scene. “John Pearson. We went out a few times in high school. Oh my God, It’s Christmas Eve of my senior year.”

“Exactly,” the Ghost replied. “About twenty minutes ago John tapped on your window and talked you into letting him in. You got him some egg nog and chatted for a few minutes, then he kissed you.”

“My first kiss.”

“Bingo. And now he’s trying the best he can to let Big John come out and play. Watch him. It’s kind of comical really, the way he slides his hand up to feel your breast. Just like a teenager. No patience.”

Carol watched as her younger self grabbed John’s hand and pushed it away from her breast.

“Aw, come on Carol. Just a few minutes. I promise I won’t go any farther.”

“No, John. I don’t do that.”

“Why not? It’s not like it hurts or anything.”

“Because I just don’t do that.”

“Then I guess I need a new date for Ring Dance next month. I only asked you because I figured that you’d put out.”

Carol’s younger self slapped him across the cheek. “Get out of here you horny little bastard before I scream and call my Daddy.”

“All right, I’m leaving. I don’t have time to waste with you anymore. Betty Wilson’s got better tits, anyway.”

Carol sat there for a moment after he left, then wrapped her hands around her face. After a few minutes, she got up and went to her room.

“Sad really,” the Ghost said. “That one evening ruined you for years. You didn’t go on another date until you’d been in college for a month.”

“He was a complete little scumball who only wanted one thing.”

“Exactly right. I’m glad that you turned him down. If you had fucked him you would probably have married him and ruined your life. But why not have just a little fun. What harm would some innocent teenage groping have done?”

“I was saving myself. I’m glad that I went to Tom’s bed a virgin.”

“And so is Tom. And if that was what you really wanted, you should be happier. Is it what you really wanted?”

“Of course it is.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Carol, be honest with yourself. If that was what you really wanted, why are we here.”

“You tell me, you’re the expert.”

“I can’t. The rules won’t let me. But I can show you,” he said as he reached out and touched Carol’s shoulder.

The dizziness was more pronounced this time but it passed more quickly as well. “What do you see, Carol? When are you?”

“I see myself lying in bed in my college dorm room. I don’t know what year.”

“Yes you do. Watch and think.”

Carol walked closer to the figure turning on the bed. She was taken by surprise when the figure on the bed threw the sheets off of herself and got out of bed, walking right through the Ghost. He laughed, shrugged his shoulders and muttered “tickles” before turning around. “Watch.”

Carol moved over and sat in the desk chair, watching herself look in the mirror. “What’s wrong with me?” she heard herself ask. “Why doesn’t he want me?”

“Sophomore year,” the older Carol said. “I had just found out that the boy I was interested in was sleeping with someone else.”

“That’s right. And how did you find out?”

“Don’t make me go there.”

“I have to.”

“Atonement again?”

The Ghost just nodded. “It was Christmas Eve. I had to stay on campus that year because I had a job and if I had taken the time off they’d have fired me. I needed the money so I stayed and worked. He was one of my coworkers at the store. I had a crush on him for months, and I finally worked up the courage to flirt with him a little.”

“Was that hard for you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I was scared?”

“Really?”

“Yes. Scared of where it would lead.”

“Remember the rest of the story.”

Carol watched as her younger self dried her tears, washed her face, turned the lights off and crawled back into bed. “I had gone to a lingerie store that morning before work. I bought some red panties to wear. I wore them that day at work and flirted with him more than usual. I felt sexier than I ever had in my life.”

“Why did you feel sexy?”

“Because I knew I was wearing red panties and I was going to show them to him that night.”

“Did you?”

“Yes. I noticed him watching me so I made sure that my skirt slipped up a little too high when I bent over to pick up some forks that I had dropped on the floor in front of him.”

“Were you wet when he was looking?”

Carol looked at the Ghost. “Yes,” she said as another tear slipped out of her eye.

“Keep going. What was the rest of the story?”

“He invited me over to his apartment for Christmas Eve dinner after work and I accepted. He got off work two hours before I did and I thought he was going back to fix dinner. God, I spent the rest of my shift wondering if everyone in the place knew I planned to lose my virginity that night. Finally I got off work and I went over there. I knocked on the door but he didn’t answer.” Tears began to flow down her face more freely. “I tried the knob and it was unlocked, so I went in. I heard noises from the back of the apartment and went to see if everything was okay. I saw him making love to another woman.”

“They weren’t making love, were they?”

“No.”

“What were they doing, Carol?”

Carol wiped the tears from her face. “They were fucking.”

“Good. Tell me.”

“She was on her hands and knees on the bed and he was behind her, thrusting in and out of her. Both of them were moaning. I remember standing there, horrified, and watching a bead of sweat drop from his face onto her back. It eventually ran down her back and down her butt until it fell onto him as he was about to orgasm. I laughed at that. That was when he looked up and saw me. I turned around and ran out. I don’t remember if I even shut the door behind me.”

“You didn’t, but that doesn’t really matter. What happened next?”

“I ran back to my dorm room and cried myself to sleep.”

“Not really. Watch.”

Carol focused her attention back on the girl in the bed. Her eyes widened as she saw herself pull up her nightgown and reach into her red panties. She saw her hand moving faster as her other hand reached up to caress her breast. The girl finally stood up, pulled the nightgown over her head and dropped it on the floor. She reached into her panties, still standing, and began to thrust her fingers into herself furiously. Her body shuddered with the force of her orgasm.

“You looked good in those days Carol. You still do.”

“How do you know?”

A twinkle entered his eyes. “I’m a Ghost. I see everything.”

“Then you see the extra weight and the wrinkles and the sagging breasts.”

“I see maybe twenty extra pounds. A few small wrinkles around your eyes do nothing to diminish them. And I see the love your husband has for your breasts when you let him see them. What happened to the red panties?”

“I threw them away that night.”

The Ghost looked at her very sternly. “That’s not all of the story, is it?”

Carol dropped her eyes, unable to look at the Ghost. “No. I pulled them out of the trash can the next morning,” she said as the dizziness began again.

“Where are they now?” the ghost asked, seemingly from a great distance away.

“In the back of my bottom drawer….”

Carol opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the bathroom mirror. She saw dried tears staining her face. She looked carefully at the face in the mirror and realized that while she was older, some of the youthfulness was still there. “You’re never going to be a supermodel, kiddo,” she said. She stepped back from the mirror and with a quick movement pulled her nightgown off over her head. Standing there in her panties she cupped her breasts in her hands, caressing the nipples until they became erect. She dropped her hands and took a long look. She saw a small rounded tummy where the extra weight had crept in. She knew that a little walking would take care of that but never seemed to find the time or energy to do it. Her panties were plain, the beige that she preferred, and hid everything from her sight. She wondered how she would look in the red panties in her drawer. They were the only pair she had ever owned that were designed for show rather than function. And she had never put them on again after that night. She pulled at the elastic around her waist and what she was wearing fell to the floor with a soft whispering sound as they slid down her legs. She looked at her naked body, mentally comparing herself to the woman she had just seen in her vision. She ran her fingers through the dark curls, wondering if there was more to life that what she had.

Her panties and nightgown back in place, she slid between the sheets and wondered what her husband was thinking as he drifted off to sleep that night. Disturbed by her movement, Tom rolled onto his back and his hand flopped onto her thigh, staying just below her pubic hair for a second or two before it slid onto the bed beside her leg. The electricity she felt as he touched her ever so briefly and accidentally caused her to shudder. She closed her eyes and reached into her panties. A finger slid easily into the gathering moistness. She inhaled sharply and pulled her hand out. A musky aroma reached her and she wondered absently if the roof was leaking again as she drifted off to find herself standing on the deck of a very large house. She looked around in confusion as a wave of dizziness passed and she realized that she heard noise behind her. She turned quickly and saw a hot tub, jets bubbling furiously. In the tub there was a man sitting and laughing with a beautiful young woman on each side of him. He had one of his arms around each of them and was reaching down to fondle their breasts. The man was very muscular and the women were extraordinarily beautiful, the tops of their breasts jutting out from their bodies proudly and with their nipples crinkled from the slight chill in the air. She was momentarily jealous of the perfection of their breasts. The man laughed and Carol was somehow certain that the clothing under the water matched what they were wearing above the water.

“Come on in, Carol. The water’s fine,” the man said.

“Are you the next Ghost?” Carol asked.

“Yep. That’s me.” He looked at the two lovely young ladies seated next to him and smiled. “Excuse me a moment ladies.” He stood up. “Allow me to present myself. I am the Ghost of Christmas Present, and these are my friends. You can call them Eros and Agape.” As he stood, Carol could not help to notice that he was as bare as his companions, sporting a semi-erect penis and with droplets of water throughout his jet black pubic hair and glistening in the moonlight. For a moment Carol feasted on the sight of the only non-husband naked man she had ever seen. Then her eyes closed and she whirled around quickly to face away from the tub only to find herself looking into a clear sliding door. Through the door, she saw a party with people milling around. She watched as one rather attractive woman in a very short red dress pulled a man under a sprig of mistletoe and began to kiss him deeply. His arms enclosed her and she shuddered slightly as one of his hands dropped to her butt.

“What, never seen a naked man before?” the Ghost asked. “You’re not embarrassed, are you?”

Carol stammered, drawn between the competing desires of watching the deepening kiss and looking at the beautiful Ghost behind her. “You didn’t have any, uh, colleagues, in the original book.”

“Dickens was writing for Victorians. He left a few things out.”

“I see. So where are we?”

“At a party in Killington Hills. You know the area?”

“Yes. Big houses on the south side of town. Lots of lawyers live here.”

“That’s right. And they know lots of people and invite them to their Christmas parties. Surely you figured that part out, too.”

Carol tore her eyes off of the kissing couple and spun around. Now all three occupants of the hot tub were standing. The redhead was kissing the Ghost’s neck while the blonde was stroking his cock into a full erection. Both women had what appeared to be waist chains dangling a jewel above the trimmed thatch of their pubic hair. Carol looked above his head. “Can you please ask them not to do that?”

“What. Ask them not to give pleasure?” He laughed. “That would be like asking the sun not to rise.”

“Fine. Can we just get this over with, please.”

“Only after you join us.”

“What?!”

“Only after you join us. We need to talk a little bit and I’m getting cold standing up like this.” He nodded to the two women. “Come on, my lovelies. Back into the water.” Carol’s eyes were drawn to the pair as they sat back and relaxed under the swirling water. She noticed that the Ghost’s erect penis was the largest she had ever seen and felt a tingle begin inside her. The Ghost settled in, put his arms back around Eros and Agape and again felt for their breasts. “As I said, the water’s fine. Come on in.”

“I am not taking my nightgown off in front of a complete stranger.”

“But I’m not a compete stranger, Carol. I am a more intimate part of you that you realize yet. Besides, why would I want to bother you when I have these two willing lovelies for fondling? I just need to talk to you a while.”

Carol stood there, feeling a slight chill as the wind picked up and cut through the nightgown she was wearing. She looked back at the party and saw the same woman kissing a different man under the mistletoe. “Don’t worry about her, Carol. She’ll be fine. The good part of the show won’t start for a half hour or so.”

“What’s the good part of the show?”

“That’s when they start taking off their clothes.”

“Oh.” She paused, them tremblingly pulled her nightgown off and folded it, laying it on top of the rail alongside the deck. She reached down and stepped out of her panties, laying them in top of her gown. “That’s a good girl. Now join us,” the Ghost said. “You can sit on the other side if that makes you more comfortable. We won’t touch you.”

Carol stood there in the cool air, feeling her nipples crinkle with the chill and moisture begin between her legs. She turned around to face the Ghost and climbed over the lip of the tub, sliding gratefully under the hot water.

“Now isn’t that so much better?” the redhead asked.

“You really should pay more attention to your hair down there, though, Carol. A little trim keeps us feeling young. And it’s especially fun if you ask your husband to help,” the blond giggled.

Carol looked at the blonde. “Which one are you?”

“I’m Eros.”

“Of course you are.”

“Carol my darling, please forgive my charming companion here. She only has one thing on her mind,” the Ghost said. “There’s a knob behind you that will make the jets blow harder or softer. I suggest you position yourself so that one hits your spine. Feels great.”

The blond smiled wickedly. “That’s not the only place you can use a Jacuzzi jet to feel good. Try pointing one directly into your pussy. But don’t get too close or it might hurt. I remember….”

“Eros, don’t make our guest any more uncomfortable than she already is.”

Eros dropped her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you’ve denied yourself so much pleasure and I just wanted to shorten the learning curve, so to speak.”

“So what do we need to talk about?” Carol asked.

“Why are you so uncomfortable, Carol?”

“I’m not used to sitting naked in a hot tub with three Ghosts.”

“Just one Ghost, two colleagues. But let’s be completely honest here. You’re not used to being naked at all, if the truth is to be told.” His face sobered. “And tonight the truth must be told. I cannot abide lies.”

Carol just looked at him, thanking her lucky stars that he was sitting down so that she wouldn’t be tempted to stare at his manhood. The ghost smiled. “I can stand if you prefer,” he said rising slowly out of the water. Carol looked at his face. “That’s not what you want to see, is it Carol? Be honest with yourself.”

“I just want to see the morning get here.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” The Ghost scowled at her. “No. Not really. I just…well…”

“Then look. Admire. Touch if you like. When you’re more comfortable we’ll begin. We have a little time to wait, anyway.”

“Wait for what?”

“Before you can see what you came here to see.”

“And what is that?”

The Ghost laughed heartily, his erect cock quivering a mere foot or so from Carol’s face. Droplets of water shook off of it and flew toward her, hitting her on her cheek and running down. “Patience, my lovely. Good foreplay takes time. Don’t rush.”

Carol looked at him closely, noticing the veins running just under the skin. Although she had been with her husband many times, she had never really looked at a man before. She felt a heat emanating from him which coursed through her veins and gave her sensations she had never experienced before. Tentatively, she reached out and ran a finger just along the side of his shaft and then back to the tip. He shuddered as she grazed the sensitive junction underneath. Eventually she lowered her eyes and dropped her hand back under the water.

“That was nice,” the Ghost said as he sat back down. “I know how much that cost you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m the first man you’ve touched other than your husband.”

“Yes. But if you Ghosts know everything, why can’t we just do this the easy way? Why drag this out? Just tell me what I need to know and let me go back home.”

He laughed again. “I told you, foreplay takes time, my dear.” The smile left his face but not his eyes. “True learning comes only with self-appraisal and self-realization. I cannot teach. Only you can learn. That was true in the days of Socrates and it is still true today. Tell me, Carol. Why are you uncomfortable right now?”

“Because I don’t like to be naked.”

“But we are naked as well.”

“That doesn’t make it any easier, only harder.”

He laughed again. “Oh, it’s definitely harder alright.”

Carol averted her eyes again as she felt color rise to her cheeks. “That’s not what I meant. I….”

“I know what you meant, my lovely lady. My time here is short and I must find mirth where I can. Forgive me my puns. You know that God in His Wisdom created us all naked. There is no sin in the human body. Adam and Eve were as innocent as children in their nakedness.”

“Yes, but they learned better and then covered themselves.”

“No. They sinned and then they covered themselves in a misguided attempt to hide their shame from God. The body is beautiful. All bodies are beautiful.”

Carol covered her breasts with her hands. “I’m not.”

The Ghost walked over to her and took her hands away from her breasts. He leaned down and kissed each of her nipples softly. “Oh yes you are. Carol, you are a beautiful creation of God. There is only beauty in you. You must learn to allow that beauty to rise to the surface.”

“I’m old and way past my prime. Who would want me now?”

“Tom.”

“He doesn’t want me. He just goes to bed each night alone.”

The Ghost laughed still again and raised his eyes to the stars. “There is none so blind as she who will not see.” He reached out to her. “He only goes to bed alone because you won’t go with him. Here. Take my hand.”

“But I thought that we were staying here.”

The Ghost laughed. “So now you’re interested in watching a little slippery friction, eh. Don’t worry, we’ll be back before the show starts. Come with me.”

Carol reached out and grasped his hand, closing her eyes and preparing for the wave of dizziness. This time she felt fine. “Why didn’t I feel it this time?”

“We have moved into the World of Dreams, not in the waking world. There is something here which you must see. Open your eyes and experience the Reality of the Dream.”

Carol opened her eyes to find herself in her bedroom at home. She was standing there, droplets of water running off of her naked body onto the carpet. She looked at the bed and saw her husband Tom in a heated embrace with a woman. He slid his leg between her, caressing her with his thigh. His hands and lips covered her breasts. Both were moaning with ecstasy. Tom looked exactly as he did in reality. He had a little too much weight around his middle and his hair was tinning slightly on top. She noticed that his penis was erect as he positioned himself between the woman’s legs to enter her. That was when she noticed the details of the woman’s body. She was stunningly beautiful. Her hair shone with light and the expression on her face was that of an angel. Her breasts were high and firm, and her back arched with pleasure as she pressed her swollen nipples into Tom’s body.

“Where are we?”

“In the World of Dreams.”

“Who is Tom with?”

“You.”

She whirled around to face the Ghost. “You lying bastard. He’s cheating on me in his dreams and you won’t admit it to me.”

“Be careful, mortal. I am the Master of the World of Dreams. I was not made to deceive. Look again.”

Carol turned and stared at the couple. She felt a man inside her as Tom entered the woman and she gasped aloud. “As I told you before, the woman here is you.”

Carol heard the sound of her own voice as both women cried out in pleasure. “Is this the way he sees me?”

“Yes. The woman you see making sweet love to your husband is the you that Tom carries into his dreams. What he does here he is doing to you. You will feel it as the passion rises.” The Ghost laughed. “Boy ain’t that a kick in the head?”

“What’s he doing?”

“He’s making love to you.”

Carol watched as Tom began to thrust faster into the image of herself. She felt him going deeper with each thrust and felt the hand of the Ghost as he reached out to steady her. Waves of pleasure rippled through her as she began to move her hips involuntarily, each movement timed to match the thrusting of Tom’s pelvis. Both women came, pleasure exploding through both bodies. As the two people on the bed fell together in exhaustion, Carol was struck by the feelings of tenderness emanating from them.

“What does it mean?” she asked as she opened her eyes to find hot water swirling against her naked sex. She doubted that the moisture she felt inside had come from the tub.

“That is what you must discover. I cannot teach. Only you can learn.”

“That was the most touching thing I have ever felt. He loves her.”

“He loves you. With all of his heart and every fiber of his being.”

“Why doesn’t he show me in reality?”

The Ghost raised his eyes to the heavens and laughed, his cock swaying as he did. “There is none so blind as she who will not see.”

“Take me home.”

“No. I haven’t finished having my way with you yet. There is still one lesson you must experience.”

“Then get on with it.”

“Such impatience. Remember that foreplay should always be slow and sensual. Why hurry?”

“I am tired of these games.”

“These are not games, woman. This is the Reality of the Dream.”

“Then show me another dream.”

The Ghost shook his head. “No. You are done with dreams for the evening. You have nothing more to learn there. Come with me,” he said as he again reached out toward her. She took his hand, closing her eyes and bracing for the dizziness. He laughed again and Carol was surprised to find herself being pulled along behind him through the glass doors and into the party. She immediately let go of his hand and covered her breasts and exposed pubic mound. The Ghost shook his head as he laughed. “They cannot see you,” he said. “Come.”

As they walked through the crowded room, Carol was struck by the gaiety surrounding her. Everywhere people talked and laughed. Both men and women grabbed another person, almost at random, and dragged them under the mistletoe. Some kisses were the innocent kisses of acquaintances but others hinted at a darker passion waiting to be unleashed.

“Where is she?”

“Who?”

“The woman who was kissing the men under the mistletoe.”

“She’s upstairs right now. With her lover.”

“Which one is her lover?”

“Actually, neither of the men you saw her kiss. She’s a very friendly girl, if you know what I mean.”

“Maybe. At least until her boyfriend catches her at it.”

“He knows. He even admires her for her openness.”

“What do you mean?”

“Love is not a zero-sum game, my dear. The more love you make, the more love you can make.”

“So you’re trying to teach me that I should be sleeping around on my husband?”

“I’m not here to teach you anything. You are here to learn. Why do you hear me say the word ‘love’ and then interpret that to mean the word ‘sex?’ Not all love involves sex. The woman you saw earlier loves many people, some of them men. But she saves her sex for just one man.”

“She loves women, too?”

“Indeed she does. You are one of those women.”

“What?”

“Yes, my beautiful and thickheaded student. You. She loves you with more of her being that you can know.”

“Who is she?”

“Find out for yourself. Go upstairs and find her. She’s behind the second door on the left. But be prepared for what you will see.”

“Are they, well, doing anything I shouldn’t see?”

“Not yet. But they will be soon. And everything they will be doing you need to see.”

Carol turned and went upstairs, now completely unconscious of her nudity. She stood outside the door the Ghost had referred to and hesitated, unsure if she should go in. Finally she felt an irresistible pull and grabbed the knob. Her hand passed through and, off balance, she stumbled through the closed door and onto the floor. As she looked up, she saw the man and woman kissing. The woman was facing away from Carol, her long brown hair flowing over her shoulders. The man’s shirt was tossed haphazardly across a chair on the other side of the room. As she watched, the man reached under the woman’s hair and pulled the zipper of the red dress down. He caressed her shoulders, pushing the dress onto the floor to puddle at the woman’s feet. She sighed heavily as the cloth fell. She kissed him more deeply than ever, wearing only a small pair of black panties. Abruptly the woman turned and Carol was shocked when she recognized the woman.

“Bonnie?!”

“That’s right,” said a voice in her head. Carol turner her head to look but saw that she was alone with the couple in the room. “It’s Bonnie. Your next-door neighbor. She came here with her lover to enjoy a little Christmas Cheer. But she is about to enjoy the holiday in a way she didn’t think of when she dressed for the evening. Although she did plan to do this after the party when they got back to his place.”

“Who is he?”

“His name isn’t important to you tonight. All you need to know is that they are very deeply in love with each other.”

“But she has never mentioned him to me.”

“Of course not. She knew that you wouldn’t approve.”

“He looks like a fine man.”

“He is a fine man. He’s a good man who will make Bonnie very happy. The two of them will make beautiful children together and they will both live into the twilight of their mortal times as husband and wife. And they’ll fuck like rabbits right up until their time is up. Don’t that beat the band, huh?”

“So why would she think I wouldn’t approve?”

Carol watched as Bonnie reached behind her and heard the zipper on the man’s pants being lowered. The pants fell to the floor. His white briefs joined them immediately and Bonnie giggled as she turned to face him. The silence in Carol’s head startled her. “Are you there?”

“Yes.”

“Then why won’t you answer me?”

“Remember Socrates. Think for yourself.”

Carol watched as Bonnie and her boyfriend pushed each other toward the bed. She began to breathe deeply as he slowly pulled her black panties down her legs. Carol noticed that Bonnie’s pubic hair was neatly trimmed and she had a small tattoo of a butterfly floating gracefully above where the upper part of her hair should have been. “She never told me she had a tattoo.”

“She didn’t want to hurt you or make you think less of her.”

Carol opened her mouth to speak and then fell silent as the man kissed Bonnie, first up the inside of her legs, then all around the tattoo, then finally directly onto her slit. He began long, slow strokes with his tongue which had Bonnie immediately writhing.

“Why would I think less of her? Look at her face. She loves him.”

“Yes. And he loves her. But you know why she didn’t tell you. Think.”

“I don’t get it. I…I can’t think.”

“Watch them and learn. But learn quickly woman. My time grows short.”

Suddenly it hit her. “When are they going to be married?”

“In a few months. Right after Bonnie learns she is pregnant.”

“She’s pregnant?!”

“Not yet. But she will be after Valentines Day. God, I love that holiday.”

“And she thinks that I wouldn’t support her?”

“Exactly.”

“Why?”

“All the times she has heard you talk about how you hoped your daughter would save herself for marriage.”

“But that’s Annie. Bonnie is an adult.”

“Yes she is. But even an adult needs the support and respect of those she loves.”

“But she knows that I would never condemn her for that.”

As the silence again filled her head, Carol watched Bonnie take the man’s cock into her mouth and begin to lick him. He writhed in pleasure and Carol could feel the pleasure coursing through the bodies of all three of them.

“Where are you?”

“In the hot tub with my two lovelies.”

“So why won’t you tell me what I need to know? Bonnie knows that I would never condemn her for this.”

“Stop deceiving yourself. A woman who dresses like she was dressed at the party. Kissing men under the mistletoe like she did. Having sex, no, fucking her boyfriend in a bedroom upstairs in someone else’s house while a Christmas party goes on not thirty feet away.”

“I guess she was probably right. If I had known I would have probably called her a slut.”

“Well now you do know.” Carol watched as the man changed position and hovered over her friend. He slowly thrust inside of her. Bonnie reached her arms around his back and grabbed his backside, pulling him into her more deeply. The thrusting became more frenzied as they kissed. He slowed his movements and Bonnie arched to meet him. Bonnie Moaned loudly and came. Carol could see the muscles in the man’s butt tense as he came inside of her friend. They fell together and lay there, lost in the happiness of each other. “Are these the actions of a slut?” the voice in her head asked.

Carol watched as the two people continued to kiss and caress each other. “Yes. No. I’m not sure anymore.”

“The tell me what you are sure of.”

“This was perhaps the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

“Are you wet now?”

“Yes.”

“The return to me. My time nears completion and your lesion is almost done.”

Carol turned and walked through the closed door. She walked into the party, tears blurring her vision. She stumbled through a couple dancing with each other. As she passed through them she caught the feelings that came from deep within each of them. She felt the love and tenderness they had for each other. She also felt the sheer desire and it was new to her. She finally found the Ghost sitting in the hot tub. His hair was gray and there were wrinkles around his eyes.

“What has happened to you?”

“My time on this earth draws to a close. I exist only as long as you need me to exist.”

“What else do I need to know?”

“Tell me what you saw.”

“A saw people who love each other.”

“And what did they feel?”

“They felt love. But it was nothing felt like I felt when I was in Tom’s dream.”

The Ghost smiled and darkness swirled around Carol. “Damn. I was hoping for a blowjob. Oh well. My work here is done….”

Carol opened her eyes to find herself standing beside her bed. Tom’s light snores echoed in the room. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw him lying there and felt such love for him that she thought she would burst. She felt her nipples harden and realized that she was standing naked and had droplets of water falling from her breasts onto the floor. Tears fell freely from her eyes and joined the water from the hot tub. She turned to look for her towel and saw a robed figure standing in front of her. She was immediately frightened, seeing only the robes. A hood was pulled so far forward that she could not see the features of the Ghost inside.

“Are you the Ghost of Christmas Future?”

The hood nodded its head.

“And you are to show me what will be?”

Again the nod.

“Why am I so cold?”

The Ghost made no reply, simply reaching a hand out to her. “Should I be frightened of you?” Carol asked as she took the hand.

The hood nodded as the dizziness came. Carol expected it to pass, but it continued. She began to see images, hundreds of images. She saw Bonnie giving birth to a beautiful boy. She saw her daughter married and making love to her new husband. She saw Tom and Annie walking down a snow-covered path carrying her Grandson. As Carol stood there holding the hand of the Ghost, she saw images of all the people she knew. She saw them in good times and bad. She saw them with the people they loved, including herself. She saw them making love over and over again. And through it all she felt the rising tide of emotion fill her. She felt the love and tenderness of them all grow from her toes until she felt she would burst. As she looked around her at all of the flickering images she began to lose touch with her body. She felt as if she were floating, looking down at the world. Everywhere she looked she saw love.

“Stop!” she cried as she felt the emotion leave her. She found herself standing in a cold field at twilight. There was no one with her except the ghost. She looked around her and felt the wind whipping around her naked body. “Why am I so cold? And why haven’t I seen any images of Tom and I?”

The Ghost stood silent. “Take me back. I want to go back to the World of Dreams. Take me there.”

The Ghost shook its head and pointed at her breast. “Why are you pointing at me?”

The robe fell back from the hand and for the first time she noticed that this Ghost was female. As she looked she could see the shape of a woman’s body under the robes; the curve of her hips moving into the swell of her breasts. She looked again at the Ghost’s hand and saw that the Ghost was wearing the ring Tom had put onto her finger so many years before.

“Are you me?”

The robed figure reached up and pulled the hood back, revealing her own face to Carol’s startled gaze. The face was old and lined from the years. It was a sad faced which had served the owner only to mark the passage of time in a bathroom mirror. Her hair was gray and she appeared as if the cares of the world rested heavily on her shoulders. Carol looked at herself and knew that she was cold because there was only cold in her heart.

“You are me. Is this my future? Is it set, or can I change like Scrooge did?” The Ghost smiled. “Is that why I’m cold here? Because I’m so cold inside?”

The Ghost nodded at her.

“But I can change, right?”

Again the Ghost nodded. “Take me home spirit.” Carol saws tears flow from the Ghost’s eyes and felt them coming from both faces.

Carol opened her eyes and felt heat of the morning sun streaming through the window. She knew it was cold outside and that there was almost a foot of snow on the ground, but she reveled in the light of morning and how the sunlight felt on her naked body. She thought briefly about her discarded nightgown and knew that it was no longer important in her life. She turned and saw Tom, still sleeping, lying on the bed. She looked around the room. Everything except her was unchanged. She touched her breast, remembering the feel of Tom’s hands on her in his dream and the swirl of water in the hot tub. “Was it real?” she asked aloud. She smiled as she realized that it was as real at the Reality of the Dream ever gets and knew deep inside that the love she suddenly felt in her heart was the only thing with enough reality to matter. She softly pulled the covers off of her sleeping husband and unbuttoned the shorts he always wore to bed. She pulled his cock from his shorts and, for the first time in her life, placed a man’s penis into her mouth. She felt Tom beginning to stiffen, then felt his hands pulling her head from his groin.

“Carol, what are you doing?”

“I’m making love to my husband.”

“But you’ve never done this before.”

She leaned to his face and kissed him deeply. “Shut up. Because when I’m done giving you a blowjob I’m going to fuck you silly.”